The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1909-05-21

was explained and described In man
ner that was intensely interesting and
satisfactory by Hon. Frank Leonard at
the opera house last night.
Mr.. Leonard is a member of the
board of lectureship of the Christian
Science church and is a most delightful
speaker and a wonderful example OF
{ the cause which he IS maintaining ana
concerning which he is so truly SIN
cere. One realizes at once that Mr..
!. Ieonard's whole heart and soul and
body are in perfect harmony with his
subject, and mis- audience were with
him from the very start.
That the Christian Science movement
in Mankato is rapidly growing is very
noticeable from many standpoints, but
especially it is noticeable from the IN
crease in the size of the audiences as
the lecturers are given here from time
to time.
=. Senator S. D. Works presented MIR.
Leonard to AIankato people with the
following appropriate introductory re
marks: 81 am .srwe that it affords me
great pleasure to introduce to you
man who viii speak to you along lines
of a cult that has become popular.
use the word popular advisediy, for
this is great question and one that
laws hold OF one of the most vital
forces in human lief, that of health.
At present one of the great movements
of modern times and one that cannot
but appeal to every thinking man, is
Christian Science
"Never did l believe more in Chris
tianity than tonight. We all believe
in Christianity, and we all believe in
science, but when there comes to us a
man who blends Christianity and
science as applied to human ills we
cannot afford to be Indifferent.
81 am perfectly free to say that l
. know very little about the subject of
Christian Science, but believing that
it comes into the world to help and
bless it is entitled to a place in our
thoughts and lives, and l take pleasure
in introducing to you Mr.. Frank Leon
ard of Brooklyn
Address of Mr.. Leonard.
Mr.. Leonard lecture was as follows:
Ladies and Gentlemen: There is
nothing in the world today which is
so occupying the thought of the
people as Christian Science, and there
is vital reason why, regardless of
all the misunderstanding and misrepre-
sentation relative to the subject, people
should still insist on knowing the truth
about it.
Until within a few years, to the
average person religion was something
which required no thought, no investi
!, cation; it was to be accepted simply
because this was believed to be the
right thing to do, without ones having
any well-formed idea as to what it
!. taught; but today, as a result of the
increased mental activity that is now
e apparent in all directions, people are no
longer content to accept any teaching
as true simply because some one said
that it is true; in fact, more and more
the demand is being made that proof
shall be given of the truth of every
statement made.
Salvation.
People are awakening to the fact
that the one great problem in life
is that of individual salvation, and
the more they think about salvation,
the more they are convinced that they
want it now, and the less willing they
are to wait for it until after they
have passed through 'the valley of the
shadow" with all the mystery and
fear and doubt surrounding that pas
sage. Heretofore people have read the
Bible; today they are studying it; and
the result is an awakening which car
ries with it the conviction that many
essential, God-created and God given
are now seen to be but misconceptions
relative to God and what He creates
= misconceptions which need to be cor
rected SO that freedom may be OBJ
tanned from that bondage wherein
mistaken belief has held, mankind.
People want to live, they do not
want to die, and yet their whole
teaching has been that the first breath
drawn by an infant IS the first step
toward death and the grave. The
teaching has been universal that life
is brief span Of existence given man,
wherein he may prepare himself to die
so saved from sin that he may find
God on the other side OF ''the valley
OF the shadow" and dwell with Him
eternally in the kingdom of heaven
The cemetery, in this connection and
:. for this reason, has frequently been re-
ferred to as Gods acre" thus indicat-
ing that God is responsible for death,
that 1T is a part of dis plan of saliva
ton, an avenue provided by His inf
mite wisdom through which man must
go In order to reach heaven This
teaching has been almost universal. and
has been accepted by all as the truth,
in spite of the fact that Christ Jesus
said in so many words, eff a man
keep my saying, he shall never see
death" When one is brought face to
face with this statement, it does not
take an instant to realize that a SER
ious mistake has been made in plac-
ing the responsibility for death upon
God, for we all know that to follow
the teachings of the Wayshower brings