Article January 8, 1910 Issue

There are two points in connection with the Christian Science...

John U. Higinbotham

Illinois Illustrated Review

There are two points in connection with the Christian Science movement regarding which there is no controversy, viz., its good temper and its growth. By viewing the first as a contributory factor to the second, I find warrant for speaking of it in an article concerning the growth of Christian Science in Illinois.

I imagine that if a sage like Solomon were presented with a double array of arguments diametrically opposed, and asked to decide the merits of the case under discussion, he would struggle in vain to balance claim against denial for awhile, and finally ask, "Which one was angry?" and decide that the one who lost his temper had the weaker side of the argument. Now the Christian Scientists have, as a body, kept their temper. They have provided means for correcting misstatements or misunderstandings of their teachings, and these corrections find expression through the press by means of various publication committees, from the platform by means of lectures, and from headquarters by means of authorized publications. Although each of these modes of expression differs widely from the others, they have one characteristic in common in that they never lose their temper. As a natural result, their communications, whether written or spoken, always receive a respectful hearing from the investigator. Much of this calmness is due to the fact that Christian Science is a religion which has not been acquired by inheritance. Its followers have often fought hard to retain their old beliefs. When they surrendered, the whole fortress capitulated. A religion that one has obtained by the sweat of his brow is more appreciated than an inherited belief, just as an earned dollar is more valued than an inherited dollar. A man who has earned his point of view has more patience with the honest disputant than the disputant has with himself. Hence the absence of rancor in presenting the subject.

Now, as to the growth of Christian Science in Illinois, the figures themselves tell the story. The motive in presenting them is not one of self-glorification. If a man dipping water out of Lake Michigan were ever tempted to exult over the quanity extracted, all he would need to do to calm himself would be to give a glance at the amount remaining in the lake. So in Illinois, while large growth has been accomplished, the figures themselves are not so significant, considering the size of the field, as is the fact that growth has been and is being made in the face of a generally admitted lethargy in things spiritual.

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