The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1896-09-30
The Case of James Wood.

There probably Is no believer in
Christian science in Scranton who
would contend that prayer would save
mans hand from being burned If the
man were deliberately to hold 1t in a
hot fire, or that after the burning Of
the hand in the flame pain would cease
by reason of prayer. Or, to put the
illustration In another form, there
probably Is no person in sympathy
with what Is known as the faith cure"
who would seriously maintain that the
man who should stand in front of an
on-coming fast express train and pray
for life would by virtue of that prayer
be saved from death under the wheels.
In either case it would not belittle the
Almighty that the operation of natural
laws We're not arbitrarily suspended
for one individuals particular benefit;
1t would rather argue on the part of
that Individual an undue sense of his
relative Importance to the remainder
of the universe.
The lad afflicted with q contagious
disease, as was little James Wood, is
q victim of violated natural law. His
Illness Is natures notice to the public
that some Of her mandates have been
disregarded. To disregard them still
further Is to take risks which may
cost human life. One cannot say with
positiveness that the man who defles
an approaching railroad train might
not, II he were to step off the track,
be knocked down and run over by a
dray wagon: yet according to human
probabilities he would be safer off the
track than on, because there would in
one position be n less fragrant disobed-
fence of natural law than in the other
Similarly, 1t cannot be said with posi-
tiveness that the diphtheretic patient
would recover If placed at an early
stage of his illness under careful and
intelligent medical treatment; but 1t
can be said that according to human
probabilities his chance of recovery
would be vastly better. Insurance COM
panies would be more likely to insure
a patient under medical treatment than
one under the prayer treatment, and
their preference would rest, not on
prejudice, but on statistics.
So long as persons are willing to take
chances on their own lives by resisting
during illness the intervention OF
skilled physicians. there probably Is no
loud call for legal action in the prem
ises. unless to prevent the spread of
contagion. The individual who prefers
prayer to physic as curative agency
ought, so long as he alone is affected.
to have entire freedom of option. But
right to intervene upon the sovereign
warrant of self-protection the moment
that one PERSONS confidence in prayer
as cure for serious diseases puts in
jeopardy the life or health of another
person too young or too weak to exer-
else for himself the privilege of mature
selection. Such intervention can be ef-
fected without calling into question the
freedom of conscience guaranteed to all
under our constitution; it can be justi-
police prerogative for the protection of
public safety.
The 1888 agents and correspondents
of the New York Life Insurance COM
pany have been polled by the president
of that company for an expression Of
opinion as to how the states in which
they reside will go In November, and
the returns indicate an electoral plur-
ality for Mckinley Of 55 There Is no
doubt that this tabulation underesti-
mates McKinley's strength.
Mulberry street is already one of the
axial throughfares of the city and it's
usefulness is bound to increase with the
city's growth. 1t should be we'll paved.
There Is nothing more noticeable in
this campaign than tho steady growth
In felicity and appropriateness Of
Major McKinley's front porch speeches.
Down in Philadelphia we suppose
they now call him bolting Crow. Alas
that no good man should be led SO
fOolish1v aatravl