In the month of February, 1887, a neighbor came into...

In the month of February, 1887, a neighbor came into my house with a letter from a mutual friend living in Chicago, who wrote that they had something new in Chicago called Christian Science, and it pertained to healing the sick; that a friend of hers, a Christian Scientist, was stopping in C. for a few days, and if we would call on her (giving the address) she would gladly tell us something about it. We called the next day, and were told many wonderful things, two of which I will mention. We were told that the "Principle," of which Jesus' healing was in demonstration, had been discovered, and was again being applied to the needs of suffering humanity,—healing the sick. To my question, "Have you ever seen any one so healed," she replied, "Yes, and have experienced the healing." She also placed in my hand a copy of the textbook of Christian Science, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," saying that in that book, at a cost of three dollars, we would find the Principle, its discovery, and how to apply it to the healing of all diseases; and this was another surprise, for in our little library we had a leather bound "Family Physician," costing nine dollars, and two or three other volumes, none costing less than three dollars, and we had only begun the education of "preventing disease, by learning all about it;" so a book, whose contents, when understood, would heal all ills, was indeed a marvel to me. My thought was completely stirred. I went home and began to search the Scriptures as I had never done before, and soon was the owner of a copy of Science and Health and took class instruction, and for fifteen years have been free from all pain and disease of every sort. During the ten years previous to 1887, in our little family of six members, we had employed twenty-six different physicians, from different cities, to minister to our physical needs, men of highest character and devotion to duty in their desire to heal and relieve, but three of those loved ones passed away after years of suffering and misery, and I was mentally pleading to know if there were no balm in Gilead, when my prayer was answered as above stated. With gratitude to the one, who by her close walk with God was enabled to give us this Gospel of Love, may we ever be faithful to the calling of the ministering of Love's messages, by which we may break the bread of Life to whosoever will receive it.—Helen A. Smyth, Cleveland, O.