Article July 20, 1899 Issue

An Interesting Meeting in New York City

Carol Norton

To the Editor of the Sentinel: —On Thursday evening, July 13, the recently organized Medical and Legal Relief Society of the Metropolis, held a public meeting in the Waldorf-Astoria to consider the question of proposed legislation designed to protect the public from the practice of Christian Science. The meeting was well described by all the city papers, which give much space to it. The Tribune describes it in part as follows:—

The meeting, which was held at the Waldorf-Astoria, was attended by more than two hundred influential men and women. Among them were many prominent lawyers, physicians, and clergymen. In organizing the meeting the society promised that to Christian Scientists an opportunity would be afforded for putting forward their reasons why their practices should not be regulated, and the invitation extended to them to be present was responded to by a fairly large number of faith healers. There were others, however, who adhered to the purpose of the meeting, but opposed the idea of restricting the exercise of mental healing, on the ground that it tended to interfere with the liberty of the individual.

It was this oversensitive fear of encroaching upon the constitutional principle of personal liberty that defeated the effort made in Massachusetts to make faith healers amenable to the law. But, as has been frequently contended, this argument carries no weight, inasmuch as the law protects would-be suicides against themselves, and a sick person who trusts for his recovery to the exercise of faith healing powers is apparently somewhat irresponsible so far as his well being is concerned.

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