Article September 5, 1908 Issue

THE HARMONIOUS EDUCATION OF CHILDREN

ERNESTINE HADKINSON.

There is a much-vexed question among Scientists, as well as among non-Scientists, who have had to deal intimately with the education of children, as to the best way of reaching harmonious results. Many of us who have been led to see the beauty and truth of Christian Science through the study of our text-book, find that, after working for some time quite honestly to overcome wrong thoughts, we are still being confronted with difficulties which we did not expect to meet any more after we had gladly admitted that God, good, fills all space and that man is His image and likeness. We hear some one say, "I have worked so much, but my child keeps on being very disobedient;" or, "My work for my children does not seem to have the desired effect."

The greatest lesson mankind, in general and parents and children in particular have to learn is certainly the lesson of obedience. But what is obedience? Obedience is honesty! We read in our text-book (Science and Health, p. 183), "Obedience to Truth gives man power and strength;" and again (p. 587), God is defined as "Principle; ... Life; Truth; Love;" therefore it follows plainly that if we want to have power and strength we must obey God, Truth. "And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it." It was the serpent, which Jesus called a liar, that said unto the woman, "God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall he opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil."

We all know by experience what it means to believe in "good and evil," and some of us are so tired of it that on bended knees we are coming home to the Father, the eternal Elohim who created man in His own image and blessed them and gave them dominion, and "behold, it was very good." It is on the way there that we as mortals meet with the old errors, and until they are overcome we cannot see the kingdom. In Science and Health (p. 582) Mrs. Eddy speaks of children as the "spiritual thoughts and representatives of Life, Truth, and Love;" the child, therefore, is the spiritual idea unfolding to us. Continuing, she says: "Sensual and mortal beliefs; counterfeits of creation, whose better originals are God's thoughts, not in embryo, but in maturity; material suppositions of life, substance, and intelligence, opposed to the Science of being." What, then, are we doing when we look into the false, the opposite, the sham,—are we reflecting God, obeying Principle,—Truth, Life, and Love? or are we listening to the serpent and thereby being driven out of Paradise?

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