Article July 3, 1915 Issue

The Lectures

with contributions from Doctor Cross, Reginald Markham, E. K. Daugherty, Herbert E. Cather, M. H. Malott, T. V. Knatvold, Percy Willis

Under the auspices of the Christian Science Society of the University of California, a lecture on Christian Science was given in First Church of Christ, Scientist. To this all present and former students of the university, with the faculty, were invited. A second lecture was given at the high school auditorium, under the direction of Second Church of Christ, Scientist. The auditorium was crowded, fifteen hundred people gaining admittance, while more than four hundred were turned away. In both instances the speaker of the evening was Jacob S. Shield. In introducing the speaker at the first lecture, Doctor Cross said:—

All of us have seen the Japanese expression of the thought, "See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil," so effectively presented in the three monkeys with hands over eyes, ears, and mouth. I have often felt that that trio of monkeys more excellently expressed, on the other hand, the attitude of most people toward new ideas and new lines of action. For the most part we refuse to listen open-mindedly to the presentation of anything that departs from the paths of past and present thought. We close our eyes and refuse to glance over the literature given us for our perusal. Instead of keeping our hands over our mouths so as to speak no evil of others who have ideas that differ from ours, we speak much and unkindly of them, and at the same time, if possible, place our hands over their mouths so as to prevent them from reaching others with their propaganda.

The history of the world is filled with instances of persecution of leaders in new fields of thought and action. May the twentieth century bring to the people of all nations a bigger and nobler desire to learn not only "how the other half lives," but also "what the other half thinks and believes." You who are here tonight represent this newer ideal. You, or at least a large number of you, are not Christian Scientists, yet you are desirous of listening to the presentation of the ideals of that faith which has made such rapid strides in later years in gaining recruits and spreading its influence throughout the world. I am not a Christian Scientist, and I know but little concerning its teachings, yet it is indeed a pleasure for me to introduce tonight one whose mission is not to convert you to this new belief, but merely to explain the fundamental laws upon which it rests.

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