Government not Politics

William P. McKenzie

The problem usually set for a country or a community is to bring out a social order wherein there will be justice primarily. Christian Science sets a higher ideal than this, indicating the order of things wherein love will be the animating force in government, and justice not an end in itself but a definite means to a good end. Mrs. Eddy shows clearly that character must be developed by a thorough cleansing from love of sin. She says, "Escape from punishment is not in accordance with God's government, since justice is the handmaid of mercy" (Science and Health, p. 36). What is wrong in present conditions is the misinterpretation of justice due to a masculine conception of it, whereby it takes the nature of revenge against the wrongdoer. Prison systems which have wholly the intention of punishment illustrate this. For one error the whole man is made to suffer, while the right way is to use the resources of the whole man to abolish any error.

What raises more resentment than anything else in children is injustice, and as criminals are usually undeveloped they too often have a passionate sense of resentment when they feel that the strong arm of the law is guided by cruelty and that compassion is never considered. It is worth while to ponder the saying, "Thou shalt judge with the mind of twelve men and the heart of one woman." The author who wrote that recognized that in every woman there is the motherly element which would bring out love, whereas there might need to be discussion and argument with a dozen men, that is a jury, in order to bring out an adequate sense of justice. Christian Science forwards this view of the case and takes it out of the personal sense to establish it in Principle, because it shows how both men and women when guided by Principle bring out balanced humanity and rise into the equableness of divinity, even according to the example of Christ Jesus, who could say, "I and my Father are one,"—whose life, words, and deeds illustrated the fact that Mind is both Father and Mother God.

Now without the completer elements of Mind there can be no true government or development of order for the nation in a way similar to the development of order for the welfare of the family: The politician, for example, is one who schemes and plans to use powers and processes of government for personal advantage and local ends. He is one of a group that is against other groups. He is working for one party which is striving to defeat another party. Generally money is a sort of god to him; at least he measures success by the amount of it he can divert from the service of those he is against to the use of those whom he favors. As his basis for asking the support of the voters in a community he makes the claim that he diverted the resources of the whole country to the local community. Often this money is spent for pulic buildings not needed, or canals never used, or barracks not inhabited, but the plea is made that the money for those needless things was at least spent in that community. He forgets that others will do the same thing and misuse the taxes in similar wasteful political projects, so that in the end everybody will be cheated.

The underlying theory of all this is wrong. It is as if the members of one family should take advantage of mutual trust and steal from one another and waste the family income, so that such squandering would cause others to suffer lack. The mother of the family is indeed the "lady;" that is, as Ruskin so interestingly develops, the loaf-dispenser. If she makes any distinction it is likely to be in caring for the littlest one and considering the need of those not yet grown. One cannot imagine a mother playing politics with the bread supply of the house; and this same consciousness which has love for its motive must become developed in those who politically govern, even if the way to this consummation devoutly to be desired be "woman in politics." Woman, however, would translate that term, to which some object, into "womanliness in government," and then politics as it now is would cease to be, and the government of community or country would embrace with loving interest its members and citizens.

Consider, for example, the saloon in politics. No one would engage in the drink dispensing business if he knew enough to do better. Whenever the healing of Christian Science has reached gamblers and saloon keepers, they have had a vision of useful living, and moving forward, have become helpers of mankind and ceased to be the debauchers of youth. Christian Science does not "take away a man's living," but delivers him from hell, and shows him the way of true life.

Count up what a mother does to bring a son to twenty-one years. There are ten thousand patiences and self-denials, watchings and servings, and yet the servant of the underworld would take this boy who has been cared for by heavenly-inspired love, and for a few greasy pieces of silver in his till would willingly make him a staggering mass of misdirected muscle, with bloodshot eyes and maudlin mind. Should such things be? Shall the underworld of callous selfishness control our cities? Is the politician who creeps around dark corners and whispers behind his hand in order to hold the backing of those engaged in a nefarious traffic, to decide the fate of the sons and daughters of citizens? The sooner there is an end of political scheming of this sort the better, for it is right that the true sense of government wherein Love rules shall be recognized and prevail.

And how shall it prevail? By individual submission to God and allegiance to Principle, for thus comes right selfgovernment. On pages 125 and 106 of Science and Health Mrs. Eddy makes this clear in the statements: "Reflecting God's government, man is self-governed;" and, "Man is properly self-governed only when he is guided rightly and governed by his Maker, divine Truth and Love."
William P. McKenzie.

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