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One of the duties that I was asked to perform on board...
One of the duties that I was asked to perform on board the United States destroyer on which I served during the war, was that of decoding messages that were received by radio. One day SOS calls repeatedly came to us from a freighter which had been torpedoed and was sinking with eighty-four men on board. As we were but one of the six destroyers that were escorting a convoy of troop ships, we had no authority to leave our position to give assistance to the crew of the doomed ship. As the calls became more frequent and urgent in their appeal, I became resentful over the fact that nothing was being done for these men; and as I struggled with this sense of things the thought came to me that here I was, the only Christian Scientist aboard, and I was fretting because no material steps were being taken for a rescue, when the thing for me to do was to go to my books and know the truth,—that would really be doing something for them. Accordingly, in a few minutes after my watch was completed, I went to my office; and with my feet braced against a bulkhead and the back of my chair agaist a cabinet, in spite of the heavy roll of the ship I read from the Bible and the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy. In a few moments I experienced a beautiful sense of God's nearness and His tender, loving care, and in a small degree the realization came to me that He was caring for all His children and that assistance would be given those men in distress.
Near nightfall, after taking my station, I was overjoyed to learn that the admiral had selected our ship out of the six destroyers in the escort to leave the convoy and rush to the aid of the men who had taken to boats and rafts, with specific instructions that we must return to our position in the convoy by daybreak the following morning. We made all possible speed, and by midnight were at the reported position. Although the night was dark and the sea very rough, we were enabled to single them out by the flashing of their pocket flash lamps, of which they were making good use; and after some hard work and maneuvering of the ship we rescued all of the eighty-four men who had taken to the lifeboats. The first faint beams of morning found us in our regular place in the convoy.
Many beautiful proofs of God's tender, loving care for His children were given to me during my service in the cause of humanity, for which I am most grateful. Some time after I had returned to my former employment, I was showing to a friend, who was not a student of Christian Science, my honorable discharge. After reading it he returned it and said, "It is an excellent record, but this is what appeals most to me,"—and here he pointed to the certificate of the medical officer which stated, "Number of sick days during enrollment: None." I had many things in a physical way to meet during the period this medical certificate covered, but God was my only physician. As one instance, I was able to overcome an attack of Spanish influenza in about an hour one evening by reading from one of the writings of Mrs. Eddy.
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November 22, 1924 issue
View Issue-
Thanksgiving Day Proclamation
Calvin Coolidge
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Thanksgiving
ROBERT ELLIS KEY
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His Presence
WILLIAM A. GILCHRIST
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The Father's Business
MILDRED VIOLET ALLEN
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The Standard of the Master
PALMYRE R. GUNDELFINGER
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Man's Existence Harmonious
MARY B. MERRITT
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A Hymn for All Nations
NAOMI C. HAMILTON
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In an article on "Judaism and Communism" a professor...
Mrs. Gudrun G. Jensen, Committee on Publication for Norway,
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In a recent communication on "The Power of Suggestion"...
Arthur P. DeCamp, Committee on Publication for the State of Missouri,
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In one of your recent issues there appeared a letter under...
Miss Kate E. Andreae, Committee Publication for Sussex, England,
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Please permit the correction of an erroneous statement...
Charles W. Hale, Committee on Publication for the State of Indiana,
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An editorial in a recent issue makes kindly reference to...
Aaron E. Brandt, Committee on Publication for the State of Pennsylvania,
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Christian Science is Christian because it is the practice of...
Charles W. J. Tennant, Manager of Committees on Publication for Great Britain and Ireland
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The comic strip entitled, "Joe Quince," in your issue of...
Carrington Hening, Committee on Publication for the State of New Jersey,
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My attention has been called by a number of your readers...
Harry L. Rhodes, Committee on Publication for the State of Kansas,
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O Love Divine!
HENRIETTA MAYER GROSSMAN
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A Day for Thanksgiving
Albert F. Gilmore
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Freedom
Duncan Sinclair
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"Be ye thankful"
Ella W. Hoag
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The Lectures
with contributions from Ida May Rawsthorne, Reinhold Julius Tietze, Forrest L. Noll, John D. Pennell, Winnifred Brown, Mathilde Koch
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After reading week by week the testimonies given by...
Ernest Charles Hendery
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Some years ago I found myself broken in health, and...
Harriet C. Foss
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Three years ago, because of the reorganization of the...
Mildred S. Travis
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After eight years of persistent study of Christian Science...
Florida Connolly
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One of the duties that I was asked to perform on board...
William Cassius Yarnold
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For two years I have studied diligently the Christian Science...
Frank Derringer with contributions from Jeanne Derringer
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Through the study of "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures"...
Robert M. Cunningham
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For thirteen years we have relied entirely upon Christian Science...
Jennie R. Ruf with contributions from Daniel F. Ruf
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Gratitude
HATTIE M. KREBS
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Signs of the Times
with contributions from Peter Green, Guy Gundaker, Edward S. Martin