Editorial October 9, 1920 Issue

The Battle Ground of the Present

Gustavus S. Paine

Though the suppositional illusion called mortal mind remains throughout the ages the same in its antagonism to the allness of the divine Mind and idea, fortunately it never has had any real existence. Its nothingness is constantly being proved so that even its seeming is lessening. The battle of the ages is, therefore, whether infinite Principle or preposterous mortal mind is to be accepted as the conscious governor of one's activity. Really it is no battle at all, for the issue is already decided by divine intelligence, which is inexorable in its spiritual allness. Every question, of progress or permanence, of government or individual happiness, of any relationship whatever, has to be decided in accord with what the one Mind knows. There is no other standard of good. Any reluctance to accept this standard and to relinquish mortal beliefs for the glad conformity of infinite understanding is what entails the turmoil of the mortal void. All the while, however, the tangible peace of immortality, with all its vigor in action, is at hand to be proved and enjoyed. To give up the futile struggle and accept the tireless variety of Truth is the way, then, which is open to all and which is taken advantage of as fear melts before the metaphysical guarantee of actual good.

As spiritual idea, created by the divine Mind, the real man is the same to-day as throughout eternity, which is without beginning and without end. This sameness of boundlessly varied idea, quite apart from any belief in matter and material conditions, is what constitutes the true identity. Spiritual man is always the same spiritual man that the creator has known and will know forever. The spiritual reality is, of course, thoroughly different from any mortal suppositions as to the nature of man, and yet is neither vague nor merely speculative in any way. It is entirely practicable to live in accord with the Life which is Spirit, because any counterfeit sense of living is not genuine existence at all. Suppositional opposite of the divine manifestation has no identity, since it never has had any entity whatever. The absolute fact is that the only actual living must be spiritual doing in the now. In all circumstances, what has to be discerned and demonstrated is the identity, or spiritual sameness with eternal variety, of idea in place of any human sense of things.

There is an interesting letter of Thomas Jefferson to Colonel Carrington in which, after admitting that what is considered the good sense of the people may sometimes be led astray, he declares: "The way to prevent these irregular interpositions of the people, is to give them full information of their affairs, through the channel of the public papers, and to contrive that those papers should penetrate the whole mass of the people. The basis of our government being the opinion of the people, the very first object should be to keep that right; and were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers, or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate a moment to prefer the latter." In Christian Science, each one must learn for himself that the only true news is of the divine idea manifesting the government of Principle. As this is disseminated and understood, the right opinion necessarily unfolds under the control of divine intelligence. This is the truth of government. What Thomas Jefferson was striving to say Mrs. Eddy has presented with the unerring sureness of metaphysical understanding, so that to-day it is possible for all, through the patient demonstration of Christian Science, to turn together to Principle as the governing power of the genuine democracy. Timid hesitation to recognize that the spiritual identity of government and democracy is the reality which satisfies forever is overcome through the irresistible unfoldment of divine Love, so totally different from any human sense of things that may have been mistakenly called loving.

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