["H. S." in the Mentor, a monthly magazine contributed to and printed by inmates of the Massachusetts State Prison at Charlestown]

Not for months had I gone to the weekly chapel services. My mind seemed to have become a troubled sea of vaguely understood doubts: wave upon wave of uncertainty, of frank disbelief, of mental uneasiness, had flowed over and swamped my usual serenity. The faith I had first found at my mother's knee, the faith which many years of churchgoing had strengthened, had passed out of me. My mental curiosity having been aroused by words which I had heard repeatedly—"evolution," "survival of the fittest," and kindred expressions—I read the books I was told would help me: and gradually, as undreamed-of ideas and speculations entered my mind, my faith in the invincible power and goodness of an omnipotent God departed and left me in a state of mind which I now know to have been caused by a species of mental emptiness. I mean, the eternal truths about life and the hereafter, my faith in a just God, had been taken away from me; whereas the ... speculations with which I had replaced them failed to fill the vacancy thus created. I was like a person who, on exchanging a loaf of good bread for a loaf of what he supposes to be fine pastry, discovers too late that the pastry is merely a gilded imitation.

Not only did I feel empty—I felt betrayed. Why, I asked myself, did one's parents and teachers load one with religious half truths which, when one grew older, were found to be a tissue of folk tales and superstition? The old dilemma, of course, had confronted me: that God was either a powerless God, or a God who tolerated all manner of injustices and evil in this world He was said to have created....

I was, in those days, in no frame of mind for hearing the usual sermons about the divine and infallible goodness and power of God, when, as I then believed, I could see all about me a hundred proofs of His impotence or indifference.

Then something happened which gave me a completely new and entirely adequate set of values. One day as we walked about the crowded prison yard a man said to me, "You ought to go up to the Christian Science service this afternoon." I asked him why he thought this incumbent upon me, and told him that I had tried religion and found it inadequate. "Well," he replied, "you may have tried one kind of religion; but you certainly have not tried the right one, or you would not find it inadequate. And surely you are not going to condemn it without a trial?"

Another man said, "Yes, and they have very good music: there is a fine soloist every Sunday."

And, as so often happens in life, it was this almost irrelevant remark which decided me, for I have always enjoyed good music. At least, I told myself, I can go up there and hear the music, even if the rest of the service is, as I suspect, merely the usual more or less meaningless ritual.

The music, however, fine as it proved to be, was by no means the important part of the service. When, in the course of time, the Reader in a calm, clear voice began to read the day's selections from Mrs. Eddy's God-inspired book, here, beautifully expressed, was unmistakable truth. Here was light for my vast mental darkness, oil for the waves of stormy doubt which raged in the sea of my mind....

Alas, that I have not the talent to reveal the delight, the satisfaction, the relief which surged joyously through my mind. Here was comfort for my tortured soul, here was a rock upon which to build anew my faith in the eternal goodness and power of God.

It seems wholly right and fitting that I should thus publicly voice my gratitude, first to God, who gave me the intelligence to comprehend the truth when it was pointed out to me, and, secondly, to Mary Baker Eddy, the Discoverer and Founder of Christian Science, who has shown me, in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures," that God is in His heaven and that God is good. It is my ardent hope that this feeble expression of gratitude may prompt some fellow prisoner, now tortured by doubts or disbelief, to attend the Christian Science services, and there learn, as I have learned, that fears and doubts are merely mortal errors and have no real existence, and that we can all demonstrate, in our own lives, the omnipotence and eternal goodness of God.

[Arthur J. Chapman, for the New Orleans Item, in the Enterprise, Ponchatoula, Louisiana]

Jesus once said ..., "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." In the last three verses of Matthew, eleventh chapter, he offered to teach them this truth, promising that if they would accept his "yoke" of service they would find "rest" or peace of mind.

He was ever mindful of the needs of humanity and knew that if they would accept his invitation, so lovingly tendered, the truth as taught by him would free them from the carnal beliefs which lead to sin, sickness, and death.

To those struggling for a knowledge of this truth which makes free his invitation promises peace, joy, and salvation; and it is the privilege and duty of the church to encourage and direct the human footsteps of such that they may be better fitted to receive the blessing.

Thus, the value of the church to any community is not in proportion to the magnificence of the structure or the number of its communicants, but rather in its ability to fulfill its mission as a guide to a better understanding of God. When we take upon ourselves the yoke of the Master and enter his service, we not only gain a better appreciation of spiritual values, but there is unveiled to us a vision of the church triumphant.

[Rabbi Herbert S. Goldstein, as quoted in the New York Times, New York]

A suggestion that the Ten Commandments be printed every day on the first pages of our newspapers was made ... by Rabbi Herbert S. Goldstein of the Institutional Synagogue. "They should also be given," the speaker added, "as memory gems in our public schools, high schools, and colleges, so that they might become part and parcel of our everyday living. The Ten Commandments are the sine qua non of society. The safety of the individual and of the nation is dependent upon our attitude toward these Commandments. They call for the acceptance of a higher power than ourselves in the recognition of God as the supreme judge of human affairs, and they make for the social stability between man and man."

[Editorial in the Morning Press, Santa Barbara, California]

It is recalled that soon after Jesus called his disciples he gathered them together and gave them direction as to their work. These directions are found in the tenth chapter of St. Matthew, and among other things they contain these charges: "Go ... to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give."

It may be said that this charge was given to the disciples and that they had been endued with special power to carry on this work by reason of their association with the Master, and that the great body of Christians are not expected to do this work. But it should be remembered that after Jesus had finished his work, had been crucified, and had risen on the third day and appeared again to his disciples, he again enjoined them: "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth not is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover." This last quotation is taken from the last chapter of Mark's [Gospel]. According to this promise, this wonderful power was not limited to the disciples but was to be possessed by all who heard the gospel preached and believed and were baptized. It ... may fairly be inferred that the baptism of the Spirit is referred to, for a reading of the Scripture shows that where both Jesus and those who followed him were baptized by the Holy Spirit the power to do these works was given them. The reading of these Scriptural texts seems to justify the understanding that the true followers of the Christ must believe, and that if they believe they will be baptized by the Holy Spirit; and that following this and baptism, the power of the Spirit to do what are popularly called miracles will be theirs.

[Rev. Sidney Berry, in the Gazette, Birmingham, England]

It may be hard to believe that we can get into touch with God by prayer, but no one can doubt for a moment that it changes our whole attitude to life if we can do so. ... The discovery of God is not made by those who discuss Him at a distance, but by those who make a continual habit of speaking to Him and feel that there is a real contact between the creator and the creature. The critical may call this illusion, but that verdict has no effect upon the man who has a real personal experience of religion. He sets what he knows in his own experience of life over against all abstract theories.

In these days when everything in heaven and on earth comes under the criticism of man's intellect, it must seem antiquated to recall Christ [Jesus'] saying about becoming like little children before we can enter the kingdom of God. Antiquated it may be, but it is the only way to get to the secret of religion, as I believe in the end it is the only way to get to the secret of all the greatest things in life.

[Editorial in the Great Falls Tribune, Montana]

Religion, if properly understood and taught, is the most powerful influence for good that can operate on the human mind. ... Religion is a way of life. It is understanding and acknowledging the existence of God, the one holy and supreme force of life, ... endeavoring to adjust our mortal activities in harmonious relationship to God. We know that God is good, ... that He is kind, that He does not support evil activity. When we know these facts and endeavor to put them into daily practice, it is no more natural for us to be criminally inclined than it is for us to inflict bodily harm upon ourselves.

True religion, if understood and practiced by all, would make jails, penitentiaries, and prisons unnecessary. Every nation would be prosperous and secure. There would be no more wars; there would be no more panics.