Fridtjof Nansen, the famous polar explorer, had to overcome great opposition to his voyages of discovery. He departed from professional axioms, for he did not keep to the coast for the purpose of having a line of retreat. He said: "I have always been of the opinion that the much-praised line of retreat' is a snare to those who wish to reach their goal. I have always considered the line of retreat a sad invention. ... Experience has proved preeminently that lack of a line of retreat has simplified things and served as a spur."
Do not these words of Nansen make one think of the seeker and explorer in truth? Whoever turns to the study of Christian Science is also embarking upon a voyage into a region hitherto unknown to him. His exploration is of a spiritual nature. The seeker is coming out of a material concept of creation, in which all thoughts are more or less controlled by the belief that there is life and intelligence in matter. He now desires to gain spiritual understanding, so that he may be guided by divine Mind.
What impelled him to take this mental voyage of discovery? What drove him to Christian Science? Was it not an acknowledgment that in some respects he was dissatisfied? This dissatisfaction might be due to invalidism, suffering, sorrow. It might be due to inharmonious circumstances, unemployment, domestic difficulties, a lack of understanding friends. It is not particularly important what error calls itself. Much more important is the fact that is gives one occasion to look for help outside the human sense of things. Mary Baker Eddy writes in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 322,) "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."
