In November, 1895, while one of our girls, then ten years of age, was very ill, as the doctors said, of consumption of the lungs, my wife, then in the best of health and weighing one hundred and eighty-six pounds, was suddenly stricken down with pleuro-pneumonia. For seven months she was under the doctor's care, having every attention money could provide. Five months of this time she was confined to the bed, and two months of the five the doctor called from two to five times each day; not only giving us no encouragement, but frequently telling me that there was no hope for either mother or daughter. However, as warm weather came, they rallied a little. The doctors advised me to try a change of climate, and as warm weather seemed to benefit them I decided to take them to Florida, and started for there with the assurance from one of the doctors that it was very doubtful if my wife lived to reach our destination.
We reached Florida, however, and dragged out a miserable existence there for a little over one year. The daughter appeared to improve a little and the mother was up and down. In September, 1897, the family returned to Chicago. I had gone on about five months before. At that time I had been unable to work for thirteen months, having rheumatism of the nerves, blood poison, southern malaria, and catarrh of the head of about thirty years' standing.
The following November, when the weather began to get cool, my wife and daughter failed so rapidly that our friends became frightened and we began to look about for ways and means to send them back to Florida, as all our friends and ourselves had become firmly convinced that it was the only place they could live, while it was thought that I would be much better off in Chicago.
I shall not take up your valuable space with an account of the struggle during the following year. Suffice it to say, that we were in the depths of poverty, ill health, and sorrow. Our little all of this world's goods had long since been exhausted. We had given up the allopathic system of medicine, and were being treated by a homœopathist. Here let me say, he was a most honorable, earnest, kindhearted man, and did his best to benefit me and my family. He admitted, after about one year's treatment, that the case of my wife and daughter baffled his skill, and he was not able to keep them up in this climate.
During the winter of 1898-9, while in Florida, my wife made the acquaintance of the Christian Scientist who gave her a few treatments which benefited her so much that she wished to know more of Science, and when she returned to Chicago the following April desired me to procure a copy of Science and Health. I did so and commenced the study of it at once. Two years previous to this time she had repeatedly refused to hear of Christian Science in any way. She would not accept treatment or talk about it. The first and second times I read the book I saw no good in it. However, through the influence of my wife and my desire for something better, I continued to read. We laid aside all medicine from the first, and have not taken any since we commenced reading Science and Health, although it was six months before we could realize that we were much benefited by it.
To-day, March 31, 1901, we are a healthy, happy family. My wife was reduced in flesh during her sickness from one hundred and eighty-six pounds to ninety-four. She tips the scales at one hundred and fifty now. The daughter, who was given up to die by seven different doctors, all of whom were called the best, is now hearty and strong, attending school every day, storm or shine.
For want of space I must close, but not until I have expressed my gratitude to God for sending us a teacher in the person of Mrs. Eddy to lead us into the straight and narrow way.— South Chicago, Ill.
