The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1899-07-07
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE FAD.

celVlng pamphlets and circulars issued
by the Christian Science Publishing
Company, with request that we should
give them notice in the CHRONICLE.
This we have hitherto refrained from do
ing because there is SO little of common
sense in their literature that it is not
worthy of any serious comment Late
ly, however, the subject has become
prominent, on account of the unenviable
notoriety some of the Scientists" have
acquired in connection with cases of
deaths resulting from want of medical
care on the part of their friends, who
have been ensnared by the farrago Of
nonsense known as Christian Science.
Christian Science has as its founder
and chief exponent Mrs Mary Baker
Eddy, who receives almost divine honor
from her deluded followers. Mrs. Baker
does not claim that she herself is divine,
though she says: 81 can discern in the
human mind thoughts, motives and pur-
poses and neither mental arguments
nor psychic power can affect this spirit
ual insight. 1t is as impossible to pre-
vent this native perception as to open the
door of room and then prevent man
who is not blind from looking into the
room and seeing all that it contains. 1t
has enabled me to heal in a marvellous
manner, to be just in judgment, to learn
the divine Mind it cannot be
abused; no evil can be done by reason
of it. If the human mind communicates
with me in sleep, when l awake this
communication is as palpable as words
audibly spoken" She also says that her
book, "Science and Health. is not the
work Of human hand. She claims that
thousands have been cured Of disease by
simply reading it. It contains the flag
end of half dozen ancient scientific and
theological heresies which have been
proven false ages ago. These have been
strung together with no regard to rhyme
or reason, and the result is ridiculous
beyond description.
The baseless idea on which Mrs. Eddy
builds her airy notions is that "God
never created matter" that nothing we
can say or believe regarding matter is
true, save that matteris unreal" AS our
bodies, therefore, have no real existence.
sin, sickness and death are Exclusions. !"
A man may apparently be sick, but he
is sick only in his own imagination and
the imagination of others. Mrs. Eddy
realizes that it takes great deal of in
credulity and ignorance to believe this,
and says, "ae who is ignorant of hy-
gienic law is more receptive of spiritual
power"
One difficulty experienced by the Sci
entists is that it is little hard for them
to believe in their own doctrine when
anything ails themselves. They are
many of them like the little boy running
from the billy goat. When his mother
reproved him, and reminded him that he
was Christian Science boy, he replied,
Eyes, but the billy-goat does not know
it," We knew Scientist once who
rose from the table where she had been
vigorously asserting that the whole pro-
cess of disease was mental, to hide in a
dark closet because of thunderstorm.
To meet the case of those who are thus
"weak" Mrs. Eddy has arranged that
some of the stronger brothers snd sisters
shall act as "healers,' charging of course
a number of apparent" dollars. The
services rendered may be illustrated by
a recent case at Crawford. A cow be-
longing to Scientist" fell sick, and
Mrs See, 'healer" whose ministrations
have brought about the death of at least
one person, was called in. She went to
the barn and prayed Then she read
some of Mrs. Eddy's book to the COW.
She told the COW it was not the DEVILS
COW but Mrs IS COW, and offered
it wisp of hay which she called ''heav-
emily hay" The COW, having more sense
than the healer, refused to eat and was
removed to the healer's barn for further
treatment.
If space permitted we could give spec
linen after specimen of the foolishness
INDUCED in by these fanatics in the
name of science. OF course people are
free to believe as they please, but the law
should DO vigorously enforced against
the charlatans who call themselves
healers, SO that human life may be pro-
tected.
1t will readily be seen from the above
that this is not science. Neither is it
Christianity, as we may gather from the
following christian Scientists regard
Christ Jesus as the crown and glory of
Gods creation. In him all that is wor-
thy among men finds complete fulfil
ment. He is the great physician, who.
through the understanding of infinite
Mind, healed all manner Of diseases. He
is the high-priest, who, through the
knowledge of the power of Spirit, first
scientifically destroyed sin in all its
forms"
To them Jesus Christ is not the Saviour
of the world, but only the first great
healer His own sufferings for lost