The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1892-01-31
cHARLArANRY VS.. SCIENCE.

under various ioud-sounolng names.
''The Philosophy of Mental Healing"
'sThe Power of Mind and Matter to Cure
All Manner of Diseases, Moral, Mental
and Physical" are some of the titles con-
ferred upon this charIatanry by the timer
ant practitioners of Mental Healing" or
christian Science"
An offer to cure ell diseases by mental
healing" or any other kind of healing, is
rs clear proof OF quackery and imposition
as would be an offer to produce the Witch
of Endor aud show her to theater
full of people at Is cents head. All
diseases are not durable, and the
promise to cure all diseases is the
promise of an impudent quack. made
to the credulous and superstitious who
are always meat for mountebanks and
tricksters. This Mental Healing"
Faith Cure" or Christian Science" has
in it nothing new and nothing true save
what everybody of intelligence knows and
admits, viz: that undoubtedly certain
superficial functional ailments, and what
are called disturbances of the nervous sy:-
TEN, are largely controlled, if not cured, by
the will power. That is, the ailment is
often imaginary rather than real. and with
a change of mood comes relief. Women
are strongly attracted by the faith cure
because they suffer most from maladies
that are fed if not founded by their
Imagination, for women are more imagin-
alive, nervous and hysterical, more prone
to run from mental exaltation to mental
depression, and vice versa, than robust
men.
Good and worthy people listen to the So
called teachings of Christian Science"
Mental Healing" or the Faith Cure"
without knowing that it is nothing new;
nothing but the old lesson of the power of
the mind over the body; of the imagina-
ton over the physical organization. This
power never cured an organic disease, or
any disease of serious consequence, what
ever it may ID for the nervous, the hypo-
chondriac and the hysterical to change the
mood of depression and despair to one of
transient hope and content; to soothe or
strengthen for the time the nervous or
quiet the hysterical. Everybody knows
that the manipulations, steaming and
massage to which a man submits who
takes Turkish bath alleviates superficial
ailments, but no intelligent person sup
poses that cripple, who was lame through
the destruction of any important liga-
ment or muscle, could be rubbed
back into a whole man, because leg, lame
through neuralgia, muscular rheumatism
or sciatica, had been helped by manipula-
tons. The faith or mind cure dates back
to the early ages of the church, which
taught the possibility of curing diseases by
prayer and mystic ceremonies. The
| Scriptures say:
"f any man is sick among you, let him call
| for the elders of the church and let them pray
| over him, amounting him with oil in the name OF
| the Lord" "knd the prayer OF faith shall save
| the sick. and the Lord shall raise him up"
| "And when he had called unto him his twelve
! disciples, he gave them power against unclean
spirits, To cast Them out and heal all manner OF
| disease"
Nevertheless, any professor of this
school today would make himself liable
to indictment for quackery in Europe and
/ in many of the states of this Union, for
in every state of this Union there is q
statute which provides that the obtaining
of money under false pretenses shall be
regarded as 8 criminal offense. and shall
be punishable accordingly Under this
law swindling spirit mediums, swindling
"cure-alls" are liable to arrest, prosecu-
ton and conviction the same as other
| swinders who obtain money under false
| pretenses. AL that is needed under the
law for the conviction of any offender
against il is the evidence of guilt
The question asked by the law is
whether so-called phenomena, or so-called
gift of healing is fact or q
fraud. When they cannot be shown to be
acts OF conscious fraud science fairly de-
mands evidence that they are facts. not
| fancies, decisions and illusions. If
Christian Science and Modern Spirit
ism" cannot endure the exercise and ap-
| plication of these tests of scientific and
judicial examination, whenever their ap-
| plication is necessary 10 conclusiveiy
settle the question whether we are dealing
with a material fact or only dealing with a
musty fraud or s stale delusion, then We
are justified in refusing to accept
as genuine these alleged phenom-
ena which become phantoms when
searched by the courts and ira
versed by the scalpel Of science.
The courts and science do not say that a
phenomenon described in the Bible as hav-
ing taken place in Hebrew antiquity could
not again occur. but they do say that, while
ancient Christian and Mosaic miracles
which cannot be proved or disproved out
side the Scriptures, the alleged modern phe-
nomena are part Of our present knowledge,
and do not endure the test Of those senses
which science employs in discriminating
between fact and fraud: between super
nsturalism and superstition; between the
really ineIplicable and what is imposture,
or delusion. illusion, self-deception, IN
conscious muscular or mental action.
Modern Christian Science" or Faith
Cure" is question Of today, not a ques-
ton Of fact concerning alleged phenom-
enA that dase back 10 Moses. Joshua,
Samuel and Christ, for which science can
not call any witnesses or offer any ex-
PLANTATION, if Il does not accept revealed
religion. If science does accept revealed
religion and admit miracles of 1000 years
ago, it is not bound TO accept an alleged
miracle OF today that cannot endure
judicial or scientific examination, any
more than man is bound TO believe in
every modern lUnatic or pretender
who calls himself Gods prophet, or