WHILE evil is widely and often openly apparent in the world, it is also sometimes very subtle in its attempts to injure mankind. Some criminal activities today are obviously the result of succumbing directly to evil beliefs. How large, for instance, is the number of those who, yielding to jealousy, hate, anger, and revenge, commit deeds of violence! How many, too. there are who, obeying the degrading impulses of sensuality, do grievous wrong to others and afterwards find themselves in despair!
What may be designated the more common forms of evil are very near the surface, and in consequence are more readily detected; but there is a criminality which, although less apparent in its activities, is often more dangerous to society—the criminality which is originated and fostered by the evilly-trained human intellect. This intellect, often schooled in human psychology, aware of the acquisitive tendencies of mortals and of their desire to accumulate matter in order to obtain social prominence and power, informed as to the weakness of the unspiritual mentality in resisting evil suggestions—this evilly-trained human intellect is one of the subtlest enemies in our midst today. Many are the unwary it leads astray; many, the weak it appears to carry to the brink of moral destruction. Mortals unquestionably have original sin to resist, but they also have the mesmeric influence of the evilly-trained human mind to guard against, for their own safety, peace, and happiness.
Mrs. Eddy recognized the subtle evil influences apparently at work among men. Many times in her writings she warns them of these influences; and, what is most important, she has plainly and fully stated how to thwart them through reliance on God, or Truth. She writes on page 115 of "Miscellaneous Writings," "The increasing necessity for relying on God to defend us against the subtler forms of evil, turns us more unreservedly to Him for help, and thus becomes a means of grace." No one was better able than she to give that warning; no one was better fitted to instruct humanity on how to heed it for its protection.
