Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1902-02-28
SCIENCE" AND QUARANTINE.


The arrest Of prominent Christian
Scientist lady VI this city for the al
legged violation vi q health ordinance
IL IN line with "a practice
followed In some other cities OF the
country II In a matter Of regret that
sometimes 1t becomes necessary to re-
sort 10 acts that may easily be con
strued as persecution Not long ago
Christian Science was the subject OF
discussion In German government cir
cles, and the conclusion was very
wisely arrived at, not to employ force
against It, but combat It. as far as pos
slble, by spiritual means This certain
iy is the correct attitude
But Christian Scientists should con
slider that the great majority Of the
public believe, on what they consider
sufficient grounds. that sickness Is a
very serious matter, and that some
diseases are contagious The public be-
leye they are justified IN prescribing
certain rules for the prevention Of the
spread Of such diseases, and they eN-
rect these rules 10 be observed by all
And when the rules are violated, 1t Is
difficult to see what course Is open TO
the authorities, but prosecution, Quar-
sntine regulations are none too strictly
observed What would the condition
be II they were not enforced at all?
We may possibly he told that all this
sickness and contaglon Is merely a mat
ter Of imagination, but even II this
were true, It would make no difference.
II one family lmagnes itself afflicted
with scarlet fever, and the Imagination
is 80 strong that It produces high tenn
rerature, eruptlons and other symp.
toms and other families imagine them
selves In danger by contact with the
patients, II Is clearly the duty Of the
afflicted parties to keep isolated for
lime. lest through imagination others
should elsO be the victims of fever,
Whether sickness Is an actually exist.
ing condition, or not has nothing to do
with the question Of quarantine The
Scientists may possibly have a better
understanding Of matters pertaining to
health and disease than the general,
benlghted public has, but even n that
Is true. they should. for the sake Of
the public that know no better than
to believe that diseases can be
caught submit to the rules adopted
for the prevention Of their spread
The Christian Scientists have accom-
plished wonders during the past fifteen
years. They have drawn TO their sup
port half million people, or more
chiefly from churches the leaders of
which do not believe In divine healing
Many OF them are highly educated and
intelligent men and women They have
organized congregations all over the
world and built churches ranging In
cost from 81 900 TO 100000 They have
more than 10000 practitioners and
they claim to have restored hundreds
Of thousands to health happiness and
hope and they assert that they heal
the sick through the power Of the AL
mighty without the aid Of medicine.
To ordinary people faith In the di.
vine power does not preclude the use
Of such means as experience and re-
search suggest We may have faith,
but we do not expect TO sustain life
without proper nourishment We do
not expect to cross oceans and conti-
nents without the use OF railroads, or
ships, or some other means OF convey
ance We use clothing and fuel
against the rigor Of u cold climate,
We SOW, " we intend 20 reap, We
study, IL our purpose is 60 become pro-
hcitnt IN any line of knowledge And
with all this we may exercise faith,
Why. then, should we follow an entirely
different course when the body on ac-
count of the arrangement OF its Won
dertui machinery needs special atten-
zion? The divine source Of NE and
health is not denied But that faith
Is not opposed TO the wise use Of the
knowledge man possesses, nor to or
binary precaution. Our Lord himself
employed means for certain ends, even
in the healing OF the sick.
II never rains but A SHOWS