The Washington herald., 1906-11-18


Engagement trst began.
For bitter irony Of fate
This Just beats anything
She jiltcd him. He's paying stil
Instaliments that r1ng.
There is something rather curious about
the attitude of a great part Of the public
toward Christian Science. You meet peo-
pie every day who don't mind at all II
you say you haven't any religion: people
who will let you say what you choose
about politics or socialism or sewing ma
chimes. but just mention Christian Sci
ence, and they begin to froth at the
mouth. I can't for the life Of me see
why a thing which they declare to be
perfect tOmmyrot that no person Of any
intelligence whatever can believe, should
infUriate them so. They don't get half
so worked up over Mormonism or child
labor. For my part while l don't know
that the things the Christian Scientists
say are true. 1 do know that many Of
the things their opponents say are not.
The danger Of contagious disease doesn't
worry me al all. though perhaps It ought
to. Il has been my observation that when
a Christian Scientist has claim it's
a "claim" to something a good deal worse
than a doctor would think he had. It's
not so many years since a devoted mo-
ther allowed a child with measles to play
in one Of our parks to the undoing of
several children in the neighbOThOod. She
wasn't Christian Scientist. though She
thought the child had prickly heat. If
she'd been d Christian Scientist she'd
have said the child had a claim" of
smallpox. in which case, the health de-
partment would have attended 10 her. I
know one Christian Science mother whose
child had a claim of whoopng cough.
She kept the child from school. explain
ing 20 me that the children OF parents
who hadn't her belief would be eRdanger-
ed by assOciating with her little girl. One
woman in the neighborhood sent her child
10 play with the little girl. whom error
swayed for a time, because she wanted
her infant to catch the disease and have
it over before she was any older. II you
ask me. couldn't tell for the life OF me
which mother was the more benighted-
Aside from the healing beliefs OF the sect
concerning which one may have doubts.
/ can't see any fault with the philosophy.
Personally. l think it's a very good idea
not OF expect illness and disaster. And
it's ccmmendabIe to look on the happy
side Of things. Naturally. every sect has
/ its fanatics. but you and I and every
body else know some very intelligent and
pleasing people who are Christian Scient-
/ lists. / haven't any faith in medicine any
way so long as I'm we'll. And when I'm
/ i'll, I don't care a bit what system Of
| healing anybody else wants TO follow. II
/ il makes my neighbor ache less 20 hear
/ a book read 10 him. let him have it, Let
/ him be a New Thoughter. or a Babbist
I or 4 Christian Scientist. or a Mental
/ Healer or a Raz-Taz-Fanite If he wants
I To- SO long as he lets me send for the
/ doctor I want. and listen TO the clergy
man who pleases me best he can heal
! himself with the whole dictionary for all
/ 1 care.
/ I'm not sure that there is such a word
as Raz-Taz-Fan. but there's something
nearly like il and an Oculist told me
about Il, It's a sect, later than Bah
bism. or maybe it's a school Of philos-
ophy I don't know which. The oculist
tells me that one Of his patients belongs
to It. When she's annoyed. or out ot
sorts, she sits down. relaxes her muscles
looks at the tip Of her nose and breathe'
deeply Deep breathing, you must know
is significant and has a great effect OF
your soul or your astral body or YOU
lungs or your periasteum, or something OF
that sort Certain thoughts so with ii
but I don't know what they are: What
went with the gazing at the tip Of th'
nose, In the case OF the oculiSt's patient
was a straining of certain eye muscles
which viii keep her from looking com
( fOrtably at anything for some time. IT.
too bad, too. RaZ-TaZ-Fan was so salts
/ factory, and the patient had given VI
/ TheosOphy because she found out tha
purple is her astral color and purple T:
frightfIIIy UnbeComing.
Reverting 10 Christian Science. it's
sect that is bound 10 remain. whether il!
tommy-rot or truth, because il is or
ganiZed in such a way as TO eliminate th'
factor of personal influence So far a.
can learn, nobody has influence but Mrs
Eddy. In most religious denominations
any pastor who chooses to separate from
the main body, can take a following Will
him. He can preach, and he can TO
certain extent, interpret doctrine in hi!
own way In Christian Science churches
unless my observation and information
are at fault, there Is no sermon. There 4
merely a reading from the Bible and ex
tracts from Mrs. Eddy's works. Their,
are two readers one a man, the other
woman and they do not retain their pO
sitIons long The same readings are hear,
in every church on the same day l
seems TO me there couldn't be q bette
plan for eliminating the possibility Of oil
, visions, and a sect which cannot be di
vided. is likely to stand, no matter wha
it's tenets are.
My small friend, Josephine. went owe
to play with my almost as small frien'
Phil. last Saturday. and Phil's mother
as reward of merit, laid an apple an'
an orange on the nursery table:
(which will you have?" asked Phil, gal
lantly
You choose first, said Josephine, po
! Htely.
NO. you choose"
, mo. I'd rather let you
Philip allowed himself to be persuadet
and took the orange. Josephine nibble'
J her apple resentfully and gazed at him
II was a very large and luCiouS Orang
and the apple was neither. At length sh
broke out.
e We'll, you certainly haven't speck o
p manners. II I'd chOOsed first, I'd hav
taken the apple"
e Phil went on eating the orange undis
!. turbed.
Y We'll" he said, Il let you have it with
D out choosing. didn't I? What are you fus
s sing FORE
: I like 10 see man stick up for hi
y rights even II he's a mere fat dwelle
= who hasn't any that q landlord is boun
% raeDeot 7 admire AdolDhus for tn