In 1913 my parents sent me from a small town in the central United States to a large city on the West Coast to attend college. They hoped the climate there would help me cope with the severe attacks of asthma I had been suffering from for years.
At this large state college I heard frequent references to Christian Science —a religion of which I knew nothing but which sounded interesting. At the school library I found a copy of Miscellaneous Writings by Mary Baker Eddy, borrowed it, and began reading it. I was immediately so taken with this book that I read it every spare moment for days.
Later I spent many hours in the library reading an Eastern philosophy text. But this left me confused and depressed. One day I dozed while reading and had a terrifying dream. In it I tried to call for help but could make no sound. Then a calm voice said, "There is no evil; God is Love." The frightening image dissolved. I woke, shaking, and sat there for some time. Those words were the teachings of Christian Science, I realized, and I resolved that Christian Science was what I would follow. Still, I did not begin to study it seriously for a few more years.
