Los Angeles herald., 1908-01-26
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE
OPPOSES HYPlNOTISM
AND MESMERISM
NO FORM OF SUGGESTION ADMITTED
Demonstrates That Evil Needs Only to Be Under
stood to Be Summed That Sin and Disease
Are Not Overcome by Human Will
and Can Only Be Destroyed
by Divine Power
BY ALFRED FARLoW

4 N article in the october number
~ of The Arena may unwlttingly
- beget the impression that there Is
some connection or kinship between
Christian Science and the use of mes
nerism in the attempted cure of dis
ease. and it should be made clear that
however significant the effects of mes
merism may be in support of the prop
osition that apparent healing can De
effected without the use of drugs. TINS
does not establish any likeness or rela-
ton between Christian Science and
such mesmeric or hypnotic methods OF
relieving pain.
In her book entitled Unitey of Good,
page SO, Mrs. Eddy declares Nowhere
in Scripture is evil connected with
good. the Being of God, and. with every
passing hour, it is losing its false
claim to existence or consciousness. II
God is infinite, all that can exist is
God and His idea" Doth a fountain
send forth at the same place sweet
cannot be cured by the same conscious
ness that caused it or that admitted
the seeds of disease in the first in
stance. While the sick may be tenn
porarily relieved by any means
whether mental or material which
breaks the human belief of over-excited
nerves or other material conditions,
such temporary paralysis manifestly
does not and cannot demonstrate
Christian Science,-the Brightness of
thought or freedom which excludes
disease.
Paul. as a follower of Christ Jesus.
was engaged in a warfare against sin,
sickness and death, but he said "Our
warfare is not against flesh and blood,
but against principalities and powers,
against spiritual wickedness in high
places"
No other rational Interpretation of
this declaration can be given than this,
that he understood the foundation of
all mortal discord to be mental. and
the sin of the world to be occasioned
by subtle and highly aggressive mental
influence. which he designated as
spiritual wickedness' that is, mental
wickedness, the counterfeit of spiritual
good.
New Mental Reformation
Seekers after truth are not to be
blamed because in their course they
experiment with those mortal mind
methods which from time to time have
appealed to them. Nevertheless, over
coming disease through hypnotism is
like mastering one error or i'll by ac-
cepting bondage to a greater ill. What
IIc nttdS Is MENTAL TtlOIInd-
ton. 1t argues nothing in favor of the
utility and sanity of Christian Science
that eminent philosophers have been
able to effect certain results through
mesmerism, since the basis of the lat
ter system is an asserted power of
mortal mind while the basis of the for
mer system is Truth, Science, that
power of divine Mind, declared by
Jesus to be the means by which he
healed the sick and raised the dead,
though it might be suggested with pro-
priety that since mere speculative the
cries may be and are entertained by
all thinkers without even a fear of be-
ing considered insane, much more may
Mrs. Eddy's theory, which is demon
strably true and Christian, be enter
tanned without mental disturbance.
On page 102 of Science and Health,
Mrs. Eddy declares: 1.-The mild forms
of animal magnetism are disappearing,
and its aggressive features are coming
to the front. The looms of crime, hid
den in the dark recesses of mortal
thought. are every hour weaving webs
more complicated and subtle. So secret
are the present methods of animal
magnetism that they ensnare the age
into Incidence, and produce the very
apathy on the subject which the Grim
inal desires" Respecting this matter
the Boston Herald has said: "Mesmer-
ism implies the exercise of despotic
control, and is much more likely to be
abused by its possessor, than otherwise
employed, for the individual OF
society,""
In this connection Mrs. Eddy further
says: mankind must learn that evi
is not power It's so-called despotisn
is but a phrase of nothingness"-
unreal usurping reality.
Prevent Not Produce SUFFERING
The day of the comparatively harm.
less experiments of Liebault has gone
by and at this time subtle and mali
cious forms of mental malpractice are
shamefully in evidence. The world
owes to Mrs. Eddy everlasting graft
tude for laying bare these hidden, hid
eous forms of evil and for teaching TIL,
way to overcome them through the un
derstanding that God, good, is the only
real power, since evil has no power
apart from mortal belief. No more
striking example of the powerlessnes
of hypnotism to dominate men has eve
been chronicled than that given in thu
utter failure of the recent effort t.
legally sustain the charges against thu
Leader of the Christian Science move
ment. In this prosecution and persecu
ton unquestionably every known form
of malicious mental influence wal
used in the effort to rob Mrs. Edd,
of her freedom, liberty and life, an(
yet the deliberately planned attack ut
terly collapsed. The discussion of thu
teaching of Christian Science which
resulted especially that on the subjec
of malicious malpractice, has incl
dentally accomplished more for th'
Cause of Christian Science than an!
event in it's history, since it has af
forded ample opportunity for cor
rect presentation of those main points
regarding pernicious evil. mental infiu
ences, which have heretofore been mis-
understood by the public. The worlt
has had better opportunity to relearr
that there is in truth but one power
and that is God.
Subsequent to her discovery o
Christian Science Mrs. Eddy has no
believed that mesmerism can be useS
for good since it's i'll effects far exceed
The advantages of any imaginary tenn
porary relief, and she has taught he
students the unreality of it's asserted
power in order that they may not b.
influenced by it or be tempted to Obtain
a knowledge of how it is done. In "Sci
ence and Health" page 457, Mrs Edd.
declares: Her object since entering
this field of labor, has been to proven
suffering. not to produce it," QUOTING
from Mrs. Eddy the Christian Scienc
Sentinel of November 49, 1907, says ed
iiorially. Evil Is no more real, becaus
ii seems to be real, than a wicked or
painful cream in sleep is real. But tn
Individual who attempts mentally o
physically to produce the belief of sin
disease, or death, is guilty of the at