IN order to awaken mortals to the facts of reality, of Spirit, the greatest Teacher of these facts the world has ever known, Christ Jesus, used many illustrations drawn from everyday human experiences. Some of his parables and similes were word pictures of great beauty, while others were more homely references, such as that of the mending of a worn garment with old rather than with new material, or the effect produced on a large quantity of meal by a small bit of yeast or leaven. As students of the same Science of Christianity in this age, striving to follow in Jesus' steps, we also are often led to make use of simple everyday occurrences to the same end.
There are certain metals, not of themselves magnetic, which may by an electrical process become magnetized so that they draw smaller bits of metal to themselves and hold them as long as the electromagnetic quality remains. Many of us may remember a plaything of childhood consisting of a piece of steel shaped like a horseshoe, which had been magnetized and would for a time attract and hold tacks and scraps of iron. Human consciousness, filled with beliefs of fear and sin, seems to act in much the same manner as the magnetized piece of steel. It draws to itself more of fear and sin. There are those who through a series of unfortunate experiences become expectant of misfortune, and say at every fresh calamity, "Just my luck!"
To see that the belief in misfortune and the fear of calamity act in such a way as to attract the very experiences feared, would be of no value unless a way of escape were provided; and this very way of escape is what Mrs. Eddy in the textbook of Christian Science, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," has so definitely pointed out. She shows that the real, eternal, indestructible attraction is between God and spiritual man; and she also shows, with equal clearness, the false nature of a seeming opposite attraction. On page 102 she says: "There is but one real attraction, that of Spirit. The pointing of the needle to the pole symbolizes this all-embracing power or the attraction of God, divine Mind." She also says (ibid., p. 213), "Material theories partially paralyze this attraction towards infinite and eternal good by an opposite attraction towards the finite, temporary, and discordant." A foundationless theory about a supposition only seems to obtain until the truth is brought to light; then the theory becomes a thing to reject. Animal magnetism can pull or draw thought toward a lie only until the truth about the fact of which the lie is told is brought to light.
