Perception belongs to Mind, not matter. This is the radical, uncompromising basis on which Christian Science heals disorders and impairments of sight, hearing, and the other senses.

The perception of a thing or an idea is the consciousness of it. Perception is consciousness. Metaphysically speaking, perception is inherent in divine Mind, God, and absolutely inseparable from Mind, because perception is one of the capacities of infinite, all-knowing intelligence.

To mortal view, eyes, ears, and nervous system are complex constructions of matter through which information passes to the human mind; they are external to consciousness yet support it; and sometimes they act independently of mind by malfunctioning. But to spiritual understanding, seeing, hearing, feeling, and all other perceptive faculties are elements of knowing, which is the conscious activity of Mind, Soul. These faculties exist within Mind. Their substance is Spirit, not matter. And since they are manifestations of Mind, Soul, Spirit, they belong to man, because he is Mind's individualized reflection including all that Mind creates.

It would be inconsistent to believe that man's faculties or senses were in matter and subject to organic conditions, and then to attempt healing or restoring them by the purely spiritual means of Christian Science. The aim of Christian Science treatment is not to make corporeal senses better in matter, but to demonstrate the truth that man's faculties are perfect, spiritual, and indestructible in Mind, as Mind's own manifestation of intelligence. This scientific understanding and demonstration of man's true faculties destroys the limitations, discords, and other fleshly beliefs that mortal thought would interpose. The effect is to restore normalcy, health, harmonious functioning.

Mary Baker Eddy gives the spiritual basis for such healing when she writes, "Mind alone possesses all faculties, perception, and comprehension." ^{Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 488.} It is noteworthy that she stresses the mental nature of the perceptive faculties when she defines "ears" as "not organs of the so-called corporeal senses, but spiritual understanding ...," ^{Ibid., p. 585.} and "eyes" as "spiritual discernment,—not material but mental. ..." ^{Ibid., p. 586.}

From this standpoint it is evident that man's true senses are not subject to disease, because no disease exists in Mind; or to age, because Mind's faculties are ageless and eternal; or to heredity, because man derives his entire being directly from his perfect creator. No faculty of Mind, Soul, is subject to any destructive molecular or muscular action. The substance of Mind's faculties is Spirit, not matter, and therefore it cannot be subject to any abnormal deposit, to inelasticity, deterioration, or disintegration. Mind's manifestation of its all-knowing capacities is never vulnerable to accident nor subject to effects of accident. The substance of all-comprehending infinite intelligence is never subject to any abnormality, whether of hardness or inaction. There is no opacity in Mind's knowing of its infinite universe of ideas, because Mind is infinite light; this light floods the universe without barrier or restriction and is fully reflected by man, the conscious compound idea of God.

All the characteristics of Soul's perceptive faculties are manifested in man. These include perfect capacity to distinguish what might be termed symbolically "sights" and "sounds." They include clarity of vision and accuracy and the comprehensiveness of focus that includes all ideas; the capacity to grasp perspective and relationships accurately; and also the ability to discern and appreciate the spiritual precision, artistry, color, and varied hues of God's handiwork. Since Mind knows no unconscious resistance to its own knowing of its infinite creation, man as Mind's reflection can harbor no unconscious resistance to listening and hearing, or to seeing; nor can he know any dimness of perception and comprehension.

The demonstration of Mind's indestructible faculties manifested in man requires much spiritualization of thought. It requires a thorough revision of commonly accepted views about hearing and seeing, and a change of standpoint from acceptance of material beliefs to acknowledgment of the spiritual facts. Mrs. Eddy summarizes the right standpoint in these words: "Sight, hearing, all the spiritual senses of man, are eternal. They cannot be lost. Their reality and immortality are in Spirit and understanding, not in matter,—hence their permanence." ^{Ibid., p. 486.}

The Psalmist gives the promise "The Lord openeth the eyes of the blind," ^{Ps. 146:8.} and Isaiah prophesies: "Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped." ^{Isa. 35:5.} These prophecies were fulfilled when our Way-shower, Christ Jesus, opened the eyes of the blind, gave hearing to the deaf, and healed the handicapped. These wonders are being repeated today in healings brought about by the Christ-power, as understood and practiced in Christian Science; and such proofs will continue insofar as the truth of man's indestructible spiritual senses is understood.

DeWITT JOHN