Christian Science heals the sick and regenerates the sinner. Throughout the world to-day there are thousands, yes, tens of thousands, who are living healthy, happy, well-ordered lives because of its teaching. These joyfully and unostentatiously tell of their healing when opportunity is afforded them; but, better than words, their lives bear testimony to the fact. Moreover, the teaching of Christian Science as to the perfection of God and His idea, man, and the reality of good and the unreality of evil, has created, and is continuing to create, on a far larger scale than is generally supposed, a decided advance towards righteous living, including temperance, on the part of civilized humanity generally. Mrs. Eddy writes (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 404), "The temperance reform, felt all over our land, results from metaphysical healing, which cuts down every tree that brings not forth good fruit."

Now, whenever anyone receives help from Christian Science; whenever anyone has a healing of sickness or sin through its teachings, he begins to see the immense possibilities of this Science; and there follows the desire to help his fellow men, even as he himself has been helped. Then he may seek to unite more closely as a church member with the movement which is active in spreading the truth about God and His creation, man; and probably before long he is taking part in the healing, regenerating work himself. As he progresses in the work, gaining in understanding and faith and getting better results, he does not forget those of his fellow men who are the victims of the evil of intemperance. And while he continues his labor of healing those who come to him for help, through his understanding of divine Science, he is aware of the value of good civic laws. Consequently, he supports when he can those who are engaged in the making of such laws, and helps to sustain the laws themselves after they have been enacted.

Surely nobody is blind to the havoc which the intemperate use of intoxicating liquors has wrought on the health and happiness of mankind. Everybody knows how men are stupefied by their use, rendered physically and morally weak, and when under their influence may commit acts of impropriety and violence of which they would be incapable when sober. Everybody knows of the crimes which have been committed by men when inebriated. But even a very little alcohol may upset the physical and moral balance and result in words which sometimes are only with difficulty erased from memory, and in deeds which too often have resulted in lives of suffering and remorse. Facing such facts as these, Mrs. Eddy did not refrain from expressing herself clearly and forcibly. No one who reads the words which follow can possibly doubt what her thought was on the use of intoxicants. On pages 288 and 289 of her book, "Miscellaneous Writings" she says, "Whatever intoxicates a man, stultifies and causes him to degenerate physically and morally." Then, in language entirely devoid of equivocation, she utterly condemns the use of strong drink: "Strong drink is unquestionably an evil, and evil cannot be used temperately: its slightest use is abuse; hence the only temperance is total abstinence."

Christian Scientists need be in no doubt as to our Leader's thought on the use of intoxicants. If, however, there should still be a difficulty, surely her simple language on page 454 of Science and Health will meet it. After stating that the Christian Scientist can practice neither animal magnetism nor hypnotism, she writes, "It need not be added that the use of tobacco or intoxicating drinks is not in harmony with Christian Science." Note that here Mrs. Eddy brackets together tobacco and intoxicating drinks as being out of harmony, or not in accordance with, the practice of Christian Science!

Sometimes the world does not seem to progress very rapidly to higher moral altitudes. Nations are often very tolerant of the abuses in their midst, due to the lethargy begotten of materialism. Men and women everywhere need awakening to the great moral and spiritual issues which confront mankind. Christian Science is helping to bring about this awakening; and in doing so it speaks with no uncertain voice on the use of that which, probably more than any other thing, tends to destroy the moral and spiritual fiber of men—intoxicating liquor. And while it does so, never for a moment does it allow its followers to forget that since God has created man with power to reflect Himself,—infinite good,—men who in reality are His children are able to renounce everything which claims to be the opposite of good, and to enter into the enjoyment of all that pertains to their real, spiritual selfhood.

Paul says, in writing to the Galatians, that "the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law." And because of the spiritual understanding which Christian Science is imparting to its students, they are finding themselves reaping this fruit. Time and again they are seeing the sensuous and the intemperate lifted, through the understanding of the perfection of God and of the real or spiritual man, out of the mire in which they had sunk, into the joy and peace which are the outcome of clean, spiritual living.

Duncan Sinclair