Smyrna times., 1885-02-04
MENTAL HEALERS." :"

Mental Healing" is one of the out
grOwths of the recent revival of faith
cures, and one which promises its prac-
titiOners a comfortable income from
that large class of the public which is
ready to believe whatever it cannot
explain. The mental healers and the
faith healers both appeal to the same
credullty, but they are very different
classes Of persons. Faith healers are
usually simple-minded and earnest
Christians, and their services are at
the call of all the afflicted without paw.
The mental healer, on the other hand,
IS usually bright man or woman who
boldly claims to have mastered an
occult science, and whose services com
mand round fee.
The headquarters of the faith is
" The College Of Christian Science"
run by Mrs. NJ. B. G.. Eddy at Boston.
This college" turnes Il green crank
into Il full tledged master of Christian
Science i'll twelve lessons, given in
one month. The graduate is declared
to be able to heal all diseases bv a
fundamental knowledge of the laws of
spirit and mind, more subtle and far
reaching than anything yet discovered.
The college" has been running
little over three years, and has turned
our about 500 graduates, who are set
Ting all over the country for the prac-
tice Of the new science"
There is one graduate in certain
city, and also n mental healer with
substantially the same method who re-
ceived her instruction from a rival
source. Both healers have pacticed
on people well known, and will recount
glib list of their cures" with the
names and addresses of their patients.
which show that probably as large
proportion of suffers are relieved bV
these practitioners as there are by
magnetic doctors, natural bOne-setters,
and other travelling and advertising
wonders. 1t is yet too early to ascer-
tain anything about the permanence
OF the cures, and in the absence of re-
liable diagnosis it is impossible to tell
the nature of the sick PERSONS disease
But the usual cures of cancer and of
the chronic diseases are claimed. as
well as of rheumatism, and there is a
case besides of one girl who was "pos-
sessed of evil spirits"
The method, nearly as it can be
obtained from conversation with the
healers, is based on the superiority of
mind or spirit" as it is known in the
new jargOn, over matter. Mind per
vades the entire body, and all suffering
IS suffering of the mind, as is proved
by the fact that when the mind leaves
the body there is no more suffering.
rheumatism, for example, is not
pain " but a belief of pain" and
that belief is an " error" When
the mind is attuned to truth, "error"
and rheumatism will disappear. Sin
is also error and is the cause of
most disease, and where that is present
1t is to be removed first.
There are no physical laws, it is dec
Jared, only laws of spirit. If YOU be-
lieve that wetting your feet results in
cold, or that mince pie causes indi-
gestiOn, those evils follow. But when
your mind is raised above such " errors'
to the 81 or 81 treatment according
to the reputation of the healer you en-
plOy-you are delivered once for all
from the dominion of slushy walks or,
incompetent cooks.
Ihey also teach that there is such IA
thing as inherited error as we'll as in
herited sin, which accounts for the dis
eases of children, and which presuma-
bly, explains the collie which follows
the boyish green apple. One healer
declared that he had six children who
play freely in wet, and who never have
colds.
Both healers say they were led into
this method of practice by being cured
of obstinate diseases by its followers.
Both are remarkably vigorous speci-
mems of human nature, and do not
look as if they had ever triAed with
their digestiOns by eating railroad
or raw Koakcrs
Statesman