Testimony of Healing February 24, 1968 Issue

I had never heard the words "Christian Science" until I met my...

Albert F. Hooke

I had never heard the words "Christian Science" until I met my wife some twenty years ago. I had smoked cigarettes from the time I was fourteen years old, and I thought that alcoholic drinks were the best way to get relief from the stresses and strains of daily life. I knew nothing at that time of a spiritual concept of life. In fact, I believe the very words I used to my wife were, "You can raise the children in Christian Science but don't ever expect me to be one." After all, I didn't want to give up what I thought at the time were all the fun things of living.

Mrs. Eddy writes in the chapter on Marriage (Science and Health, p. 66): "Husbands and wives should never separate if there is no Christian demand for it. It is better to await the logic of events than for a wife precipitately to leave her husband or for a husband to leave his wife. If one is better than the other, as must always be the case, the other pre-eminently needs good company." The marginal heading for this paragraph reads, "Patience is wisdom."

About eight years after our marriage I went into business for myself and, because of inexperience and self-indulgence, was not able to handle it properly. Debts piled up. Moderate drinking became daily, excessive drinking. This was an extremely trying period for my wife, and another broken home might well have been the result if it had not been for her earnest study and practice of Christian Science. I began to attend church with my wife to "keep her happy."

Send a comment to the editors

NEXT IN THIS ISSUE

Testimony of Healing

A year ago, without any warning, I felt and saw an unpleasant...