I wish to express my gratitude to God for my healing in Christian Science, which occurred about two years ago. I had been a sufferer from stomach, liver, and kidney troubles for eight or nine years, which had brought on most persistent and aggravating sleeplessness. I was treated at intervals by four physicians during my illness, and as I continued to grow worse was advised to give up my business and go to Europe; which I did in June, 1904. While there I consulted a very eminent specialist, who had been recommended to me as one of the most successful in stomach and nerve troubles, and I continued under his treatment for eight months. To add to my other troubles I was taken down in March, 1905, with lung trouble. I requested my wife to telephone for our doctor, but as we had attended two or three services at the Christian Science churches, out of curiosity (we were living in New York at the time), my wife suggested that I try Christian Science.
After some urging I consented, and my wife went to the Reading Rooms to inquire regarding treatment. A young man was sent to me, and when he came to my bedside he asked if I had ever been treated in Christian Science. I replied that I had not. He told me of the rule in regard to giving up medicines while under Science treatment. I agreed to give up the remedy I was using for the lung trouble, but as I was taking rather expensive medicines from a specialist for my stomach and for sleeplessness I could not give those up. As he declined to treat me unless I gave up all medicines, and yet was so courteous and gentle and pleasant, though firm in his position, I agreed to give them all up for one day. He gave me the treatment and asked me to read Science and Health. He left in ten or fifteen minutes, shortly after which a strange thing happened. My fever left me and I became suddenly very hungry. I had not been really hungry for my meals before for years. I called for and received a substantial lunch, which I ate with great relish. In an hour or so I got up and dressed, though in the morning when I had tried to do so I fainted from weakness and a chill. I went to bed that night marveling at it all. I felt free from distress of any kind, and when I awoke in the morning I realized that I had been asleep all night without once waking; whereas I had been in the habit of getting up each night from two to five or six times and reading or walking the floor. I was so pleased at this that I looked up the practitioner's address and went to his home. I received five or six more treatments, and from that time to this I have not had to take a drop of medicine, and have not missed a meal. I now relish my food and never fail to sleep normally every night. When I began treatment my weight was one hundred and thirty pounds. To-day I weigh one hundred and sixty-seven.
We have three children, and we have seen Christian Science meet and promptly master the ailments which ordinarily come to a family. Their complaints have been fewer than formerly, it seems. I had been a member of an orthodox church for twenty-two years, a Bible student, also superintendent of a Sunday School for a number of years, but could not understand nor explain many of the Bible texts, as they seemed inconsistent. Since coming into Science, however, all these inconsistencies have been swept away, and the Bible is the most interesting and valued book in our family to-day. Though it was hard to leave our old friends and church, I had found the truth in Christian Science, and after several months of study and of proving I obeyed my conscience, and in June I joined The Mother Church in Boston and First Church in New York, my wife and daughter joining with me. The joy, happiness, health, and awakening which have been ours during the past year and a half we owe to God's goodness, and to our devoted Leader, Mrs. Eddy, whom we are striving to follow and to whom we are sincerely grateful.
