Two years ago last June, on my return from a trip in far northwestern Colorado, I was surprised to find my wife, who had always appeared very healthy, quite sick with dropsy. I was alarmed and called in our family physician, who was at loss to understand the cause. There is a material theory that dropsy is caused by interference with the circulation, and as there are several things that cause it, a search was made at once to find which one of them it was. It was not easy at first to detect the cause, but, after a most rigid examination, he announced that it was organic (valvular) disease of the heart, and. that there was no known cure. I then called in another medical practitioner, one standing among the highest in the esteem of this community and in his profession, and, after a rigid examination, he agreed with the first; and then, no make sure that there could be no mistake, I called in another,—one of the highest known in the profession,—one who made a specialty of heart disease.—with the same result. I then had the first two make examination a number of times, in consultation, always with the same result. They finally told me that nothing whatever could be done for my wife, and recommended that she be kept on her back and made as comfortable as possible so long as she lived, but that there was positively no hope for her, and no known remedy indicated in a case of the kind.

It is needless to say that I was greatly worried, and very likely showed it in my face. One day while at lunch with a friend, he noticed that I was anxious, and said. "Why don't you try Christian Science?" I replied that it could do no good where any vital organ was diseased; that if the trouble was with the stomach, liver, or any other organ influenced by the mind. I would think of trying Christian Science, but certainly Christian Science could do nothing in a case like that of my wife. He replied that he was not a Christian Scientist, and while he did not know that they could cure the disease, he did know that Science could give rest and ease to my wife. "Well," I replied, "if they can do that, I will gladly pay for it."

I Will say that up to this time my wife and I were totally ignorant of Science and its teachings. we had been severely skeptical and hard on Science and any one who resorted to it for healing. We had both been brought up in an orthodox church, and were members of it, and we had imbibed the spirit which would abuse Science even from the pulpilt. I realized, however, that the medical profession could do nothing to save my wife, so I concluded to accept my friend's advice and try Science if I could get my wife to consent; not that I had any faith in it, but as a drowning man grasps at a straw. In my own reasoning I concluded that a Christian Scientist should be pure minded, and I therefore started out to investigate and find one whom I thought would fill the bill. I first obtained the names of a half dozen practitioners, and after making close inquiries, made my selection, which, I am happy to say, proved very satisfactory. I then called on the practitioner I had selected, had a talk with her, and told her frankly what my friend had said. She smiled and said, "Yes your wife can not only receive rest and ease, but she can be cured." I was surprised, and cannot say that I then had much faith in the claim to effect a cure. I went home and said to my wife, "What do you think of trying Christian Science?" As she lay on her bed, very weak, she turned her head over on the pillow, and looking at me with a smile, asked, "What is going to happen? To think of any who have ridiculed Science as much as we have, now trying it ourselves." I replied that we would not stop to argue that question, but I asked her to think it over a day or two, and then let me know her conclusion. The next night she said that if I knew of a satisfactory practitioner she believed she would try it.

I lost no time in arranging with the practitioner to take up the case at once. This was in October, 1901. Her recovery was slow, for which she now says that she is very thankful, because it not only gave her opportunity to read and study Science as she recovered by degrees, but she feels more certain that her recovery is due to the effects of Christian Science treatment than she would have been had her recovery been rapid. About the middle of January she gained strength enough to walk across her room. On the evening of January 28 our home was destroyed by fire. Our family Physician in reading the paper the next morning at the breakfast table noticed in the head lines an account of the fire at our home. He remarked to his wife that he feared that would be the end of my wife, and immediately after breakfast came directly to our neighborhood to hunt her up. He found her in a room with several ladies, chatting happily, and was surprised, as the last time he had seen her she was prostrated. He asked the privilege of examining her heart, and she said she had no objections, but that her heart was all right. He examined it and remarked there were four or five hundred people walking the streets of Kansas City that day with worse hearts than hers, and asked her what she had been doing. The recovery continued steadily and uninterruptedly, and a year ago last October she took a trip to California, crossed the mountains at high altitudes, spent two months on the coast, making the journey and returning alone without inconvenience or bad effects. She is now, and has been for more than a year, in perfect health; is strong, and states that she never felt better in her life.

This testimonial to Science may not seem strange to those who have heard of many such cases and recoveries, but possibly it may be seen and read by some person suffering from a like disease who feels his case to be hopeless, and to such this should be an encouragement nkot to give up because the medical man says there is no hope. It should be remembered that at the time my wife consented to try Christian Science she had very little, if any, faith whatever in it or in the ability of the practitioners to do her any good. She had merely that least shadow of faith which made her consent to be treated by them.

"And these signs shall follow them that believe." Dear reader, if you, or those dear to you, are suffering, and your doctor tells you there is no hope in medicine, don't give up, but lay hold upon the promises of that greatest of all physicians, read and claim his promises as recorded by St. Mark, last chapter and last six verses. These are a part of Jesus' conversation with his disciples after he arose from the dead.

I will gladly furnish the names of the doctors at any time, also that of the Christian Science practitioner above referred to, to any sufferer who desires to investigate for himself.

J. D. Davison, Kansas City, Mo.