Editorial April 29, 1916 Issue

Judged by Their Works

Archibald McLellan

It is not strange, perhaps, that in the forty years the Christian Science text-book, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mrs. Eddy, has been before the publick and its teachings have been publicly practised, there should occasionally be a case which fails to respond to treatment and the patient passes on. As a matter of fact the percentage of these cases is surprisingly small when it is considered that as a rule people accept Christian Science treatment only as a last resort, and usually after a thorough course in materia medica has failed to bring relief from their distresses. In some communities these occurrences are accepted as a matter of course and pass without comment; but occasionally unpleasant situations develop and in consequence the practitioner and the family are haled into court. To the credit of Christian Science it may be said that when these cases come to trial the weight of evidence as to the efficacy of this mode of treatment which is submitted in defense is usually sufficient to secure release from the charge.

A great many of these instances naturally have to do with children, it being assumed that the parents are guilty of negligence in failing to provide medical attention for them. Particularly is this the claim when the disease is of a so-called contagious character, it being urged that the child would have recovered if a physician had been called in the early stages. The fallacy of this claim has been proved again and again, but it still does duty when nothing else avails. As a matter of fact Christian Scientists believe they are fulfilling their highest duty in putting their trust in Truth, and in the thousands of homes where Truth is relied upon for the overcoming of every phase of error, the parents recognize no more necessity for calling a physician to treat a case of one kind than another, although they are always careful to obey the law which requires the reporting of certain contagious diseases and the observance of quarantine regulations. A comparison of vital statistics in a given community will show that their faith in the power of Truth to overcome all error is justified in the results.

It is with pleasure, therefore, in view of the public interest which usually attaches to cases of this kind, that we note the action of the prosecuting attorney in Wayne County, Ind., as given in the Richmond Evening Item of recent date. It seems that several months ago charges of practising medicine without a license were preferred against two Christian Science practitioners who had attended a case of diphtheria. Within a few days motions to dismiss these charges have been filed by this attorney with the judge of the Wayne circuit court, who it is expected will dismiss the cases from the criminal docket. The point we wish to emphasize is brought out in the statement made by the attorney, to the effect that he is uncertain whether he did not do the two women an injustice when he filed the charges. To quote from the Item, "he said that since he filed the charges he had been observing the work that the Christian Science church is doing, and he believes that the workers are to be commended for and encouraged in their work." This is eloquent testimony indeed to the power of good works.

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