YOUTH AND YOUNG MANHOOD

MARY BAKER G. EDDY

This article was later republished in The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany: My. 272:19-274:15

[The following article by Mrs. Eddy, mention of which was made in the Sentinel of Nov. 2, appeared in the Cosmopolitan for November with the accompanying editorial note. —Editor Sentinel.]

Editor's Note. —The Cosmopolitan presents this month to its readers a facsimile of an article sent to us by Mrs. Eddy, with the corrections on the manuscript reproduced in her own handwriting. Not only Mrs. Eddy's own devoted followers, but the public generally, will be interested in this communication from the extraordinary woman who, nearly eighty-seven years of age, plays so great a part in the world and leads with such conspicuous success her very great following.

Mrs. Eddy writes very rarely for any publications outside of the Christian Science periodicals, and our readers will be interested in this presentation of the thought of a mind that has had so much influence on this generation.

The Cosmopolitan gives no editorial indorsement to the teachings of Christian Science, it has no religious opinions or predilections to put before its readers. This manuscript is presented simply as an interesting and remarkable proof of Mrs. Eddy's ability in old age to vindicate in her own person the value of her teachings.

Certainly, Christian Scientists enthusiastic in their belief are fortunate in being able to point to a Leader far beyond the allotted years of man, emerging triumphantly from all attacks upon her, and guiding with remarkable skill, determination, and energy a very great organization that covers practically the civilized world.

Youth and Young Manhood

King David, the Hebrew bard sang, "I have been young, and now I am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread."

I for one accept his wise deduction, his ultimate spiritual sense of thinking, feeling, and acting. This sense of rightness acquired by experience, and wisdom should be early presented to youth and to manhood in order to forewarn and forearm humanity

The ultimatum of life here and hereafter is utterly apart from a material or personal sense of pleasure, pain, joy, sorrow, life and death. Life in truth is a scientific knowledge that is portentous; and is won only by the spiritual understanding of Life as God, good, everpresent good, and therefore life eternal.

You will agree with me that the material body is mortal, but Soul is immortal; also that the five personal senses are perishable, they lapse and relapse, come and go until at length they are consigned to dust. But say you, "Man awakes from the dream of death in possession of the five personal senses, does he not?" Yes, because death alone does not awaken man in God's image and likeness. The divine Science of Life alone gives the true sense of life and of righteousness, and demonstrates the Principle of life eternal; even the Life that is Soul apart from the so-called life of matter or the material senses.

Death alone does not absolve man from a false material sense of life, but goodness, holiness and love do this and so consumate man's being, with the harmony of Heaven; the omnipotence, omnipresence, and omniscience of Life,—even its all-power, all-potency, all-science.

Dear reader, right thinking, right feeling and right acting—honesty, purity, unselfishness in youth tend to success, intellectuality, and happiness in manhood. To begin right enables one to end right-and thus it is that one achieves the Science of life, demonstrates health, holiness and immortality.

(signed) Mary Baker Eddy

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THE BEGINNING OF NOTHING

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