Article April 5, 1913 Issue

OUR GARDEN

DOROTHY COUNTESS VON MOLTKE.

Reading in Genesis the story of the fall of Adam and Eve and their subsequent expulsion from the garden of Eden, one is apt to think how foolish they were, and to say, "I am sure I should have known better than to partake of that fruit;" and yet, are we not one and all partaking of the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil continually? Man's true consciousness may be likened to a perfect garden, and it is our duty as obedient children to see that no weeds spring up and that no disharmony lurks in unexpected places.

The serpent mentioned in the allegory which begins in the second chapter of Genesis, is defined by Mrs. Eddy as "a lie; the opposite of Truth, named error; the belief in more than one God; the first lie of limitation; The first audible claim that God was not omnipotent and that there was another power, named evil, which was as real and eternal as God, good" (Science and Health, p. 594). How often do we listen to this lie, acknowledge its power, yield to its insinuations, eat of the fruit it offers us, and then suffer the direful consequences of our folly, in just the same way that Adam and Eve did!

We are also told that Adam was to name all the animals, and this may furnish a most useful lesson in that it teaches us to be most careful that we name everything correctly, not calling disease "reality," death a "necessity," or perfection "the unattainable." Both the Bible and Science and Health show us how to keep our gardens free from serpents, also free from weeds. We are told in the Biblical allegory that God "placed at the east of the garden of Eden cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life." Now we must "stand porter at the door of thought" (Science and Health, p. 392) and admit only such thoughts as acknowledge the omnipotence of God. Should we want to know by what means this is to be accomplished, we find on page 538 of our text-book, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," that the cherub who guards the entrance is "wisdom," and the gate through which all must pass in order to enter the spiritual realm is "understanding," while the sword is "Truth."

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