Article August 10, 1918 Issue

Lessons

HELEN M. KEELER

A few years ago the writer, a young girl who had just finished her college course, decided that Christian Science was the only course for her to pursue further. She had been healed of several physical ailments and had also been helped greatly in her school work by it. This was enough to prove to her that Christian Science was what she had been longing for all her life, and she wanted to know more of the truth whereby she might help and heal others.

At first, when she started out, all looked rosy and bright, but as she went on impatience at her seemingly slow progress crept in. She wanted to work as did the older workers whom she knew, and she wanted many patients to come to her without further waiting on her part. One day, as she was sitting thus wondering "why," her attention was drawn to some girls outside who were passing by on their way from school. Their steps were free and their faces aglow with hope and enthusiasm. This picture brought back to the young Scientist memories of her own school days.—the delight of working out problems, of being promoted and going higher all the time. She thought of her study of mathematics, of the joy of mastering the basic laws and applying them to all sorts of problems. "In school," she thought, "we never included in our work the slightest error and expected to bring out good results, so why am I working with discouragement and sitting here wondering 'why'?" The absurdity of the waste of time flashed across her immediately, and with new resolution she turned to her books.

These words from Science and Health by Mrs. Eddy helped her at the start: "Self-denial, sincerity, Christianity, and persistence alone win the prize, as they usually do in every department of life." Also, "Love for God and man is the true incentive in both healing and teaching" (Science and Health, pp. 462, 454). She saw then that she must look to see if she was loving as she should; but how was this to be done? This verse from the Christian Science Hymnal (p. 135) helped her to see how simple it was,—

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