Article September 28, 1912 Issue

Christian Scientists by no means ignore disease, nor do...

Olcott Haskell—San Francisco. Cal.

Coast Review

Christian Scientists by no means ignore disease, nor do they claim that it does not exist in human experience. They regard sickness as something to be intelligently met and overcome through an understanding and application of the laws of right living. They are optimistic, in that they believe there is a divine law which, if properly followed, will yield perfect results; and while they do not claim to have attained to complete success in their practise, yet their present progress amply justifies their position.

Christian Scientists take out life insurance, or neglect to do so, from very much the same motives that actuate other people; and evidence is daily increasing which tends to show that it is safe and profitable for insurance companies to write policies for them. Several years ago the Burlington (Iowa) Hawkeye published the following editorial comment: "A great life insurance company has instructed its agents by circular: 'Christian Scientists are as a class extra good risks, and should be solicited.' Now that must mean something. It is founded upon some vital principle. A peaceful mind, faith, hope, and contentment—these are regarded as conducive to health and longevity. When a great corporation, whose purpose is to make money, accepts that statement as a truth and adjusts its financial interests accordingly, the hard-headed, practical man cannot very well ignore the fact. The conclusion is, not that every one should become a Christian Scientist in his religious faith, but that the qualities and habits which produce such beneficent results ought to be fostered."

Some time ago it was reported upon good authority that there were more than thirty thousand persons in the state of New York who relied wholly upon Christian Science treatment; yet the average annual death rate among these people was only about one per thousand as against an average death rate among non-Scientists of more than eight per thousand. Christian Scientists are not fanatical; they do not needlessly expose themselves; and they are temperate and regular in their habits.

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