Los Angeles herald., 1908-03-22
ST. LOUIS DOCTOR SAYS
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE
CURED HIM OF LEPROSY
Man of Medicine Tells Remarkable Story OF His
Escape from Death by Disease Dreaded
by All-SensatiOns Are Sprung in
State House at Boston

fused to allow doctor to come near
him, and according to his mother he
turned a somersault one morning in his
bed and got up entirely well.
Another case of a boy who had suf~
fered from curvature of the spine for
years was cured in three days, so said
c. w. Robbins of Dorchester and now
he claims his son walks without irons
plays football and in fact is perfectly
cured.
One of the committeeman at this
point insisted that these stories did not
prove anything, that it was time in
both cases for the children to get We'll
"They were bound to get well, he said.
The chair believing that the Scientists
should fully state their case allowed the
testimony to go on.
H. L. Damon of Cambridge told a
most pitiful story of how his daughter
for eight years had been suffering from
a serious throat trouble, so bad at
times she could not even swallow wa
ter. For years this went on" said
Mr.. Damon, ''and at times the little
girl would almost perish from thirst.
Her lips would crack open and her
tongue would become cloven to the
roof of her mouth, causing her the
greatest agony. We tried specialists
of repute, but they failed, and in de-
spair one day, at my wife's suggestion
l called in a Science healer. In one
night the strange malady of the child
disappeared, and she has never been
troubled since"
Mr.. Morse rose at this point and
said that al that moment he had thir-
ty-four people in the room who could
testify to similar cures, and if the
committee would listen to all these
he would guarantee to bring them as
long as the committee would hold ses-
sion.
The chair decided that enough testi-
mony had been presented, and Mr.
Morse then called upon John l.. Bates
TO speak in behalf of the Scientists.
Preachers Cannot Collect
Mr.. Bates said in part: "As near as
| can figure 1t minister preaching the
prayer cure from his pulpit, if the nom
fee healer bill is passed, cannot collect
his yearly salary without becoming a
criminal. 1t is admitted that the heal
ers are doing a certain amount of good
in the community. and In view of the
fact that it is the object of the Scientist
to instil optimism into their patients,
where is the harm? If there is such
evil in a community as Mr.. Thayer and
Mr.. Peabody would have you under
stand, where is the evidence that people
have been injured by this treatment?
They have not got it. Science healing is
largely experimental at the present
time, but we know it is for good If
you could substitut> something better
than Science 1 would say your bills
were all right, but you can't do it,
Doctors disagree, and who is it that
will decide but the people who are in
terested? We don't understand gravi-
taton or the movements of our hands
and limbs, or wireless telegraphy, but
we have to admit they are facts. for
experience has proven so. The testi-
mony offered today is proof that heal
ing is a fact, and, whether we under
stand it or not, we must accept it. If
these bills are passed it would cut off
all experiments of hypnotism and 9TH
er promising agencies. 1t seems to be
an attempt to circumvent the Creator
and to cut off nature
IF we have not grasped it at the
present time it will live if there is
truth in it. No legislature can ever
defeat truth, and if there is no truth
in it it will die a natural death"
Before the session closed Mr. Pea
body. not liking the remarks of Mr.
Bates, rose to his feet for the purpose
of informing the representative that he
was getting $50 a minute for talking as
he did. After terming the assembly as
"the whole outfit" and insisting that
If Christian healing was allowed to
continue, the criminal operation per-
former should be allowed the same free
dom, the chair decided things were be-
ginning to get warm and an adjourn
ment followed.