The intellectual life of the young Christian Scientist is a continual and joyous opportunity to prove the one real education. It is the striving to realize what Mrs. Eddy has set forth in "Miscellaneous Writings" (pp. 60, 61): "Every material belief hints the existence of spiritual reality; and if mortals are instructed in spiritual things, it will be seen that material belief, in all its manifestations, reversed, will be found the type and representative of verities priceless, eternal, and just at hand." She adds, "The education of the future will be instruction, in spiritual Science, against the material symbolic counterfeit sciences."

The student of Christian Science at a college or university thus finds himself at work realizing "the education of the future." In this work he is dedicated to the purpose of "Church," as Mrs. Eddy has defined it in part (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 583): "The Church is that institution, which affords proof of its utility and is found elevating the race, rousing the dormant understanding from material beliefs to the apprehension of spiritual ideas and the demonstration of divine Science, thereby casting out devils, or error, and healing the sick." How natural it is, then, that Mrs. Eddy should have made provision in the Manual of The Mother Church for Christian Science organizations at colleges and universities! These organizations exist primarily to help both students of Christian Science and the universities they attend to open the door to "the education of the future."

The Christian Scientist at a university is faced with the problem of instructing himself "in spiritual Science, against the material symbolic counterfeit sciences." He has not only the normal human task of reading and learning before him; he has also the task of turning his gaze from the material counterfeit to the spiritual essence or idea. Indeed, the normal human steps in education are secondary; the primary or first consideration is the unfoldment of spiritual understanding. It is axiomatic in Christian Science that this understanding will increase the intellectual capacities and will adapt and control the elaborate weight of knowledge through spiritual intuition.

Thus when the student of philosophy recognizes the one divine philosophy as taught and demonstrated by Christ Jesus, he pierces the complexities of human philosophy, seeing them for what they really are. When the student of the natural sciences recognizes the one true Science as unfolded in Mrs. Eddy's writings, he quickly gains demonstrable dominion in his field. The student interested in creative literature or art gains through Science a clear perception of the true source of beauty and poetry; and this perception brings to light the true sense of form and expression.

For example, the background of modern literature is shot through with emphasis on what is termed biological man and the material universe. The result of this emphasis is a mesmeric belief in limitation and frustration. A young Christian Scientist was attempting to deal with this seeming mesmerism when he in turn found himself frustrated and confused. Regarding this illusion in the light of Christian Science and reversing the mortal argument with Truth, the student arrived at two facts: first, as we read in I Corinthians, that "God is not the author of confusion, but of peace;" and, secondly, that the illusion of limitation and frustration is merely an argument that would dull the individual's recognition of spiritual man. This perception was followed by immediate clarity. The student was enabled to meet and conquer the illusory dullness and, further, simply and clearly to deal with the subject, which until that time had been tangled and confused.

The call then is to reverse each counterfeit concept presented; to see the spiritual reality involved, and to find "the type and representative of verities priceless, eternal, and just at hand." Each student's daily endeavor, therefore, should be to realize this "education of the future." This is in fact the daily endeavor to grow in understanding of Church as an expression of consciousness, as "the structure of Truth and Love; whatever rests upon and proceeds from divine Principle" (ibid., p. 583). By these means each student naturally and necessarily contributes to his church organization and to the university in the way in which divine Mind directs him.

Another problem which faces the Christian Scientist at the university is that which Paul puts forward in his first epistle to the Corinthians. He says in substance that the wisdom of this world is not sufficient to accomplish the mighty works of the gospel, because by such wisdom we may be self-deceived. Human ability, unless directed by Mind, is not to be depended upon, and the Scientist, in striving to attain instruction in spiritual Science, daily proves this fundamental fact. He further proves that the emphais on personal authorship and mortal selfhood, in the modern university, is to be guarded against. Cleverness and the wisdom of the world must not be allowed to snare the Christian Scientist into self-deception. His wisdom is the manifestation of Mind, simple, clear, and demonstrable.

When the young Christian Scientist is called upon to deal with the prejudice against spiritual education which seems so rampant in the world today, he does so in full confidence of true wisdom, a wisdom that is within the reach of all mankind and cannot be locked up in a university quadrangle. The student's aim is to rouse "the dormant understanding." This aim has nothing to do with the human intellectualism that seeks education in order to steal superiority and mortal domination. "The education of the future" has no such traffic in personal distinctions.

Mrs. Eddy brought Christian Science to this age to free it from bondage to material sense; and man lives truly by absolute reliance on the Science of the Holy Spirit. Christian Scientists in organizations in colleges and universities throughout the world are seeking together more fully to equip themselves to live this life of reliance, in service to all mankind.