In the present state of human affairs the idea of compensation seems to be expressed through a monetary system of appropriations and counterbalances. War's aftermath, or "second mowing," growing out of delusive hopes, greed, selfishness, and disregard for the rights of others, has yielded a scant and unprofitable harvest. The result has been not only "a famine of bread" and "a thirst for water," but, as in the days of Amos, the shepherd prophet of Tekoa, a famine "of hearing the words of the Lord."
Men and nations, unwilling to reap the fruit of the follies they have sown, seek some medium of exchange by which to adjust grievances and, at the same time, add a pecuniary reward in the form of relief, special appointment, or diplomatic courtesy. To alleviate the suffering arising from hunger, unemployment, and deprivations of every sort, almost incalculable sums of money are being spent in various projects, yet the victims of poverty still cry out in dire distress. To what extent can financial aid alone compensate human want and woe? Where is the distinction to be made between the help which uplifts into self-respecting competency and that which produces lethargy and a willing dependence? What redress have they who, after toiling long to maintain an honest standard of living, now find themselves rendered desolate through fraudulent devices or as the result of flood, famine, or drought?
These and other like questions arising out of the perplexities of our times are being answered in a reasonable and satisfactory manner through Christian Science, which imparts the true meaning of "the words of the Lord," and shows the necessity for changing the standpoints of life from a material to a spiritual basis. On page 322 of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" Mrs. Eddy says: "The sharp experiences of belief in the supposititious life of matter, as well as our disappointments and ceaseless woes, turn us like tired children to the arms of divine Love. Then we begin to learn Life in divine Science."
