The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1901-06-15
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE.
One Of Its Followers Cites Some
Historical Points.
70 the Editor Of the State journal.

/
duced a few. points of gossip which have
not been explained away, hence are
liable to leave a wrong impression
You say it was claimed that not Mrs
Eddy, but her Instructor, now deceased,
Phineas Parkhurst Quimby, founded
the system which she merely adopted
and extended. The Christian Scientist
naturally asks the question, If Mrs,
Eddy borrowed her ideas from this
gentleman, what did she do with them?
for they do not appear anywhere in her
writings. There is nothing in ancient
or modern PHILOSOPHERS or religions out
side of the teachings of Christ which
are in harmony with Christian Science.
It is well known to many who are nv-
ing today that Mr.. Guimby's method of
curing was to dip his hands in water
and manipulate his patients, which in
dicates that his method was purely
magnetical He is said to have had
peculiar ideas about disease and to have
been an advanced thinker, but he could
not have been q Christian Scientist, for
had he been he would have taught and
practiced this faith. I herein quote
from Christian Science History, by Sep
tin US J. Hanna, page 20 L have had
the privilege of reading we'll authenti-
Gated copies of DR.. Quimby'S manu-
script, and also extracts from his orig
inal pennings as published purporting
to be authentic; and can truthfully
say that no intelligent, unbiased per-
son, having any understanding or abil-
Science and Health with Key to the
Scriptures could for a single moment
be made to believe that there is the
slightest reseu blance between the two
That the author of the mighty spiritual
truths which formed the web and
wool of the Christian Science
textbook could have borrowed the
smallest ray of light from DR.. Quinby'S
lettings. however
torious in themselves, is too preposter-
Gus for a moments serious cOnsidera-
ton 1t IS quite manifest from Dr.
Quimby'S manuscript that his cOncep-
lions and those of the author of Science
and Health with Key to the Scriptures
are. as has been stated by another at
polar OppositeS-"
The following letter by Mrs. Eddy was
published in the Boston Traveller May
p, 1889, and also appears in Christian
Science History, page %: Mr.. Geo A.
Quimby, son of the late p P. Quimby,
over his own signature and before wit
nesseS, stated in 1888 that he had in his
possession at that time all the manu-
scripts that had ever been written by
his father And / hereby declare that
to expose the falsehOOd of parties pub
ncly intimating that I have appropri-
ated matter belonging to the aforesaid
C21imby, / will pay the cost of printing
and publishing the first edition of those
manuscripts with the authors name;
provided that I am allowed first to ex-
that they were his own compositions,
and not mine that were left with him
many years ago, or that they have not
since his death, in 1866, been stolen from
my published works Also that I am
given the right to bring out this one edi-
ton under the copyright of the owner
Of said manuscripts, and all the money
accruing from sales of said book shall be
paid to said owner Some Of his purpOrt-
ed writings quoted by Mr.. D. were my
own words. as near as can recollect
them
There is a great demand for my
work Science and Health with Key to
the Scriptures, hence Mr.. D-'s ex-
cuse for the delay to publish Qufmbys
manuscripts, namely, that this period is
not sufficiently enlightened to be bene-
flied by them % is lost, for if I have
copied from QuiTnby and my book is ac-
cepted, it has created a demand for his
Mr. Geo. A. Quimby declined to publish
the above named manuscripts.
The following was written by Mary
Baker G. Eddy and published in the
Christian Science Journal: Some years
ago, according to Christian Science
history. a Mr. ArenS plagiarized large
portions Of Mrs. Eddy's book. Science
and Health with Key to the Scriptures
Mrs. Eddy brought suit against him to
recover her property thus pirated. 1t
is stated that Arens in his answer al
legged that the copyrighted works OF
Mrs. Eddy were not original with her
but had been copied by her or her di-
rections from manuscript originally
composed by DIR. p. P Quimby. We viii
not enter into the details of the case.
but state in brief that Mr.. Arens failed
utterly to present evidence in support
of this claim. His books We're destroy
ed and he was placed under heavy
bonds not to repeat the offense.
Mrs. Eddy states that Or. Quimby
was magnetic practitioner; that she
asked him how manipulations could
benefit the sick. and he answered kind
" and squarely in substance, Because
it conveys electricity to them. That
was the sum of what he taught her of
his medical profession"
Mrs Eddy further states in a letter
to the Christian Science Journal. under
date of April %, 1899, Christian Science
history page Sc, When I advertised in
1887 that I would pay for publishing P.
P. Quimby's manuscripts, said manu-
scripts were Withheld from the public
Since then they have been handled and
compiled by those who have had oppor-
tunity to read my books, which may
account for his so-called book being
published What I have read of this
manuscript I regret to say. is disap-
pointing and misguiding." Judge Han
ma, commenting upon this subject,
writes: 1T is not vet explained how
Mrs Eddy could have developed from
the Quimby source a system of thought
radically different from it. To plagiar-
lie is to publish matter as ones own
what was written by another We arc
confronted by an unheard OF plagiar-
ism"
1t is stated Mrs Eddy without adj
ducing proof. makes certain affirma-
tions as to the spiritual side of man,
and leaves it to the Imagination of her
readers and disciples to supply the
missing link in her chain of evidence"
It is true that Christian Science is pure
" spiritual and deals with q, God who is
Spirit and a creation which is spiritual;
nevertheless. the textbook Science
and Health with Key to the Scriptures,
by Mary Baker G. Eddy. gives a def
mite. clear, comprehensive definition of
God as Spirit, Truth, Love; and, con
sequently teaches that man, His
image and likeness. is spiritual
hence not material The proof of
this Dronosition les in it's effects upon