Editorial July 12, 1947 Issue

HOW ARE WE APPROACHING SCIENCE AND HEALTH?

John Randall Dunn

In the ninth chapter of Isaiah (verse 2) the prophet paints a beautiful and significant word picture. He writes, "The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined." Verily, great spiritual light begins to dawn on those who for the first time open the Christian Science textbook, "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy, and welcome its beneficent rays. Without doubt the reader's thought will be challenged, yea startled, by many of the statements in this revolutionary book; and is not this wholesome?

Required reading for every student of good literature should be John Ruskin's remarkable essay "Sesame: Of Kings' Treasuries." In this scholarly dissertation he shows how one should approach a new book. There we read: "Very reach we are to say of a book, 'How good this is—that's exactly what I think!' But the right feeling is, 'How strange that is! I never thought of that before, and yet I see it is true; or if I do not now, I hope I shall, some day.' But whether thus submissively or not, at least be sure that you go to the author to get at his meaning, not to find yours ... And be sure also, if the author is worth anything, that you will not get at his meaning all at once;— nay, that at his whole meaning you will not for a long time arrive in any wise."

Mrs. Eddy herself sounds a note of caution in this counsel which she gives to the newcomer to Science and Health. She writes (p. 147): "Although this volume contains the complete Science of Mind-healing, never believe that you can absorb the whole meaning of the Science by a simple perusal of this book. The book needs to be studied, and the demonstration of the rules of scientific healing will plant you firmly on the spiritual groundwork of Christian Science."