Article December 23, 1911 Issue

When the World published two weeks ago a list of thirty-two...

New York (N. Y.) World

When the World published two weeks ago a list of thirty-two children who had died of diphtheria and other diseases during the last thirteen years while being treated by Christian Science practitioners, it moved Virgil O. Strickler, former first reader of First Church of Christ, Scientist, Ninety-sixth street and Central Park West, to compile a few statistics from the vital records of the city to set against the list. This is his response as he made it when lecturing to Sixth Church of Christ, Scientist, in Lexington Hall, No. 158 East Fifty-eighth street, Tuesday night [Dec. 12].

"Many people do not understand why Christian Scientists have more faith in Christian Science treatment than they have in drugs. The reason is very plain," said Mr. Strickler. "They get better results under Christian Science than they formerly obtained under the drugging system.

"The World published on Sunday the names of thirty-two children who, it claimed, had died under Christian Science treatment in the United States during the past thirteen years. Whenever a person, and especially a child, dies under Christian Science treatment the fact is published under glaring head-lines in the papers, and as a rule somebody is arrested. It is safe, therefore, to assume that the list published contained the names of all the children who have died under Christian Science treatment during the last thirteen years. In the published list of names ten are said to have died from diphtheria, five from pneumonia and bronchial pneumonia, two from scarlet fever, and the remainder from a variety of causes.

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