DAILY tkkl 0MG0ITIA5. PEXDLET05. OBEGON. TUESDAY EVENING, APKIL 25, 1921
TEN PAGES
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fiG2 EGST
, "Spiritual Regeneration"
'By
John J. Flinn, C. S.
llemebr of Ihe Board of Lectureship
of The Mother Church. The Flint
Church of Christ, Scientist, la Bos-
ton. Mass.
' la that Illustrious and Immortal
document, the American Declaration
of Independence, one of the truths
which the framers and signers held to
be self-evident was that all men are
entitled to Life, Liberty and the pur
suit of Happiness. Countless multi
tudes In practically all nations of the
etmh have since subscribed to this as
sertion
of elemental human privilege.
Id recent
y' . u""a0 " we" "
side of the I'nlted States, more than
ever before, the Inalienable right of
mankind to life, liberty and the un
hampered pursuit of happiness has
been affirmed.
Eighteen centuries beore the Dec
laration of Independence becume th!
Magna Charta of the American colo
nies, however, man's right to life In all
Its fullness-was proclaimed by Christ
Jesus In the presence of the persecut
ing Pharisees, In that beautiful figure
of speech wherein he describes him
self as a Shepherd who Is willing to
lay down hla life. If neorssary, for his
sneep. I ,8m come, ne saiu.. mm
thcy might have life, and that they
might have it more ' abundantly."
Again, he told the Jews, who were
striving to harass and embarrass him,
Itovf they might secure real freedom.
in almost his first utterance In the
presence of the rabbis, he read from
Isaiah the marvelous passage predict
ing the coming of the Messiah: "The
Spirit of the Lord God In upon me; be.
cause the Lord halh anointed me to
ju-each good tidings unto the meek; he
hath sent me to bind up the broken
hearted, to proclaim liberty to the
caplves, and the opening of the prison
to them who are bound." In the First
Psalm is laid down the basis upon
wliloh man may obtain happiness. He
walketh not In the counsel of the un-
godly, aor stnndeth In the way of sin
ners, nor sltteth In the seat of the
scornful, but his delight Is In the law
of the Lord; In his law doth he medl--
.' Into day and night." -And Mary
Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and
Founder of Christian Science, ever
alert to perceive, and ever jealous to
conserve, every privilege of the chll-
, riren of God, declares In the Christian
Science textbook,' Science and Health
with Key to the Scriptures: "Discern
ing the rights of man, we cannot fall
to foresee the doom of all oppression.
Slavery is not the legitimate state of
. man. God man man free.' Paul Bald.
'I wat free born.' All men should be
free. Whore the spirit of the Lord is,
there la liberty. Love and Truth make
froo, but evil and error lead into cap
tivity." ' . ..-..
. 1 FRUITLESS PURSUIT OF
, HAPPINESS
For ages men have been engaged In
n effort to get more out. of life, to ob-
tain a larger measure of liberty, and
which are supposed to make up the
sum of human t happiness. Hut the
prises sought have been elusive; they
have lost their value even with seem
ing attainment, for the struggle to
capture them has, in the main, been
oarrled along on the theory that hap
piness Is something material and.
therefore, to be pursued by Indulging
tho material senses and turning loose
upon the chase the sensual desires,
To Judge by appearances, the world
as a whole today Is unhappy; never
more so In all Its history. If one were
disposed to Indulge In It, here would
be an exceptionally tempting opportu
nity to satirise material prosperity.
Prosperity and happiness, happiness
and prosperity, as we all know, are al
most Invariably coupled in huomn
, thought and conversation. Humnnlty
, In general thinks of happiness as
something largely If not wholly de
pendent upon, or certainly u a com.
punton of, prosperity. In the opinion
of the world, to be prosperous means
to be happy.
In all the uges, so far as known,
there was never before such wide
spread prosperity on this planet as
that which prevailed during the
twenty years preceding the first of
August, 1914, and luter developments
seem to show that never In ull the
nges was discontent so prevalent In the
breasts and thoughts of men as during
this period.' Some of the nations were
so rli;h that they could afford to ap
ply; almost unbelievable surpluses of
revenue to a means of giving vent to
their unrest. Freedom from Indebted
ness, phenomenal expansion of trade,
luxury unrivaled In ancient or in mod
ern times Individual fortunes swollen
almost beyond calculation, Individual
extravagance carried on with a confi
dence and a boldness that could nelth
r Im rAliNnmtfl with mil iihauliitA-v.
these were all present, and yet tho na
t'ons und their' populations were un-
Mtppy
Tlmo was, and that not so very long
ago. when, comparatively speaking, a
man's wants were little here 'below,
and among the great majority of the
peoplo only modvtute effort was re
quired to supply them. ' But prosper
it jr .legitimate and artificial, has mul
tiplied men's seeming wants In our
days many times over, and has made
-them bo complex, that they have long
since passed und distanced actual
needs. To meet what have now come
id do Known as wants demands a con
stant strain; attutmnent only whets
the appetite for more; emulation takes
Ihe Joy out of accomplishment; pos.
session disappoints rather than satis
fies, and getting, gnaws at the heels
of having.
MATERIALISM HAS ITS CHANCE
- Never has materialism had its way
more comoletelv than In the last seven
years. Never has Its way been less ob.
strtictcd. To have opposed Its head-
. long career auring tne greater pan ot
this time would have, been to Invite
opprobrium and hostility. It domi
nated nearly everything and every
'body. ' An opponent of Ms methods
would be as one crying lit the wilder
nesa In the midst of howling storm.
Here was Its chance, and it made the
, most of Ity For years It had been Im
patiently. awaiting the day when It
would prove itself the greatest force
on the globe. The opportunity com
ing at lust, la proved only one thing:
. Its ability to destroy. It upset the
World, ( halted progress, stopped.
7 production. It unsettled the thoughts
I of men, it wrought havoc and scatter
ed wreckage wherever its power or In- j
fluence was felt The world is still
staggering from Its thunderous explo
sions. It counted upon Its big loans,
big profits, high wages, great bank ac-1
counts the setting in of an era of in
flation and artificial prosperity fur
justification. All of these were realised
to the satisfaction of human craving,
and with their realisation came a pe
riod of lufury and extravagance such
as history had never before recorded;
but In conjunction with it all came ex
periences In popular disillusionment,
popular disappointment, and, worse
than all. In widespread moral degen-
fHm vkinh nn narmannnt re-
c- u ,ble MV(( that ,.hlcn
Uh - ll he hrnulht s
shall be brought about through spirit
ual regeneration.
The ailment from which the world
Is suffering is mental and Individual.
All causation Is mental. Society, ta
ken either In its smaller or larger as
pects. Is primarily Individualistic.
That which deleterlously affects the
individual deleterlously affects the
mass; by healing the Individual a
great step is tuken toward the healing
of the community and the na
tion. Mary Baker Eddy, a sol
itary, but by no means a lonely
figure in the world's history, thought
all this out, and thought it out to a
logical conclusion, over half a century
ago. when as the herald of a new cru
sade she sounded tho keynote of uni
versal freedom, asking a fuller
acknowledgement of the rights of man
as a son of God, demanding that the
fetters of sin, sickness and death be
stricken from the human mind and
that this freedom a freedom Immea
surably greater than anything in the
nature of political liberty be won
through the abandonment of all bar
barous and savage methods, and by
resort to the spiritual healing of exist
ing wrongs. How much the world
how much mankind would have
gained In the last fifty years had her
doctrines been adopted by rulers and
statesmen at the beginning ot this
period, and steadfastly adhered to, Is
beyond computation. The Borrow, the
anguish, the blttor woe plied upon
human misery during the last eight
years could have been, and would
have been averted. If only her tribute
to the First Commandment had been
taken Into the consciousness of men
and nations.
LOOKING IN THE WRONO
. DIRECTION
Outside of Christian Science, prac
tically all are looking in a wrong direc
tion for an acceptable and satisfying
arrangement of the differences that
are disturbing the world. It is gener
ally hoped that by appealing to the In.
dividual and collective selfishness of
men a basis, ot settlement may be
foundv through territorial ' ' gifts,,
through some amelioration of indem
nltles, through, resumption of trade
relations, through preferential tariffs,
or, when thoso, or any of them, full of
effect, through some kind of pressure,
The thought of bringing about an un
derstanding on a basis ot good will, of
unselfishness, ot forgiveness and for
gotfulness, of brotherllncss, of the
Golden Rule, ot the Christ ly injunc
tlon that "ye love one another," is
submerged by the false and foolish 'be.
lief that behind every ' International
treaty all the ancient geographical,
racial, tribal, political 1 and religious
bigotries, prejudices and bitternesses
must be preserved to meet possible or
Impossible emergencies,
This Is the bad old. method ot inter
national intercourse from which ad
vanced government has essayed from
time to time, and struggled honestly
and earnestly, to escape, by the adop
tion of an open and frank diplomacy.
The condition thus sought to be
remedied, and which Is still to be
remedied, has prevailed from the
earliest period. The Prophet Isaiah
was constrained by tho materialists
about him to say: "The way ot pence
they know, not, and there Is no Judg
ment In their goings; they have made
them crooked paths; whosoever goeth
therein shall not know peace. There
fore la Judgment far from us; neither
doth Justice Overtake us; we wait for
light, but behold obscurity, for bright
ness but we walk in darkness.
And Judgment is turned away back
ward, and justice standoth afar off,
for truth is fallen In tho el roc t, and
equity cannot enter." i
Mary ltaker Eddy, If the leaders of
the peoples of tho earth would see It,
as some day they must and shall, hus
long since made clear the basis upon
which world harmony can be secured;
namely, through the understanding of
the one great and only God, whereby
tho destruction of all fulse gods may
be brought about
RECOGNIZED EFFICACY OF
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE.
That Christian Science heals sin,
sickness and disease and drives out all
manner of evil In individual cases Is
a fact so often attested and so thor
oughly established thut It were a
waste of time at this late day to un
dertake to offer further proof. The
healing efficacy of Christian Science is
now admitted by informed people
everywhere. Ministers of the ortho
dox churches and even medical doc
tor very generally acknowledge it, al.
though with certain reservations. They
have not all yot been brought around
to the point of seeing that there enn
be no reservations, limitations nor re
strlctlons when we are dealing with
the power nnd mercy and love of God.
They might as well acknowledge the
principle of mathematics, or recognize
the law of gravitation, or tho diurnal
revolution ot tho earth, or the orderly
motion of the planets, or the rise and
full of the tides, with certain reser.
vatlons.
Truth admits of no variations, no
modifications. The doctors of divin
ity and the doctors of medicine, than
whom, as a rule, there are no more
conscientious men In the world, feel
freo to say in these days that, no
doubt, there are times when Christian
Science does some good. When pressed
they will even go so far as to recall In
stances that have come under their
Immedlnto observation where men
and women have been greatly Im
proved physically, mentally and mor
ally by Christian Science, tout often
they will be quick to qualify this ad
mission by saying that there are ttmes,
of course, when christian Science goes
too far. Here they are inconsistent
and illogical again, for they are, per
haps Inadvertently and unconsciously,
but Nevertheless surely,., committing
themselves to the position that right ;
can be wrong, or that good can be bad, j lacked with the proofs, that Is. which
or that truth can be false, in certain .she intuitively felt were obtainable
circumstances. They would not think through a higher and holier under
of saying that in their experience they standing of the Bible.
had found addition, subtraction and
multiplication to work out rairly well,
but that the rules of arithmetic are
sometimes carried too far.
Now, Christian Science is true from
the first to the last word of our text
book, or it is not true at all. If it be
false at any point, if it be faulty at
any point, if It be not in absolute line
with one Invariable, changeless
Principle at all points then, to use
the words of Paul, our preaching is
vain; and moreover, to paraphrase
slightly the language of that ' great
Apostle, we who have accepted Chris
tian Science are the most hopeless and
most miserable of people. To go fur
ther. If further it would be possible to
go. If Christian Science Is not alto
gether true if the healing power of
the Christ be not present yesterday,
today and forever then we who have
been proclaiming our healing through
Christian Science from the very house
tops are fulse witnesses.
But we who have been healed in
Christian Science, and we who have
practiced it to the healing of others,
know full well that when its Principle
is intelligently, honestly and trustfully
employed. It never falls. This Prin
ciple has always existed: it has been
known to certain of God's people
throughout all the ages, and It was un
derstood by Jesus more clearly than
by any of his predecessors.
MARY BAKER EDDY'S T.1 SK
Apparently lost for centuries, the
Science whereby It could be put Into
operation as ji tangible, practical,
usable, workable agency, was redis
covered by Mary "Baker Eddy. Her
great task, the greatest that woman
has ever been called upon to perform,
was to proclaim and demonstrate con
vincingly to a doubting world her
marvelous revelation. In her own
simple but beautiful languages she tells
us When and how each of her steps
was taken. ' Those ' acquainted with
her writings are familiar with the
story. She left nothing to mere as
sertion. She proved by demonstration
every declaration which she set down
in writing. In the year 1866, she tells
us, she discovered the Christ Science
or divine laws of Life, Truth and Love,
and named this discovery Christian
Science but her first pamphlet
on the subject, , although copy
righted In 1870, did not appear in
print until 1876. or ten years after her
divine revelation, "as . she had
learned," to use her own words, "that
this Science must be demonstrated by
healing, before a work on the subject
could be profitably studied. She was
In no hurry to launch her - discovery
upon a world slow to yield itself to
consideration of a new philosophy of
lifo, and one especially that undertook
to refute or reverse practically all the
theories of human existence handed
down by the schools from time Imme
morial. She knew too much , of the
world to trust hor rovelatlon In Its
hands until she was prepared with
such proof as it would demand to in
sure at' least a respectful, If a skepti
cal, hearing. To obtain these, proofs,
and to render them convincing and ir
refutable, she gave herself over to
prayer and study. When she" sought
authority she sought and found it in
the Bible., When she sought guidance,
she looked for it in the teachlnga of
Christ Jesus and his apoBtles. All of
her dependence for light was placed
upon the Scriptures, and when she fi
nally laid her thesis before a critical
people It was fortified, with spiritual
truth in every line, sentence, para
graph and page.
Nothing has been more puzzling or
more annoylngly baffling to her critics
than the fact of her scrupulous, per
sistent, tenacious adherence to tha
Bible to the book which Christians
through centuries have regarded, or
have professed to regard, as divinely
inspired: She took it and employed It
as the keystone of her philosophy. She
took It, as It was intended plainly by
its Inspired writers to be ta!;en, in
spirit and In truth, neither deducting
from It nor adding to It, but accepting
It with open mind and interpreting it
in accordance with Its manifest design
nml meaning.
CHRISTIAN SCIENTISTS AND T J3
BIBLE
.Tint as the discoverer snd founder
o." C'hr'st'an Science places the n.b'e
first .it nil times; just as she looks to
It nnd lings to It at all time for In
spiration and for strength; just ns she
lias given It first place in the rcllgioi's
tenets nnd services of the church she
instituted nnd organized, so do nil of
her loyal followers accept Us inspired
Word ns their sufficient guide to eter
nul 'If. It Is entirely within rovon
alila bounds to say that in np other
class er denomination of prot.wed
Christian religionists is the Bible es
teoned more highly or studied more
regulurly. closely, earnestly or In
telligently than It Is among ChrHUn
Scientists. The Christian Science text
book Science and Health, Is an ex
position of the Bible, a Key to tho
Scriptures, and. as such, it has already
unlocked for millions, as It Is destined
to unlock for countless multitudes to
come. Inexhaustible treasures of spir
itual wisdom and understanding.
In the earlier days of her labor the
critics were puzzled and baffled by the
discovery that many statements in her
works which they regarded ns the
most radical and tho most startling
statements that challenged and some
times flatly contradicted or positively
controverted their time-honored" nnd
seemingly rock-rooted theological
premises and conclusions were liasel
upon biblical passages wh'c'n they
had commonly and habitually ueil In
services and sermons, but which, In
the light shed upon them by this
woman this presumptuous woman
presented a meaning altogether new
to them so surprisingly new indead,
that when they came across them In
Mary Baker Eddy's writings they
questioned the correctness of her
quotations and flew to their Bibles in
the confident but vain hope of prov
ing her inaccurate and unreliable.
Christian and orthodox In her en
vironment through childhood, girlhood
and young womanhood: Christian and
orothndox In research and thought
throughout her long years of study to
fit herself for the work to which she
had been called, she was moved by no
Impulse to overturn the faith to which
her Puritan ancestral beliefs led her to
subscribe,, but, rather,. Jo buttress.lt
with the support which its foundations J
A REMARKABLE RECORD.
Unless one has made a study of her
lifework, especially during the period
of her greatest activity, the period in
which she instituted and established a
denomination 'which now spreads
throughout the habitable globe, it will
be difficult if not impossible for him
to obtain a comprehensive understand
ing of this remarkale woman's achieve
ments. Beginning while still an in
valid, by delving into all the authori
ties she could lay her hands upon.
questioning and scrutinizing the gen
erolry, .accepted premises and
slons of theological disputants, contln
ulng for years to dig among the theo
logical debris of centuries In the con
fident hope of finding the lost key to
the Scriptures; finding It, reburnlsh-
lng it artd unlocking the treasures
which she sought, safeguarding them
that they might not be dissipated
among the Ignorant, going on to the
teaching of her first student, to the
writing and distributing of her early
pamphlets among a chosen few; pre
paring and publishing a book that has
changed for the better the thought of
millions, founding a College of Meta
physics, In which during seven years
she personally taught over four thou
sand students; organizing the first es
tablished Church of Christ, Scientist,
acting as Its pastor, filling the presi
dency of the first Christian Scionce
Association, revising her first work,
writing other books, editing, alone and
unaided, for a period, as well as pub
lishing the Christian Science Journal,
carrying on direct supervision over
the whole Christian Science movement
down to the smallest Important detail
writing, traveling, dictating, preach
ing, founding a weekly publication
and later on a daily, and through it
all compiling a Manual containing by
laws for the government through all
the years to come of the church or
ganization which she had established.
What a picture Is this! What an ex
hibit is this of dedicated intellectual
and moral effort, of unselfish and un
selfcd devotion to an idea, a conviction
and an Inspiration! ,
The preparation of the Mr.nual
would of Itself constitute a monument
to the Inspired wisdom of Mary Baker
Kildy, embracing, ns it noes, rules ann
laws for the government and per
petuation of the Christian Science or
ganization that have withstood, and
are destined to .withstand,' all the
shafts of evil that may be directed
against them by open or by hidden
foes. It has taken centuries to bring
about the separation of Church nnd
Stuto, even ill the degree to which it id
at present acknowledged and main
talned. The Manual of The' Mother
Church, The First Church ot Christ,
Scientist, in Boston, Massachusetts, is
destined to be the model of legisla
tion under whleh In ull countries ro
llgloiis worship In the future will be
assured of freedom from State regu
lation und poltlcal Interference.
There Is still existent a. certain
amount of Irritation In some quarters
because Christian Scientists, to use a
common phrase, "make so much of
Mrs. "Eddy." Some of our critics ex
press the opinion thut the name of
Mrs. Eddy occurs too often in Chris
tian Science services, In Christian'
Science testimonials, and In Christian
Science writings. It will have to be
admitted that, ob a matter of fact,
Christian Scientists do muke much of
Mrs. Eddy, but a very simple reason
for It should be sufficient Justification.
They make so much of Mrs. Eddy, be
cause Mrs. Eddy has made so much of
thetn. But there is another, and a
stronger reason: Christian Scientists
make so much of Mrs. Eddy, because
not to understand and appreciate her
would mean failure to understand and
aimrerinta thn truth which God has
imeuieu iiiiombii nvi mu nuMu.
I believe the lawyers In this audi
ence will agree with' me that there Is
nothing in the line of testimony that
goes further with court or jury than
that which comes freely at first hand
This it wus that gave immeasurable
strength to the preaching of the Apos
tie Paul. This Is was that down to
our time gives so much weight to his
epistles. Christian Scientists do not
feel hurt nor offended when the right
of their revered Leader to so much
recognition und gratitude Is question
ed, for they attribute such criticism to
luck of understanding of the fucts.
Many, perhaps a very great many,
who are today numbered among thoso
Who never miss an opportunity of ex
pressing gratitude to her were at one
time numbered among the people who
became Impatient at the mere men
lion of her name: Neither do Chrls
tlsn Scientists fool hurt and offended
when doubts of the heullng power of
the faith they hold Is voiced In their
presence, for, very likely, they hae
been at one time audible doubters
themselves. ' They would ruther, in
deed, come Into personal contact with
the vigorous, robust, outspoken, hon;
est doubter, than with one who .is
overready to accept superficially
everything that is offered, without
looking for proof, and without proper
consideration or investigation,
SCIENCE OPEN WIDE TO INQUIRY
The more questions an inquirer
asks In Christian Science, the more
proof he demands, tho more determin
ed ho Is to Investigate! for himself, the
more promising convert and the better
J church meinour and worker he be
comes eventually. It Is safe to say
that an overwhelming majority of
those who accept Christian Science
aro persons who can give a reason for
the faith that Is in them. They are
persons who have taken nothing on
hearsay, who have not been swayed
by tho influence ot others, who, do not
conjecture, who do. not guess, who do
not merely believes but who have won
understanding from experience, and
who know.
Paul knew. Ho had had personal
experience with the regenerative pow
er of the Spirit. Hb drew and con
vinced great audiences everywhere
because he was able to give testimony
at "first hand because he could speak
out of the fullness of personal, actual,
human experience, because he could
tell of n mental change that with the
quickness of a lightning flarh trans
formed his character and made him a
new man. There are tens of thous
ands of Pauls in our days throughout
the world -tens of thousands of per
sons, that Is, who have been turned
through Christian Science from wrong
to. right thinking, healed of sick and
sinning beliefs, cured of pernicious ,
tendencies, relieved of slavish habits,
liberated from bondage and restored
to the libertv which belongs to God'9
children; and these are ready and i
willing to give direct testimony to thej
healing power of Life. Truth and Love
and to offer heartfelt gratitude to
Mary Baker Eddy, who led them by
her teachings from darkness into
light.
We have from our revered Leader
an unqualified Indorsement ot the
axiom that the impossible never hap
pens. W'e have learned from her that
what blesses ones blesses all. Mcst of
us realize from our own experience
that good manifested radiates beyond
the bounds of our vision, even beyond
the bounds of our Imagination. Our
conclu-"reasoning faculties teach us, even if
our spiritual Intuition be dull, that if.
Christian Science heal3 in one instance
through the intelligent application of
Principle, there can be no limitations
placed upon its healing efficacy. It
needs only to be applied to govern
ment, to polities, to economics, to fi
nance, to commerce, to sociology, to
education, to the murals of the people,'
in order thut it shall work marvelous
changes in that potential power of
democracy known as popular opinion.
There is no more efficacious agency
than Christian Science for the promo
tion of better taste, higher aspiration.)
und good will anions all people. It
Is the most tranqullizlng Influence
operating throughout the world today.
Its doctrines have already transform
ed for tho better the aspiration and
character of millions of 'people (in all
parts of the globe, and every one of
these Is spreading Us truth, express
lug his gratitude, not so mti'ch,; by
word of mouth, nor. by indulging In
religious controversy,' as by letting his
light shine. Through tho reflection
of Life, Truth and Love, the omnipot
ent power of God is being more wide
ly recognized now than ever tefore,
and there Is coming into tho cons
ciousness of the nations, slowly but
surely, an attitude of thought which
will eventually weld tho hearts as well
us tho Interests of men.
' THE PARAMOUNT MISSION'
It must never be lost sight ot that
Christian Science is engaged first and
last in the task of restoring to tho
world the Word and perpetuating the
works given and carried on by Christ
Jesus, and that Its grandest mission
and Us greatest joy Is to restore primi
tive Christianity and to perpetuate
these works as the 'Master himself,
were he once more among us, would
direct. Ho came with healing In his
thought, with healing In his voice.
with healing In his touch. He went
about everywhere doing good. As In
his day, the Word Is healing all man
ner of disease, yet Christian Scientists
know full well, for thi-lr teacher has
so Instructed them, thut, as In Jesus'
duy, the healing of physical ailments
is a means rather than an end. Be
cause of the stiffness of their necks
and the hardness of tholr hearts, In
our times, as was the case nineteen
hundred years ago, human beincs
must be Impressed with some tangible
evidence suitable to their understand
ing, of tho love and mercy and power
of God before they are -brought to a
realization of the fact that the para
mount mission of Christian Science Is
the destruction of sin, the root of all
human sorrow and suffering.
Christian Scientists make no strong
er pretensions of belief in the Bible
than do other professed Christians,
but Christian Scientists go farther
than merer belief. they trust, and
strive to understand. And according
to tho measure of their understanding
they make practical application of
Bible truths and achieve demonstra
tions. One might bollevN In mathe
matics fervently, devoutedly, unwaver
ingly, everlastingly without ever got
ting further than belief. Mere belief
would nover solve a problem in fig.
tires. One must take chalk, or pencil
or pen in hand ' und work the
problem out In accordance with
the principle of the science if
anything Is to be accomplished.
Christian Scientists, following the In
striictlon of Mary Baker Edtly, and
adhering to the Principle which she
discovered, prove the truths in the
Biblo through their understanding and
their work as they go along, and bring
realization of Its prophecies and its
promises Into their daily experience.
Christian Scienco Is rot blind faith
It Is an intelligent understanding of
God and of man's relationship to the
Supreme Being, the omnipresent,, om
nlsciont and omnipotent Creator. It
is nn understanding ot God which ad
mits of no liniltutlon, question or
doubt with regard to His all-seeing
wisdom, His all-inclusive power, His
all-embracing Love. It is complete
acceptance of the Father-Motherhood
of the Eternal. It is an absolute
acknowledgment' that' the God ot our
Bible reigns. Governs, controls the uni
verse, and that there la none other be
side Him. 1 ' ,
AN UNDERSTANDING OF GOD
Christian Scientists have come to
know and to measurably understand
God through the teachings ami ivorl
of .Christ Jesus, the Wayshower, and
through the revelation which Mary
Baker Eddy, God's Inspired handmaid
of thoso latter days, has. given to the
world a revelation which, amtmg
other things, has re-established In the
consciousness not only of her students
but of vast numbers who may not' ns
yet bo included among her followers,
the conviction thnt Jesus did not dem
onstrate tho divine power to heal for
any select number or for a limited
poriod of time. We have tho f.ro
Phecy nnd the proml.ie of Jesus:
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that
bclieveth on me, the works that I do
shall he do also; and crea'cr works
than there shall he do, because I go
unto my father.'
Mrs. Eddy looked forward Implicitly
likewise to . the opportunities which
would come, to her followers for the
accomplishment of greater demon
strations than any that were crown
ing their efforts In tho first half cen
tury of mind-healing which her dis
covery had brought about.
Thus we see that demonstration of
the almighty healing power of the di
vine mind Is still in Its Infancy. Jesus
saw and prophesied that not only
such wonderous works as he perform
ed would he continued after his earth
ly mission nnd be-n brought to a
close, but that greater work would
be accomplished bv. those accepting
his teaching nnd following In his
steps throneh the future. Mary Baker
Eddy, in her self-ahnejration was so
licitous that she should he known only
ns one who had planted and watered
His vineyard, leaving to the years to
roiue, and to growxn .n unaerstand-
ing, the gathering of greater harvests
than she had been privileged to see.
Doubtless, there are In this audience
some who would like to know
how
even a slight understanding of Christ
ian Science might be obtained. They
need not be ashamed to confess their
ignorance; rather should they be
proud to entertain and to express a
desire fo'r the possession, even in a
!
small degree, of that which cannot be
gotten for all the riches contained
in all the earth.
"Whence, then, cometh wisdom, and j
where Is the place of understanding
asks Job." And be replies: "God un-
i-h - . - . . l i .,. I ...I
derstundeth tho way thereof, and he
knoneth the place thereof, for Jie
looketh to the ends of the earth, and
aeeth under the whole heaven.
And unto man hesaid. Behold, the
fear of the Lord, that is wisdom, and
to depart from evil, that is under-"
standing." "Wisdom is the principal
thing," said Solomon In his proverbs,
"therefore, get wisdom, and with all
thy getting get understanding."
arewklw ptbesll 8 -l',fe f ,
THE BEGINNER, IN SCIENCE .
To obtain un . understanding' In
Christian Science, is to obtain an un
derstanding of God and His relation
to Man. It seekers are in earnest, I
can promise that they will quickly
find reudy. kindly, patient and com
petent helpers, not only at the begin
ning of the journey, but all. along (he
road. They come in tho right atti
tude if they come as' little children,
with receptive minds, prepared to lis
ten to the Truth. Only by putting
away self self-satisfaction, self-contentment,
self-righteousness all self
made, man-made, world-made opin
ions and by consecrating themselves
to the tusk of acquiring it, at any cost
nnd at any- sacrifice, can an under
standing which will enable them to
make progress In divine Science be
Httulned. "When we wait patiently on
God and seek Truth righteously. He
directs our path;" says the discoverer
nnd founder of Christian Science.
(Science nnd Health,, p. Z54;10.)
"Imperfect mortals grasp the ulti
mate of spiritual perfection slowly,
but to begin aright and to continue
the strife of demonstrating the great
problem of being is doing much." To
begirt aright, is to provido oneself with
a copy of the Bible and of the Chris
tian Science textbook, and to zealously
and religiously Btudy their contents.
All of Christian Science Is contained
in these, two volumes.
' To study the Biblo and Science and
Health Intelligently and profitably de
mands constant recourse to prayer.
that the eyes and the heart mayl be I mere worldly success, should constl
opened to understanding. "The pray- tute an impressive warning to the.
or that reforms the sinner 'and' heuls business and professional man as well
the sick," says Mrs. Eddy, "is an ab- as to the sqclal strlver of our day. '
solute fuith that all things are possible Wrong thinking Is at the bottom
to God a spiritual understanding of j not only ot Individual troubles and
Him, on un-selfed love." It Is a fact, j sorrows and sufferings, but it Is the
strange as It may appear to those of j cause of all the harrowing evils that
other religious denominations that j beset. the family, the community, the
through Christian Science hundreds of
thousands of Christian people have
been instructed for tho first time how
to prny
Great multitudes have come Into
Christian Science seeking health, seek-1 thoughts of humanity were in har
Ing a larger Hhnre. In the refinements i mony with the divine Mind, with, ihe
and comforts of life, seeking domestic
tranquility, business ease; great mul
titudes will continue to : come into
Christian Science In the hope of ob
fainlng the ' pence they have sought
elsewhere In vain, and they shall not
be disappointed. But the vast ma
jority advance in Christian Science
because they have. In progressing step
dy step, made every other Considera
tion secondary to that of rising in
spiritual understanding and working
out their own salvation; In no other
way than by accepting Christ's many
invitations to come unto him, to bring
our troubles to him, to ask of him,
believing, anything we may need not
something we simply want may di
vine assistance be obtained along the
rugged way to salvation. To obtain
either healing or salvation, we must
be ready to ubandon self. Self Is the
great hindrance. Self blocks the way.
Self submerges us In odr own shad
ow. 'We must get rid of self by real
ising the Allness of God, by 'throwing
up our hands nnd declaring with all
the earnestness and honesty we can
command, "Thy will, O Lord, not
irilne,, be done." When this point is
reached, and we are trusting divine
Tove, not partly, but wholly; not con
ditionally, but absolutely, the point
of healing is also reached, and salva
tion to crown the healing Is close ut
Hand.
AN UNWARRANTED INSINUATION
There aro certain fundamentals to
the discovery and philosophy of Mary
Baker Eddy which when recognized
and understood by the Impartial stud
ent forever brush aside the utterly
unwarranted and gratuitous Insinua
tion the utterly silly aspersion that
Christian Science is neither Christian
nor scientific. The man who first
said this, apparently, was more con
cerned about the fashioning of a clev
er tind catchy epigram than about
tho truth. The saying was picked up
by a thousand prcacherR and repeated
from a thousand pulpits, but from
first to last It has Impressed only the
Ignorant and the prejudiced. The
term Christian Science, the discoverer
and foHnder of Christian Science says
(Science and Health, p. 12S;16), was
used to designate the scientific sys
tem of divine healing. . Nothing could
te more appropriate or more logical
Mnce she holds It to bo basic that all
Science Is of God, not of man. (Science
and Health, p. 551;16.) She holds
thut Jesus was the most scientific
man that ever trod tho glober-one
who plunged beneath the material
surface of things and found the spirit
ual cause. Again and again she pavs
rrim reverent tribute. She holds that
he was Inspired by God, by Truth and
Love, In all that he said and did; that
his spirituality separated him from
sensuousness. nnd caused the selfish
materialist to hate him; that Jesus
established in the Christian era the
precedent for all Christianity, theology
and healing: that he read mortal mind
on a scientific basis, and that Chris
tians are under as direct orders now.
as they were In Jesus' time, to be
Christlike, to possess the Christ spirit,
to follow th Christ example, and to
heal the sick as well as the sinning.
lth the clearness and keenness
of spiritual vision which character
izes all the thinking and speaking and
writing of Mary Baker Eddy, she is
able to differentiate between tho man
Jemi and the Christ, and thus, to the
satisfaction of Jew and Gentile alike,
permanently has she bridged for mil
lions a theological chasm that has1
yawned menacingly before the eyes of
confused and bewildered humanity for
centuries, thus has she enabled her
follower to acknowledge and adore
nn. ...nnm and infinite God: '4
nricnnwledEe Hla .Son. one thnst;
un,iiTxmnH hat is meant by the Ho
Ghost or divine Comforter; to re-V;J
nixe the real Man as God's linug
likeness, and to subscribe. understu..J-
ingly and whole-heartedly, to thoeet
n-Kii. ft rhrit Ji-sua indairSly
In the thought of Christian Scientists
as the Wayshower. the Redeemer,
the Savior of humanity. .
Whether we seek understanding ,or
healing in Christian Science, and 1t
should be remembered that undej- ii
standing is possible only through ihe ji
V. . , , .1 V... X t Hi t i.nrl,
. , . , I . .,! anrf
neaung ot ignorance, nen-upimvi,
ance, seu-opimun nu
prejudice, we must come In slmplicit
trustfulness and
confidence, ne must
have arrived at
t a decision to go
the full length of the way. There must
be no shifting, no hesitancy. Nothing
short ot an .unconditional surrender
will open the door that leads from
captivity to freedom. The wavering,
undecided and unready' flhould blame
themselves only If these proclivities
obtstruct the work of tho practioner
or the teacher, defer healing or en
tirely prevent it.
A BLESSED ASSURANCE
: Christian Science is rich in blessed
assurances for tho struggling heart,
and generous In the granting of thernv
and one of the most beneficient ana
benevolent of these Is the certainty
that where there is an honest'desire
for understanding and healing, and a
genuine willingness to be taught and
lifted out ot trouble, succor Is close at
hand. Those who seek understanding
and help in Christian Science honest- ,
ly, earnestly and confidently, do not
fail to find it. Nobody nbed pause
haltingly at the gate, fearing lest he
is beneath consideration or ' beyond
hope or help. Since God is Love and
God Is omnipotent, nothing ' that is
good can bo impossible.
Never has there been a' time In all
history when men were In greater
need than now of that ienrness ot
sight, that steadiness of purpose, that
strength of character that probity,
perspicacity and unshakable moral
stamina which are imparted through
spiritual discernment and spiritual un
derstanding. It is the mission ' and.
purpose of Christian Science to bring
the kingdom of God to earth, by dis
pelling the Illusion that mutcrtalism,
sensuality, money-grubbing, money
getting, money-spending, can satisfy
the human desire for contentment,
peace and happiness. The Wreckage
all about us of hopes, aspirations, am
bitions based upon the attainment ot
nutlon and the world at large. Chris
tian Science offers right- thinking as
a corrective as an obtainable, foaBi
Iblc, and, in' fact, as the only possible
! cure for this stupendous evil. If the
Commandments, with the' Beatitudes,
with the Prophets, with the teachings
ot Christ Jesus and his disciples, with
the Principle of Christian Science, as
revealed through and expounded and
taught by Mary Baker Eddy, the world
would be freed from ferment, confu
slon und tumult. Christian Science
corrects, exalts and strengthens the
thought of the Individual, and the
thought of the community, the nation
nnd the world will be straightened,
elevated and ' strengthened propor
tionately with. the Increase In the num
ber of Individuals who shall claim, and
win, their natural inheritance of light
and who engaffe In ' the work of
spreading It among their fellows.
FIRST GLIMPSE OF SALVATION '
Christian Science has helped many
hundreds of thousands of sick and sin
ning, sorrowing and suffering, disap
pointed, discouraged and despairing
men and women to obtain their first
glimpse of salvation, to get their first
experience of heaven on earth; to
realize fully for the first time that
God Is all-in-all. that He . la t Life
Truth and Love, that He is an ever
presont help in trouble, their strong
deliverer, their sure salvation. , In
Christian Scienco they learn more cer
tainly than in any other way, bocause
they learn it through their own dem
onstration, that while God Is a right
eous judge, He is also a kind, gentle,
tender, compassionate, loving, merci
ful Father; that He is ever ready, has
ever been ready, to hear the sigh and
to 'dry. the tear of the' repentent,' toj
soothe the hearts of those who corner
to Him in humility, with longing for"
forgiveness born of genuine regret for
post shortcomings and backslldings.
The Christian Scientist, if he be
faithful, pruys without ceasing, but he
prays to a God who Is Infinite Intelli
gence, who does not need to be In
structed, who lacks nothing In Wis
dom, who knows, without being told,
what Is best for His children, nnd who ,
has provided for them out of the am
plitude ot His love everything they
need. He prays for light, for wisdom
and for understanding; he prays that
the mind may be In him which was
also In Christ Jesus; he prays that he
may be honest, upright and true, that
he may be a good man, a good friend,
a good oitizen, that he may not think
or say or do anything contrary to
God's commandments, 'and with all his
praying, which Is honest and pure de
sire, uttered or unexpressed, he yeams
for righteousness, harmony and peace.
u viirinnan science ' essentially a
roligions of Faith, Hope and Love,
tnese three; to tho Christian Solon - ,
tist the greatest of these is Love, be
cause It comprehends all that liOve
which doth not behave itself unseem
ly, socket h not her own. is not easily
provoked, thinketh no evil; beareth all
things, belleveth all things, hopeth all
things, endureth all things that Love
which finds expression in the slmplo
lines: ; ,
Let me be a little kinder, let me be a
- little blinder .'
To th! faults of those about me; let
me praise a little more; ' '
Let me be, when I om weary. Just a
little bit more cheery; ';
Let me serve a little better those that
I am striving for. --v
It me be a little braver when temp
tation bids me waver; i
Let me atrtv s Itttln haHar tn h all
that I should be;
Let me be a little meeker with the '
brother that t weaker: - :-''-
I.et me think more of my neighbor
Una a little less of me,.