Article March 20, 1915 Issue

In its present form, the Gjerst-Sawyer bill to bar all...

Daily News

In its present form, the Gjerst-Sawyer bill to bar all "healers" other than M.D.'s and osteopaths does not deserve to pass. Ostensibly designed as an aid to preventive measures at times of epidemic contagion, it goes so far as to bar all non-medical healers except osteopaths. Particularly would it bar Christian Science healers from practice in any sort of cases whatever.

The appearance of the Minneapolis Ministerial Alliance as an advocate of the bill is unfortunate, when the sweeping character of the measure is considered. If the bill is merely intended as an attempt to make the restrictions against contagious diseases more effective, it is shown upon examination to be so broad that it affects Christian Science in its activities which are in no way associated with contagion. As drawn, the bill bears the flavor of religious intolerance, which its ministerial backers would doubtless desire to disavow.

According to their highest authority, it is entirely consistent for Christian Scientists to recognize those forms of disease for which quarantine is prescribed by law and to cooperate with the public authorities in restrictive measures. If this permission has not been followed by individuals, they should be dealt with as such, and their action should not be charged against the denomination as a whole.

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