The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-10-18
MOSES, MODERN IMIrAToRs.
Christian Science Claims Ability TO
Cure Crime as Wen as Disease.

From the EeU YORK Star
What is christian sciencei What are the
articles II its faith, and what do its teach
ers communicate 70 the novices who 50
gladly pay them sums varying from $500
downward for initiation into its mysteriesi
At a time when this new craze or
freshly revealed religion, whichever it
may b. considered, is gaining such no
tice and exciting comment from 80 many
persons not hitherto cOnversalr with the
mat er, it may be well 70 answer these
question: The writings AMI teachings Of
The average christian scientist are 50 per-
meated WITH fOggy verbOsity that, 70 the I'M
initiated layman, they often seem 10 be com
pounded Of the veriest idiotic gabble; but TO
one who has conscieutiously endeayored 10
penetrate the mysteries Of their verbiage
and arrived at the foundation Of their faith,
it is evident that after all there is some
reason and some truth existent in the new
doctrine.
bind cure was the modern name that at
tracted attention TO an alleged system of
healing which may be said u nave orig
mated vita Moses. From the mere fact
that disease, sickness and pain are part of
mans common inheritance, any new idea
having for its justification the alienation
Of this curse OF the human race is sure TO
gain more or less notice. Any theorist
whose personality is Efficiently str ng to
temporarily divert mems minds TO study
Of his or her theory on such a subject, has
an excellent OpDortu lity 10 secure at least
some acknowledg nsnt Of that theory's
feaib!lity; and this once gained, lesser or
greater proportion Of mankind may be
reckOned as adherents to the new doc .rine.
MOSES AS METAPHYsICIAN.
The earliest recorded instance Of mind
| cure that occurs to me at the moment Is
| that related in holy writ where, in the will
| d .rness Moses "made a ssrpent of brass
aud put it upon a pole, and it came to pass
that if a serpent had bitten any man, when
| he beheld the serpent Of brass he lived"
| What was this out faith or mental heal
| ingl Ii is but one of many instances of the
uccess Of concen rated thought as a cure
| for sickness to be found among the writings
| Of historians prior to Moses aud down t. the
time Of Bishop Berkeley. The modern res
direction of The theory, variously desig-
mated christian science, faith cure, prayer
cure, etc, occurred, however, in Boston
| about ten years SINCE and the REV" Mary
Baker Glover Eddy. who then abandoned
| splrituahsm in order TO launch the little
| bark of christian science upon a credulous
world, now has the satisfaction Of con-
BANDING well-equipped and really formi-
dable vessel of spiritual war.
Once again, what is christian science!
|
| merous graduates of he schools and the pos
SCISSORS a Mrs. Eddys diplomasl
According to a graduate who paid $500
for the privilege of initiation into the mys-
teries, and who kindly revealed them to me
gratis, theYtare as follows:
Matter has no existe ice. That is the first
and all-important axiom. The christian
scientist processes to believe that the visible
| universe Is phenomena, with no basis, beng
! rpfactInu a 81 fhDnOht n nj ira
mind All that we see, all that apparently
possesses body and substance is, according
TO this doctrine, nothing but a reflection of
the one ''inhnite mind When once
this is admitted, it is easy TO
allow that pain, sickness and death
itself are only Pigments of the brain--or,
rather, of the mind, for, since there is no
matter, the brain is, necessarily, non-ex-
istent This will probably strike the aver
age man as somewhat perplexing. II fact,
as | remarked when first | heard it, such a
doctrine seems, like eternity, to be iucom-
prehensble. The mind Of man is, accord
ing to these ethereal beings. but a ray of
infinite mind, which, like the sun, con-
stantly radiates over the universe. Each
mortal mind being, therefore. but an idea
or ray of infinite mind, is p rfect and, con-
sequently, impervious to disease.
IDEALIsM MUST ASSUME REALISM.
Such assertions may perhaps appear very
beautiful as philosophy, but they scarcely
SEEM likely TO prove convincing TO persons
OF strong common sense, and, as Herbert
Spencer once said, "ldeslism cannot state its
case without assuming realism by the way.
Erase from its arguments all terms imp "
ing the objective reality OF things, and its
argument falls 70 pieces" And SO, while
denying imperalively the existence OF
matter, my christian scientist friend told
me that man possessed a mortal min IN
addition 20 the idea Of inf lite mind and
that Il Is the mortal and erring mind which
cherishes belief ia sin. sickness aud dea IA.
sickness and death are simply the results
Of sin, ~ said be. Abolish sin, convince the
mortal mind that sin doss not exist, that
matter Is n Z, that only goodness an purity
exist and you will abolish sickness, decay
aud dissolution.
Thia, then, Is the theory upon which
christian scientists base their claims 10 the
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