The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1900-04-22
Arguments for Christian Science.

Arguments for Christian Science.
The remarks of Mr.. W A burlington on
the subject of Christian Science, publ he'd a
few days ago in the New York sun have
been answered by an indignant Scientist.
Mr. burlington asked five questions, which
he desired any representative of the cult
to answer from personal experience. They
were:
''What course would you or Mrs. Eddy adopt in
any OF the following cases:
"(a) Walking along the street. brick falls
from above and cuts your head, causing the blood
TO flow?
OBJ child at the table swallows fshbone,
and is in peril OF strangulation2
"(c) Your child Is riding in a street car and a
person with continent smallpox sits down beside
it?
Id A child in the street is run down by a
cable and bleeds from a severed artery?
'(e) baby falls from a window and fractures
its skull?'
Mr. W. A. Mattox, Christian Scientist,
writes long letter in reply to this. He
gives an instance of the alleged stopping
of the flow of blood by purely mental
means. a lady was thrown from a car,
and her face severely cut. She was treated
by Christian Scientist 1t is said that
the flow of blood was quickly checked
but a surgeon came and sewed up the
cuts. Anaesthetics were not used. The
average person of middle age will prob
ably be able to remember cases in which
painful operations were performed with
out the aid of ether or chloroform, simply
because the patient had a superior quality
of nerve Mr.. Mattox considers that this
answers questions (a) and Id Whether
it does or not, the reader will determine.
He further says, in answer to the sec
ond question, that he has known of
case where a lady swallowed a chicken
bone, and dislodged it by no other means
that the understanding of Christian Sci
ence. Most people can remember swallow
ing bones, and getting them out OF the
throat without any particular trouble,
but they have not always had recourse to
Christian Science in order to do it.
Mr.. Mattox then states that if a child
were exposed to smallpox, it should be
treated as scarle. fever and like diseases
are treated, by mental means only" The
community will have to judge of the wis
dom of this. Here is a man who states
in an article published in reputable pa
per, that he does not believe in material
means for preventing the spread Of small
pox. If his child were exposed to this
disease. and subsequently showed symp-
toms of it, we infer that he would not
isolate it from other members of the fam
lily, nor would he report it TO the health
authorities. The other inmates of the
house would go back and forth 10 their
various engagements as usual. Some of
them might be vaccinated and thus es-
cape the infection; but that would not pre-
vent their carrying it in their clothes, and
giving it to others. more sensitive and less
completely protected. Ought not the COM
munity to guard itself against theory
which involves the wholesale dissemina-
ton of dangerous diseases? ...-...
Finally Mr. Mattox says that he ac-
cepts Mrs. Eddy's statement that she has
taken poison and has not been harmed,
just as he would accept Mr.. Purrington's
statement of a similar experience. This
indicates that Mr. Mattox is credulous tut
not that lie has very much sense. Il
man comes to us and says that he has
broken his leg and a surgeon treated him
with great success. We accept his state
ment. because we have known Of skillful
surgeons before; but if he says that his
leg Was cut off and new one grew in its
place. we do not put much faith in either
his common sense or his veracity. because
such things have not been seen in the
history of man. Thus, after the long OBJ
servation which people in general have
taken of the effects of deadly poisons.
nothing is going to convince the public
that Christian Scientists are exempt from
their influence. unless there is public
demonstration of the fact. in the pres
ence of several hundred credible witnesses.
The Charge d'Affaires of the United
States at Constanunople had an inter
view with the Sultan yesterday morn
ing; probably as a result Of the cable
message sent home by the Turkish Minis
ter in Washington the night before. Some
explanation of the Sultan's intentions may
be in hand today or tomorrow. The Ad-
ministration hopes that a settlement may
be in sight before the EcumenicaI Confer