This testimony concerns the immediacy and power of prayer. One Sunday morning when I was busily distributing hymnals in advance of the Christian Science service in a women's prison, where I served as Second Reader, I was startled by a loud, angry exchange of words at the chapel entrance, where several prisoners and some prison officers were gathered. The argument grew more violent until three girls, all strangers to me, broke away and came to me, demanding that I intercede with the officers to prevent their being compelled to attend our service as a punishment for some infraction of prison rules. (I believe that the punishment was unrelated to Christian Science, but it just happened that our service was scheduled at that hour.)
I told the prisoners in a friendly manner that this was to be a service to glorify God and for blessings and healing, that it could scarcely be considered a punishment, that we would very much like to have them with us, but that we could not force their attendance.
The girls responded that they had no interest whatever in attending, that if they were forced to be present against their will, they would talk aloud and otherwise disrupt the service. Just then an officer appeared and ordered the girls and their companions standing at the entrance to take seats in the chapel.
