Article January 12, 1952 Issue

LIKE THE CAMOMILE

MYRTLE B. MC COSKER

Christ Jesus' expression of gentleness was as characteristic of him as his power. Indeed, it might be said that it was his unsurpassed gentleness which made him great. Yet the world's concept of greatness is generally quite unlike the sweet humility and forgiveness expressed by the master Christian when he was unjustly maligned and slandered.

In our day Mary Baker Eddy, whose sole purpose was to help and benefit mankind, was also sometimes reviled and slandered. But she did not retaliate, hold resentment, or entertain hurt feelings. She did, however, say of slanderers (Miscellaneous Writings, p. 227), "Would that my pen or pity could raise these weak, pitifully poor objects from their choice of self-degradation to the nobler purposes and wider aims of a life made honest: a life in which the fresh flowers of feeling blossom, and, like the camomile, the more trampled upon, the sweeter the odor they send forth to benefit mankind."

Upon looking up the word camomile in a dictionary, the writer found that it was derived from a word meaning "earth apple" and that after its derivation was the notation. "See humble." Jesus said (Matt. 5:5), "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth." The secret of his meekness was his understanding of his unity. or oneness, with God and his freedom from human will.

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