Article May 1, 1915 Issue

A news item from Belleville, in an issue of recent date, has...

Avery Coonley—Cairo, Ill.

The Citizen

A news item from Belleville, in an issue of recent date, has been brought to my attention, in the head-lines of which are the words, "Child dies as result of Christian Science," a conclusion which I am sure is not correct. The principal facts related in the article,—which describes, by the way, a St. Louis case,—namely, that a child died, that it had Christian Science treatment, and that a coroner's investigation was called, I have ascertained to be correct. The facts, however, do not warrant the conclusion that the treatment caused the death. In fact Christian Science, which employs no other power than that of God, could not be the cause of death. On the contrary, it has in countless instances averted death, and hundreds of people who had been condemned to die, by the most advanced medical knowledge, have been restored to health and usefulness through its ministrations.

The parents of this child called a Christian Science practitioner for no other reason than that their experience had led them to have more faith in God and His power to heal, as preached and practised by Jesus and his followers, than in any earthly agency, even the most learned physician. There is nothing in the facts to prove that anything else could have done more than was done, and I am reliably informed that even the coroner's physician expressed it as his opinion that it was doubtful if the child's life could have been saved had a physician been called.

By a strange coincidence there came to my desk, only a day or two in a of the account in question, a clipping from a Belleville paper giving a very different account of a very similar tragedy in that locality. Here, however, three children were sick instead of one, and here, as in St. Louis, the parents sought the help in which they had the greatest confidence as a protection for their little ones. Their faith, however, was placed in a physician of the orthodox school. Was as the physician able to save the children? No, not even one of them. Despite his best efforts, all three died between Tuesday and Friday.

Send a comment to the editors

We'd love to hear from you!

Easily submit your testimonies, articles, and poems online.

Submit

A news item from Belleville, in an issue of recent date, has...

We'd love to hear from you!

Sign up for unlimited access