Article March 8, 1919 Issue

In an issue of your paper appeared an editorial headed...

Willard J. Welch

Marshalltown (Iowa) Times-Republican

In an issue of your paper appeared an editorial headed "Pseudo Science!" It consisted of an excerpt from an article in The Christian Science Monitor and an attack on the statements made therein. Although its author does not agree with the ideas he quoted and frankly states his objections, I recognize the evident honesty of his thought and respect it. ... Christian Science freely accords to all those who differ from it the right to hold for themselves whatever opinions may appeal to them. Therefore it is not at all in an argumentative spirit but in one of fair play that I approach this matter. When viewpoints are exact opposites the only thing left to do is to agree to disagree in the spirit of kindly tolerance.

If one really believes in the existence of deadly germs and in matter as intelligent to injure man, there is no other conclusion to be drawn from the statements quoted from the Monitor than that its argument is "sophistical and ill-founded." Likewise its assertions that "some day the world will come to see that what it calls contagion is a mental contagion and what it calls infection is the infection of one mind from another" would be considered "misleading" and such as would "actually jeopardize the public health." If, like doubting Thomas, one insists upon the material viewpoint, nothing will satisfy him but material things. If material things are all that are to be seen, the lot of mankind is a most unhappy one. But this is not the case. There is another viewpoint from which to look out upon this material world of ours, and that is the Christian Science viewpoint. The Bible tells us to "look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." However paradoxical this may seem to the materialist, Christian Science has shown and is to-day showing thousands of people how to gain this higher viewpoint, how to lift thought above the contemplation of matter as substance, how to verify the Scriptural teaching, "They that are after the flesh do mind the things of the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit." The teachings of Christian Science are not, however, understood all at once. As long as the majority of people believe in the actuality of disease and look to matter to cure the ills of matter, it would be a calamity to deprive them of the opportunities they desire. Christian Science stands for liberty of thought and of conscience, for justice to all classes and to all people. It would not take away the idols of the people and give nothing in return; it would supplant those idols with the truth about God, man, and the universe, only so fast as people become ready and willing to accept the truth.

Advocates of the germ theory are in much the same position as the learned men in the time of Jesus. Because of the veil of matter over their eyes the Pharisees could not comprehend his miracles, and so they cast him out. The same autocratic method is adopted by many of the doctors to-day. The so-called germ to which is attributed the cause of the "flu" has not been discovered. Yet the claim is persistently made that certain things will ward it off. Christian Scientists prefer to trust God absolutely. They believe the First Commandment, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me," is meant to be observed. Jesus said, "There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him;" and we read in Proverbs, "As he thinketh in his heart, so is he."

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