"A minutely described disease costs many a man his earthly days of comfort." This statement, which is to be found on page 197 of the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy, supports the circumstances in which I found myself in 1922.

After a period of heavy strain while working in a munition factory as a cook in a canteen during 1917-18, I took up my profession as a teacher, only to find that I was seriously depleted in health, and was in a state of fear that I should break down at my work. This fear increased to such an extent that I could hardly bear to go out at all to any public place or in a public vehicle. It became well-nigh impossible to continue in the teaching profession. At this juncture someone very unwisely described minutely the symptoms of a new form of disease which a fellow teacher was experiencing. It was a very serious form of blood pressure, culminating in an enlarged head, with complications. The description took such a hold of me that I could think of little else, and before many months had passed I believed myself a victim of the same complaint. Medical treatment, including homeopathy, failed to bring any relief, and I steadily grew worse. I was forced to give up my profession through inability to continue, was told to wear glasses as a partial relief, and was taking several kinds of medicine a day. A state of despair and unhappiness was my greatest trouble. One gleam of hope I found one day in opening the Bible, when I read these words, "This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God"—though how it was to be "for the glory of God," I had no idea.

Things grew from bad to worse; and then I heard of Christian Science through a friend. I wrote to her, asking if there was any hope for my condition and requesting her to tell me something about this Science, for all I had heard about it was the opposite of good. Never shall I forget the answer I received. I was told to borrow the textbook, and my friend offered to help me. I had no idea what this meant, but I read Science and Health from cover to cover. I was healed of the complaint after my friend had given me one treatment, for the next morning I woke up free of all fear of it, and after a day or so the body resumed all its healthy functions. This occurred in the spring of 1922; and since then I have had no thought of the disease, and consequently no experience of it, being completely cured.

Christian Science means everything to me now. Since the first healing I have had many wonderful experiences, including a very seriously crushed finger, with which I had little, if any, pain, and did not even lose the finger nail, though the bone of the finger was badly splintered.

My parents, both of whom are earnest Christians from their point of view, found it very difficult to accept the fact of my healing, and there followed a time of severe trial and persecution. Had it not been that Christian Science so clearly explained the situation, and showed me that I could help my family most by continuing to study it, I could not have borne the separation entailed, for I love them all very dearly. One hears so much nowadays of home life being broken up that I feel I should like to tell how it was that Christian Science helped me to meet this condition, and to live happily and usefully in my home after being turned out of it.

For five years following the healing it was impossible to live at home, and I was obliged to leave it and earn my living elsewhere. Then there came a time when I was asked to return; but after doing so I found that my parents, and more particularly my father, refused to allow me to study or practice Christian Science in the home. I was told that I had no alternative but to give up its study. This I could not do. It was claimed that I could never support myself apart from the home; while to remain necessitated giving up Christian Science.

I was led to talk the matter over with a practitioner and was shown that the carnal mind would always claim the cleft position, in trying to drive one into a situation from which it claimed there was no escape.

At the time of this experience I realized that I was suffering physically from varicose veins in a mild form, and with continual pain in the legs. As I left the practitioner's office, I remember feeling a little disappointed that nothing more had been said or done, when suddenly I realized that this was not right, and that I had been told Love would open the way. I decided to think the matter out in some public gardens near by, and as I pondered the experience the word "cleft" kept recurring to my thought. I began to search for some Scriptural passage containing it, when suddenly I remembered the words of the hymn, "Rock of ages, cleft for me," and I saw in a sudden moment of illumination that that was the true cleft position, hidden in Christ, the Rock of ages.

The physical claim completely disappeared, and a few days later I received the most loving and generous invitation to return to my home unconditionally, free to serve God in the way He had shown me. Never have I had clearer proof of the power of divine Love to melt away gently all opposition without anything being done on my part save to trust God completely. For some time I lived most happily in my home.

Words completely fail me to express how much Christian Science is enabling me to love God, and what joy and peace I now find in His service. I am most grateful for membership in The Mother Church, and in a Christian Science Society, for class instruction, and for all the activities connected with Christian Science. I can only hope and pray that my life may prove the gratitude I feel.—(Miss) Evelyn F. Claxton, Reigate, Surrey, England.