The First Church of Christ, Scientist and Miscellany, Part Two

	THE GREAT GATHERING Christian Scientists are flocking from all over the world to Boston to-day, as they have been for several
15	days past and will be for several days to come, to attend the June meetings of The Mother Church and the dedica- tion of the new temple.
18	The headquarters was thrown open to visitors this forenoon in Horticultural Hall, corner of Huntington and Massachusetts Avenues. It is in charge of G. D.
21	Robertson, and here the visitors will receive all information concerning rooms and board, hotels, railroads, etc. There is here also a post-office to which all mail may be directed,
24	and telegraph and telephone service. [Boston Evening Transcript] SPECIAL TRAINS COMING
27	Special trains and extra sections of trains are due to arrive in Boston to-night, bearing the first instalments of the crowds of Christian Scientists from the central and Page 74
1	western sections of this country. Those from abroad and from the far West to a large degree are already in
3	Boston. From now until Saturday night the inrush will be from the sections within two or three days' ride, and no doubt the night trains of Saturday will bring con-
6	siderable numbers of belated church members from New York and elsewhere who will arrive in this city just about in time for the first Sunday service.
9	[Boston Evening Transcript] INTERESTING AND AGREEABLE VISITORS The Christian Scientists are here in force, and they are
12	very interesting and agreeable visitors, even to those who are unable to accompany them in their triumph of mind over matter. Boston is indebted to them for one of the
15	finest architectural achievements in this or any other city, and other denominations might profit by their example of paying for their church before dedicating it. It is a monu-
18	ment to the sincerity of their faith; and the pride and satisfaction that is not only evident from their addresses but reflected in their faces, is justifiable. They are an
21	intelligent and a happy appearing body, and even if those outside are unable to believe that they have escaped from the bondage of the material world, it would be idle to
24	attempt to deny them the satisfaction that springs from a belief in such emancipation. Our present relations with them are as the guests of the city, and as such they are
27	welcome. Within two weeks we have had here the representatives of the two poles of healing, the material and the mental,
30	and each is interesting, one for its hopefulness and the other for its novelty. Whatever opinions we may enter- Page 75
1	tain of the value of the latter, we cannot well withhold our respectful acknowledgment of its enthusiasm, its
3	energy, and its faith in its fundamentals. Its votaries are certainly holding the centre of the stage this week. [Boston Globe] READILY ACCOMMODATED Yesterday was a busy day at the headquarters of the Christian Scientists in Horticultural Hall. They poured
9	into the city from every direction and most of them headed straight for Horticultural Hall, where they were assigned rooms in hotels or lodging-houses, if they had
12	not already been provided for. So perfect have been all the preliminary arrangements for the handling of a great number of visitors that there has not been the slightest
15	hitch in the matter of securing accommodations. And if there was it would not make much difference, for these people would take it all very good-naturedly. They
18	do not get excited over trifles. They are very patient and good-natured. Crowded as the hall was yesterday, and warm as the day was, there was not the slightest evidence
21	of temper, no matter how far they had travelled or what discomforts they might have endured in their travels. [Boston Evening Transcript] BIG CHURCH IS PAID FOR According to the custom of the Christian Scientists, the big addition to The Mother Church will be dedicated
27	to-morrow free from debt. No church has ever yet been dedicated by this denomination with any part of the expense of its construction remaining unprovided for, and Page 76
1	it went without saying that the same practice would be followed with this new two-million-dollar edifice, the
3	largest of them all. Up to within ten days the notices that more money was needed had been in circulation, and new contributions were constantly being received;
6	but on June 2 it became evident to the Board of Direct- ors that enough money was on hand to provide for the entire cost of the building, and the formal announcement
9	was made that no more contributions to the building fund were needed. That it was received with rejoicing by the thousands of church members and their friends only feebly
12	expresses the gratification. A similar decision was reached and published at the time of the dedication of The Mother Church in 1895, all
15	of which goes to show the earnestness and loyalty which Christian Scientists manifest in the support of their church work, and which enables them to dedicate their
18	churches free of debt without exception. The estimated cost of the extension of The Mother Church was pledged by the members assembled in their annual church meeting
21	in Boston, in 1902, and all contributions have been voluntary. [New York Herald] GIANT TEMPLE FOR SCIENTISTS There will be dedicated in Boston to-morrow the first great monument to Christian Science, the new two-
27	million-dollar cathedral erected by the devotees of a religion which twenty-seven years ago was founded in Boston by Mrs. Mary Baker Eddy with a membership
30	of twenty-six persons. The new structure, which is now completed, has for Page 77
1	months been the cynosure of all eyes because of its great size, beautiful architecture, and the novelty of the cult
3	which it represents. This temple is one of the largest in the world. It has a seating capacity of over five thousand. In this respect it leads the Auditorium of Chicago. Be-
6	side it the dome of the Massachusetts State House, which is the leading landmark of Boston, pales into insignificance, as its dimensions are only half as great.
9	From all over the world Christian Scientists are rapidly gathering in this city to participate in the most notable feature in the life of their cult. From beyond the Rockies,
12	from Canada, from Great Britain, and practically every civilized country, daily trainloads of pilgrims are pouring into Boston, and it is estimated that not less than twenty-
15	five thousand visitors will participate in the dedication. [New York World] DEDICATION DAY
18	Over the heads of a multitude which began to gather at daybreak and which filled the streets leading to the mag- nificent temple of the Christian Science church, there
21	pealed from the chimes a first hymn of thanksgiving at six o'clock this morning. It was dedication day, and Christian Scientists from all quarters of the globe were
24	present to participate in the occasion. It was estimated that nearly forty thousand believers had gathered in Boston. Word was conveyed to them that
27	the temple would open its doors absolutely free of debt, every penny of the two million dollars required to build the imposing edifice in the Back Bay district having
30	been secured by voluntary subscription. Page 78
1	The seating capacity of the temple is five thousand, and in order that all might participate in the dedication,
3	six services, identical in character, were held during the morning, afternoon, and evening. The worshippers saw an imposing structure of gray
6	stone with a massive dome rising to a height of two hundred and twenty-four feet and visible from every quarter of the city. The multitude passed through the
9	twelve entrances beneath a series of arches in the sev- eral façades. They looked upon an interior done in soft gray with decorative carvings peculiarly rich and im-
12	pressive. The seating is accomplished in a semi-circular sweep of mahogany pews and in triple galleries. The offertory taken at the beginning of the services
15	found every basket piled high with bank-notes, everybody contributing, and none proffering small change. At the close of the Lesson-Sermon, and in accordance
18	with the custom of the Christian Science church, the entire congregation knelt in silent communion, followed by the audible repetition of the Lord's Prayer. One of
21	the remarkable features of the services was the congre- gation singing in perfect unison. The acoustic properties of the temple, in spite of its vast interior, were found to
24	be perfect. [Boston Globe] CHILDREN'S SERVICE
27	No mere words can convey the peculiar impressiveness of the half past twelve service; the little children, awed by the grandeur of the great room in which they were seated,
30	drinking in every word of the exercises and apparently understanding all they heard, joining with their shrill Page 79
1	voices in the singing and responsive reading, and then, at the last, kneeling for silent communion before the pews, in
3	absolute stillness, their eyes closed and their solemn little faces turned upward. [Norfolk (Neb.) Tribune] ON A FAR HIGHER PEDESTAL To those who seem to see no good in Christian Science, it must stagger their faith not a little to read the account
9	of the dedication of the vast temple located in the heart of the city of Boston, the supposed fountain of knowledge and seat of learning of America; the spectacle of thirty
12	thousand people assembling to gain admission to the temple shows an enthusiasm for Christian Science seldom witnessed anywhere in the world on any occasion; and
15	this occurred in staid old Boston, and the fact was heralded in flaming headlines in the leading newspapers of the world. According to the despatches, that assembly was
18	not a gathering of "the vulgar throng;" the intelligence and wisdom of the country were there. There certainly must be something more than a fad in Christian Science,
21	which was placed upon a far higher pedestal by that demonstration than it ever occupied before. [Boston Herald] THE WEDNESDAY EVENING MEETINGS Quietly, without a trace of fanaticism, making their remarkable statements with a simplicity which sprang
27	from the conviction that they would be believed, scores of Christian Scientists told of cures from diseases, physical and mental, at the testimony meetings that marked the Page 80
1	close of their visit to Boston; cures that carried one back to the age of miracles. To hear prosperous, contented
3	men and women, people of substance and of standing, earnestly assure thousands of auditors that they had been cured of blindness, of consumption in its advanced stages,
6	of heart disease, of cancer; that they had felt no pain when having broken bones set; that when wasted unto death they had been made whole, constituted a severe tax
9	upon frail human credulity, yet they were believed. Meetings were held in the extension of The Mother Church, in the extension vestry, in the old auditorium
12	of The Mother Church, in The Mother Church vestry, Horticultural Hall (Exhibition Hall), Horticultural Hall (Lecture Hall), Jordan Hall, Potter Hall, Howe and
15	Woolson Halls, Chickering Hall. At each of the meetings the introductory services were identical, consisting of hymns, an appropriate reading
18	from the Bible, and selections from "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mrs. Mary Baker Eddy.
21	Fifteen thousand Scientists crowded into the auditorium of the extension of The Mother Church, into the old church, into Horticultural Hall, Jordan Hall, Potter Hall,
24	Woolson Hall, and Chickering Hall, and it took ten meetings to accommodate the great throngs who wanted to give testimony or who wanted to hear it. And when
27	these places had all been filled, there were many hundreds waiting vainly in the streets. A few were upon the scene as early as three o'clock in the afternoon to secure seats
30	in the main body of the church, where the largest meeting was held, and long before seven the auditorium was com- fortably filled. Page 81
1	Upon entering The Mother Church one was immediately struck with the air of well-being and of prosperity of the
3	great congregation. The Scientists fairly radiate good nature and healthy satisfaction with life. No pessimistic faces there! So ingrained is this good nature, so complete
6	this self-abnegation, that at the very height of fervor, when bursting with a desire to testify to the benefits and the healing power of the faith, one of them would pause and
9	laughingly give precedence to another who had been the first to catch the Reader's eye. When Mr. McCrackan announced at the main meet-
12	ing that they were ready to receive testimony, up leaped half a dozen Scientists. They had been told to name, before beginning, the places where they lived.
15	"Indianapolis!" "Des Moines!" "Glasgow!" "Cuba!" "Dresden!" "Peoria!" they cried. No more cosmo- politan audience ever sat in Boston.
18	Those who poured out their debts of gratitude for ills cured, for hearts lifted up, spoke simply and gratefully, but occasionally the voices would ring out in a way there
21	was no mistaking. In those people was the depth of sincerity, and, when they sang, the volume of holy song rose tingling to the great dome, swelling as one voice.
24	It was a practical demonstration of the Scientist claims, a fitting close to a memorable week. If an attempt were made to give any account of the
27	marvellous cures narrated at the meetings of the Scien- tists, or wherever two or more of them are met together, it would be impossible to convey a conception of the
30	fervor of belief with which each tells his or her experi- ence. These are tales of people of standing and of substance, professional men, hard-headed shrewd busi- Page 82
1	ness men. Yet they all have the same stories of their conversion, either through a cure to themselves or to
3	one near and dear to them. [Boston Herald] EXODUS BEGINS
6	For a while this morning it looked as though all the Christian Scientists who have been crowding Boston the last week were trying to get away at the same
9	time. Hotels, boarding-houses, and private houses were disgorging trunks and smaller articles of baggage so fast that it was a matter of wonder where there
12	could be secured express wagons enough to accommo- date the demand. At the dedicatory services of The Mother Church
15	extension on Sunday, and at the sessions of the annual meeting, Tuesday, it was the pride of the Church Direct- ors that the edifice was emptied of its crowds in some-
18	thing like ten minutes. It would seem that this ability to get away when the entertainment is over is a dis- tinguishing characteristic of Christian Scientists, for at
21	noon to-day [June 14] the indications were that Boston would be emptied of its twenty thousand and more vis- itors by midnight to-night.
24	Transportation facilities at the two stations were taxed to the utmost from early morning, and trains pulled out of the city in double sections.
27	Although the Scientists came to Boston in such numbers and are departing with such remarkable expedition, their going will not be noticeable to the residents of Boston,
30	except perhaps those living in the streets leading directly Page 83
1	to Horticultural Hall. This fact will be due to the custom Christian Scientists have of never going about
3	labelled. Ordinarily the holding of a great convention is patent to every one residing in the convention city. Up at Horticultural Hall the one hundred and fifty
6	members of the local arrangement committee wore tiny white, unmarked buttons, for their own self-identification, otherwise there has been no flaunting of badges or
9	insignia of any kind. Christian Scientists frequently wear a small pin, but this is usually hidden away in the laces of the women's frocks, and the men go
12	entirely unadorned. Therefore, with the exception of the street-car men and policemen, who will doubtless have fewer questions
15	as to locality to answer, and the hotel and restaurant keepers, who will have time to rest and sleep, the pub- lic at large will scarcely realize that the Scientists have
18	gone. WHAT THE BOSTON EDITORS SAID [Boston Daily Advertiser]
21	The meeting of the Christian Scientists in this city naturally takes on a tone of deserved satisfaction, in view of the announcement, which has just been made, that the
24	two million dollars needed for the construction of the new temple has been raised even before the building itself has been completed.
27	The thirty thousand visitors have other evidences of the strength and growth of their organization, which has made steady gains in recent years. But of this particu-
30	lar example of the readiness of the members to bear each his or her share of the necessary expense of church Page 84
1	work, the facts speak more plainly than mere assertion could. Nothing is more of a drag on a church than a
3	heavy debt, the interest on which calls for practically all the resources of the institution. Many a clergyman can testify from his own experience how a "church debt"
6	cramps and retards and holds back work that would otherwise be done. It is a rule in some denominations that a church edifice may not be formally dedicated until
9	it be wholly free from debt. And the experience of many generations has affirmed its wisdom. [Boston Herald]
12	Boston is the Mecca for Christian Scientists all over the world. The new temple is something to be proud of. Its stately cupola is a fitting crown for the other architec-
15	tural efforts in that section of the Back Bay. [Boston Evening Record] Boston is near to another great demonstration of the
18	growth of the Christian Science idea in numbers, wealth, vigor, and faithful adherence. It is a remarkable story which the gathering here tells. Its very magnitude and
21	the cheerful optimism and energy of its followers im- press even the man who cannot reconcile himself to the methods and tenets of the sect. Its hold and
24	development are most notable. [Boston Post] The gathering of Christian Scientists for the dedication
27	of the beautiful structure on Falmouth Street, which is to take place on Sunday, is notable in many ways. It Page 85
1	is remarkable in the character of the assembling mem- bership, in its widely international range, and in the
3	significance of the occasion. The growth of this cult is the marvel of the age. Thirty years ago it was comparatively unknown; one church
6	and a mere handful of members measured its vogue. To-day its adherents number probably a million, its churches have risen by hundreds, and its congregations
9	meet in Europe and in the antipodes, as from the Atlantic to the Pacific on this continent. One does not need to accept the doctrines of Mrs.
12	Eddy to recognize the fact that this wonderful woman is a world power. This is conclusive; it is conspicu- ously manifest. And here in Boston the zeal and
15	enthusiasm of the followers of this creed have been manifested in the building of a church structure which will hold place among the architectural beauties of the
18	country. [Boston Herald] Another glory for Boston, another "landmark" set
21	in the illustrious list for future generations to reverence and admire! The Science church has become the great centre of attraction, not merely for its thousands of wor-
24	shippers, but for a multitude of strangers to whom this historic city is the Mecca of their love and duty. Last Sunday it was entirely credible that the spirit of faith
27	and brotherhood rested on this structure, which is abso- lutely unique in its symmetrical and appropriate design. Aside from every other consideration, this church, with
30	its noble dome of pure gray tint, forming one of the few perfect sky-lines in an American city, is doubly Page 86
1	welcomed. Henceforth the greeting of admiring eyes, too often unaccustomed to fine architectural effects, will
3	be constant and sincere. As Boston has ever loved its golden State House dome, so will it now find pleasure in this new symbol,
6	brooding elevation, guarding as it were, embracing as it may be, the hosts of a new religion. [Boston Globe]
9	Thousands of Christian Scientists have been pouring into Boston in the past few days to be present at the dedication yesterday of their new two-million-dollar
12	church, and to take part in the subsequent ceremonies and exercises. Not only was every cent of the estimated cost contributed before the actual work was completed, but
15	the treasurer of the building fund of the great temple appealed to his brethren to give no more money, since he had enough. This must be regarded as an extraordinary
18	achievement, and one which indicates plainly enough the generosity of the devotion that the Christian Scientists maintain towards their church.
21	[Boston Post] The dedication of the edifice of the Christian Scientists on the Back Bay has proved one of the most interest-
24	ing and in some of its aspects the most notable of such occasions. The attendance at the ceremonies yesterday was re-
27	markable, probably unprecedented, as regards numbers. Not even the great size of the auditorium could accom- modate the throng of participants. At each of the iden-
30	tical services, repeated at intervals from early morning Page 87
1	until the evening, the attendance was greater than the building could contain. And the transportation facilities
3	of the town have been strained to their utmost to care for the multitudes going and coming. The temporary increase of the population of Boston has
6	been apparent to the most casual observer. And so, we think, must be the characteristics of this crowd of visitors. It is a pleasant, congenial, quietly happy, well-to-do,
9	intellectual, and cheerfully contented multitude that has invaded the town. There are among them visitors of title and distinction, but one does not notice these unless
12	they are pointed out. The impression created is that of a great gathering of people we like to know and like to have here.
15	We congratulate these comfortable acquaintances upon the fact that they have their costly church fully paid for, and we feel that Boston is to be congratulated upon the
18	acquisition of an edifice so handsome architecturally. [Boston Herald] I do not think I have ever seen more cheerful looking
21	groups of people than I have met in Boston during the past few days. Their happy faces would make sunshine on the grayest day. If Christian Science gives such
24	serene, beautiful expressions, it would not be a bad thing if all the world turned to the new religion. There is one thing about it: it is certainly imbued with the spirit of
27	unselfishness and helpfulness, and, whatever one's special creed may be, there is nothing antagonistic to it in this doctrine of health, happiness, and in the cheerful doing
30	of good. Page 88 GENERAL EDITORIAL OPINION [Montreal (Can.) Gazette]
3	Twenty thousand Christian Scientists have assembled at Boston to attend the opening of their great new temple. Christian Science, as now before this conti-
6	nent, is the development of a short lifetime. It shows strength in all parts, and among classes above the aver- age in intelligence.
9	[Concord (N. H.) Monitor] The dedication, Sunday, in Boston, of the new Mother Church of the Christian Science faith was a ceremonial of
12	far more than usual ecclesiastic significance. The edifice itself is so rich in the architectural symbolisms of aspira- tion and faith, its proportions are so large, and its accom-
15	modations are so wide, that its dedication abounds in remarkable external manifestations which must arrest public attention. But externals constitute the smallest
18	feature of the Christian Science faith, and this beau- tiful temple, striking as are its beauties, is only a slight and material development in evidence of that beauty and
21	serenity of faith, life, and love which finds its temple in the heart of all that increasing host who have found the truths of Christian Science to be a marvellous revelation
24	given to this generation by a noble and devoted woman, to whom they rightfully turn with respect and affection. [Brooklyn (N. Y.) Eagle]
27	The stoutest enemies of Christian Science will confess at least an aesthetic debt to that great and growing cult, which is implied in the building of a great church in Bos- Page 89
1	ton. This church is one of the largest and seemliest in America, and in its size, if not in its aspect, it may be
3	held to symbolize that faith which is so much a faith that all facts inhospitable to it are deemed by its pro- fessors not to exist at all. The building is of light stone,
6	with a dome over two hundred and twenty feet high, a chime of bells, and one of the largest organs in the world. The architect has joined lightness and grace to solidity,
9	and the edifice needs only an open space about it, such as one finds in the English cathedrals, to achieve its extreme of beauty. A sect that leaves such a monument
12	has not lived in vain. A remarkable thing in this building is that, although it cost two million dollars, it is not blanketed with debts
15	and mortgages. Everything, even to the flagstones in front of it, is paid for, and subscriptions are not solic- ited. Here is an occasion for joy that marks it as dif-
18	ferent from almost all other of the Christian churches, where petitions for money are almost as constant as petitions for divine mercy.
21	[Denver (Col.) News] The dedication of the new Mother Church of the Christian Scientists in Boston is not a matter of interest
24	to that city alone, but to the nation; not to the nation alone, but to the world; not to this time alone, but to history.
27	The growth of this form of religious faith has been one of the marvels of the last quarter century. It is, in some respects, the greatest religious phenomenon of all history.
30	That a woman should found a religious movement of international sway; that its followers should number Page 90
1	many thousands during her lifetime; that hundreds of great buildings should be filled at every meeting Sun-
3	days or on week-days with devout worshippers, wooed by no eloquence of orator or magnetic ritual, - all these things are new, utterly new, in the history of religious
6	expression. Unaccountable? Hardly so. Whatever else it is, this faith is real and is given very real tests. Thousands upon
9	thousands believe that it has cured them of diseases many and diverse. All the passionate love for life with which nature endows the children of men, grips hold of their
12	faith and insures fidelity in pain or death for self or dear ones. But, while health-seeking is the door to this gospel for many, it is not the only source of appeal. A faith
15	which teaches that hate is atheism, that discord is poison- ous, that gloom is sin, has a mission that can be readily grasped by sick or well.
18	The world is enormously richer for this reincarnation of the old, old gospel of "on earth peace, good will toward men."
21	[Terre Haute (Ind.) Star] The dedication of The Mother Church of Christian Science at Boston, with its paid-up cost of two million
24	dollars and its tremendous outpouring of eager commu- nicants from all over the civilized world, is an event of impressiveness and momentous significance. The historic
27	place of Mrs. Eddy as the Founder of a great denomination can no longer be questioned, and the sources of her power and following can be readily apprehended. Prominent
30	among these is the denomination's peculiar department of healing, the efficacy of which to some extent is established Page 91
1	beyond cavil. The immense membership of the body is proof positive that it supplies these persons, most of
3	whom were already nominal Christians, something they did not find in other communions. It affords refutation of the notion that spiritual and mystic mediation has
6	been drowned out in this so-called commercial age. The Christian Scientists set a good example to other denomi- nations in requiring their church edifices to be fully paid
9	for before they are dedicated. It is to be said for Chris- tian Science that no person's spiritual aspirations were ever deadened or his moral standards debased through
12	its agency. Its communicants are cheerful and shed sunshine about them - no insignificant element in true Christianity.
15	[Lafayette (Ind.) Journal] The dedication of a Christian Science temple at Boston serves to call attention to one of the most remarkable
18	religious movements that this country or any other country has ever known. It has not been very many years since Christian Science was announced as a discovery of Mary
21	Baker Eddy of Concord, N. H. The few thousand persons who followed Mrs. Eddy during the first years of her preaching were the objects of much ridicule, but despite
24	the obstacles put in the way the church has continued to grow. Its growth in numbers is remarkable, but even stranger is its increase in wealth. The temple which has
27	just been dedicated at Boston cost two million dollars, and is one of the finest places of worship in the world, at least it is the largest in New England. This Mother
30	Church is absolutely free from debt. After but a few years, Christian Science has congregations in every im- Page 92
1	portant town and city of the United States. Of course the new idea will never have determined its real position
3	in the doctrines of the world until it has stood the test of time. But its beginning has been impressive, and that large numbers of intelligent men and women should be
6	converted to it makes it appear that Science cannot be brushed aside by ridicule alone. [Springfield (Mass.) Republican]
9	The prodigious convention of Christian Scientists in Boston is a portent worthy of perhaps even more interest than it has evoked in that city, where a new temple to
12	Isis and Osiris would be hardly more than a day's wonder. With the swift growth of the new faith the public has in a general way been familiar; it is but a few years ago that
15	the astonishing revelation was made that since 1890 its following had increased from an insignificant number to hundreds of thousands, a rate at which every other sect in
18	the country would soon be left behind. But mere statistics give a feeble impression in comparison with so huge and concrete a demonstration as the dedication of this vast
21	temple. The statistics have been ridiculed by the hostile as mere guesswork, but one cannot sneer away the two- million-dollar stone edifice or the thirty thousand wor-
24	shippers who entered its portals Sunday. [Rochester (N. Y.) Post Express] There are two things to be said in favor of Christian
27	Science. Its growth has been wonderfully rapid, and due apparently to nothing save the desire in the human heart for some such comfort as it promises. Christian Scientists, Page 93
1	as a class, so far as the writer knows them, are happy, gentle, and virtuous. They are multiplying without
3	efforts at proselytizing; they are in no wise at war with society; and they have little of the spirit of bigotry. The dedication of their great church in Boston is a material
6	evidence of their prosperity; and it may be said that if their opinions seem visionary, there is nothing in them to attract any class save the moderately well-to-do, the
9	intelligent, and the well-behaved. It has been said cynically that a religion prospers according to the pledges which it holds out to its votaries; and though Christian
12	Science promises nothing in the way of gratifying the passions or attaining dominion over others, yet it has rare lures for weary hearts, - physical health and spiritual
15	peace. [Topeka (Kan.) Daily Capital] Those of us who do not accept the doctrine of Christian
18	Science are possibly too prone to approach it in a spirit of levity, too often disposed to touch upon it with the tongue of facetiousness. Too often we see only its ridic-
21	ulous phases, attaching meanwhile no importance to the saneness and common sense which underlie many of the practices in its name. And many of us have missed
24	entirely its tremendous growth and the part it has come to play in the economy of our social and religious life. To those of us who have overlooked these essentials of
27	its hold upon the public, certain statistics brought to light by the great meeting of the church now being held in Boston will come in the nature of a revelation. In 1890 the faith had but an insignificant following. To-day its 30 adherents number hundreds of thousands, and if the Page 94
1	growth continues in like proportion through another decade every other sect will be left behind in the race for
3	numerical supremacy. The figures given out by the church itself have been ridiculed by the hostile as mere guesswork, but some of the evidence appears in the con-
6	crete and cannot be combated. "One cannot sneer away the two-million-dollar stone edifice or the thirty thousand worshippers who entered its portals Sunday," says the
9	Springfield Republican. Neither can we overlook the steady, consistent growth of the sect in every commu- nity in which it has found a foothold. In the adherence
12	of its converts to the faith, and in the absence of dissent among them in the interpretation of its tenets, there is also much to convince the skeptic.
15	[Albany (N.Y.) Knickerbocker] The remarkable growth and the apparent permanency of Christian Science were noted in the recent dedication in
18	Boston of the magnificent new temple of the cult. When the doors were opened to the public, the structure was free from debt. While the dedicatory services were being
21	held at different hours of the day, forty thousand Chris- tian Scientists from every State in the Union and from many foreign countries were in attendance.
24	Although Mrs. Eddy, the Founder of Christian Science, was not in attendance, she sent greetings in which she declared that the "crowning ultimate" of the church
27	"rises to a mental monument, a superstructure high above the work of men's hands, even the outcome of their hearts, giving to the material a spiritual significance -
30	the speed, beauty, and achievements of goodness." But a few years ago, men there were who predicted that Page 95
1	Christian Science would soon be included among the cults which flourish for a time like a green bay-tree, and are
3	then forgotten. Those predictions have not been verified. The church which has been built upon the tenets first presented by Mrs. Eddy is being constantly strengthened
6	by members who represent the intelligence of many communities in different parts of the world. [Mexican Herald, City of Mexico, Mex.]
9	The dedication of the magnificent Christian Science church in Boston has brought that cheerful and pros- perous body of believers before the press gallery of com-
12	mentators. They have built a huge church, which has cost them about two million dollars, and it has a dome which rivals that of the famous old Massachusetts State
15	House. During the great assembly of forty thousand Christian Scientists in Boston they were described in the newspapers of the Hub as a contented and well-dressed
18	body of people. The faith of these people is certainly great. They go about telling of miracles performed in this twentieth cen-
21	tury when "advanced" clergymen of other denominations are avowing their disbelief in the miraculous. The higher critics and the men of science may think
24	they can banish faith in the supernatural, but no religion of growth and vitality exists without faith in the things unseen.
27	[Sandusky (Ohio) Star-Journal] It is doubtful if, since the days of the primitive Chris- tians, there has been such a wonderful demonstration of
30	religious faith and enlightened zeal as that exhibited at Page 96
1	Boston, Sunday, when forty thousand Christian Scientists from all parts of the world assembled to participate in
3	the dedication of the extension of The Mother Church of that denomination. These people were of the highest order of intelligence, many of them prominent figures in
6	the social and business world, and none of them afflicted with the slightest trace of fanaticism. The gathering can in no sense, save one, be compared with those of
9	Mecca and the Hindu shrines, where fanaticism domi- nates everything else. The one point of resemblance is that the Christian Scientists are thoroughly in earnest
12	and take joy in attesting their faith in the creed of the church of their choice. It is a faith based upon rea- son, and reached only through intelligent and unbiased
15	study and comparison with other creeds. A remarkable feature, perhaps the most remarkable, of the gathering was the generosity of its adherents towards
18	their church. The building they were in Boston to dedi- cate cost approximately two million dollars. Members were invited to contribute what they could to pay for it.
21	The money was sent in such quantities that before the day set for the dedication arrived the fund was full to over- flowing and the members were asked to quit giving.
24	[Peoria (Ill.) Journal] It is the custom to sneer at Christian Science, but it is evident that the cult will soon be beyond the sneering
27	point. The dedication of what is known as The Mother Church extension in Boston, the other day, was attended by people from all parts of the United States. And they
30	were people of intelligence. The fact is that Christian Science just goes a little Page 97
1	beyond what almost every one is inclined to admit. The best physicians now admit the power of mind over matter.
3	They believe that firm faith on the part of a sick per- son, for instance, will go far towards making the patient well. These same physicians, however, ridicule the idea
6	of a patient getting well without the use of medicine. It has yet to be shown that of the sick who abjure medicine a larger proportion have died than among
9	those who were medically treated. The Journal has kept no books on the subject, and is not a Christian Scientist, but believes that if the figures could be given
12	they might show that the Scientists have a little the advantage so far as this goes. [Nebraska State Journal, Lincoln, Neb.]
15	Zion's Herald, a rather bitter critic of Mrs. Eddy and her cult, speaks of "the audacious, stupendous, inex- plicable faith of this well-dressed, good-looking, emi-
18	nently respectable, evidently wealthy congregation in their teacher and her utterances." The opening of the new Mother Church of the Christian Science faith
21	at Boston has opened the eyes of the country anew to the growth of the new church and the zeal of its membership.
24	[Athol (Mass.) Transcript] The Christian Scientists who descended upon Boston to the number of forty thousand last week to dedicate the
27	new temple, just built at a cost of two million dollars, have mostly departed, but Boston has not yet recovered from the effects produced by that stupendous gathering. The
30	incidents witnessed during the week were calculated to Page 98
1	impress the most determined skeptic. Forty thousand people truly make up a mighty host, but these, it is de-
3	clared, are but a twentieth of the Christian Science army in this country to-day, and this is the wonderful growth of less than a score of years. Christian Science may be
6	anything that its foes try to prove it to be, but that mag- nificent church, holding five thousand people, dedicated free from debt, and the centre of an enthusiasm and rever-
9	ence of worship such as religious annals hardly parallel in modern times, is a tangible reality, and critics who seek the light must have done with scoffs and jeers if
12	they would deal with the phenomenon with any effect. [Portland (Ore.) Telegram] The last issue of the Christian Science Sentinel contains
15	a rather remarkable announcement to the effect that friends were requested to send no more money for the building of the church which was recently dedicated at
18	Boston. This structure cost about two million dollars, and all of the funds required to build it were raised in a little less than three years. It was dedicated absolutely
21	free of debt, and no member of the church anywhere, in this country or elsewhere, was asked to contribute a dollar. Contributions were entirely voluntary. No re-
24	sort was had to any of the latter-day methods of raising money. The record is one of which any church might well be proud.
27	[Portland (Me.) Advertiser] The erection in Boston of the two-million-dollar church of the Christian Scientists and its dedication free from
30	debt has been a wonderful achievement, but as our con- Page 99
1	temporary, the Boston Times, comments, it is but one of the marvellous, great, and really good things that this
3	sect is doing. It says: "A faith which is able to raise its believers above the suffering of petty ills; a religion that makes the merry heart that doeth good like a
6	medicine, not a necessity, but a pleasure and an essen- tial; a cult able to promote its faith with so great an aggregation of good and beneficial works, is welcomed
9	within our midst and bidden Godspeed." [Denver (Col.) Republican] Christian Scientists are a remarkably optimistic body
12	of people, and it must be said in their behalf that they are enthusiasts whenever their form of religion is con- cerned. They have recently built a splendid cathedral in
15	Boston, seating five thousand people, at a cost of two million dollars, and when it was dedicated there was not a cent of indebtedness left. Thirty thousand of the faith,
18	coming from all parts of the world, attended the dedicatory exercises, and the press reports state that the contribution baskets when passed around were literally stuffed and
21	jammed with money. Less than a generation ago there was not a Christian Science church in the land. To-day there are hundreds
24	of such churches. The denomination has grown with a rapidity that is startling, and the end is not yet. [Bridgeport (Conn.) Standard]
27	Facts and figures are stubborn things, and ignore them as we may their existence points out their meaning and leaves no choice but the acceptance of them at their
30	face value. The recent dedication of a Christian Science Page 100
1	temple in Boston has inevitably brought out in connection with the event some of the facts and figures belonging to
3	it, which are as remarkable in their aggregate as they are unmistakable in their trend. The temple recently dedi- cated at Boston cost about two million dollars and is
6	therefore the property of no poverty-stricken sect. On the Sunday of the dedication, thirty thousand worshippers were present in the building, coming from all, or nearly
9	all, parts of the country, and representing a vast number of the followers of the cult. It is only twenty-five years, or thereabout, since the
12	Christian Science sect made its appearance as a dis- tinctive organization among religious bodies, but its members are numbered by thousands to-day, and they
15	are very generally of a class who are reputable, intelli- gent, and who think for themselves. Part II Miscellany CHAPTER I - TO THE CHRISTIAN WORLD
1	IN the midst of the imperfect, perfection is reluctantly seen and acknowledged. Because Science is unim-
3	peachable, it summons the severest conflicts of the ages and waits on God. The faith and works demanded of man in our textbooks,
6	the Bible and "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," and the proof of the practicality of this faith and these works, show conclusively that Christian Science
9	is indeed Science, - the Science of Christ, the Science of God and man, of the creator and creation. In every age and at its every appearing, Science, until understood, has
12	been persecuted and maligned. Infinite perfection is unfolded as man attains the stature of man in Christ Jesus by means of the Science which Jesus taught and
15	practised. Alluding to this divine method, the Psalmist said: "Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?"
18	I have set forth Christian Science and its application to the treatment of disease just as I have discovered them. I have demonstrated through Mind the effects
21	of Truth on the health, longevity, and morals of men; and I have found nothing in ancient or in modern sys- tems on which to found my own, except the teachings
24	and demonstrations of our great Master and the lives of prophets and apostles. The Bible has been my only Page 104
1	authority. I have had no other guide in the strait and narrow way of Truth.
3	Jewish pagans thought that the learned St. Paul, the Mars' Hill orator, the canonized saint, was a "pestilent fellow," but to-day all sorts of institutions flourish under
6	the name of this "pestilent fellow." That epithet points a moral. Of old the Pharisees said of the great master of metaphysics, "He stirreth up the people." Because
9	they could find no fault in him, they vented their hatred of Jesus in opprobrious terms. But what would be thought to-day of a man that should call St. Paul
12	a "pest," and what will be thought to-morrow of him who shall call a Christian Scientist a "pest"? Again, what shall be said of him who says that the Saviour
15	of men, the healer of men, the Christ, the Truth, "stir- reth up the people"? It is of the utmost concern to the world that men
18	suspend judgment and sentence on the pioneers of Christianity till they know of what and of whom these pioneers speak. A person's ignorance of Christian Sci-
21	ence is a sufficient reason for his silence on the subject, but what can atone for the vulgar denunciation of that of which a man knows absolutely nothing?
24	On November 21, 1898, in my class on Christian Science were many professional men and women of the highest talents, scholarship, and character in this or any other
27	country. What was it that brought together this class to learn of her who, thirty years ago, was met with the anathema spoken of in Scripture: "Blessed are ye, when
30	men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake"? It was the healing of the sick, the saving of sinners, the works Page 105
1	even more than the words of Christ, Truth, which had of a verity stirred the people to search the Scriptures and
3	to find in them man's only medicine for mind and body. This AEsculapius, defined Christianly and demonstrated scientifically, is the divine Principle whose rules demon-
6	strated prove one's faith by his works. After my discovery of Christian Science, I healed con- sumption in its last stages, a case which the M.D.'s,
9	by verdict of the stethoscope and the schools, declared incurable because the lungs were mostly consumed. I healed malignant diphtheria and carious bones that could
12	be dented by the finger, saving the limbs when the sur- geon's instruments were lying on the table ready for their amputation. I have healed at one visit a cancer that had
15	eaten the flesh of the neck and exposed the jugular vein so that it stood out like a cord. I have physically restored sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, speech to the dumb,
18	and have made the lame walk. About the year 1869, I was wired to attend the patient of a distinguished M.D., the late Dr. Davis of Manchester,
21	N. H. The patient was pronounced dying of pneumonia, and was breathing at intervals in agony. Her physician, who stood by her bedside, declared that she could not live.
24	On seeing her immediately restored by me without mate- rial aid, he asked earnestly if I had a work describing my system of healing. When answered in the negative,
27	he urged me immediately to write a book which should explain to the world my curative system of metaphysics. In the ranks of the M.D.'s are noble men and women,
30	and I love them; but they must refrain from persecuting and misrepresenting a system of medicine which from personal experience I have proved to be more certain Page 106
1	and curative in functional and organic diseases than any material method. I admonish Christian Scientists either
3	to speak charitably of all mankind or to keep silent, for love fulfils divine law and without this proof of love mental practice were profitless.
6	The list of cases healed by me could be made to include hopeless organic diseases of almost every kind. I name those mentioned above simply to show the folly of believ-
9	ing that the immutable laws of omnipotent Mind have not power over and above matter in every mode and form, and the folly of the cognate declaration that Christian Science
12	is limited to imaginary diseases! On the contrary, Chris- tian Science has healed cases that I assert it would have been impossible for the surgeon or materia medica to cure.
15	Without Mind, man and the universe would collapse; the winds would weary, and the world stand still. It is already proved that Christian Science rests on the basis of
18	fixed Principle, and overcomes the evidence of diseased sensation. Human mentality, expressed in disease, sin, and death, in tempest and in flood, the divine Mind calms
21	and limits with a word. In what sense is the Christian Scientist a "pest"? Is it because he minds his own business more than does the
24	average man, is not a brawler, an alcohol drinker, a tobacco user, a profane swearer, an adulterer, a fornicator, nor a dishonest politician or business man? Or is it
27	because he is the very antipode of all these? In what sense is the Christian Scientist a charlatan? Is it because he heals the sick without drugs?
30	Our great Exemplar, the Nazarene Prophet, healed through Mind, and commanded his followers to do like- wise. The prophets and apostles and the Christians in Page 107
1	the first century healed the sick as a token of their Chris- tianity. Has Christianity improved upon its earlier
3	records, or has it retrograded? Compare the lives of its professors with those of its followers at the beginning of the Christian era, and you have the correct answer.
6	As a pertinent illustration of the general subject under discussion, I will cite a modern phase of medical practice, namely, the homoeopathic system, to which the old school
9	has become reconciled. Here I speak from experience. In homoeopathy, the one thousandth attenuations and the same triturations of medicine have not an iota of the
12	drug left in them, and the lower attenuations have so little that a vial full of the pellets can be swallowed without harm and without appreciable effect. Yet the homoe-
15	opathist administers half a dozen or less of these same globules, and he tells you, and you believe him, that with these pellets he heals the sick. The diminishing of
18	the drug does not disprove the efficiency of the homoeo- pathic system. It enhances its efficiency, for it identifies this system with mind, not matter, and places it nearer the
21	grooves of omnipotence. O petty scorner of the infinite, wouldst thou mock God's miracles or scatter the shade of one who "shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty"?
24	If, as Scripture declares, God made all that was made, then whatever is entitled to a classification as truth or science must be comprised in a knowledge or under-
27	standing of God, for there can be nothing beyond illimitable divinity. The homoeopathist handles in his practice and heals the
30	most violent stages of organic and inflammatory diseases, stops decomposition, removes enteritis, gastritis, hyper- aemia, pneumonia, diphtheria, and ossification - the effects Page 108
1	of calcareous salts formed by carbonate and sulphate of lime; and the homoeopathic physician succeeds as well in
3	healing his cases without drugs as does the allopath who depends upon drugs. Then is mind or matter the intelli- gent cause in pathology? If matter, I challenge matter
6	to act apart from mind; and if mind, I have proved beyond cavil that the action of the divine Mind is salutary and potent in proportion as it is seen to act apart from matter.
9	Hence our Master's saying, "The flesh profiteth nothing." The difference between metaphysics in homoeopathy and metaphysics in Christian Science consists in this forcible
12	fact: the former enlists faith in the pharmacy of the human mind, and the latter couples faith with spiritual understanding and is based on the law of divine Mind.
15	Christian Science recognizes that this Mind is the only lawgiver, omnipotent, infinite, All. Hence the divine Mind is the sovereign appeal, and there is nothing in
18	the divine Mind to attenuate. The more of this Mind the better for both physician and patient. Ignorance, slang, and malice touch not the hem of the
21	garment of Christian Scientists, for if they did once touch it, they would be destroyed. To be stoned for that which our Master designated as his best work, saying, "For
24	which of those works do ye stone me," is to make known the best work of a Christian Scientist. Finally, beloved brethren in Christ, the words of the
27	New York press - "Mrs. Eddy not shaken" - are valid. I remain steadfast in St. Paul's faith, and will close with his own words: "Christ is the head of the church: and he
30	is the saviour of the body." Page 109 CHAPTER II - THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE TEXTBOOK
1	MATTER is but the subjective state of mortal mind. Matter has no more substance and reality in our
3	day-dreams than it has in our night-dreams. All the way mortals are experiencing the Adam-dream of mind in matter, the dream which is mortal and God-condemned
6	and which is not the spiritual fact of being. When this scientific classification is understood, we shall have one Mind, one God, and we shall obey the commandment,
9	"Love thy neighbor as thyself." If nineteen hundred years ago Christ taught his fol- lowers to heal the sick, he is to-day teaching them the
12	same heavenly lesson. Christ is "the same yesterday, and to-day, and forever." "God is Love," the ever- operative divine Principle (or Person, if you please) whose
15	person is not corporeal, not finite. This infinite Person we know not of by the hearing of the ear, yet we may sometimes say with Job, "But now mine eye [spiritual
18	sense] seeth Thee." God is one because God is All. Therefore there can be but one God, one Christ. We are individually but
21	specks in His universe, the reflex images of this divine Life, Truth, and Love, in whom "we live, and move, and have our being." Divine metaphysics is not to
24	be scoffed at; it is Truth with us, God "manifest in the flesh," not alone by miracle and parable, but by proof; Page 110
1	it is the divine nature of God, which belongs not to a dispensation now ended, but is ever present, casting out
3	evils, healing the sick, and raising the dead - resurrect- ing individuals buried above-ground in material sense. At the present time this Bethlehem star looks down
6	upon the long night of materialism, - material religion, material medicine, a material world; and it shines as of yore, though it "shineth in darkness; and the dark-
9	ness comprehended it not." But the day will dawn and the daystar will appear, lighting the gloom, guiding the steps of progress from molecule and mortals outward and
12	upward in the scale of being. Hidden electrical forces annihilating time and space, wireless telegraphy, navigation of the air; in fact, all the
15	et cetera of mortal mind pressing to the front, remind me of my early dreams of flying in airy space, buoyant with liberty and the luxury of thought let loose, rising higher
18	and forever higher in the boundless blue. And what of reality, if waking to bodily sensation is real and if bodily sensation makes us captives? The night thought, me-
21	thinks, should unfold in part the facts of day, and open the prison doors and solve the blind problem of matter. The night thought should show us that even mortals
24	can mount higher in the altitude of being. Mounting higher, mortals will cease to be mortal. Christ will have "led captivity captive," and immortality will have been
27	brought to light. Robert Ingersoll's attempt to convict the Scriptures of inconsistency made his life an abject failure. Happily,
30	the misquoting of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," or quoting sentences or paragraphs torn from their necessary contexts, may serve to call attention to Page 111
1	that book, and thus reveal truths which otherwise the reader would not have sought. Surely "the wrath of man
3	shall praise Thee." The nature and truth of Christian Science cannot be destroyed by false psychics, crude theories or modes
6	of metaphysics. Our master Metaphysician, the Galilean Prophet, had much the same class of minds to deal with as we have in our time. They disputed his teachings on
9	practically the same grounds as are now assumed by many doctors and lawyers, but he swept away their illogical syllogisms as chaff is separated from the wheat. The
12	genuine Christian Scientist will tell you that he has found the physical and spiritual status of a perfect life through his textbook.
15	The textbook of Christian Science maintains primitive Christianity, shows how to demonstrate it, and through- out is logical in premise and in conclusion. Can Scien-
18	tists adhere to it, establish their practice of healing on its basis, become successful healers and models of good morals, and yet the book itself be absurd and unscientific ?
21	Is not the tree known by its fruit? Did Jesus mistake his mission and unwittingly misguide his followers? Were the apostles absurd and unscientific in adhering to his
24	premise and proving that his conclusion was logical and divine? "The scientific statement of being" (Science and Health,
27	p. 468) may irritate a certain class of professionals who fail to understand it, and they may pronounce it absurd, ambiguous, unscientific. But that Christian
30	Science is valid, simple, real, and self-evident, thousands upon thousands attest with their individual demonstra- tions. They have themselves been healed and have Page 112
1	healed others by means of the Principle of Christian Science. Science has always been first met with denun-
3	ciations. A fiction or a false philosophy flourishes for a time where Science gains no hearing. The followers of the Master in the early Christian centuries did just what he
6	enjoined and what Christian Science makes practical to- day to those who abide in its teachings and build on its chief corner-stone. Our religious denominations interpret
9	the Scriptures to fit a doctrine, but the doctrines taught by divine Science are founded squarely and only on the Scriptures.
12	"Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" is not inconsistent in a single instance with its logical premise and conclusion, and ninety-nine out of every hundred
15	of its readers - honest, intelligent, and scholarly - will tell you this. The earnest student of this book, under- standing it, demonstrates in some degree the truth of its
18	statements, and knows that it contains a Science which is demonstrable when understood, and which is fully understood when demonstrated. That Christian Scien-
21	tists, because of their uniformly pure morals and noble lives, are better representatives of Christian Science than the textbook itself, is not in accordance with the
24	Scriptures. The tree is known by its fruit. The student of this book will tell you that his higher life is the result of his conscientious study of Science and Health in con-
27	nection with the Bible. A book that through the good it does has won its way into the palaces of emperors and kings, into the
30	home of the President of the United States, into the chief cities and the best families in our own and in foreign lands, a book which lies beside the Bible in hundreds Page 113
1	of pulpits and in thousands of homes, which heals the sick and reclaims sinners in court and in cottage, is
3	not less the evangel of Christian Science than is he who practises the teachings of this book or he who studies it and thereby is healed of disease. Can such a
6	book be ambiguous, self-contradictory, or unprofitable to mankind? St. Paul was a follower but not an immediate disciple
9	of our Lord, and Paul declares the truth of the complete system of Christian Science in these brief sentences: "There is therefore now no condemnation to them which
12	are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death." Was
15	it profane for St. Paul to aspire to this knowledge of Christ and its demonstration, healing sin and sickness, because he was not a disciple of the personal Jesus? Nay, verily.
18	Neither is it presumptuous or unscriptural or vain for another, a suckling in the arms of divine Love, to perfect His praise.
21	A child will demonstrate Christian Science and have a clear perception of it. Then, is Christian Science a cold, dull abstraction, or is that unscientific which
24	all around us is demonstrated on a fixed Principle and a given rule, - when, in proportion as this Principle and rule are understood, men are found casting out
27	the evils of mortal thought, healing the sick, and uplift- ing human consciousness to a more spiritual life and love? The signs of the times emphasize the answer
30	to this in the rapid and steady advancement of this Sci- ence among the scholarly and titled, the deep thinkers, the truly great men and women of this age. In the Page 114
1	words of the Master, "Can ye not discern the signs of the times?"
3	Christian Science teaches: Owe no man; be temperate; abstain from alcohol and tobacco; be honest, just, and pure; cast out evil and heal the sick; in short, Do unto
6	others as ye would have others do to you. Has one Christian Scientist yet reached the maxi- mum of these teachings? And if not, why point the
9	people to the lives of Christian Scientists and decry the book which has moulded their lives? Simply because the treasures of this textbook are not yet uncovered
12	to the gaze of many men, the beauty of holiness is not yet won. My first writings on Christian Science began with notes
15	on the Scriptures. I consulted no other authors and read no other book but the Bible for about three years. What I wrote had a strange coincidence or relationship with the
18	light of revelation and solar light. I could not write these notes after sunset. All thoughts in the line of Scriptural interpretation would leave me until the rising of the sun.
21	Then the influx of divine interpretation would pour in upon my spiritual sense as gloriously as the sunlight on the material senses. It was not myself, but the divine power
24	of Truth and Love, infinitely above me, which dictated "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures." I have been learning the higher meaning of this book since
27	writing it. Is it too much to say that this book is leavening the whole lump of human thought? You can trace its
30	teachings in each step of mental and spiritual progress, from pulpit and press, in religion and ethics, and find these progressive steps either written or indicated in the Page 115
1	book. It has mounted thought on the swift and mighty chariot of divine Love, which to-day is circling the
3	whole world. I should blush to write of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" as I have, were it of human origin,
6	and were I, apart from God, its author. But, as I was only a scribe echoing the harmonies of heaven in divine metaphysics, I cannot be super-modest in my estimate of
9	the Christian Science textbook. Page 116 CHAPTER III - PERSONALITY PERSONAL CONTAGION AT a time of contagious disease, Christian Scientists en-
3	deavor to rise in consciousness to the true sense of the omnipotence of Life, Truth, and Love, and this great fact in Christian Science realized will stop a contagion.
6	In time of religious or scientific prosperity, certain indi- viduals are inclined to cling to the personality of its leader. This state of mind is sickly; it is a contagion
9	- a mental malady, which must be met and overcome. Why? Because it would dethrone the First Command- ment, Thou shalt have one God.
12	If God is one and God is Person, then Person is infinite; and there is no personal worship, for God is divine Prin- ciple, Love. Hence the sin, the danger and darkness of
15	personal contagion. Forgetting divine Principle brings on this contagion. Its symptoms are based upon personal sight or sense.
18	Declaring the truth regarding an individual or leader, rendering praise to whom praise is due, is not a symp- tom of this contagious malady, but persistent pursuit
21	of his or her person is. Every loss in grace and growth spiritual, since time began, has come from injustice and personal contagion.
24	Had the ages helped their leaders to, and let them alone Copyright, 1909, by Mary Baker Eddy. Renewed, 1937. Page 117
1	in, God's glory, the world would not have lost the Science of Christianity.
3	"What went ye out for to see?" A person, or a Prin- ciple? Whichever it be, determines the right or the wrong of this following. A personal motive gratified by
6	sense will leave one "a reed shaken with the wind," whereas helping a leader in God's direction, and giving this leader time and retirement to pursue t