OAKLAND, CAL.

At a lecture on Christian Science given at the Macdonough theater by Virgil O. Strickler, the speaker was introduced by Orrin W. Jackson of First Church of Christ, Scientist, of Oakland, under whose auspices the lecture was given. Mr. Jackson said:—

Humanity is slowly awakening to the unalterable truth that there is an omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient force controlling and governing the entire universe; an intelligent, constructive force, without beginning or end; a force absolutely good, without a destructive element in it; the supreme cause of all existence; the creator of all that is. Jesus the Christ taught man's true relationship to God, and gave to all a God who is Love, a God who is Spirit, a loving Father who is ever tenderly caring for His children. He proved by his works, in the healing of the sick, restoring of sight to the blind, raising the dead, and in many other wonderful demonstrations of power, the truth of all he taught, and commanded his disciples in all ages to come to make practical their religion by their works.—Oakland Tribune.

CHESTER, PA.

An audience that filled the lower floor of the Family theater listened with the utmost attentiveness to a lecture on Christian Science by William D. McCrackan, M.A. Mr. McCrackan was introduced by E. Burdette Smith, managing editor of the Chester Times, who spoke as follows:—

Whoever has observed the trend of modern religious thought, and particularly those who have studied the direction of its undercurrents, must have been convinced that we are standing on the threshold of a new era. The old creeds, with their heavy burdens of dogma and their incrustations of theological abstrusities, are slowly but none the less surely being relegated to the storehouse of the past; and their place is being taken by a religion whose dominant notes are love, faith, confidence, and encouragement, and in which fear, doubt, and despair have no place. The splendor of the day that is to be is not yet upon us, but it will come as surely as God is Truth. The mists still linger above the lowlands of life, but they whose eyes are turned toward the east, where rise the billowy hills already tinged with the glory of the dawn, know that the night is passing and that it will soon be numbered among the things which were and will never be again. Such a religion as the one to which allusion has been made, the Christian Scientists believe they have found. Following the wise counsel of the great apostle, they have proved their faith not once, but many times, and have found it good. They know from personal experience that it has banished sickness and suffering and pain from countless thousands of homes; that it has driven the hideous specter of fear from myriads of human hearts; and that it has solved for them the most perplexing problems of life. That they will continue to hold fast to the faith they now have, there is no reason to doubt.

Many, probably an overwhelming majority of those who are present this afternoon, are not Christian Scientists. Neither am I; but I have seen in my own home so many demonstrations of the efficacy of Christian Science in the healing of sickness, that I should be recreant to every law of justice and honesty did I not take advantage of this occasion to bear witness to its beneficent influence. I take it that you have come here with open minds, and that you are prepared carefully to weigh every word that shall be spoken; and on behalf of the members of First Church of Christ, Scientist, of Chester, I give you a hearty and sincere welcome. We can all remember that there were times in our student days when the language of our text-book was obscure, its problems unsolvable, its theorems undemonstrable, and that we frequently encountered basic rules which, though they may have seemed axiomatic to those who wrote them, were for us difficult of comprehension. At such times the assistance of a teacher was necessary. And so it is in Christian Science. Few there are, I fancy, who have the keen prevision, the mental clarity, and the profundity of thought which were characteristic of the wonderfully calm, perfectly poised woman who first enunciated the fundamentals of Christian Science to the world; and to aid those who are endeavoring to come into a perfect understanding of her teachings, the Directors of The First Church of Christ, Scientist, of Boston, Massachusetts, lovingly designated as "The Mother Church," maintain a number of lecturers who are qualified to speak with authority on all the tenets of the church, and who from time to time visit the branch churches and give such instruction as seems to them to be needed. One of these lecturers we have with us this afternoon. He comes from a tour that has encircled the globe and from carrying a message of hope to all the nations of earth. We are glad to welcome him to this old city of Chester, and I bespeak for him your earnest, thoughtful, and undivided attention.—Correspondence.

ALBUQUERQUE, N. M.

At Elks' theater Bicknell Young in a most convincing manner presented the cause and teachings of Christian Science to a large and extremely representative audience of the very best and most enlightened citizens of Albuquerque. Dr. E. McQueen Gray, president of the University of New Mexico, introduced the lecturer as follows:—

We are all of us seekers after truth, and truth presents itself in many guises, under many different aspects. From the first beginnings of his existence on earth, man has been more or less consciously striving after the realization of the connection betweeen the human and the divine, and to give expression to that realization. God being divine, and His revelation of Himself a revelation of the infinite, the human concept, being finite, must be partial and incomplete. The sum of all the finite human concepts cannot measurably express the terms of the divine, infinite revelation. So each of us must recognize the incompleteness of our concept. Some of us here tonight are in sympathy with the concept which the speaker of the evening will present, some probably are not; but whether we agree with him or not, let us receive his message as another sincere endeavor to express in finite human terms man's concept of the relation between humanity and God as an addition to the sum of human endeavor to realize the divine, in the spirit of sympathy and brotherly love.—Albuquerque Journal.

CINCINNATI, OHIO.

Judge Clifford P. Smith lectured for Second Church of Christ, Scientist, on Christian Science at Emery auditorium. He was introduced by Dr. W. W. Totheroh, who said in part,—

Christian Science, lowly and obscure in its modern discovery, entered upon its career without noise or pomp of ceremony, and it has made a history which has served to silence hatred, prejudice, ridicule, and intolerance. It has welcomed the Master's test, "By their fruits ye shall know them;" it has healed humanity of all manner of physical infirmities, but more than all else it has afforded a wonderful moral and spiritual uplift. It has brought to mankind light, hope, cheer, and comfort, so that today all over the world not only the adherents of Christian Science, but multitudes who have yet to accept it, give forth only praise for the wonderful work of its Discoverer, Mrs. Eddy.

In the estimation of an innumerable and ever-increasing throng, the paramount question of our times is, "What is Christian Science?" By the side of this question all those problems of industry, commerce, economics, politics, trade, medicine, and religion, which are causing differences and chaotic conditions throughout the world, pale into insignificance, because it is recognized that in Christian Science can be found the ultimate satisfactory solution for these subordinate questions, on the divine Principle given forth by the original discoverer of Christian Science, Jesus Christ, when he announced, "Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these thngs shall be added unto you."—Correspondence.

TORONTO, ONTARIO.

At a lecture on Christian Science, delivered in Massey music hall by William R. Rathvon, the lecturer was introduced by Jack M. Jackson, first reader of First Church of Christ, Scientist, who said:—

Paul, we are told in the Acts of the Apostles, observed on one occasion in Athens an altar dedicated "to the unknown God." Perhaps in reading of this incident we may have been tempted to entertain a sense of complacent pity at the condition of a people that could be in such ignorance of God; but have we ever asked ourselves seriously how far we have progressed since then in our understanding of God? Can it be possible that any one today is still worshiping and serving an unknown God?

If we expect to be saved and delivered from the bondage of mortality by the one God whom Christians everywhere unite in worshiping and serving, is it not natural and reasonable that we should endeavor to learn as much as possible about this God whom we expect to save and deliver us? No one is saved from anything through ignorance, but we are saved through right understanding. Ignorance, mystery, and superstition would, if it were possible, bar our progress and prevent access to the one God whom to know aright is eternal life, as we are taught both in the Scriptures and in the Christian Science text-book, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures." Christian Science comes to you with a demonstrable knowledge of God, and departs not one iota from the teaching of the Bible in respect to God. We are fortunate this afternoon in having with us a gentleman who is a member of the board of lectureship of The Mother Church, The First Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, Massachusetts, who has come to tell us something of the wonderful truths about God, man, and the universe which have been revealed through Christian Science.

Correspondence.

ESCANABA, MICH.

Frank H. Leonard delivered a lecture on Christian Science in Peterson's opera house to an attentive audience. He was introduced by Attorney I. C. Jennings, who said in part,—

I am not a Christian Scientist either by profession or by practise, therefore my language probably will be unscientific and my thought may be at variance with the faith, but the little knowledge of Christian Science which I possess has been gained by close observation and honest investigation. Probably I know more of what it is not than of what it really is. The subtle, secret, eternal truths of religion are thoroughly explored and comprehended only by the few. However small my understanding of Christian Science, it is sufficient to compel my profound respect and admiration. The attitude of the public mind toward Christian Science has changed wonderfully. For many years the public accorded it only jeers, ridicule, contempt, vilification, and abuse; then curiosity was aroused; but now, after the marvelous growth and progress of Christian Science, curiosity has been succeeded by wonder and deep interest, and the world asks for information.

In learning something of the truth concerning Christian Science, I was obliged to discard practically all I had previously heard, read, or assumed to be true concerning it. A talkative ignoramus is the greatest disseminator of misinformation. Ignorance and prejudice have lodged in the minds of people a great mass of misinformation concerning Christian Science. This is possible only because of the intellectual indolence with which most of us are afflicted. One peculiarity of Christian Scientists is that they think they know their own belief and the basis of it much better than outsiders can tell them. Christian Scientists know and Christian Science literature emphatically avers that the Bible is the foundation of their religious faith and belief. They believe in the New Testament, and they believe in and rely upon all the promises and assurances, and endeavor to comply with the demands and requirements contained and set forth in the Scriptures.

If the New Testament is Christian, if the teachings and practise of Jesus of Nazareth were Christian, then is Christian Science Christian. Christian Science is Christianity stripped of myth, tradition, and dogma, and untrammeled by creed, theological doctrine, and ecclesiasticism. The most striking characteristic of Christian Science is its logical reasoning. It emphasizes the importance of right thinking. The premises upon which all Christian Science reasoning is based are those fundamental and eternal truths stated in the Scriptures. Making all its deductions from those Scriptural truths which all Christians profess to believe, its course of reasoning is so accurate, its logic so irresistible, that no sophistry, no fallacy, can be detected, and the irrefutable conclusions of Christian Science may be denied only by the skeptic and agnostic who question or deny the premises. Logic has been defined as the science of all the sciences; it is therefore difficult to see why Christian Science is not most scientific, as well as most Christian.—Correspondence.

CAIRO, ILL.

The Hon. Clarence A. Buskirk, lecturing on Christian Science at the opera house, was introduced by Reed Green, who said in part,—

Christian Science is a comparatively modern teaching. It has taken hold of the thoughtful, educated people all over the world, and especially in America. I do not confine it alone to the educated, but to the thoughtful people whether educated or not. Some of you who are not in any way affiliated with the Christian Science church have a meager knowledge of the works accomplished, which are a part of the Christian Science teachings. Some of these have been marvelous and some of them have been ordinary, yet what has been accomplished has challenged the attention of the people of the world.

I heard a remark recently of a prominent lawyer on an occasion like this. He was not a Christian Scientist, but he said that Christian Scientists were the most light-hearted, the most sincere, the most cheerful, and most courageous of any people he had ever known. In this connection he made another remark, and I want to make it a part of what I have to say. He said the teaching of the Christian Science church is not so much to put men into heaven as to put heaven into men; and if this is the result of its teaching I believe Christian Scientists deserve credit of all classes and of all denominations, and it is of this subject that you are to hear.

Cairo Bulletin.