The world at large has little idea of its indebtedness to Christian Science and its Discoverer and Founder. Christian Scientists do not complain of this lack of perception, because they realize that some understanding of Christian Science itself and of the falsity of common beliefs must be acquired before the good actually being done can be rightly appreciated. But the public certainly deserves to be enlightened concerning many benefits conferred by the mere presence of Christian Science in the world today. If would-be critics were trained to perceive metaphysical facts instead of succumbing to material evidence, they would withhold much of their comment upon Christian Science. If it were generally understood that Life is Spirit and man is spiritual, a great deal of the criticism which is based upon the assumption that Life is in matter and man is material, would fall away of its own accord. As the perception gains ground in human consciousness that God is Life, it will be more widely understood that to know God is to reflect Life, and so to check decay and to increase longevity. Whoever knows this now, is already a public as well as a private benefactor.
Any sincere searcher after the truth may convince himself of the world-wide activities for good of Christian Science. He will find it inspiring to note the beneficial effect upon the health and happiness of mankind. A great part of this effect, however, receives no acknowledgment at present, because it is unknown to its beneficiaries. Christian Science does its work of healing and redemption quietly and unostentatiously. Even when its results are gladly admitted, they generally become known to the public only through the testimonies in our periodicals or through those given at our Wednesday evening meetings. There is, however, a great amount of healing which escapes even this notice, and yet it is none the less wonderful and effective. I refer especially to the preventive and curative influence due to the habit of rejecting error and affirming Truth which becomes second nature to those instructed in Christian Science.
Let us imagine a world in which the doctrines and theories of false theology, the mistaken beliefs of material medicine, and the atheistic hypotheses of physical science, went entirely unrebuked and unopposed; that there was absolutely no understanding of the facts of being in such an imaginary world. God was supposed to be the producer of both evil and good, or else evil was supposed to be a self-existing entity at war with God. Assume that the belief in the destructive power of matter was universal, and that there was no one to say nay to the atomic theory which attempts to leave God, Spirit, out of His own universe. It is evident that if there were no tendency at all to stem the tide of these false assumptions and mankind were wholly at their mercy, then the universe, including man, would long since have plunged headlong into self-destruction and chaos.
