There has been some comment concerning the non-participation of the Christian Science church in what is known as the "men and religion forward movement," and an extreme statement was made by a young man, much in need of the help which Christian Science alone gives, to the effect that he hesitated to try Christian Science because he inferred that it appealed chiefly to women. He had heard that Christian Scientists did not participate in the "men and religion" movement, because no serious expectation was entertained of enlisting men to any considerable degree in Christian Science work. The answer was made that Christian Science is in itself a religious forward movement for all mankind, based upon demonstrable knowledge of God, and that its fundamental teaching does not recognize distinctions of sex; that adherents of this Science wish well for any effort which tends to correct the false impression that religion is the province of women and not of men. It was further pointed out, as a fact easily verified, that Christian Science congregations generally contain a larger proportion of men than those of other churches. In the personal experience of the writer as a Christian Science practitioner, at least three out of four of those he has dealt with are men.
Proof of this last statement was asked for, and the evidence in support of it seems to be worth quoting. To secure the required figures, a recent period was selected, of which the most nearly complete data were available. Within this period, about four hundred requests were received for help in Christian Science. Nearly three hundred of these appeals came from men, a ratio of about three out of four. These requests were made by ninety-six different people, of whom seventy-six, or more than three out of four, were men. These men rank well above the average in intelligence, education, and experience. About one third of the number were manual laborers; another third were business men; of the others, two were formerly preachers in orthodox denominations, two were college instructors, two were actors, six were lawyers, seven were commercial travelers, and three had had medical college education and had practised medicine. Some of the difficulties from which they got relief through Christian Science were as follows: so-called organic heart trouble, paralysis, chronic stomach trouble, tumor, gall-stones, rheumatism, sprained joints, catarrh, defective sight, liquor habit, tobacco habit, financial and business troubles. The percentage of right results accomplished for these seventy-six men is fully as high as the ratio of good results achieved for the twenty women who complete the total. It is apparent that women exceed men in number as adherents of Christian Science, as they do to greater degrees in other religious movements, so the experience of the writer has been exceptional in the instance cited; but this exception is due to the peculiarities of the time and place of the work and does not affect the data for the purposes of this discussion.
The figures given do not harmonize with the frequent assertion that Christian Science may heal hysterical, excitable women; that it does not appeal to or help practical, levelheaded men; but such facts do show why the Christian Science church need not enter into a religious campaign to reach men, since today, as never before perhaps, facts make appeal to men. The contention made with regard to prevailing conditions, that women are more religiously inclined than men, apparently means that doctrinal teachings, which limit religious effort to the destruction of sin only, are more largely supported by women than by men. Reason and demonstration both prove that the Christ-teaching, which deals with disease or any inharmony just as it deals with sin, by destroying it, appeals to men and women alike. Men, apparently, are more vividly conscious of other needs than they are of the need for the destruction of sin, and the teaching that meets the needs of which they are conscious appeals to them. Jesus said, "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me." Christian Science is fulfilling his promise through the abundant and indisputable fruits of its teaching. It is proving continually that whenever the Christ is lifted up by the exaltation of his whole teaching and practise, the preaching of the gospel and the healing of discord and disease, this does draw all mankind to the truth practised and taught by Christ Jesus.
