Broad, general policies, and even whole codes of political or business morals, often become crystallized in the popular mind into one short slogan or phrase or a single word. "Self-determination" is a recent and notable example. "Democracy" might be called another. This shortening and simplifying of an ideal into an easily understood and easily remembered watchword is undoubtedly of tremendous benefit. It is at the same time, however, a source of danger in that it offers to error an opportunity to use the same word or slogan as a sort of sheep's clothing for more or less wolfish ideas. Thus at the time of the French Revolution, when the word "liberty" was an open sesame to men's confidence, it became so perverted by error that it was said of it at the time, "O Liberty! Liberty! How many crimes are committed in thy name!" A few years ago the word "system" came to stand for so much that was good and beneficial in the business world that it made an easy covering for many schemes of sheer red tape. No one can doubt that "freedom of speech" has recently been invoked as a popular label under which to advocate the most sinister anarchism and lawlessness.
It behooves the earnest Christian Scientist to be alert against accepting any of the schemes of mortal mind simply because they come marching up under the banner of some general slogan or phrase or word. A case in point at the present time is the much invoked phrase, "We must be practical." Now to be practical is obviously a fine thing. It is an excellent slogan. Every Christian Scientist, for his own good and for the good of watching humanity, should every day strive always to be practical. But just because it is so manifestly right, we may be sure that mortal mind will seize upon it, and has already seized upon it, as a camouflage for such errors as we would promptly reject if they wore their own clothes. This always has been and always will be one of the tempter's last-resort tactics. We should be ready for it.
Webster defines "practical," in its application to a proposition or a thing, as that which is "available, usable, or valuable in practice or action... capable of being turned to use or account." As applied to a person it means one "given or disposed to action as opposed to speculation ... capable of applying knowledge to some useful end." In a word, then, that measure or thing is practical which can successfully be put into actual practice, and that person is practical who can and does put what he knows to good use. Mrs. Eddy was one of the most practical people, in the correct sense of the term, that the world has ever known, for she never failed to put what she knew to a good use. All through her writings it can plainly be seen that not a single step in Christian Science was proposed by her until she had proved it to be practical; that is, "available, usable, capable of being turned to use or account." As she succinctly says in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 323), "We must recollect that Truth is demonstrable when understood, and that good is not understood until demonstrated."
