The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-08-13
Christian Science.

To the Editor of the St. Paul Globe:
In the editorial columns Of your issue
Of May e. while admitting that Usually
the Christian scientists are harmless. and
frequently they derive much benefit from
| the practice Of their belief" you 90 on
to say: THE occasional result is that
they allow a sick person to suffer and
perhaps die, when the ordinary attention
or competent medical man would have
afforded relief. and, perhaps, saved life.
Ihis Is the practical side Of Christian sci
ence, and 1t IS rendered dark and danger
Gus when In such cases the disease hap
pens to be Of infectious character. and
the community is endangered by the FAIL
Ure to adopt proper measures to prevent
contagtOn. When It attemDts TO
deal with actual sickness, such as organic
or infectious diseases, then II IS high time
for the active interference of the police"
Evidently you have been misinformed Of
the teachings and practice Of Christian
! science, and am sure you will gladly al
| low me space to undo the wrong which
| you have thus unwittingly done.
First, as to contagious diseases Chris
| tan scientists are taught obedience to the
laws, including the laws relative to con-
tagfous diseases, and they are taught not
only not to disobey, but not even to an
tagontzs the same, and more than this
they are taught to give their cordial and
loyal cooperation and support to the pub
| Tic ohlcers having these matters in charge
CHRISTIAN science IS of itself q preventive
| and destroyer of contagfOn: but II has
been well said that Even a perfect meth
| Cd will not bring perfect results until its
adherents learn to use It perfectly" and
| IT, In a given instance, a Christian sci
! enlist has failed to realize It's full protec-
| ton, and If thus case Of contagious dis
| ease obtains a foOthOld in his household
| he is taught not only to report such case
! to the health office, just as a citizen NJ
! other religious or medical beliefs would
90 put TO go further than this, and PIT
! uently and at whatever Inconvenience IN
himself to conform to the letter and In
! the spirit Of the constitutional and legal
! requirements of the powers that be- To
Illustrate. In Minneapolis a Christian sci
! enlist was treating a case in which there
appeared certain symptoms Of smallDox
| Immediately a physician was called to
diagnose the case, In order that 1t might
! be duly reported If IL should prove tn he
smallpox. The physician pronounced the
case smallpox, and It was thereupon at
! once reported to the Minneapolis health
! department This was not all for the
| proper authorities were also given the
names and addresses OF all who might
by any possibility have been exposed to
the contagton. in order that not merely
| the letter, but the spirit of the law might
be obeyed. This case was treated ana
| healed, subject to the legal Quarantine
! by absent treatments in Christian sci
| ence
If some Christian scientists are unwige
and thoughtless In word or act, we should
remember that there are such people in
| every system of religion and Of medicine
! and, IN common fairness, we should not
Judge Christian scientists IN general by
! such people.
To those who believe in the use Of ma
| terial remedies only, a reliance upon
! Christian science treatment may seem to
| be neglect; but It is reliance upon the
power of God, as taught and practical
! by Jesus, his apostles and the early
Christians. Even the apostles of Jesus
sometimes failed to heal as in the case
described In the seventeenth chapter OF
Matthew; and although this power IL
not fully understood and utilized TO-DAY
yet the advocates OF power less than
God have, to speak moderately pothino,
safer and surer to offer. Most Of those
who turn to Christian science for helm
are those who have failed 20 find relief
from material remedies, and whose cases
nave been pronounced hopeless under tho
so-called laws Of matter. The wonder -
therefore, not that all such are not heal.
ed, but that any OF them get we'll A n
matter OF fact IN large majority Of
cases, Christian science heals the Datient
and we firmly believe that an honest and
earnest following of Jesus teachings and
example will ultimately lead us into all
truth. At all events, the unrestricted
right to pray and to be prayed for is one
of the constitutional liberties Of the FIRE,
American citizen.
Albert Edes Smith
August 10. 1900