Article September 29, 1923 Issue

True Magnitude

JOHN ELLIS SEDMAN

According to the view generally accepted, the magnitude of a human life depends chiefly upon material circumstances or conditions, upon the attainment of positions of worldly honor and power, the acquisition of wealth, and so on. Christian Science, however, supplies the only genuine test, and shows that the true expansion of the life of any individual really depends upon the spiritual ideas and ideals he entertains.

Mrs. Eddy writes in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 548), "Natural history is richly endowed by the labors and genius of great men." Through the efforts of such students of natural history as Agassiz, blessings of inestimable value have come to the race. How were the mentalities of such men as he expanded? What made the influence of their lives so far-reaching? The answer, obviously, lies in the fact that they diligently sought for answers to such questions as: What is the nature of the creator? What is creation? What is life? Through their constant contemplation of these, their thoughts were led away from self; they gained a certain breadth of interest and sympathy, and caught many glimpses of Truth. Mrs. Eddy herself for many years pondered the same questions which interested the great thinkers of her time; but she grasped a fact they failed to lay hold of; namely, that because the creator is Spirit, the vast problems of being can never be solved through material research. Because Mrs. Eddy turned away from material sense and trusted spiritual sense only in her search for Truth, she won her way to the solution of the great problems of existence; and as a result of her efforts, the searcher for Truth to-day may readily gain a demonstrable knowledge of God, man, and the universe.

Christian Science teaches and proves that human existence is truly enriched and blessed only by the entertainment of motives that are Godlike. A petty or selfish motive never leads to real happiness or to true greatness. However much its sphere of influence or achievement seems to be extended, its negative quality remains the same. On the other hand, a noble, loving purpose is never petty or insignificant, even though the sphere wherein it operates be restricted. The unselfish love of a mother, the faithful devotion of a nurse, the conscientious service rendered in office, factory, or home, are always noble and ennobling. True motives always bring their own reward; and they always lead spiritually onward and upward. One who is generally regarded as among the greatest of the statesmen our race has known was once being praised for the remarkable good he had accomplished. Thereupon he made the simple, yet profound reply: "I have tried to be kind. All my life, I have tried to be kind."

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