0.0 – Science & Health by Mary Baker Eddy Chapter 5 – Animal Magnetism Unmasked – 1910 Edition

Animal magnetism is the term used in Christian Science to denote all error, but essentially the error of personal sense, personal will. It is this that keeps all humanity in bondage. Christian Science unmasks this attempted personal despotic control of man and shows that animal magnetism has no power of its own and no authority. Unmasking this error at the same time reveals the truth in our hearts and lives that "man is properly self-governed only when he is guided  rightly and governed by his Maker, divine Truth and Love" (106:9). This is God's man. This is a real Christian Scientist.
~ DISSOLVING BARRIERS, The Healing Work of Christian Science by John L. MorganSHOW ALL

     Chapter 5                                                                           100

    Animal Magnetism
    Unmasked 

  	For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts,
  	murders, adulteries, fornications,
  	thefts, false witness, blasphemies:
  	these are the things which defile a man. — Jesus. 

 1	    Mesmerism or animal magnetism was first brought
  	into notice by Mesmer in Germany in 1775. Ac-
 3	cording to the American Cyclopaedia, he regarded this
  	so-called force, which he said could be ex-	Earliest
  	erted by one living organism over another, as	investigations 
 6	a means of alleviating disease. His propositions were
  	as follows:
  	   "There exists a mutual influence between the celestial
 9	bodies, the earth, and animated things.   Animal bodies
  	are susceptible to the influence of this agent, disseminat-
  	ing itself through the substance of the nerves." 
12	    In 1784, the French government ordered the medical
  	faculty of Paris to investigate Mesmer's theory and to
  	report upon it. Under this order a commission was
15	appointed, and Benjamin Franklin was one of the com-
  	missioners. This commission reported to the govern-
  	ment as follows:
18	   "In regard to the existence and utility of animal mag-
  	netism, we have come to the unanimous conclusions that
  	there is no proof of the existence of the animal magnetic
 
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 1	fluid; that the violent effects, which are observed in
  	the public practice of magnetism, are due to manipula-
 3	tions, or to the excitement of the imagination and the
  	impressions made upon the senses; and that there is one
  	more fact to be recorded in the history of the errors of
 6	the human mind, and an important experiment upon
  	the power of the imagination." 
  	    In 1837, a committee of nine persons was appointed,
 9	among whom were Roux, Bouillaud, and Clo-	Clairvoyance,
  	quet, which tested during several sessions the	magnetism 
  	phenomena exhibited by a reputed clairvoyant. Their
12	report stated the results as follows:
  	   "The facts which had been promised by Monsieur
  	Berna [the magnetizer] as conclusive, and as adapted to
15	throw light on physiological and therapeutical questions,
  	are certainly not conclusive in favor of the doctrine of
  	animal magnetism, and have nothing in common with
18	either physiology or therapeutics." 
  	    This report was adopted by the Royal Academy of
  	Medicine in Paris. 
21	    The author's own observations of the workings of
  	animal magnetism convince her that it is not	Personal
  	a remedial agent, and that its effects upon	conclusions 
24	those who practise it, and upon their subjects who do
  	not resist it, lead to moral and to physical death. 
  	    If animal magnetism seems to alleviate or to cure dis-
27	ease, this appearance is deceptive, since error cannot
  	remove the effects of error. Discomfort under error is
  	preferable to comfort. In no instance is the effect of
30	animal magnetism, recently called hypnotism, other
  	than the effect of illusion. Any seeming benefit derived
  	from it is proportional to one's faith in esoteric magic. 
 

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 1	    Animal magnetism has no scientific foundation, for
  	God governs all that is real, harmonious, and eternal, and
 3	His power is neither animal nor human. Its	Mere
  	basis being a belief and this belief animal, in	negation 
  	Science animal magnetism, mesmerism, or hypnotism is
 6	a mere negation, possessing neither intelligence, power,
  	nor reality, and in sense it is an unreal concept of the so-
  	called mortal mind. 
 9	    There is but one real attraction, that of Spirit. The
  	pointing of the needle to the pole symbolizes this all-
  	embracing power or the attraction of God, divine Mind. 
12	    The planets have no more power over man than over
  	his Maker, since God governs the universe; but man,
  	reflecting God's power, has dominion over all the earth
15	and its hosts. 
  	    The mild forms of animal magnetism are disappear-
  	ing, and its aggressive features are coming to the front. 
18	The looms of crime, hidden in the dark re-	Hidden
  	cesses of mortal thought, are every hour weav-	agents 
  	ing webs more complicated and subtle. So secret are the
21	present methods of animal magnetism that they ensnare
  	the age into indolence, and produce the very apathy on
  	the subject which the criminal desires. The following
24	is an extract from the Boston Herald:
  	   "Mesmerism is a problem not lending itself to an easy
  	explanation and development.  It implies the exercise
27	of despotic control, and is much more likely to be abused
  	by its possessor, than otherwise employed, for the in-
  	dividual or society." 
30	    Mankind must learn that evil is not power. Its so-
  	called despotism is but a phase of nothingness. Christian
  	Science despoils the kingdom of evil, and pre-eminently
 

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 1	promotes affection and virtue in families and therefore
  	in the community. The Apostle Paul refers to the
 3	personification of evil as "the god of this	Mental
  	world," and further defines it as dishonesty	despotism 
  	and craftiness. Sin was the Assyrian moon-god. 
 6	    The destruction of the claims of mortal mind through
  	Science, by which man can escape from sin	Liberation
  	and mortality, blesses the whole human fam-	of mental
 9	ily. As in the beginning, however, this libera-	powers 
  	tion does not scientifically show itself in a knowledge of
  	both good and evil, for the latter is unreal. 
12	    On the other hand, Mind-science is wholly separate
  	from any half-way impertinent knowledge, because Mind-
  	science is of God and demonstrates the divine Principle,
15	working out the purposes of good only. The maximum
  	of good is the infinite God and His idea, the All-in-all. 
  	Evil is a suppositional lie. 
18	    As named in Christian Science, animal magnetism or
  	hypnotism is the specific term for error, or mortal mind. 
  	It is the false belief that mind is in matter, and	The genus
21	is both evil and good; that evil is as real as	of error 
  	good and more powerful. This belief has not one qual-
  	ity of Truth. It is either ignorant or malicious. The
24	malicious form of hypnotism ultimates in moral idiocy. 
  	The truths of immortal Mind sustain man, and they anni-
  	hilate the fables of mortal mind, whose flimsy and gaudy
27	pretensions, like silly moths, singe their own wings and
  	fall into dust. 
  	    In reality there is no mortal mind, and conse-
30	quently no transference of mortal thought	Thought-
  	and will-power. Life and being are of	transference 
  	God. In Christian Science, man can do no harm, for
 

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 1	scientific thoughts are true thoughts, passing from God
  	to man. 
 3	    When Christian Science and animal magnetism are
  	both comprehended, as they will be at no distant date,
  	it will be seen why the author of this book has been
 6	so unjustly persecuted and belied by wolves in sheep's
  	clothing. 
  	    Agassiz, the celebrated naturalist and author, has
 9	wisely said: "Every great scientific truth goes through
  	three stages. First, people say it conflicts with the Bible. 
  	Next, they say it has been discovered before. Lastly,
12	they say they have always believed it." 
  	    Christian Science goes to the bottom of mental action,
  	and reveals the theodicy which indicates the rightness of
15	all divine action, as the emanation of divine	Perfection
  	Mind, and the consequent wrongness of the	of divine
  	opposite so-called action, — evil, occultism,	government 
18	necromancy, mesmerism, animal magnetism, hypnotism. 
  	    The medicine of Science is divine Mind; and dishonesty,
  	sensuality, falsehood, revenge, malice, are animal pro-
21	pensities and by no means the mental quali-	Adulteration
  	ties which heal the sick. The hypnotizer	of Truth 
  	employs one error to destroy another. If he heals sick-
24	ness through a belief, and a belief originally caused the
  	sickness, it is a case of the greater error overcoming the
  	lesser. This greater error thereafter occupies the ground,
27	leaving the case worse than before it was grasped by the
  	stronger error. 
  	    Our courts recognize evidence to prove the motive as
30	well as the commission of a crime. Is it not	Motives
  	clear that the human mind must move the	considered 
  	body to a wicked act? Is not mortal mind the mur-
 

      Science and Health – Animal Magnetism Unmasked                   105


 1	derer? The hands, without mortal mind to direct them,
  	could not commit a murder. 
 3	    Courts and juries judge and sentence mortals in order
  	to restrain crime, to prevent deeds of violence or to punish
  	them. To say that these tribunals have no	Mental
 6	jurisdiction over the carnal or mortal mind,	crimes 
  	would be to contradict precedent and to admit that the
  	power of human law is restricted to matter, while mortal
 9	mind, evil, which is the real outlaw, defies justice and is
  	recommended to mercy. Can matter commit a crime? 
  	Can matter be punished? Can you separate the men-
12	tality from the body over which courts hold jurisdiction? 
  	Mortal mind, not matter, is the criminal in every case;
  	and human law rightly estimates crime, and courts rea-
15	sonably pass sentence, according to the motive. 
  	    When our laws eventually take cognizance of mental
  	crime and no longer apply legal rulings wholly to physical
18	offences, these words of Judge Parmenter of	Important
  	Boston will become historic: "I see no reason	decision 
  	why metaphysics is not as important to medicine as to
21	mechanics or mathematics." 
  	    Whoever uses his developed mental powers like an es-
  	caped felon to commit fresh atrocities as opportunity oc-
24	curs is never safe. God will arrest him. Di-	Evil let
  	vine justice will manacle him. His sins will	loose 
  	be millstones about his neck, weighing him down to the
27	depths of ignominy and death. The aggravation of er-
  	ror foretells its doom, and confirms the ancient axiom:
  	"Whom the gods would destroy, they first make mad." 
30	    The distance from ordinary medical prac-	The misuse of
  	tice to Christian Science is full many a league	mental power 
  	in the line of light; but to go in healing from the use of
 

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 1	inanimate drugs to the criminal misuse of human will-
  	power, is to drop from the platform of common manhood
 3	into the very mire of iniquity, to work against the free
  	course of honesty and justice, and to push vainly against
  	the current running heavenward. 
 6	    Like our nation, Christian Science has its Declaration
  	of Independence. God has endowed man with inalien-
  	able rights, among which are self-government,	Proper self-
 9	reason, and conscience. Man is properly self-	government 
  	governed only when he is guided rightly and governed by
  	his Maker, divine Truth and Love. 
12	    Man's  rights are invaded when the divine order is in-
  	terfered with, and the mental trespasser incurs the divine
  	penalty due this crime. 
15	    Let this age, which sits in judgment on Christian
  	Science, sanction only such methods as are demonstrable
  	in Truth and known by their fruit, and classify	Right
18	all others as did St. Paul in his great epistle	methods 
  	to the Galatians, when he wrote as follows:
  	   "Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are
21	these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness,
  	idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath,
  	strife, seditions, heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness,
24	revellings and such like: of the which I tell you before,
  	as I have also told you in time past, that they which do
  	such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.  But
27	the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
  	gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against
         such there is no law."SHOW ALL