The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-01-18
MIRACLE CURES AT THE HUB.
The 'Aiind-Cure' School of Philosophy-The
Spine as Conductor of Healing.

Boston Advertiser.
The mind-cure is one of the most extravagaut
as elnphatically as it is one Of the most irrever
ent of recent absurdites; vet the extent to which
it has enlisted followers in Boston could hardly
be believed, while visiting from house to house
in the better portions of the city for the purpose
of making prostitutes is rapidly increasing; not.
of course as a regularly organized system but
as natural and inevitable outgrowth of the en-
thusiasm of the disciples of the new philoso-
ply.
The exact history of.the rise and progress of
the sect or school, is not easy, and it is not inn
portant to trace. 1t is believed, however. that
its origin IS connected with the Christian scient-
lists, established Obscurely in Park street some
years since, and carrying on thinly attended
meetings of devout. if not strictly
philosophical or scientific ladies. In
deed, it seems not ineXact to regard
Christian science as the theoretical title of
the doctrine, while ''mind cure" is the name
applied to its practical application. Be this as it
may. however the tenets of the sect may be de
fined something as follows: The founders of
this theory, having stumbled blindly upon some
fragments of science which the whole thinking
world long ago examined by the clear daylight
of in yestigation, have taken dynamics as one of
their fundamental principles, if it would not be
fair to regard this as the core of their whole
scheme. "DIatter in itself, they say lis inert,
insensate, lifeless, and unpotential 1t is nothing
until formed by force, and upon the presence
of this force depend all its mani
festations. Some people, observing this, become
materalsts, regarding this force as unintelli-
gent. Others, experimenting the truth, recog-
nize it as what it is-God.T 1t is nat
uraly not in these exact words that
the expounders of the doctrine have
been heard to talk but this is an honest and GER
tainy a not ineXact consensus of their state
ments. God" they continue lis omnpresent
and omnipotent. Where God is there can he no
evil. Illness is form of evil, and illness is,
therefore. the absence of God" To the uninti-
atcd. and perhaps. therefore, undevout mind. the
assumption that disease is the absence of God
coupled with the assertion of the omnpresence
Of the Onnipotent would seem conclusively to
disprove the existence of illness at all; but such
triiiing flaws of logic have terrors for the
mind cUrcr who, once started upon talk concern
ing units OF force phrase favorte as it il,
i'll this connection, unmeaning, makes more of
a break in the argument than does a well trained
fox hunel. Of ditch. Disease, according to this
theory, is cured by an importing of Deity,
as tho air is driven out of II bottle
by the pouring in of water We warned
our readers at the outset that the
mind cure theory irreverent, and only ask
that the blame; for any seeming 'disrespeet In
the treatment of sacred things shall not be laid
TO our charge undcservedly A mind-healer is
person who is fun to superab,mdance, upon his
own cognizance, Of the Almighty; and who is