I look back with deep gratitude to God upon nearly four years' acquaintance with Christian Science, for the spiritual and physical blessings it has brought to me and my family. Because I have derived so much help from the testimonies of others, I hope that mine will be of use to some one. In January, 1906, I had the privilege of becoming a member of First Church of Christ, Scientist, London, and the testimony meetings gave me a clearer understanding of what is expected of a Christian Scientist and how we have to work. I have learned, though as yet in a faint way, and seen that infinite Love and wisdom is reflected by our beloved Leader, in her giving us the Manual of The Mother Church, with its increasing and valuable By-laws, which meet invariably the needs of the hour.
As I gain more understanding through the study of the Manual and the constant application of what I can apprehend of the truth, I perceive more and more that in the Manual we have well-defined rules for living according to the revelation of our text-book, Science and Health, and if we could be strictly obedient to the wisdom and experience expressed in this guide, we should find it available for every emergency in our daily lives. It would take too long to enumerate all the difficulties which have been overcome through the help of this most practical religion. Christian Science has changed my life, which had often seemed hard to bear. It has not always changed outward conditions immediately, nor prevented difficulties from coming up, but it has so completely changed my thought about these conditions that I have always been able to pass through the fire unharmed, and have found myself farther advanced and better able to help others.
In the spring of 1906 we had a great proof of the literal fulfilment of God's promises, as given in the Bible. I see now that these promises have always been there, but the fulfilment could not have been seen by us without the understanding of the spiritual meaning of the Bible which we have gained through its wondrous "Key," Science and Health. My little boy, aged nine, was playing one afternoon with two other boys on the terrace before the house of a friend. The front of the house has a flight of stone steps, and two large vases on pedestals at the right and left of the terrace. One of the boys, older than the other two, climbed into one of the vases, whilst the smaller boy hid himself in the other. My boy was watching them from the terrace, when the vase which held the larger boy broke off the pedestal. The boy jumped off, and in so doing made a movement which hurled the copper vase, weighing four hundred pounds, on my boy (I relate this as it has been told to me by several eye-witnesses and by the children). My boy screamed and then fainted. The other boy, who in his fright had run down the steps, came back and rolled the vase off my child, and as it bounded down the stone steps, every one of them was broken.
