Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1902-11-15
Christian Science.

Christian Science Is q deep n sacred
subject; the deepest and most sacred
that can occupy human thought aud
purpose, for it treats of God, man, and
the universe. 1t teaches Gods omni-
potence, His omnipresence and His ON
niscience. 1t teaches that God is the
one and only Principle of man, and the
one and only Principle of the universe.
1t is the duty of the lecturer upon this
subject to speak, primarily, to those who
are not Christian Scientists. / shall e N
deavor to follow this rule. but i cannot
see how I can speak Of Christian Science
at all, without saying some things to and
for the Christian Scientists, as well. l
assume, therefore, that you will expect
me to tell you something ofthe Christian
Science textbook and also Of its author,
the D~iscoverer aud Founder Of Christian
Science.
II TEXTBOOK.
A few words, then, as to the textbook.
This book, of which the Rev. Mary Baker
q. Eddy is the author, was first publish
ed in 1878. AS revised and enlarged at
various times since then, it has reached
at the present time over W. hundred
and ffty.one editions of one thousand
volumes each. 1t bears the title OF
Science and Health with Key to the
Scriptures" and contains within its
covers, in comprehensive and compre.
hensible form, the entire text Of Chris.
tian Science. 1t is true that Mrs. Eddy
has written many other books and num-
erous articles and essays for magazines
and newspapers, as well as messages to
the Mother Church in Boston, but these
are in exploitation ofthe textbook. This
book is IA treatise on healing through the
power of God, or the divine Mind, and
is, therefore, properly called and exposi-
ton of Mind. healing. More specifically
it is n thorough exegesis of Scriptural
method of healing all manner ofdiseases
and of curing all manner Of sin through
the understanding of God as all'present,
dIl-pON cIluI, IL lDO o'u
Mind. In short, this book is a spiritual
Interpretation of the Bible; hence its
title-"Key to the Scriptures" l am
aware that I am making for the text
book of Christian Science a tremendous
claim, but l shall endeavor to make good
this claim before l close.
THE DIsCoyEEER AND FOUNDER.
Mrs. Eddy is at once the Discoverer
and Founder Of Christian Science. She
discovered for herself how to be healed
Of a sickness, the result of an accident,
which, according to all ordinary evidence
had placed her at the very door of death,
This may he said to haye been her orr.
ginal discovery. This aroused within
her a burning desire to know how she
was healed, and also TO impart TO Others
the knowledge of how the sick are heal.
ed. This led her to search the Scrip
lures that she might find the healing
Principle. She pursued her search un
til she found the healing Principle to be
God. She proved this by healing all
manner of diseases, and she proved as
we'll that the same understanding Of God
which healed sickness also destroyed
sin. Having SO found and proved the
healing and saying Principle, she pro
ceeded to teach others, to found a col
lege for teaching this healing system, to
found periodicals for its propagation, to
found q church wherein the healing Cos
pei could be preached and ~expounded
through public services; and she adopt
ed, from time to time, snch other propa.
ganda as became necessary to the estab'
lishment of a healing and saving religion,
That such a system has been successfully
established | need not say, for it is mat
ter of common knowledge. Thus, | say
Mrs. Eddy is both a Discoverer and
Founder.
LIFE y CHARACTER.
And what of the life and character O.
one who has accomplished SO much? ]
am sure a few words in reference to these
will be welcomed By every sincere in
quirer. Born amid the beautiful bu'
rugged hills of Bow, ear Concord, New
Hampshire, of sterling and strictly relig
ious parents, descended from a long line
of worthy and distinguished ancestors o.
Scotch and English blood, Mrs. Ed!
was favored by nature and by God with
advantages which fitted her for q grea
career. Her early environments were
snch as to nurture and enlarge her in
herited gifts. She was Il student by ma
turaI bent and intuition. This native
trend was strengthened by careful train
ing in schools and academies as we'll a
by competent private tutors, among
whom was her brother, Albert Baker,
graduate of Dartmouth College, and
distinguished lawyer and member o
Congress elect, having died, after a shor
illness, before taking his seat. Among
her other instructors were such well
known educators as Mrs. Sarah j. Bod
we'll Lane, Mr.. Corser Of S~andborntol
| Bridge Academy, and Prof Dyer ii. San
horn, author of Sanborn's grammar. Thi
early training has been supplements
by long years of careful and thorough
research and study. Poetry was will
her a natural gift. AS a young girl sh0
wrote poems of such merit that the,
were much sought for and published il
newspapers and magazines. She wa
| also a prose essayist OF distinction lon
before she began her labors as a Chris
tan Scientist. In evidence Of this
make mention Of a single circumstance