Mary Baker Eddy says in "The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany," in an article entitled "Youth and Young Manhood" (p. 273): "The ultimatum of life here and hereafter is utterly apart from a material or personal sense of pleasure, pain, joy, sorrow, life, and death. The truth of life, or life in truth, is a scientific knowledge that is portentous; and is won only by the spiritual understanding of Life as God, good, ever-present good, and therefore life eternal."

In Christian Science "the ultimatum of life" for youth is the same as that for any age: spiritual perfection. Christ Jesus said (Matt. 5:48), "Be ye ... perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." To begin early in life to attain this final condition is a great advantage.

It takes spiritual intuition to recognize this real issue presented by the Science of Christ, but those young people who recognize that every activity of their lives can be dedicated to the ideal of spiritual perfection start out with a clearly defined purpose. They will not lose a single right human pleasure, but they will rise to the true idea of joy in Spirit. They will know where they are going, and they will not be diverted from a definite sense of direction. They will find that capabilities and possibilities of talent are released when they follow the direct line of spirituality.

What to do about matter concerns thoughtful young Scientists. Many modern pursuits and professions are apparently so bound up with matter that the Scientist often wonders how he can obey a spiritual ultimatum and yet concern himself with matter. This is a challenge which Christian Science will help him meet. For Science makes it clear that matter is a state of mind, a human belief, a mode of mortal thought, which can be subordinated to God-given intelligence and made to serve instead of to rule.

When spirituality dominates human thought and matter is subordinated to this higher state of mind, human concepts inevitably improve. Mrs. Eddy says in "Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures" (p. 296), "An improved belief is one step out of error, and aids in taking the next step and in understanding the situation in Christian Science."

Take transportation as an illustration of what improved belief can do. If a person has nothing but his legs to take him along on a journey, his advance will be slow. The wheel will take him along much more quickly. The steam engine or other power devices will make the journey a still faster one. The jet plane will eliminate the space involved in a much shorter time, and the use of nuclear energy gives greater promise than was imagined not very long ago.

All of these means of eliminating space in travel involve matter, but matter under control. Even the legs are controlled by thought. Matter has no intelligence to govern itself, whether it concerns the physical body or a high-powered nuclear machine. But it is right to remember that Christ Jesus moved himself instantly from one place to another by spiritually mental means alone and that this was a highly scientific accomplishment.

Matter was no obstacle to the Master, whether it was manifested as body time, space, or so-called law. He undoubtedly knew that the only real force is the will of God, and he gave many examples of what that will, understood, can accomplish. He even said of his purpose in life (John 6:38). "I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me."

No one can wander from right direction in reaching "the ultimatum of life" who makes his purpose the doing of God's will. One working in the natural sciences with the desire to improve human belief and thus help the world take proper steps out of the limitations imposed by delusions about matter is expressing a worthy purpose.

Progress along this line will depend upon a proper evaluation of the natural sciences as well as upon the purpose of their development for the good of mankind. Mrs. Eddy has this to say on the subject in Science and Health (p. 195): "Observation, invention, study, and original thought are expansive and should promote the growth of mortal mind out of itself, out of all that is mortal." When these elements of progress in the natural sciences go hand in hand with the Science of Christ, and God's law is inscribed on the hearts of those developing these sciences, methods of helping the world will improve rapidly.

When anyone writes the will of God, the law of good, on his heart, whatever he does is controlled by that law; his goal is right, and his direction certain. The purpose of law is to govern; and divine law is supreme over so-called material laws of every kind. Governed by God's law of good, the Scientist will not be fascinated by matter, but he will be devoted to proving the power of Spirit over material belief.

The understanding of divine Science will give righteousness an appeal which will outweigh any appeal that matter can offer. Enlightened human thought will develop where ignorance has long dominated belief concerning matter. Eventually all that needs to be known about matter will be known.

As young Scientists hold to a spiritual line of development, their contribution to the world will be great. They will be demonstrating God-derived intelligence, which abolishes limitations that the belief of power in matter presses upon the world. They will be gradually attaining "the ultimatum of life," which is the divine demand for perfect being in the one Life, entirely apart from matter.

Helen Wood Bauman