Testimony of Healing July 16, 1904 Issue

About three years ago, a niece living with us, who worked...

J. R. McConnell

About three years ago, a niece living with us, who worked at dressmaking, became so much afflicted with astigmatism that she was wearing two pairs of glasses, with a green shade over both. She was troubled with indigestion, constipation, biliousness, nausea, and headaches; in fact, it seemed as if the ills that tormented her were legion. She had lately consulted one of the best oculists in our city, who simply repeated what had been told her before by leading oculists in other parts of the country: that there was no cure for astigmatism, and the only relief which they would be able to afford her must result alone from changing her glasses now and then, making them stronger and stronger. She had not experienced any relief from the change lately made, and was almost ready to yield to despair when a lady friend said to her, "Why, Miss M., your eyes can be cured!" This seemed almost a cruel mockery; yet, with no longer any hope in materia medica, she hastened to see a Christian Science practitioner as she was directed, and now, thank God, whereas she was blind, now she can see. For about three years she has been able to read and sew without glasses, and she can now eat anything she wants to eat without any dread of consequences, whereas before she dared not eat many things she liked.

When I was told she had consulted a Christian Scientist, and had accepted treatment, to say that I was angry is to put it mildly. I had come to look on religion as a farce,—a ridiculous sham. Where was the dividing line between the church and the world? What did the professing Christian possess or what could he do more than the non-professor? God is no respecter of persons, He sends the rain and sunshine on the just and the unjust alike. If miracles had ever been wrought by the church, the days of miracles were past. But what I said or what I did made no difference in the rising and the setting of the sun. Time moved on just the same, and soon brought marked improvement in my niece; the green shade first, and then the glasses were laid aside, and I was forced to admit that the demonstration was wonderful. My wife and daughter had embraced Christian Science and were rejoicing in the truth. I was offering no opposition.

Now for many years I had been subject to indigestion and constipation, and had turned to man for relief through drugs. I had tried homœopathy, allopathy, patent medicines, hot water, diet, everything, and everything failed me. If apparent relief was afforded for a while by any particular nostrum, the effect was not lasting. One morning I said to my daughter, what shall I do? everything seems to fail me and I do not know which way to turn for relief. She answered me, "Papa, if you will give up materia medica, I will treat you." And I immediately responded, saying, "My daughter, from this day on I will not take any more medicine, and I will submit to your treatment." From that day to this, about two years and a half, having put my hand to the plow, I have not turned back.

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