I was brought into Science by being healed of inflammatory rheumatism in June, 1899. I will relate in part my experience, hoping it will help others. I first had medical attendance for one week, growing worse every day. The day I decided to take Christian Science treatment, the doctor informed me it would be at least three months before I would be able to work, and left medicine of different kinds for me to take every half hour.
I knew of Christian Science through the healing of my sister. I had my wife write to my sister's healer, who was one hundred and eighty-eight miles from Charlemont, Mass., where I was then residing. After writing for treatment my wife laid away all medicine and material remedies.
I wish to say my wife was a trained nurse, and up to that time had worked at her profession constantly for nearly ten years. After deciding to try Christian Science, for about five days I seemed to be balancing on a pivot between Christian Science and materia medica, but at the end of five days I fully decided to stand on Truth—Christian Science. I then gained quite rapidly. In ten days I went out and to work for two days; meanwhile I was fretting, worrying, and saying to myself, "I don't gain very fast. I ought to get along faster than I am doing." I did not read Science and Health much, but my wife read it to me a great deal. After working two days, I was again confined to the house, then to the bed, seemingly worse than ever, not being able to move hand or foot, or even move my fingers. I still maintained Christian Science, not once thinking of returning to medicine after my first struggle. While in bed the second time I decided to go right to my healer in North Hanson, Mass. I had been in bed six days, gaining a little each day, and in the evening I told my wife, brother, and sister that we would start in the morning for North Hanson. When morning came I arose, dressed myself, and went downstairs to breakfast. The previous six days I had hardly been able to move. After breakfast we took a hack to the depot in Charlemont and came into Boston to the North Union Station. I looked after all the baggage for myself and wife, ate dinner, took a hack to the South Union Station, looked after baggage there, then took train for North Hanson, and arrived there seemingly pretty well played out.
