The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1901-02-22

has done in SO many other instances, she
may do again in this one. Count voI
Waldersee is not likely to disband his
expedition and sell his carts and camels
until quite assured that the Court has full
filled its undertakings.
State Control of Christian Science.
correspondent of the New York Sun
has made what he evidently considers an
adequate plea for Christian Science He
points out the fact that homeopathy was
at one time not recognized as regular. ''
and wants to know why Christian Science
may not in time be on the same footing.
He says:
The State cannot assume TO say how person
is to be cured Of disease. and what medicines he
shall taEe. without consulting the inciinatious of
that individual State official cannot deny che
sick the right to call in whsteyer physician they
desire. There time when the only regular
physician belonged to the school of allopathy
Bigotry and greed and narrow views gave way
under pressure, until the practitioner of home
opathy and the eclectic were grudyingly adj
mitted to be just as regular as their elder
brethren of the original school
Gay not hope for enlargement of the
ouliCok life and suffering humanity, which
will acknowledge that Christian Science has its
Place, that It has done much good. both morally
and physically. and in Gods good government
is just a regular any system OF materia
medica? An appeal TO the results accomplished
by Christian Science shows that it IS entitled
to recognition as a remedial agent and
system of healing The Christian Scientist is
just precise in his diagnosis as the medical
practitioner. except that the Christian Scientist
seeks the cause Of the disease. some mortal
thought. and destroying That. destroys the e.
feet. the disease itself. The mental diagnosis
Of the Christian Scientist IS searching and
EaainstsElng Is the material diagnosis OF the
regular doctor.
ut would not benefit the Christian Scientist
to take u course of study in a medical college
if he were lett free 10 continue the practice of
divine metaphysics when he graduated. The
weakness p such an argument muSi he apparent.
The community would be no more secure than
they are now, and they are not menaced row by
Christian Scientists.
Laws pertaining to sanitation and reporting
CONTAGIOUS diseases are obeyed hy Christian Sci
entists, and history does not contain incident
showing that the practice OF Christian Science
spreads disease. The Christian Scientist asks only
to be allowed to follow the dictates Of his own
conscience, to obey the Scriptures, and the
higher law Of spirit. and he Will not be found
wanting in obedience to such human laws
imposed upon his fellows
There is a gap in this argument which
is tolersbly obvious. At present there is
no recognized standard by which the
Christian Scientist can be judged and held
responsible. There is no school from
which he can bring a certificate that he
has medical knowledge, or even common
sense Any person, educated or unedu-
Gated, fool or wise, is at liberty to set
up as a healer" and there is no way for
the State or anybody else to know
whether he is a healer or merely killer
There is no means OF holding him respon-
sible for neglect or malpractice. For ell
that Christian Science has to say, he may
not even understand the nature of the
complaint he is trying to cure. Under the
present conditions of the practice of the
so-called science of health, there is moth
ing to prevent any person INSCRIPTIONS
enough to do so from administering poison
TO a patient, or committing any other
crime within the power of physician.
The healer is not recognized by the medi-
cal associations. by the great scientists of
the world, or by any known authority ex-
cent mis- own. He claims more things than
the world ever saw claimed before by any
one except an Indian medicine man or a
vocdoo doctor. and but few of these things
have come to pass. 10 medical school has
yet seen broken bone healed by faith.
though the followers of Mrs. Eddy have
repeatedly declared that this can be done.
No clinic has had ar opportunity to expe-
riment on any patient. supposed to be
made insensible to pain through faith
The advocates Of homeopathy won their
case by making cures, and making them in
a way which could be explained so that
scientific men would understand it. and
that is the only road for the Christian
Scientist to follow if he wants his theories
accepted by the world. There is little
bigotry in science. The competition is
too keen. the rivalry too intense 1t is
TO the interest of every physician to know
all that he can OF his business.
The assertion made in the last para
graph of this letter, that Mrs. Eddy's fol- |
lowers obey the laws of sanitation and re- |
port contagious diseases, is not true.
Sometimes, certainly, they report cases of |
diphtheria and smallpox. but there are |
dozens of instances where the thing was |
not done till the eontagion had spread In |
this city and in Chicago epidemics Of scar
let fever have been due in part to this |
deliberate defiance of the quarantine reg
ulaticns.
clans Of today that doctrine so palpably
in contradiction of common sense is true
They will need proof. and a good deal of
It at that. They will also need to see
some evidence that the Christian Science
healer has some responsible body behind
him. which will discriminate between
those who are supposed to be fit to heal
and those who are not, for it is perfectly
patent that as the doctrine stands any
fool is at liberty to handle or mishandie
a patient and plead case OF conscience
II Mrs. Eddy or anybody else, ever goes
before an assembiage of New York ply
sicians and proves, to their satisfaction
that broken bones, burns, diphtheria.
smallpox, broken-down clocks, and worn