Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1907-03-15

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the suits which have been Instituted
by the "kith and kin" for an inquiry
into her competence to manage her
affairs and invest her money win
never hurt the cult II they be moth
Ing but q campaign Of persecution,
No one on the very outside would
undertake TO pronounce judgment on
the case at this early stage. although
We fancy that neither the son by
the first Of the three husbands nor
Senator Chandler approaches the
question Of Mrs. Eddy's mental con.
dition a. Burke said every one
should approach the faults Of a
state or the wounds Of a father
with pious awe and trembling solIct
tnde." IN the son 10 out for a share
of the estate. whose value rumor
writes In 80 many figures. and Is
really ~apprehensive lest his mother
be the victim Of designing creatures
at her side. the opinions Of certain
observers will need 10 be revised.
There are those. OF course, who see
In these suits parts Of a huge and
far-reaehing conspiracy. which EN-.
braces the magazine and daily press.
10 break down the church which
Mrs, Eddy. whatever one may con.
cede 10 Quimby. certainly founded.
But as TO that there Is no evidence.
lit 10 a fair conclusion that there Ia
no direct connection between the
magazine campaign Of higher criti
cism and the suits at law.
The case Of Mrs. Eddy makes very
impressive Saint Beauve's sapieni
remark that "the truth about men, Al
about things. IL difficult to discover
and when discovered 1t 10 no less dif
ficuit to preserve" The atmos
phero OF mystery which has sur
rounded the leader Of tho Christian
science cult In recent years has nat
urally whetted popular curiosity con
corning her actual condition snd
mode Of life. And this curiosity II
only made the more intense by Oh.
narrative OF Mrs. Eddy's earlier ca
reer, which Is just now being givef
such palnstaking study. One nigh
suppose that the world would leav.
20 aged q woman In peace. during
her last years. and even show re-
sentiment over the tracking OF her t.
the very edge Of the grave, yet
seems to be a penalty Of her aston
ishing success In making q new re
igion go" that, outside the ranks j
her own followers, there should b
such precious little sympath,
shown. The world wants all tn
facts laid bare. II appears II is i
no mood to be long trifled with o
imposed upon. And II there Is a
edge of ruthlessness in Its critica
attitude toward Of Mrs, Eddy s pre-
tensions. 1t Is because u knows tina
the truth may be difficult to disco'
er IL the finding of 1t be too long dt
ferred.
Dowie has just died. and the worl
was for some time engaged In test
ing his claims to an ~apostleshil
The little fat prophet" AZ he cam
10 be called In derision, made so so
ry a failure In the end. In spite {
his wonderful eaEly success wit
Zion City and In curing the sick an
In restoring the lame and the hal
and In enlisting the support OF tho'
sands who eventually adored hin
that many people are on the lookot
for exposures of imposters. IL
particularly a period OF fraud-hunt |
various departments Of life. whethe
In Harrimanesque railroading, pa
ent medicines. "coppers' or thos
many quasiphilosohical, qsasi"r'
iieious systems Of transatlantic or
gin as the London Spectator d
scribes the Christian science an
other cults which have had such
run among us in reeent years.
No one need doubt. however, tn;
after all the p%retense and deiusio
has been torn away. there will r
main as a solid residuum whatev'
OF truth has been grasped by Il
leaders OF these organizations. Eve
Dcwie has been instructive in h
meretricious way. Put his metho'
and his work under the miciroscol
of impartial analysis and n sci
that he made an extraordinary us