The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-02-15


for pay is New York. In its legisla-
turc a measure is pending known as
the Bell bill, the purpose of which is
TO put a stop to what many people re-
gard as y-making humbuggery in
the gulse of faith cure. prayer cure,
divine healing and the like.
At Albany the other night the COM
mittee on public health gave hearing
TO the opponents of the bill. Many
eminent Christian Scientists were pres
ent and in their protests covered vari-
Gus phases of the subject: but we wish
TO direct attention especially to the
published reports of the testimony OF
Carroll f. Norton, who is we'll known
to Scrantonians as perhaps the ablest
expounder of the Eddy cult i'm the
field. Mr.. Norton was accompanied by
George +. kinter, of Buffalo, and the
testimony of these two, as currently
reported, is certainly interesting.
Mr.. kinter for eXample,-we follow
the New York Suns report-was asked
whether he had equal powers over sur
gical and medical diseases, to which
he replied Yes" He declared that he
had cured all kinds of diseases, even
the insane. He asserted that he could
cure by the absent" treatment,
through means of q telephone, tele-
gram or postal card, as well as If the
person was with him. He did this
simply by praying. Where there is a
failure he attributed it to the family
interfering by aiding the faith cure
with medicine, or the patient not hav-
ing complete faith. DR.. Van Fleet
asked Mr.. Kinter If he would treat
cerebral abscess, a fracture or small
pox by mental process. and he replied
that he would. After a whispering
with Mr.. Norton he added that he
would take a person suffering with a
broken bone to a surgeon. But some
| day we will have the power of mental
surgery" he declared Following Mr..
Kinter, Mr.. Norton offered some in-
| formation. Says the Sun:
| lie submitted afhdavits showing cures that had
been performed by Christian Scientists and also
| told Of what he had done in that line. lie said
| that by his mental treatment and without any
| other agency he had removed fshbone out of
child's throat
| DIR. Huber asked if he would treat a horse
| suffering with amc shoulder with linimcnt
| no, sir. ! have cured cows by the mental
treatment, and l would treat a dog, horse,
| or plant the | would human being
| by mental treatment
| Asked what he would do in case person
| cut an artery, he replied:
| "Scicnce teaches MS cleanliness and II | cut
| my hand | would put a piece Of plaster it
to prevent the dirt from getting in, and then
would use my mind TO stop inflammation or pois.
| onng. Why by the usc of my mind | have been
able to stop unusual flow OF blood in an in.
slant, This bleeding to death only exists in your
| mind. You have heard OF the student who was
told he was bleeding to death and they poured
water heated at blood temperature on his arm
and he died OF fright
| Mr.. Norton said he would use mental treat.
ncnt also to close vein artery that had
been severed lie recited an incident of a boy
| having gone down in the water for the third
| time, being under the water for fifteen minutes,
and laid on the dock apparently dead. Mr. Nor.
| ton said he Just went to work with his mental
| treatment and did not use any OF the agencies
that are generally employed in rcslscitatng
drowning persons, and alter half hour Of such
mental trcatmC mt the boy came TO life and be.
| gan to throw water of his stomach without
being rolled over a barrel or such other devices
common to eyerybody's mind
OF course, to persons eager to credit
the improbable, supernatural and pre-
| posterous, comment with respect to
such assertions is wasted. Their cra-
dulity, like the ailments of infancy,
must run its course. Put there ara
| persons in every community-thay ~
probably average majority-wlo,
| while disbelieving in fealse pretences,
yet have minds open to demonstrated
truth. Why not let them have proof
of Mr.. Norton's assertions? An easy
way TO establish his claim is
for him, in the presence of a COM
mittee of citizens. to cut his throat
and then by mental treatment, self
applied, knit together the severed
veins and arteries so as to he as good
as new.
When the logic of Chris tian Science
is thus carried home by the men who
gain their living by it, skepticism Is
bound to dwindle.
A gigantic production of Uncle