I studied Darwin, Ingersoll, and many others, but in times of trouble I would say, If only I had a God to whom I could turn. I heard of Christian Science in a vague sort of way many years before I turned to it, but had no idea what it was all about, until one day in the country I met a lady who had been healed of neuritis in her arm through Christian Science treatment. She spoke of this healing and several others, and I became interested. Several months before, I had borrowed a copy of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy, but not being interested in it, I put it aside. I now decided to read it through. This I did, but I felt as if I knew no more when I had finished than when I started. However, I continued to read the book and to go to church occasionally.
Finally, one day I said to myself, "I'm not getting anywhere," so I decided to take a dictionary and start at the beginning of the textbook and analyze it thoroughly. As I did this, the meaning of the words became clear to me. On page 147 Mrs. Eddy says: "Although this volume contains the complete Science of Mind-healing, never believe that you can absorb the whole meaning of the Science by a simple perusal of this book. The book needs to be studied,and the demonstration of the rules of scientific healing will plant you firmly on the spiritual groundwork of Christian Science."
I had a chest of homeopathic medicines that I kept at hand for sore throat and colds, which I was always having. Just when these remedies were discarded I do not remember. I worked out one of my first healings without the help of a practitioner. While washing, I caught one of my hands in the electric wringer, the hand passing through up to the wrist. I do not know how the power turned off, as I was unable to reach the switch, but I was able to loosen the wringer and draw out my hand. I refused to look at it, and kept repeating the sentence on page 393 of the textbook, "Have no fear that matter can ache, swell, and be inflamed as the result of a law of any kind, when it is self-evident that matter can have no pain nor inflammation." I went on with the washing, and at the end of an hour there was only a slight redness and no more pain.
