Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1885-06-27
4 RELIGIOUS CRAZE.

SuO VutOSst, tu0 ISllSlOU0 I6vOlUtlO0 In
volved in the new departure has over
Swallowed the consideration of the phys
icai phenomena in the public mind
The theological innovations are confined
to the creed of the Christian Scientists
who constitute the largest division Of
the mind-cure host. They make tn,
principles of new religion indispnsa
BILE in their theories of mental heeline
They are lead by Mrs. Eddy, the higf
priestess of the whole movement. Shl
claims to be be the founder of the sci
ence though rivals deny it, and her &C
count Of the Divine origin of the faith
is worth mentioning. In 1880, accordins
to her story, she fell accidently upon thu
sidewalk and suffered spinal injury anG
paralysis, which physicians declared
would result fatally in few hours. He1
pastor called to see her just before thu
end was apparently at hand, and offered
her consolation. She begged him to re
turn in the afternoon, but no one believed
she would then be living. BY revelation
from Heaven at that time Gods actua
relation toward her and toward the
human race was made clear, and she
realized that her disease was but az
error, which, when supplanted by the
truth, would disappear. By the light Of
her new knowledge she brought herself
through mental process, into q proper at
titude toward Jehovah, and when the
clergyman called few hours later, ex
pecting to comfort her bereaved family
she met him at the door. Ever since
Mrs. Eddy says, she has had the power
of healing others as she was herself
healed. The creed which she has for
mulated as the basis of her new system
is peculiar theological mixture. But
as Prof. Stacy Fowler recently said, in
discussing the subject, IF they heal
people will not stop at a question Of
theology; if they heal, they will carry
the day, and they ought to-" Hence il
is that Hawthorne Hall, where
the Christian Scientists worship
is thronged for an hour
before the time of service each Sunday
So eager are people to hear that after the
standing room is all taken they crowd
around outside the doors, where they
catch only an occasional word or two
The service consists of ordinary devo.
tional exercises preceding sermon by
Mrs. Eddy. But the creed she teaches
is so blindly and illogically presented, is
so full of manifest Inconsistencies that
it would be an impossible task to des.
cribe it even in outline. "God is an in
finite mind; matter is nothing. Person.
atty is the embodiment of mind. For.
eiveness of sin means destruction OF
sin"-these are ideas gained by listening
to one of Mrs. Eddy's rambling talks.
MINISTERIAL OPINIONS.
The Rev. A. ]. Gordon, D. D., q prom
inent Baptist clergyman who has studied
the books of the Christian Scientists
thoroughly and talked with all the
leaders, pronOunces their creed a MKT
ure of Pantheism and Buddhism. The
delusion, he says, is most lnsidious. The
large use of the bible, the strenuous de-
mand for holiness and self abnegation in
the disciples, the results apparently effect.
ed in the minister to the sick-these are
very powerful considerations for attract.
ing converts. So. hundreds of young
ladies especially are drawn into the sys-
tenn, under the impression that they are
getting some finer quality of Christianity
DR.. Gordon predicts that this is not
the final issue. If the body
is only q phantom, and the flesh
only a shadow, by and by some very
practical sinners will take refuge under
the system, and insist that the sins OF
the body and the tranegressions of the
flesh are harmless, since they are only
the phantom of a phantom, and the
shadow of a shadow. DR.. Gordon regards
the whole system as sort of witch's
cauldron, in which every conceivable
heather and Christian heresy is seething
and simmering to produce the subtle
essence called mental medicine" On
the other hand, the Rev. 0. p Clifford,
another Baptist clergyman Of equal
and several other prominent
ministers, defend the Christian Scien-
lists, and endorse much of their philos.
ophy, while admitting that much more
Of it is unintelligible.
But the clergy, as q whole, now regard
the subject with grave apprehension, and
on all sides they are discussing the stu
alton with great earnestness. They
hardly know how to deal with the
danger, for the sincerity of all infected
with this new faith is undoubted, and
any policy of opposition or denunciation
serves only to increase their ardor.
Scores of applications have been made to
churches of the Baptist,
Congregational and Epis-
copal denominations for letters of
d smissal to the Christian Scientists
All these applications have
been refused, but the onverts to the
new church nevertheless worship with
those of the new creed. The public dis
cussion of the new theology was began q
few weeks ago by Rev. Joseph Cook,
upon his Monday lectureship platform.
He Endorsed the views of DR.. Go1don,
and denounced the Christian scientists
Since then the subject has
been discussed from week to week, at
one or more of the conferences of minis
ters of the various denominations.
A petition was presented to the Board
Of Railroad Commissioners. June 18th,
from, Manhatt an, signed by N. Green and
800 others, stating that the Manhattan
and Northwestern Railroad Company
was chartered in 1871, and that in 1879
it was re organized as the Manhattan and
Blue Valley Railroad Company, and
constructed by the last named company
from Manhattan up the Big Blue River
to the town of Stockdale, Riley county, q
distance of fifteen miles. Since that
time the company has failed to equip
and operate the same, and in considers
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