The herald., 1893-08-28
THE CHRISTIAN SCIENCE FAD
Some Peculiar Phases of the
Latter Day Belief.
An Orange County Woman Trying
to Believe She Is Not Fat.
A Pleasant Theory That DIssase II All
Creation of the Imagination
and Gan Be Prevented
by.t Mind.

AZ - s1tonibuinR uOW mnuy Poopie
there are these days who are dabblinl
In what is known as Christian acience,
and to what extent their teachings 60.
The class Of thinkers who call them
selves Christian scientists affect to re-
pudiste the idea that they have any
thing to do with the faith cure people.
Believing and teaching that man was
made perfect and that disease is an
error they believe that by leading vir-
tuous and blameless life the conditions
OF error are gradually removed, and
such things as diseases are eradicated
without the use of medicines.
The theory is inculcated that disease
Is not necessary and that by proper be-
lief and life there is no such thing as
typhoid fever or cholera morbus.
1t is very comfortable sort of doc
trine and one which is gaining more ad-
herents than the ordinary observer may
imagine.
Scattered all around Los Angeles are
teachers of Christian Science, and grad
yates in the doctrines are hunlreds of
people. There are many who do not
speak much about their beliefs, because
oAVy w 4Ou ilkO " UI6No tLo ItQlCui0 Va
people. Yet, little by little. the teach
ers extend their proselyting work for
consideration. They work generally
among the more ignorant and preju-
diced classes of men and women, al
though there some exceedingly bright
persons who have espoused the cause of
Christian Science.
The theories advanced by the teachers
~ 4 v,1n Al
with such sauvity and ingenuity that
one thinks they might be true. 1t is
when they attempt to carry the theories
into practice that the pupils of Christian
science are led into absurdities which
strike the average person as funny.
There is ct present al teacher Of
Christian science who has recently been
consulted BY lady in Orange county
who has come to accept the principles
enunciated by her and others. a
The convert has the misfortune to be
troubled with portliness. She is in some
respects slender woman, but her alder
manic proportions in other respects
cause her much wearinees of the flesh.
Upon consultation with the science
teacher she wss informed that when she
thought she was portly she was in error,
and that 1t was only q matter OF belief
with her to dispel the error. The lady
is nov conscientiously trying to reason
herself into the proper frame of mind to
announce that the protuberance which
asserts itself in her walk is not there,
and that it is an hallucination for her to
think 30.
She ia informed by her teacher that
this way of looking at the alleged port
liness will cause it to disappear if she
believes strongly enough and long
enough to allow nature to assert itself,
and show that what she helieved was
embonpoint was only error. The lady
hne shut uvre-ir up in her mouse anu -
not at home to her friends while che is
struggling with her trouble. If she
fails, the teacher will tell her that che
has not educated herself to the proper
understanding of herself, whatever that
may mean.
There WAS a married lady not long
since who expected an increase in her
family. She had become q red-hot
Christian scientist, go much 40 that she
physician. The arrangement was agreed
to and the teacher quietly made ar
rangements to have a regular practi-
blOu6I Hltulu easy IChCnllik uletauC6s
Fortunately the lady was very healthy
and the services OF the doctor were not
needed. Then the Christian scientist,
with a satisfied smile upon her features,
accepted her fee and directed attention
to the beautiful system of which she is
an exponent. Many converts were made
by her claims to have been the ali-con-
trolling influence in the affair.
kn -
in Los Angeles who held sittings recent
ly with lady afflicted with terrible
headaches. She convinced her patient
that it was idiotic to believe that she
had headaches. There was no such
thing. 1t was only error to think 90.
The lady believed her.
In few days the headaches grew less
violent and finally disappeared. no
doubt through natural causes. Nothing
can now convince the lady but that
Christian science cured her.
But the most astonishing case is that
of young man who was absurd enough.
from Christian science standpoint. to
believe that he had consumption. He
applied to teacher, and was told that
he was silly to think any such thing;
that he was in error. Filled
with the hope that springs
eternal in diseases of the
class named the young man placed him
self under the hands OF the teachers and
marvelously enough grew rapidly bet
ter. He WAS 30 much encouraged by
his improvement that he carried out
sentiment be had nursed for long
time, and married a very nice young
lady. He is now living happily with
her as his wife, and is bowling convert
to the doctrine by which disease is cured
without medicine. Only his closest
friends shake their heads obviously
when they notice the tell-tale hectic
color which occasionally suffuscs his
cheeks. and fear that his condition can
not be truthfully characterized as an
error which has been stamped out.
All around these teachers are getting
in their work, taking advantage of acci-
dent. All is feh that comes to their
nets, and they make nice little earnings
by understanding how to fool people to
the top of their bent.