Onpage 197 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," Mary Baker Eddy writes, "The less that is said of physical structure and laws, and the more that is thought and said about moral and spiritual law, the higher will be the standard of living and the farther mortals will be removed from imbecility or disease." Having proved this to their own satisfaction, it is not to be wondered at that Christian Scientists are tempted to be disturbed over the constantly increasing amount of time devoted in our public schools to the effort of building up our children through the inculcation of faith in and obedience to so-called physical laws. While the underlying motive may be an honest desire to bring out a greater degree of perfection, in many instances it would seem that the main effect apparently is only to fasten upon the children's thoughts greater or lesser mental and physical defects.
This state of affairs may continue until the majority of those concerned are aroused to the fact that the present system is in many ways not only futile, but a menace to the welfare of our youth. Superstition and fear are ever foes to enlightenment and progress, and so it is scarcely surprising to find this form of error desiring insidiously to encroach upon our school systems; and the astounding thing is that it is so little opposed. It is now working most freely in the lower grades, with the result that certain classes of children, whose education of necessity seems to be limited to the few years spent in our primary and grammar schools, are in many instances failing to receive the training due them in the rudiments of education, because of the time and attention that teachers are required to devote to teaching them to be afraid of their bodies. Many of these children, not instructed in Christian Science, go forth from their school experiences anticipating disease rather than health, looking for evil rather than good, thus fearing, and perhaps expressing, whatever of evil mortal mind may decree, until through suffering they are forced to seek the higher or spiritual education.
While we may not ask at this time that Christian Science be taught in our schools, we surely may expect to see a decrease rather than an increase of the inimical practices now seeking a firmer foothold. We who recognize the danger cannot afford to overlook it for an instant; but we are required to bring to bear upon the situation all the wisdom at our command, in order that we may be sure that we are taking the right steps at the right time and in the right way. Murmuring over a wrong condition avails nothing in removing the condition, but tends rather to cause us to overlook the "still small voice," ever present to show us our part in establishing in human consciousness the fact of the kingdom of heaven here and now.
There is a growing alertness on the part of many to recognize the judicious casting of the ballot as a timely opportunity for entering a legitimate and forceful protest against this evil. By prayerful vigilance in ascertaining and making known to others, who are ready to view this question fairly, the attitude of candidates for election to public office on the subject of medical freedom, much is being done to free our public schools from the practice of medical examination and unnecessary hygienic teaching and treatment. A Christian Scientist who fails to make the proper use of his voting privilege in this respect is surely overlooking a very simple but effective opportunity for helping in the achievement of better conditions for the development of his race.
We remember, however, our wise Leader's counsel in "Miscellaneous Writings" (p. 126), "No reproof is so potent as the silent lesson of a good example." In obedience to this injunction, we are impelled to be more faithful in our efforts to prove by practical demonstration that through Christian Science our children are able to present their bodies, "holy, acceptable unto God," with a far greater degree of ease and certainty than those children who are attempting to accomplish this through the prescribed material methods. The pupil who has been instructed in Christian Science knows that God's child is necessarily perfect, rightly proportioned, and can neither inherit nor acquire any defect or deformity. Thus, he is not liable to become a prey to the prevailing beliefs among school children of either over or under development, and their discouraging attendant conditions. He rejoices in the perfection that God bestows, and can never be persuaded that weighing, measuring, blood testing, or any other of the methods now in vogue are to be relied upon in the determining of how much of a child of God he is.
Knowing himself as in reality a spiritual representative of divine Life, the child realizes that he possesses animation, vigor, vitality, and strength, but never lifelessness, laziness, inertia, or inanity. As a representative of divine Truth he appreciates that he is constant, steadfast in harmony, incapable of being disturbed by the mortal beliefs of food, weather, or germs; as the representative of divine Love, he knows that he has the right to loveliness, to purity of mind and body, and that he does not, in reality, embody the impure desires, thoughts, and habits which are being more and more commonly attributed to growing children; as the representative of perfect divine Mind, he knows that he possesses all the wisdom and intelligence he may require each moment, and so he cannot be brought under the mesmeric beliefs of stupidity and dullness. The child who is thus armored has many occasions for rejecting the aggressive suggestions that come to him, both audibly and mentally, in his daily school experiences.
Before knowing of Christian Science, for many years the writer struggled, through obedience to physical laws, to build up a constitution capable of resisting the constantly recurring attacks of disease which served as a handicap to the rendering of the faithful and satisfactory service she so desired to give, first as a pupil and later as a public schoolteacher. The prescribed methods of medical practice, tonics of all kinds, diet, exercise, fresh air, long vacations,—all were faithfully followed, with little apparent and no lasting benefit. Much time was also given to the study of the Scriptures, as advised by Paul when he wrote, "And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified." These words surely were intended for an inspiration to any one struggling against the all too common beliefs of inherited weakness and malnutrition. While "the word of his grace," studied in the light of the ordinary theological teaching, brought little result, the moment the light of Christian Science was thrown upon this Word and all material means were discarded, the building-up process began in consciousness; and it has gone on without interruption, with its outward manifestation, just to the extent that the fact has been accepted and appreciated that man's power of resistance to disease is in proportion to the reflection of God's power.
This should be sufficient evidence to prove to any parent tempted to be discouraged over adverse reports of the mental and physical condition of a child, that the privilege is always at hand of proving those expressive words in the twenty-second chapter of Job: "If thou return to the Almighty, thou shalt be built up, thou shalt put away iniquity far from thy tabernacles." In one of our public schoolrooms at the close of the term, the teacher announced that only two little boys in the room had the splendid record of having been neither absent nor tardy during the entire year. Later in the day, for some reason not given out, this same teacher made inquiry as to the religious teaching of the children, and, in response to her request that all Christian Scientists arise, the two little boys who alone had been commended for perfect attendance, arose. One of these little fellows reported to his mother with much joy that he was glad he had been asked about his religion, because now the teacher would know why these two boys had been able to achieve their good record. The mother, too, rejoiced in the fact that she had kept in such close' touch with the school that she had been alive to the changing claims of mortal mind for her child, and had been able to make them "of none effect" through the application of her growing understanding of the true nature of God's children. The child who is fortunate enough to have the truth of being taught and lived in his home will be in little danger from the adverse school atmosphere; and he will, though perhaps quite unconsciously, be doing much toward purifying it. Without a doubt, if the teacher referred to shared the somewhat common belief of prejudice against Christian Science, this was dissipated, at least in some degree, by the evidence presented that these Christian Science children had manifested, not only physical health, but honesty, sincerity, and faithfulness to duty beyond the average child.
We must appreciate and acknowledge that the majority of our educators are working faithfully from their limited viewpoint of God, good; and we cannot pray too earnestly or be too faithful, patient, and kindly in our efforts to prove to these workers the availability of a better way than the one now having the stamp of public approval. The ever increasing manifestation of the healing and saving power of the proper application of Christian Science among our children will probably accomplish more than any amount of protestation or argument in bringing about an appreciation of the greatest educator of our time, Mrs. Eddy, and her pertinent words (Science and Health, p. 62): "The entire education of children should be such as to form habits of obedience to the moral and spiritual law, with which the child can meet and master the belief in so-called physical laws, a belief which breeds disease."
