Daily Kennebec journal., 1897-01-18

ard of value).
A philosophy, the corner stone Of
Whlch involves such ludicrous ideas
wheh followed TO their logical conclu
sioi'' II seems to me does not appeal to
the highest exercise of the rational
faculty
=. sin has no more reality than
matter. The belief of sin which has
grown terrible in strength and influence
Is an unconscious error, in the begin
hihg an embryotic thought without mo-
1--WE, tScience and Health" page 81,
All SIN IS insanity in different degrees
every sort Of sickness is a de-
gree OF insanity, that is, sickness is al
ways hallucination," (tScience and
Health" page 406) This breaks down
all moral distinctions. The man who
petrays a woman's trusting love and
the helplessly insane who throws his
shoe at his keeper are on the same level
and should be treated accordingly.
This seems to me enough to raise the
Indignation of the most tolerant against
q mistaken sentimentalism which would
rob society Of the moral energy essen
tlal to guard the gates of it's own life.
8. Man has no personally. therefore
is but one person because there is but
one God. His personality can only be
reflected not transmitted" C'Science
and Health" page So NAM. THAT
which has no separate mind from God"
c'Science and Health, page 471) THAT
which possesses no life, intelligence or
creative power of his own" (''Science
and Health" page 400
tic.
idea of sin does not kill responsibility
THIS OF course does. Men are no more
responsible for their lives then the
waves of the sea or the falling mass of
rock. L would rather accept the life
of conscious, personal, responsible strug
gle with only the possibility of keeping
my face toward the sunlight of a free
personal obedience to a personal God
than become a part of an ocean of
eternal peace which is robed of all free
dom and sense of personal triumph. l
would rather have the occasional smile
and loving recognition of even a
wandering boy than the peaceful show
of whole cargo of diapers. dummies,
or endless mirrowed reflections of my
self even if l could boast the moral
beauty of a God and the physical
symetry which ought to match it. This
drivilling attempt to exalt the eternal
Father by tearing the crown of glory
from the brow of his SHINING. suffering
yet hoping and aspiring child is neither
religious nor moral, but insanity run
riot. To people heaven with imperSonal
reflections of Deity is to make God
guilty of an intense SeltiShneSs and to
inflict on tim the coWardice ofrefusing
to world of free conscious souls the
freedom that in large measure con-
stitutes the joy and Divinity of His own
being. | am aware that the language
of much of this book Science and
Health appears to be in the opposite
direction to what 1 have indicated, but
if the corner stones of it's philosophy
are true. this appearance can only be
''as molasSeS to cath flies There is
much in the book that is good anG
Christian and true, but the same truth
is already being proclaimed by press
and pulpit and l have not thought ii
essential to emphasize it here. That is
my business every day of the week and
every week of the year. | have only
drawn attention to those ideas in which
this so-cailed science claims distinc-
ton superior to that of other philoso-
phical systems of truth.
AS to healing disease, Christian
Science faith cure, mental healing ano
some patent medicines all claim about
the same results and all can be eX-
planned by what intelligent persons
recognize and none more truly than ouI
educated physicians of both schools
the power of hypnotism. The severe
scram BILE for the material consideration
which evidently animates many of oui
Christian Science friends in their eff
forts to heal the sick, when, in so many
cases. money before cure is the law
does not compare very favOrably with
the average physician who aid pool
and rich alih e-to say nothing of the
sacred name of Jesus these people are
supposed to reverence. This book
Science and Health is written in such
a style that it does for number of
minds Especially Historically inclined
oersons) in their relation to hypnotism
what the plough does for the soil in its
relations to such.
A man can hypnotise himself just as
truly as he can be hypnOtised by an
other.
1t seems to me that considering the
evil effects of this power over the will,
the time has come when its exercise
shall he prohibited, except in certain
cases when its beneficence is updls-
puted.
So far as this book Science and
Health" is concerned, read it; but read
it along with such books as Harris
philosophical Basis of Theism;' Self
Revelation of Cod" God Creator and
Lord of All" Momeriz's Belief in
Cod" Personality" Basis of Re-
ligion:" "Agnosticism:" Green's Pro
lesomena to Ethics:" Hyde's Outlines
of Social Theology" Ladd's "Psychol-
ogy, Descriptive and Explanatory; or
the more simple works of Prof. James.
Read. according to rational system of
Interpretation, the Sacred Scriptures
and. in the affairs of life, humbly obey
! according to your power the words and
life of Jesus of Nazareth, and | will
risk vo,lr erratic flights into such ludi-