Like many others I accepted Christian Science when all else had failed. I cannot remember the time when I did not long to be a true Christian. I had a devoted Christian mother, whose life influenced me more than anything else to seek the good and pure. In early life I united with an orthodox church and I was constantly searching the Scriptures and praying for more light, for peace, for righteousness. Some three or four years ago, in my heart-cries for holiness, a sweeter sense of God's love came to me, for I trusted Him more. I yearned more than ever to be filled with that love which casts out all fear.
During all these years, however, I was a slave to medicine. As soon as I was through school I prepared to teach, for I felt the necessity of earning my own livelihood. I loved teaching and sacrificed health and strength to make a success of my chosen profession. After about five years I spent all my savings one summer in paying a noted doctor for special treatments. I took up my school work again, and kept at it for five more years, but commenced to fail in health. Faithfully I took medicine, dieted, exercised, followed closely the laws of hygiene, but all too well I knew I was only temporarily benefited. In the mean time my eyes failed and I resorted to glasses. They failed again, and I went away for treatment, then back to the schoolroom. Soon materia medica had me more in hand than ever; only two years elapsed before I was brought home, quite unable to teach the time out. I was put under special treatment, but no satisfactory results followed, and a western trip was recommended. No good came of this, and I returned worse than ever.
After many weary months I went to another physician. Upon examination, he gently told me that an operation was inevitable; so in November, 1903, I went through the ordeal. For more than a year I had been unable to retain anything on my stomach, though I was so hungry that I was almost desperate. At this time I weighed seventy pounds. I came home in December and in a few days I suffered as much as ever from eating, and the medicine (fifteen or sixteen doses per day) seemed to be killing me. Twice each day I had a massage, and an oil bath. I was almost blind and could not read, had next to no use of my limbs, the kidneys were not acting, I was constipated, and nervously prostrated. Yet it seemed to me that I could not give up to die. I wanted to live, though the fear of death haunted me hourly. I could not sleep, and few had any hope of my life.
