The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-03-11

/
The Seekers" by Stanley Waterloo, is
a novel which deals with Christian Science,
subject which has been handled rather
| gingerly by the average writer Of fiction
! Some time ago it was reported that MT
| Waterloo was gathering material ior a
| story on this subject and the bookmen
waited with considerable interest TO see
what his brain would evolve. since it was
reasonably certain that his view would be
unpreiudiced.
The result is In some ways disappolnt-
| ing. The Seekers does not compare in
artistic merit with Eggleston's The Faith
| Doctor" the only previous novel Of any
consequence which has dealt with this mai
ter nor is IL equal to "A Man and
Woman" whose rugged strength and
wholesome atmosphere caused Mr.. Water
loo to take a place in American literature.
| Scraps Of it are bright and amusing, and
the view taken OF the subject is sane and
| healthy. but the story as a whole is shad-
owy and badly jointed. There is no sub
tlety OF character drawing, and not much
plot.
All the same. the book is worth read
ing if only for the pieces of it that are
good. We have one delicious episode in the
career OF Billy Dodge. a small boy who
tian Scientists and became imbued with the
doctrine SO far as TO fix his mind upon .
thought" when he undertook to fight an
other boy bigger than himself. He Won
and became a firm adhereBt of the 'sys-
tenn" carrying bits Of paper about his
person with thoughts written upon them
He was convinced that by holding the
thought he could have what he called
"the bulge" on his antagonist. At first he
used prepared quotations:
Fight the good fight.
Never give MP.
He never fails who dies in a good cause
Never say die.
But later he changed his plan:
He discovered that most of the scientists in the
house who held thought themselves prepared
their own little bit Of manuscript TO be carried
and read during the day, and that the text was
made TO apply TO their special needs. Billy,
aiter much meditation concluded that this was
The thing for him, ard with great travail he
composed and wrote out the new texts which
he should carry constantly and which should be
his hulwarE Here they are:
Reich hold prompt and hang on.
Strike from The shoulder.
When you get good thing keep it-keep it,
When You get a black cat, skin it TO the tail.
But presently Billy encountered a boy
who had been camping in the woods with
party Of young men, and had been taught
by them the principles of self-defence. |
The result was sad-for Billy. When he |
had been taken home, put to bed, and /
ministered to by his mother a deyout !
Scientist he opened his mind TO her.
"No more holdip' the thought and an that |
I'm through. Mad too much That's what done I
me up. Il ] hadn't been irving TO think that /
blamed thought. I'D a. seen jim comm
"Bu'. WHY eNpo>lulsted Mrs. Dodge, you !
.,tIaId ,,.1ti,,',, s,;l p;u, IL .---,. al a.. !
I'M, 80 strs;ri i ,Ii, III ~ IN a"I ~
saiu' fo have No more nonsense CiI1r,c o,ir:Te
hell. a gold basis. and capital punishment! /
That's my platform from this on. I'm soin' to
"ok mp a eood sunday school tomorrow IN
.;ui' WIN sieel1' on H. "Bu s,llg'' regular
&C. ~ - m I'M
.ecn Srrdav HE = COL 90,
'lhere IS considerable fuu scattered