Editorial September 5, 1914 Issue

Humanity

Annie M. Knott

Christian Science does not, as some mistakenly suppose, deny to humanity the rights and privileges of God's children, but establishes these upon a sure foundation in getting rid of all erroneous concepts of man's being and of his relation to God. It is deeply interesting, as well as very helpful, to trace Mrs. Eddy's teachings on this subject, as found in Science and Health and her other writings. While it is true that she makes a clear distinction between man as God's likeness and the material and mortal concept of man, it is noteworthy that she seldom uses the word human, or any of its derivatives, without pointing upward, away from the false to the true, from the perishable to the enduring, from the material to the spiritual. Her words respecting "human ability to reflect divine power," as found on page 52 of our text-book, are very significant; also those on page 52 of "Unity of Good," where she emphasizes "the need that human consciousness should become divine, in the coincidence of God and man."

It is very apparent that we all need an enlarged sense of man's nature and possibilities, which would blossom out in a pure, loving, and lovable humanity. No one has ever been really great who has not expressed this truer sense of humanity, the mental qualities which mark the noble man and woman, and who has not seen the divine possibilities of all men, whatever their station or disadvantages. Such a one was Victor Hugo, who gave to the world in the character of Jean Valjean an ideal of the uplifting and ennobling of one who seemed hopelessly crushed, and that through the touch of human sympathy and love. It was because of his marvelous presentation of this ideal that unnumbered thousands followed the great writer's mortal remains to the grave with more love and honor than was ever bestowed upon the mightiest potentate.

In speaking of Christ Jesus our revered Leader says, "Through the magnitude of his human life, he demonstrated the divine Life. Out of the amplitude of his pure affection, he defined Love" (Science and Health, p. 54). She says this of the one of whom we are accustomed to think as our Exemplar, and it assuredly calls upon us to measure ourselves anew, and to do it daily, in order to learn whether we are at all approaching what Paul names "the stature of the fulness of Christ." It was the true humanity of Christ Jesus which attracted to him the suffering, sinful, and sorrowing, and through this channel the infinitude of divine Love reached them and healed them every one. At the same time he did not fail to discriminate between the true idea, the pure gem, however it might seem to be covered up by the clay of mortal belief, and the tawdry counterfeit which hid its baseness under a robe of self-righteousness, as in the case of the publican and the Pharisee. It was, however, impossible to mistake mortal falsity for the ideal presented and lived by our Master, and well might Pilate say to his accusers, at that memorable trial, "Behold the man!"

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