The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1900-10-07
MARK TWAIN ON CHRISTIAN SCIENCE
Disciple the Famous Humoris
When He Had Broken Some Arms, Legs and One
Thing Another.

emotion usable when her tail is trodden
on which for a moment joins cat and
Christians il one common brotherhood
Of
She broke in with an irritated-
Peace! The cat feels nothing, the
Christian feels nothing. Your empty and
foolish imaginings are proclamation and
blasphemy and can do you an injury. 1t
is wiser and better and holier to recognize
and confess that there is no such thing
as disease or pain or DEATH
Il am full of imaginary tortures," |
said, but l do not think 1 could be any
more uncomfortable if they were real
ones What must l do to get rid of
then, ?''
There IS no occasion to get rid of
them, since they do not exist. They are
illusions propagated by matter, and mat
ter has no existence: there is no such
thing IS natter
"It sounds right and clear. but yet it
seems in a degree elusive; it seems to slip
getting a grip on it,
Explain"
"Well, for instance: if there is no such
thing as matter. how can matter propa-
gate things? ?"
In her compassion she almost smiled.
She would have smiled if there were any
such thing as a smile.
''It is quite simple she said; "the fun
damental propositions of Christian Sci
ence explain it, and they are summarized
in the four following self-evident propo-
sitions: /. Cod is All in all. 9. God is
good. Good is Mind. 8. God Spirit, being
ALL nothing is matter f. Life, God. om-
nipotent Good, deny death, evil. sin. dis
ease. There-Now you see."
1t seemed nebulous: it did not seem to
say anything about the difficulty in hand
how non existing matter can propagate
illusions. l said with some hesitancy:
"Does-does It eXDlain?"
Doesn't it? Even il read backward ii
Will do ="
With a budding hope. I asked her to
do it backward.
VERY we'll. Disease sin evil death deny
Good omnipotent God life matter is moth
ing all being Spirit God Mind is Good good
is God all in All is God. There-do you
understand now?"
''It-it-well, it is palmer than it was
DeIOFe- SltlI -
'We.l?"
"Culd you try it some more ways ,"
'As many as you like; it always means
the same. Interchanged in any way you
please, it cannot be made to mean any
thing different from what It means when
put in any other way. Because it is per-
feet. You can tumble it all up, and ii
makes no difference it always comes out
the way it was before. 1t was a mar
velous mind that produced it. AS men
tai tour de force it is without a mate,
it defes alike the simple, the concrete
and the occult.
"It seems to be a corker''
1 blushed for the word, but it was out
before l could stop it.
"A WHAT"
"a wonderful structure-combinatio sc
to speak, of profound thoughts-unthink-
able oneS-un''-
ut is true. Read backwards. or for
wards, or perpendicular, or at any given
angle these four proposition will always
be found to agree in statement and
PROOF"
"Ah-proof. Now we are coming at it.
The statements agree; they are with
with-anyway, they agree; / noticed that;
but what is it they prove-I mean, in par
t;cular?"
why, nothing could be clearer. They
prove: l. God-Principle, Life. Truth
Love, Soul, Spirit Mind. Do you get
that?"
"I-well I seem to. Go on, please.
"2 Man-Gods universal idea, indi-
vidual, perfect. eternal. Is it clear?"
Tt think so. Continue"
49, Idea-An image of Mind the i'm
mediate object of understanding. There
it is-the whole sublime Arcara of Chris
tian Science in nutshell. Do you flnc
a weak place in it anywhere?"
"Well-no it seems strong"
every we'll There is more. Those
three constitute the Scientific Definition o.
immortal Mind. Next, we have the Scien-
tifc definition of Mortal Mind. Thus, FRS
Degree: Depravity. 1. Physical-Passion:
and appetites, fear, depraved will, pride
envy, deceit, hatred, revenge, sin, disease
death"
"Phantasms, madam-unrealities, as
understand e.
Every one. Second Degree: Evil Dis
appearing. l. Moral-IIonesty, affection
compassion, nope, Ialln, meekneSS, tenn
perance. Is it clear?'
"Crvstal.'
Third Degree: Spiritual Salvation
l. Spiritual-Faith, wisdom. power, pur
ity, understanding, health, love. You see
how searchingly and co-ordnately inter
dependent and anthropomorphus it all is
In this Third Degree, as we know by thu
revelations of Christian Science, morta
mind disappears"
Not earlier?"
mo, not until the teaching and prepa
ration for the Third Degree are com
nleted"
| "It is not until then that one is enabled
to take hold of Christian Science effect
lively, and with the right sense of sym
pathy and hnship, as | understand you
That is to say, it could not succeed during
the processes of the Second Degree, be
cause there would still be remains of mine
left; and therefore-but / interruptet
you. You were about to further explain
the good results proceeding from tn
! erosions and disintegrations effected b.