The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-01-02
Mr.. Edd,,s Tea Jackets.

truth Is stranger lnah ucllohF anu TT =
.Iso a fact that things which happen in
real life are often funnier than the widest
imagination Of he humorist. Mark Twain
in his palmlest days Tom Hood, Charles
Dickens-none of that royal order OF fun
makers could have conceived anything
more exqujsitely humorous 4han letter
which appears in the Christian Science
Sentinel for December 81 This IS il:
Believe. ] ask this favor Of al Christian spicn-
lists. po noe send to me ON, before, or after the
forthcoming holidays sught material, except three
tea I5csc;.-sU msy contribute Go these pEc
learns Co value material things ONLY a. enc needs
thgm: ami the go-tiir-t things are those o.
one needs least Among Iav present need. ma
tarial IlC-a Jackets. Two of dalkl~t heavy
six. she snaLs auUTU PIRATE to white hair The
third u thick satin, lighter shade, but Huiieientl
SsuIiIc- Nos. 7 and O." De common sense jackets
for mother tu work in 1ud not 0verrrmmcd D..
any means. No. 8 tor h-.t. sucn she eau al
fond Ion hrr draw ing room.
~ NARY BAKER EDDY.
There was society once which made n
business Of providing flannel undcrgar-
ments for the Inhabitants Of equatorial
Africa. There was another which gave its
time and money 20 the collection and hem
ming Of haudkcrchiefs for the use of the
little sayagss i'm the 1acronesian Islands.
And there was man. one of the aclusiut-
auces Of the late Mr.. GuIlivor. who gave
much earnest thought To- the problem Of
extracting sunshine from cucumbers. But
all these unconscious humorisls are over
Swallowed by the extraordinary talents Of
Nrs Mary Baker Eddy
Mrs. Eddy believes as most people un-
dsrs,auI her doctrines. that the human
body is not subject 10 what are generally
known as the laws of matter. She believes
tdat IL q man falls down stairs and breaks
his leg tho bones may knit without as
sisJance. that the microbes which cause
contagious diseases will refrain from e. Or
mischiCvou- work in the case OF true
believer. that burned and scalded flesh
viii heal without the aid u pouitiees II
properly treated with prayer. that dis
eased tis-Ges Will be replaced with healthy
ones II the cwncs has sufficient faith. in
fact. that there is no such thing as dis
ease unless ore thinks so. II is not def
nitely known whether she believes that a
man can grow a new limb. like a Crust8-
ceaH. If he loses a leg or arm in The jaws
. Of a machine or a bear. but that would
be the logical result of that Kind "
thought. If prayer can supe-sedc the laws
OF nature and create an iafnitcsimaI cell.
it ought to be able to create a million cells
ana replace q lost hand foot or head
But # appears that the power Of prayer
cannot or does net create tea jackets. II
also seems that the strength Of Mrs.
Eddys will is not sufficient % convince
her that she has the Jackets. She says
that one learns to value material things
only as one needs them. Precisely in hat
way the ordinary person values his fody
because he has need of it. When he slips
on a piece Of treachcrous ice and breaks
his bones, he becomes acUteIy conscious
that he needs those bones in his business.
just as Mrs Eddy is conscious that she
needs three tea Jackets. In the case OF
. the bones, Mrs. Eddy tells him TO lie stHl
in the snow and pray and the bones viii
be made whole II his faith is not strong
enough. be is 10 call one or two Christian
Scientists and add their faith to- his own
at so much an hour. In course of time his
bones which are not material. will be
knitted together by q miracle. and q num-
Der Of greenbacks, which are material
Will pass from his pocket TO that of his
healer" without any miracle. The ques-
ton which the average public would like
to have settled is how one is 10 distinguish
between material and immaterial things.
and why money ana tea Jackets should be-
long to the one class and the human body
20 the other. Another mysterious thing
is that cures are sometimes said 20 be
effected by absent treatment" when the
/ healer does not make his appearance but
brings his viii power to bear on the pa
| tient from afar. Could not the colossal
/ power OF Mrs. Eddy's mind have been
/ brought to bear on the nearest dry goods
| store. so that those tea jackets could have
! been sent her by special delivery at once;
/ Why follow the cumbersome method OF
| advertising her wants in the papers?