The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-11-02
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE IN COURT.

CHRISTIAN SCIENCE IN COURT.
In Westminster county, New York,
John Quimby and his wife Georgiana
/ Quimby-have been indicted by the
/ grand jury on the charge of manslaugh-
ter in the second degree. as having been
responsible for the death of the little
daughter of the Quimbys from diphthe-
ria. The child, Ethel, aged Z, is al
/ legged TO have died from neglect. When
/ it was ascertained that she was suf-
/ fering from diphtheria Lathrop, a
/ Christian Science healer of New York,
was called to treat" her. None of the
/ remedies usually applied by recognized
| and licensed physicians were employed
| in her case. Her parents were adher-
! ents of the Christian Science cult, and
| refused to have a physician see and ad-
minister to her. They depended upon
the prayers OF the Christian Science
healer" to make her free of the dis
ease, and his efforts failed. Because
of all this the Westchester grand jury
holds that the "healer" and the par
ents are criminally culpable and de-
serve to be punished at the hands of
the law.
This is not the first time that Chris
tian Science has been arraigned in the
courts. In previous cases the prose-
cution has invariable ended in the dis
charge of the accused. Juries are 10th
to interfere in what is considered a
strictly religious function-and it is the
claim of the Christian Scientists that
the healing of disease by them is al
together religious in character. Be-
sides, the average jury is rather apt
to be a little in fear OF the occult
which is another way of saying that
human nature has not yet been freed
from superstition and that the aver
age Jury is prone to fear offending
some unseen and incomprehensible
power which might work to the injury
Of the jurymen by way of retaliation;
therefore they have hesitated to give
verdicts against Christian Science. And
then, again, there is this consideration;
that, had the sufferer from diphtheria,
or other ailment, been treated by a
regularly licensed and recognized ply
stefan, instead of by a Christian Sci
enlist, there is no means of knowing
what the outcome of the case might
have been. The patient might have
died or recovered under either system
of treatment without anybody know
i'm q GCIrfaltr he in aithnr
For instance, as relates to the case of
the little Quimby girl, another child of
the family, sister of Ethel who died, was
sick of the same complaint. She was
attended by a Christian Scientist, and
recovered. Is Christian Science to be
charged with EtheIs death, and not
credited with her sisters recovery?
Such questions as these are apt to puz-
zle juries when such matters come into
court.
The Quimbys, being Christian Sci
entists, refused to admit that there was
any such thing as infection. The faith
er of the family, therefore, went from
the sick room of his children out into
the streets and about his business, in
defiance of the quarantine regulations.
He will be made to answer for this
disregard of law. And that he should
be is nothing more than reasonable. By
his conduct he may have subjected
to infection certain persons who do not
believe in Christian Science and are
therefore liable to suffer illness and
death. In this he violated the law; and
there is no more reason why a Chris
tian Scientist should be permitted to
violate the law than that Methodist,
or a Democrat or a bricklayer should
be permitted that privilege.