The daily morning journal and courier., 1906-06-16
soNFE METHODIST REFLECTIONS
After the Writer Had Attended Ser. vice at the Christian Scince Temple


 After the Writer Had Attended Ser
 vice at the Christian Sclnce Temple | Sunday.
 What were the main impressions made upon us by it all? First, perhaps, the audacious, stupendous, inexplieable faith of this well dressed, good looking, eminently respectable evidently veal ! thy congregation in their teacher and her utterances. They dareto parallel | (engrayen everywhere on the walls of | their building and read as the sub- | stance of every service) the sublimest utterances of holy writ, the choice i words of Jesus Christ and of St. Paul, with the lucubrations and vaporiza tions 1 the platitudes, obscurities, absurdities, l inanities and mock profundities, of the | one who is to them evidently greater than all the prophets and apostles, if not a little superior to the Lord him sell. Had we space to give quotations from Mrs. Eddy's words, even those read at this service or those cut deep into the stone, our characterization of l them would be seen to be just. No un- l biased person could rank them for a l moment with those by whose side they are flauntingly displayed, or with the 1 utterances of the worlds great think CTS yet this congregation of presuma- ply intelligent people appear to regard them as the sum of all wisdom. Who can explain this puzzle? Are we really living in the twentieth century and in 1 the Athens or America when such things can come to pass?
 Another impression was that here is | a force to be reckoned with, studied, not laughed at simply, but looked into, Great earnestness, intense feryor, no 1 little spirituality, and a deep desire for the best results in conduct and charac- ter, were to be seen and felt. No one who mingled with those immense crowds of evidently religious people 1 and participated in their worship could fail to be stirred with longing that | the good there is in the movement could be freed from the evil, the truth be de- | tached from the error. That there is much of good and of truth in it, who can doubt? Otherwise where would be | 1s | it seems to us, has not little to learn from this phenomena. It has empha- sized certain things which had fallen too much into abeyance, and which must be l brought into greater prominence. Its main hold is in it's buoyancy and 1 brightness, it's cheerfulness and cour- 1 age, its contentment and faith and 1 love, Through this means blessedness and health have been brought to many who were previously peevish and fret | full, soured, ailing and sad. They have been delivered from fear and doubt and worry, from Journalism and materialism and the dreary organism which rules l the age, and which has it's fortress even in many of our churches. They have 1 been brought nearer to God, "the All" and led to a complete consecration, which has evidently included their | property, for this two million dollar temple was dedicated free of debt as the result of superabundant free will offerings, unsolicited, and some fifteen thousand dollars more was eagerly put upon the plates, without request, last Sunday. Now it may be truly said that there is nothing new in all this, nothing but what may be found theoretically in all the churches. But practically -? How many of our church members have sufficient trust in God to be delivered from all anxiety? How many have suf- f1cient worshipfulness to kneel in pray CT, even on soft cushions or thick car pets? How many have eufficient en- thuSasm for their faith to travel any distance in its behalf and so make pos- sible a building and congregation that shall command respect and be worthy of it's object? Other questions of this sort might be asked. But these slffi- eiently indicate the line of our thought
 It seems to us that most of those who have become infatuated with Christian l science are the ones who. either 1 through their own fault or the fault of the churches to which they have be- longed, have hitherto missed the real deep joys there are in Jesus. They have, in various ways not easily &C., counted for, come to some perception of them by this means Therein they have been the gathers, and we can re- joice with them. Their services, so far | as they are made up mainly from Mrs Eddy, cannot be really helpful to mind or soul. Some of them are finding it out, and are returning to the folds ] whence they departed. The philosophy of the movement cannot be accepted. Its view of the universe is false. Its treatment of disease is fraught with 1 imminent peril It will have it's day and pass. having taught it's lessons to the world. It will the more quickly pass in proportion as the churches gen. erally put in practice their theories rise to the level of their opportunities, and really live out the glorious gospel with which they have been intrusted and which needs no supplement from Rev. Mary Baker c. Eddy. .JZion's Her aid.