Evening journal., 1902-09-03
LETTERS FROM THE PEOPLE
"Mind Is Causailonn

80 NiA~ A@AAASA VI tAt ANNtlAAib 0OuAlAdii
Sir: The Christian Scientists, in COM
mon with others who read the editorial
Mind in Causation," in your paper this
Saturday evening will be amused with
the display Of witticisms contained in the
quotation from the New York Sun and the
editorial supplemental thereto.
But permit me to say with all frankness
that there appears a sense of indiscreet-
ness, not to say impropriety, in taking as
a basis for display Of humor, the admit
tedly benevolent act of a philanthropist.
DR.. Oliver Wendell Holmes wisely re-
minds us that People that make puns
are like wanton boys, that put coppers on
the railroad track. They amuse them
selves and other children, but their little
trick may upset freight train OF conver-
satiOn for the sake Of a battered With
cism." Even so humorous deductions
based upon the popular misunderstanding
Of the teaching OF Christian Science, at
tached to the news item concerning Mrs
Eddys gift OF a pair Of shoes to each poor
child at the State Fair In her home city,
does not appeal to US as consistently fair
The spirit Of philanthropists Of whatever
faith, should be commended instead of
obscured however unintentional the
error.
The Sun quotation admits that Doubt
less this was a piece Of praise worthy
benevolence, but a woman of the gifts OF
Mrs Eddy might do a much greater and
farther reaching act Of charity" Permit
the statement to be made, and which our
editorial friends will doubtlessly admit
that Mrs. Eddy has already proved her
capability in this direction. Here let me
give Mrs. Eddys view of charity as
found in the opening paragraph Of her
work, Miscellaneous Writings" She
says, "A certain apothegm of a Talmudical
philosopher suits my sense Of doing good.
II reads thus: The noblest charity is to
prevent a man from accepting charity;
and the best aims are to show and enable
"a man to dispense with aims This is
certainly sufficient answer to the Suns
inquiry, why Mrs. Eddy does not offer
some method less troublesome than for
each individual to WORK out his own sal
vation. 1t is sufficient answer also to the
faith cannot be substituted for the con-
ditions Of others who do not accept that
faith. When the method Of salvation is
freely presented, It is not the remission of
the teacher, If those in danger choose not
to accept It.
That multitudes have shared in this
larger sense Of charity than the giving of
aims, through the teaching of Christian
Science, by which freedom from the bond
age OF sin and sickness has been attained,
thousands have already and thousands
stand ready to prove. The writer recent
ly heard this statement from the lips Of
a prominent actor, who has been redeem
ed from a life Of debauchery: Il never
dreamed there was so much purity In the
world as 1 have experienced since l have
come into the healing and understanding
of Christian Science"
That this gift to the children Of the
community and OF her native town,
which she so dearly loves, is not the
greatest OF her achievements. may be
judged by the following quotation from a
letter OF the Honorable Henry Robinson,
postmaster Of Concord, New Hampshire,
when questioned If ne had made certain
disparaging remarks concerning Mrs.
Eddy. Mr.. Robinson says, within fifty
feet OF where l am now debating this let
ter, in plain sight of everybody, Mrs.
Eddy, with great punctuality, rides by In
her carriage every day, bowling graciously
to the townspeople whom she knows, and
although they are not all Christian Sci
entlsts. dare say there is not one OF
them who would not contend for her and
resent the slightest indignity or imputa-
tion upon her. She frequently stops near
the front Of my house, TO smile and to
speak to my little children" He con-
tinues: Mrs. Eddy is but one of our own
fellow citizens, a good neighbor, and a
very valuable friend, one of us in many
senses. While 1 am not myself an avowed
disciple Of Christian Science, am, never
theless, much interested in It, and its
achievements. Ifhave much to do with
Christian Scientists, and have found
them Invariably upright and intellectual
as well as spiritual people"
The humorous stumbling over the prop
osition that all causation is resident in
mind not in matter" by our editorial
friend, might be easily overlooked, were it
not making light Of a very important
question. and before subjecting the prop
osition to ridicule, it would be well for
our friend TO tell us what matter Is. If
he can give us definite knowledge as TO its
origin, entity and base principle and thus
establish its reality, he shall accomplish
something that no other man has done
Wise men throughout the centuries have
vainly endeavored to accomplish this re-
suit and failed The nearest approach tc
a scientific principle OF matter has been
the atomic theory, which is not princl'
pie, not a fact, but an unprovable hypo'
thesis The recognized thinkers, in thet
respective fields Of scientific research, ar
ter years OF profound study, have come
to some conclusions regarding matter
which II would be wiser to ponder ovel
before ridiculing. Such thinkers as HuN
ley. the celebrated English biologist; Pro
fessor Oswald, the authority on chemistry
and professor I'm University OF Leipslc
Germany; Professor Langley, the astrono
mer and Grant Allen, the author, arr
worthy OF consideration. Professor HuN
lev says, CAN we know OF matter Is tina
II is the hypothetical substance Of physi
cal phenomena" Professor Oswald writes
Matter Is q thing OF thought which W
have constructed for ourselves rather i'm
perfectly TO represent what is permanen
in the change OF phenomena. Grant Al
len. in writing of the late Professor Iyn
dali. saws: "The charge OF materialisr
could only be brought against such ma
/ bv those abject materialists who hav
never had a glimpse Of a protounder tae
/ that the universe as known to us consist
wholly OF mind and that matter IS
doubtful and uncertain inference OF IN
human intelligence" And Professor Lang
lev. IN speaking along this line say'
color is in us" not, in the rose - tina
this is not any metaphysical sublety'" bu
/ a fact almost universally accepted with
in the last few years, by physicists.
1t will be we'll TO remember that n
above is not an explanation OF Christia
Science. but a reason why our frien
should establish the legitimate claims
matter before subjecting the proposition
mind IS the only causation, to ridicul
An explanation Of matter satisfactory
| the thousands Of Christian Scientists, WI
include among their number sober thlnt
ers from all the walks Of life, is found
| Mrs Eddy's book, Science and Heal
| With Key to the Scriptures the text DOC
| of Christian Science.