Article May 13, 1916 Issue

A Place of Refuge

ETHEL SWEET STEVENS

Many times when spending a quiet hour in the Christian Science reading-room, the writer has been impressed with and grateful for the by-law which stipulates that in the rooms where the Christian Science text-book, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mrs. Eddy, is either published or sold, "no idle gossip, no slander, no mischief-making, no evil speaking shall be allowed" (Manual, Art. XXV, Sect. 7). Often I have asked myself if we as Christian Scientists realizes as we should what a privilege it is to have these places of refuge, places where we are assured of rest and quiet and where we know all are welcome; that though we may go to them as much and as often as we desire, there at least we may be sure no gossip or evil speaking will be heard.

The reading-room so wisely provided by our Leader is a blessing which, if we understood its value, would surely be utilized more than it is. It may be that some do not realize what great treasures these rooms contain. Besides all our Leader's writings, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" and her other works, we have the two concordances, which enable the student to find any passage in her earlier and later writings. We have also the bound volumes of the Sentinel and Journal of past years, veritable storehouses of garnered wisdom, in addition to the current issues of the periodicals; and all these treasures are free for us to use as much and as often as we will. Then the quiet and peace of the room is so helpful, the feeling that for a while we can leave outside the many things that press about us in our every-day life.

It is not always the big things that bear most heavily upon us; many times it is just the little ordinary trials and perplexities which come to us day after day in our home or business life, but which we want to forget for a while and be able to turn to God and rest. How grateful we ought to be that here we can be sure to find just that rest and quiet, the place and opportunity for thought or for reading that we need in order to get a right viewpoint on our problems. Truly the reading-room is one of the blessings symbolized by the prophet Isaiah in his phrase, "as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land."

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