In September, 1910, on my way to the marine hospital at Port Townsend, Wash., I met a man on the steamer who asked me what was the matter and where I was going. When I told him, he said that if I would go to Seattle with him he would find a Christian Science practitioner for me and I would surely be healed in a very short time. I rejected his kind offer, as I did not believe in God at all; but he advised me, if I did not get better at the hospital, to inquire for a Christian Scientist and ask for treatment.
After staying eleven days at the hospital without much improvement, I decided to take this man's advice, so on the following day I went to see a Christian Science practitioner. She asked me what was the trouble. I told her it was rheumatism in the hip and back. She then talked with me about God and religion, and after a while consented to give me treatment. I was healed inside of a week, but took treatment for two weeks, and the third week was out at sea on another ship. I never felt any return of the trouble in the hip. My back troubled me somewhat after that, but the ailment has since been conquered by the truth. I have also been healed of the drink habit, of bad temper, and of various other discords.
The following year, while I was splitting fish one day, the knife slipped and cut my left thumb through nail and flesh for about three quarters of an inch. I did not use any material remedy on it except something that the captain made me put on to stop the bleeding. After that I only kept a rag on it and was back to work in six days, although according to all those on board I was going to lose my finger. By applying my meager understanding of Truth I saved my finger and was more than ever convinced of the allness of God.
