Editorial April 15, 1922 Issue

Steadfastness

Editor

There can only be a limited degree of success in any pursuit without persistent, steadfast effort. It signifies not to what one may turn his attention; it is always the same. There must be the acquiring of knowledge concerning the subject to which his attention is given, through well-directed effort; and, afterwards, the application of the knowledge in whatever way it may be possible or expedient to apply it. The child is taught from his earliest years to acquire an understanding of certain subjects through steady application, and trained to apply what he has learned with equal steadiness. The youth perseveres in these methods; in consequence, there is produced the cultured thinker who can turn to a subject, acquire a knowledge of it readily, and apply what he has learned with equal facility.

Just as in what are generally termed secular subjects, so is it with the great concerns of spiritual truth, the truth, that is, about God. A knowledge of Truth has to be acquired with diligent application; and if one would reap the benefits of the knowledge so obtained, an equal steadfastness must be shown in the demonstration of that knowledge. What do the "Thou shalt nots" of the Decalogue imply? Do they not command that men should obey them, and that the obedience should not be intermittent, but persistently steady? Does the First Commandment, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me," for example, not enjoin upon mankind continued allegiance to the one and only God? And can continued faithfulness be shown toward God unless thought is steadfastly directed to the fulfilling of His will, the will of good?

The Christian Scientist well knows the value of steadfastness. Evil is an illusion in all of its forms, good is the great reality, as Christian Science teaches. But to demonstrate the fact there must be whole-hearted devotion to Truth, steadfast adherence to divine Principle. The spiritual understanding of Truth which Christian Science enables one to secure is as the light shining through the darkness of mortal error. The Master's words are as true to-day as ever they were: "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." To the Christian Scientist, knowing the difference between divine Mind and the socalled human mind, there is no doubt as to the meaning of the Nazarene's words. They are not a call to him for the exercise of so-called human will, with its lack of consistency and its erractic temperamental devices. They are, instead, an appeal to him to actively apply his highest understanding of Principle to the problems of human existence.

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