Editorial August 1, 1914 Issue

Selfishness Uprooted

Annie M. Knott

Mortals have always been very charitable toward their own failings, so much so that certain phases of error have been condoned and regarded as quite normal. Thus, ill temper has seldom been thought of as inconsistent with Christian character, and the late Professor Drummond has spoken of it in gentle irony as "the vice of the virtuous," which is an equally fitting characterization of selfishness. But Mrs. Eddy tears away the mask from this latter when she says, "Selfishness and sensualism are educated in mortal mind by the thoughts ever recurring to one's self, by conversation about the body, and by the expectation of perpetual pleasure or pain from it and this education is at the expense of spiritual growth" (Science and Health, p. 260) She tells of the spiritual process which is the reverse of this mortal disease-begetting tendency, when she bids us "look away from the body into Truth and Love," to which she adds, "Hold thought steadfastly to the enduring, the good, and the true, and you will bring these into your experience proportionably to their occupancy of your thoughts."

These words present in a most practical way vital Christianity, and link to modern conditions the saying of Christ Jesus, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself," a teaching which has been regarded as chiefly applicable to those who were officially serving the cause of religion. If, however, the mortal self is seen to be opposed to spiritual advancement, it is surely well to deny its domination and energetically seek spiritual freedom.

Mrs. Eddy's analysis of mortal selfhood, as characterized by selfishness and sensuality, shows that the thought which should soar is held down by the demands of the body,—how it may be fed, clothed, adorned, and housed. Besides this, the narrow, limiting thought which clings to self is expressed in discordant bodily conditions, and it is well known by those who are much associated with chronic sickness, that with few exceptions it becomes chronic selfishness. Here be it said, however, that the invalid is less to blame for this than are those who with the best intentions minister to selfishness through their ignorance of spiritual law, and it is no light thing to sow tares in the field of human consciousness under the guise of health laws. It matters little whether one is sick or well, poor or rich, unlearned or learned, the demand rests equally upon all to gain the true sense of man's being, with its boundless possibilities for spiritual unfoldment, and this is realized in the self-forgetfulness which finds its highest happiness in serving God and our fellow men.

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