Article August 14, 1920 Issue

"Crumbs of comfort"

MARY E. ARMSTRONG

ON page 234 of Science and Health Mrs. Eddy writes, "Whatever inspires with wisdom, Truth, or Love—be it song, sermon, or Science—blesses the human family with crumbs of comfort from Christ's table, feeding the hungry and giving living waters to the thirsty." Some beginners in Christian Science go through seeming difficulties in trying to get understanding and perhaps the experience of one may help others.

When I first read the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy, I did not seem to be able to grasp anything tangible from it to work on. It all seemed to me a beautiful theory until I later learned that I had to put it into practice and demonstrate it to gain its wonderful fruition. After several weeks' desultory reading I opened the book one day at page 469 and read the question, "What is Mind?" and its wonderful answer. As I read it and the truth dawned on me, I realized that I must first think rightly,—that is, understand my way into the kingdom of heaven, which is really at hand. I found at first that one does think rightly perhaps once or twice a day, but that during the rest of the time the thoughts wander willy-nilly. It is astonishing, however, to see how with the study of the Lesson-Sermon one does learn to pull one's self up gradually and form a steadier habit of right thinking, until with spiritual growth, help, and study one forms the habit of thinking rightly all the time and with a steadiness that surprises even one's self. It is all practice; and practice makes perfect.

Soon after beginning this study I was plunged into activities in connection with the world war, and though still reading Christian Science I was not giving it steady attention, as my thought was evidently not stable enough and was easily drawn into other channels. Circumstances arose which caused me to go and live quietly in the country, and since then I have discovered that Christian Science is an exact Science, applicable to every detail of one's daily life. At first in the country I seemed to have no occupation whatever until one day I opened "Miscellaneous Writings," at page 60, and read, "Every material belief hints the existence of spiritual reality; and if mortals are instructed in spiritual things, it will be seen that material belief, in all its manifestations, reversed, will be found the type and representative of verities priceless, eternal, and just at hand."

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