Article June 11, 1910 Issue

It is no hyperbole, but the literal truth, to say that there...

William J. Bonnin

St. Anne's (Eng.) Express

It is no hyperbole, but the literal truth, to say that there are multitudes of people happy and well today who, but for Christian Science, would be either in their graves or hopelessly invalided. There are hundreds of thousands of people who rely entirely upon Christian Science in all cases of sickness, and there are many thousands of Christian Science practitioners devoting their lives to the work. Is it not refreshing and pleasant to contemplate the enormous amount of healing work that is being thus daily accomplished, but of which the general public hears nothing? And is it a great thing that there should be here and there a failure? If it is, then what shall be said of medical science? What an overwhelming indictment the daily death-roll becomes! What a confession of failure the melancholy list of "incurable" diseases! No, in face of the successes of Christian Science, the apparent failures at once shrink into insignificance. How, otherwise, could this teaching continue to spread, as it is spreading, over the face of the earth? Forty years ago there was one Christian Scientist. Through those forty years the voice of misrepresentation, derision, and vilification has never been silent, yet today students of Christian Science may be found in almost all the countries of the world, from Scandinavia to Egypt, from Italy to the Australian commonwealth; and every week sees a new center organized. Is it conceivable that these things should be, if Christian Science were merely "superstitious"? The vitality of the movement lies in the fact that it demonstrates the truth of its teaching.

To aver that mesmerism is "the central point of the creed" is about the limit to which it is possible to go in misstating Christian Science. I cannot ask for space to show the full falsity of such an allegation, but it may suffice to say that the fundamental teaching of Christian Science is that there is but one intelligence, the divine Mind; and that, consequently, it is diametrically opposed to the belief in minds many, or in the supposed power of the human mind. Christian Science insists upon all power being ascribed to the omnipotent, all wisdom to the omniscient, and all being and presence to the omnipresent. To call the inexorable logic of such teaching fanaticism is to choose about the last word that could apply to it. Finally, to prophesy its early extermination is but to repeat what has been said year by year for the past quarter of a century. Christian Science has, however, preserved its steady progress, concerned only to demonstrate its faith by its works.

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