Testimony of Healing September 4, 1915 Issue

One year ago, when the writer entered as an inmate "the...

Editor

One year ago, when the writer entered as an inmate "the Michigan reformatory," and heard the clang of the iron gates as they closed behind him, the words, "All hope abandon, ye who enter here," took on a new and realistic meaning. There seemed not a ray of light or hope anywhere. While in jail awaiting sentence, he determined to end the farce of life, and was deterred from so doing only through the earnest efforts of a student of a different faith, who has since become an active worker in that cult.

This prisoner determined to postpone the day of his demise, look over the premises at the reformatory, prepare himself as best he might for the great change, and then bow himself out. That this was no idle fancy may be seen from the fact that he believed his case hopeless, that only failure and unhappiness awaited him in life. From what he had experienced of the injustice and duplicity of human kind, he reasoned that it were far preferable to stand at the judgment seat of a just God than to remain longer in a world governed by treacherous, unrighteous men. Faith in humanity was gone, and he eagerly looked forward to the long journey. The most serious phase of the situation was this: he had lost the desire to live—no motive for life remained.

A few weeks later, a vacancy having occurred in the library, the writer was assigned to the position of librarian's clerk, which office afforded much time for study and reflection. In looking over the twenty-five hundred volumes which the library contains, his eye fell upon a title which interested him. It was "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mrs. Eddy. This was not the first time he had seen this work. The summer previous, while at Hong Kong, he had read the book in a desultory way, and had been greatly displeased with its doctrine. Now he seized it, with a thought that perhaps after all here might be hope and help, and forthwith began a careful study of its teaching. Very soon he timidly confided to the warden what he was doing, and to his surprise this gentleman in various ways encouraged the effort, and through his interest The Christian Science Monitor became a daily visitor at the prisoner's desk. One day the warden told this man that the desire for liquor came not from a physical need, but from "an inflamed imagination." No. 7641 now went to work with this thought in mind, and soon learned that Christian Science allays inflammation by proving the absolute nothingness of the objects of our fear. Side by side were placed Science and Health and a Bible given the writer twenty-five years ago, and then and there began the struggle for a man's soul.

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