Article January 6, 1912 Issue

MAKING A PLACE FOR THE TRUTH

JOEL T. ACTON

The experience of a man who for many years had at regular intervals visited a certain city, will serve to illustrate the truth of the statement some one has made, that "through self-sacrifice one finds himself." The man's visits were so regular, and his time in the city was on each trip so uniformly the same, that he grew to think he was very systematic, so much so indeed that when he began the study of Christian Science he was not a little disturbed when his regular routine began to grow very irksome.

When he was prompted, through diligent study of our text-book and the other writings of Mrs. Eddy, to begin gradually the putting in order of his own house, he detected a growing dislike for all the petty disorders in his personal affairs, and one day, as he opened his grip for his books, he noticed that while they were conveniently at the top, nevertheless there were so many needless articles in the grip that the books seemed in constant danger of being crowded out entirely. He began right there to take an inventory, and was astonished to learn how this silent companion of his many trips had been made the receptacle for almost every conceivable useless object. When he had finished that inventory he had beside him a stack of letters, circulars, and various odds and ends, including many labeled boxes and small bottles which he had not seen for months, and in getting rid of these he found a roomy wholesome resting-place for the Christian Science text-book, to which was soon added a Bible, a Quarterly, and many of our periodicals for distribution. This grip, however, was within two months after this given honorable retirement, and in its place came a new one, specially selected for its adaptability to accommodating his books, and one can scarcely appreciate, without a like experience, the secret joy which accompanied the selection of this new grip.

It is needless to state that the experience in this connection soon began to permeate his whole business life. He had been, as he believed, so systematic that nothing could be done or added to enlarge his borders, but he then discovered that he was in a rut, and upon looking about him he soon learned of innumerable opportunities for improvement. Within a short time he found himself on one of his trips a guest at one of the leading hotels, having given up cheaper but very inaccessible quarters in another part of the town. Here he was surrounded not only with very desirable associates, but also with an abundance of light, cleanliness, and good cheer. One day, while pursuing his ordinary affairs, there was suddenly brought to mind the passage in Science and Health (p. 60) which reads as follows: "Soul has infinite resources with which to bless mankind, and happiness would be more readily attained and would be more secure in our keeping, if sought in Soul." He seemed for the time to be in a different world. The sky, the streets, the buildings, seemed illumined with these words, and from that day he felt that it was useless to look for success, health, or happiness in the direction to which he had all his days been taught to look.

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