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The Truth about Temperance
For many years the subject of temperance has been in the forefront of public and private discussion in some countries. As an aftermath of recent legislation in the United States, prominence is being given, in certain quarters, to the view that temperance means the moderate use of intoxicants. The word "temperance" is partly defined as "habitual moderation in the indulgence of the appetites and passions;" and in a specific sense, "moderation in, or sometimes, narrowly, abstinence from, the use of intoxicants."
Mrs. Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, infused her message to the world with rich meaning through the power of revelation. Concerning this, she states (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 117), "God's essential language is spoken of in the last chapter of Mark's Gospel as the new tongue, the spiritual meaning of which is attained through 'signs following.'" Knowing that Spirit alone is real, the student of Christian Science continually seeks to translate every phenomenon of human experience into spiritual terms—into the "new tongue," the truth about all things.
What, then, is the truth about temperance? Surely it can have no connection with appetites or passions, which Christian Science rightly brands as material, hence unreal. Temperance is derived from the Latin temperare, meaning to observe proper measure. It, therefore, may be truly construed as a state of thought resulting from careful and wellmeasured right thinking. Such a mental attitude is the serene reflection of divine Mind. In this broader aspect the temperate man is by no means one who permits himself a measure of sin, for that would be wrong measure, the result of false belief. He is, rather, one whose every action is governed by carefully considered right thinking. What a potent vehicle for good is such a one! He truly reflects qualities proceeding directly from God, "who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span."
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June 23, 1934 issue
View Issue-
God's Law of Restoration
KATHERINE ENGLISH
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Man's Position
CHARLES C. BUTTERWORTH
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Baptism
MARGARET D. BENHAM
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Spiritual Listening
ROSALIND E. ROGERS
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The Truth about Temperance
KENNETH S. VALENTINE
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Man's Peaceful Dwelling
CHRISTIANE R. PANTET
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Fear of Darkness Overcome
EDWARD BUCKLEY
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Beauty of Holiness
CLARA SLOAN HILL
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In a sermon printed in the December 28 issue of your...
J. Latimer Davis, Committee on Publication for the State of Iowa,
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The doctor's statements in favor of Christian Science...
John A. C. Fraser, Committee on Publication for the Province of Alberta, Canada,
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The station announcer made the statement: "This is the...
"Church of the Air" talk over Columbia Broadcasting System by Britton Foster,
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Loosed by Love
Violet Ker Seymer
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Proper Planning
W. Stuart Booth
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Communication to the Board of Directors
with contributions from The Christian Science Board of Lectureship
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The Lectures
with contributions from Gordon V. Comer, Wallace Greene Arnold, Wilhelm F. Benecke, Jean H. Lintecum, Virginia Harris Baley
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I wish to express my sincere gratitude for the healing of...
John J. Eckert
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Words alone cannot express my sincere gratitude for...
Millicent James with contributions from Adolphus Frederick William James
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For years I suffered from stomach trouble
Ida Müller
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Christian Science was first introduced into our home when...
Harriet E. Rhodes
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While much is being said in the business world about...
Allen Coman Wood
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I wish to express my deepest gratitude to our Father-Mother...
Emily L. Homewood with contributions from L. E. E. Homewood
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My first contact with Christian Science at a western...
Arthur J. Todd
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Service
F. INA BURGESS
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Signs of the Times
with contributions from A. Harry Moore, W. Grayson Birch, L. C. Bell