The herald., 1896-12-13

the Christian science healer gives to all
patients. The prescription costs from
50 cents to $5-sometimes more and
sometimes less.
Christian science, mental science Is a
better name, will be found at its last an
alysis to teach that the mind which can
so impress another mind that it believes
all is Illusion, except spirit, which is
Intangible, it can be made to believe
that moral standards are illusions. or
the Impressed may feel secure in going
down into the depths Of the sea and stay
ing there, for the water of the sea is IL
fusion and the danger Of drowning fall
lacy. When standards of morality are
admitted to be illusions. and the possibil-
ity Of a person drowning is believed to
be "falsity," the range of the conduct
Of the impressed is absolutely within
bounds set by the mind that does the
impressing-the healer.
These propositions are not illusions,
but cold, substantial facts that Christian
science itself proves with as much clear
ness and certainty as the solution of a
mathematical problem could be made
clear and certain by demonstration. 1t
is doubtless true that Christian scier-
fists generally are people of as high
character as the average members of
other schools of philosophy and religion.
but the fact remains, nevertheless, that
pain, sickness, death, trees, flowers, the
earth and the worlds of God are very FAR
from being illusions.
Thousands of years before the Chris
tian era, Manu-, the Hindoo metaphy-
sician and law-giver taught that Brahm,
or God, is a spirit. and that all things are
spirit. When asked how that could be,
when all things that are perceptible to
answered: "Ah, what you call substance
is Illusion" OF course, so wise and so
great a man could not be contradicted,
but the people continued firm in the be-
lief that when a fellow is thrown to the
pavement by a banana peel he strikes
a very substantial reality, and although
Brahmin priests teach to this day the
doctrine of the unreality of what are
called material things. they eat and
drink and are as fond of all the other
illusions" as our Christian scientists
are.
But Manu- Of old and Christian scien-
fists of today to the contrary notwith-
standing. material things are not illu-
sions, and, moreover, but for tangible
substances man would have no use for
mind. Matter and mind are necessarily
coexistent There could not be mind
without something to employ itself upon.
If there were no things for the mind to
think about, there would be no thoughts,
nor could there be matter without mind
to cognize it, 1t is matter because the
mind apprehends 1t. The falling tree
in the forest produces no sound unless
there be ears to apprehend 1t. If there
are no material substances, If there are
no such things as disease microbes, If
there Is no pain, nc death, no grave, no
sandstorms, no board bills-if they all
are mere illusions-then mind is itself
an illusion. and we are not at all.
Rather is it true that all things are
manifestations of God and are God. That
is to say, natural law is God and it is al
so true that natural law always admin
listers itself beneficently. 1t never in
jures anything. It never makes mis-
takes. 1t operates in love and tender
ness for the good Of the bowfder in the
mountain and the archangel in Paradise.
Natural law cannot be broken and when
man runs counter to it, it is the man,
not the law, that is broken. If he suffers
mentally or physically, 1t is because
natural law has been antagonized, and
he has gotten the worst of l.. Existence
is reality and all things that enter into
1t are realities. Cowper's mind, like his
stomach, was under the influence of in
digestion when he said: "This world is
all a heeting show for mans illusion
given," and the same ailment is the
warp and woof Of the philosophy Of
Christian science.