It was my privilege at one time to have a young girl left in my care for five months. Her parents wished to see what Christian Science would do for her, as they received little encouragement elsewhere. The case was what the doctors call "not normal from birth." At the age of seven she had not spoken a word correctly. When sent to a private school, she learned in ten years to talk and read some, so that when given a word about which to construct a sentence she would usually form one the length of seven or eight words, omitting small words, and she could read in the first reader. This is what was accomplished in ten years without Christian Science, and with its help, she was, in five months constructing sentences from one to six lines long, seldom leaving out the pronouns and adjectives.
The special troubles seemed to be self-love, manifesting itself in self-will; mental overaction, and a lack in concentration of thought. Improvement in all ways was accomplished by understanding, even to a small degree, what the truth of man's being is—even a perfect expression of God—Mind—and that there is no power to prevent God's being made manifest in the flesh. In our text-book, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" p. 588, are these words: "Though the way is dark in mortal sense, divine Life and Love illumine it, destroy the unrest of mortal thought, the fear of death, and the supposed reality of error. Christian Science, contradicting sense, maketh the valley to bud and blossom as the rose."
Error would in many phases try repeatedly to hide all good results; but by standing firmly at such times, and striving to be faithful and steadfast in seeing the evidence of material testimony to be a falsehood, there would be some proof given directly that more good was already manifest than I knew.
To illustrate this: Morning and evening we would have prayers, "Churchy," the little girl called it, which consisted always of the Lord's Prayer with the Scriptural interpretation given in our text-book, the Scientific Statement of Being, and other statements of Truth in Christian Science. I made no effort to teach her the letter, never asked her to repeat it after me, but understood that she could, as God's child, say it in realization of its true meaning. She would repeat parts of it with me sometimes, but I had not thought of her knowing it all until one day I heard one of the household say to a visitor, "A—came to me the other day and repeated the Lord's Prayer, and she also said this to me, 'God is Substance, Intelligence, Life, Truth, Love.' Miss D—is a Scientist, you know, and teaches her these prayers to help her." The visitor replied, "It sounds like Christian Science." "Well," said the relative of the patient, we all think she has taken a great deal of pains and has done well." Then the visitor continued, "I have not seen A—for a year and she does not seem like the same girl; is she always quiet now?" The towns-people said, "We have all seen and spoken of the improvement in the young lady, she will miss you." This I knew to be a tribute to Christian Science, for they knew me to be a Christian Scientist.
Although she, at first, disturbed some in attending Sunday services, this was soon entirely met, so that she could be left to mingle with the congregation before and after service. At the private school she attended, it was thought she must be alone when having lessons, but gradually she could concentrate her thoughts and not be troubled by my doing other work at the same table. The strong dislike and utter refusal to do certain necessary tasks, was overcome. This required the patience, love, and steadfastness that I did not know how to express before Christian Science came into my life.
Among expressions of gratitude from the child's mother these are a few: "I am astounded that my daughter can repeat the Lord's Prayer; you certainly have been very successful with her. I keep your letters, for I know they will help me next winter when she is with me."
Boston, Mass.
