Los Angeles herald., 1909-11-07
SHOWS DIFFERENCE
IN QUIMBYISM AND
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE
NOTHING IN COMMON BE-
TWEEN WAYS OF HEALING
Alfred Farlow Proves by Document
tary Evidence That There Is No
Resemblance In Methods
of Curing Disease

Science has nothing in common with
Quimbyism:
In your issue of August % appeared
an article by II. Addington Bruce en-
titled "The Origin and Evolution OF
Mental Healing" in which the writer
expresses a conclusion that Christian
| Science has been evolved from mag
netsm or mesmerism. Possibly he may
have adopted this conclusion from the
mere fact that the discovery of Chris
tian Science came after the discovery
and practice of magnetism.
In any event, Mr. Bruce has not
taken into consideration the point that
Christian Science could never have
been evolved from mesmerism, in
which, as he declares, "the ills are
| suggested out of q patient for the
reason that every form of magnetic
| treatment is dependent upon the hu-
| man will, while Christian Science
| eschews the carnal mind Magnetic
| healing places no reliance whatever
upon the Divine mind, as does Chris
! tian Science, and, to use the words OF
! one of the most prominent of modern
advocates of so-called mental thera-
| peutics, at Is not necessarily religious" p"
| Christian Science might have been
| evolved in spite of any prior belief in
the benefcent action of the carnal
! mind; that is, one might outgrow a
| dependence upon the human will and
| thus advance above and beyond it to
the discovery of Christian Science. In
such a case, however. it should not be
said that Christian Science has been
evolved from mesmerism, but rather
that it has been discovered in spite of
ones temporary belief in mesmerism.
Patient of Qulmby
The following documentary evidence
will give our readers a definite under
standing of the difference between
Christian Science and the practice of
Mr.. Quimby, from whom it is errone
ously alleged that Mrs. Eddy derived
her ideas.
In verified and corroborated affi-
davit dated January %, 1907, Mrs. Jane
T. Clarke, whose husband was patient
OF p. p. Quimby in October, 1865, only
a few months before Mr.. Quimby died,
in February, 1866, declares: I'VE found
Mr.. Quimby to be a genial, kind
hearted man. His wife was of the New
England type, and their home comfort
able" In describing his method of
treatment, Mrs. Clarke says:
He placed both of his hands In a
basin of water, then the left hand upon
the patients head. He slightly man
ipulated both the stomach and the
head. The immediate effect was as II
patient, and the sensation seemed tol
come from Mr. Quimbys hands. I my
self took two treatments from him for
a long-standing complaint. The treat
ment was as above. Upon experiencing
the hot sensation 1 asked him, How
did you come by this power and what
is it?' He answered definitely L do
not know how nor when, nor do know
what it is. l think 1t is probably cleo
tricity passing from me to the patient.
The treatment in Mr.. Clarke's case was
daily continued from thirty to sixty
minutes, during which time Mr.. Quinn
by would describe the patients symp-
toms more accurately than the patient
himself could. After the treatment Mr..
Quimby would go out to his barn or
garden and work off the pain and dis
ease from his own body, claiming that
the treatment drew the disease from
the patient to himself. Mr.. |
Quimby had been Ill much of the time |
since his first treatment of Mr.. Clarke, |
rising from his bed to give
my husband attention.
Drew Pain from Patients
"He did not teach a system of heal
ing disease nor did he advocate any
system. He did not know wherein lay
his power, but believed 1t to be due
to electricity. He never described the
nature, cause, etc, of disease, but did
describe symptoms. He did not at
tempt to account for disease as men
tai. He recommended the use of
drugs in my husbands case, at least,
and had the services of a physician
In his last illness. He never attribu-
ted his ability to heal to God. In fact,
he never spoke of God and was not a
The following is quoted from an af-
idavit, dated February 23, 1907, by Mrs.
Emma A. Thompson: 'I became ac-
luainted with DIR. Quimby for the first
lime in 1852. His treatment consisted
n placing bands on his wrists,
)lunging his hands into cold water,
the head, and making
passes down the body. He asked me to
my mind on him and to
hink of nothing and nobody but him
AS the relief came to me he suffered
yreatly himself, saying that he took on
ny pain. I learned afterward that
lis pain was so intense that 1t became
necessary for my father to assist him
o bed, where he remained until he
vas called to treat me again for a
occurrence of the pain. E. He left in
tructions for me to think of him and
rink water until relief came. There
vas nothing in DR.. Quimby's method
f treating disease which bears any
esemblance to Christian Science. He
ever spoke of God and never referred
o any other power or person but him
elf. AS far as 1 know, he had no
or books relating to his
ubject. He gave me nothing to read
nd no explanation of his power.
recall that before he left our
ome my father offered him a check
or one thousand dollars if he would
mpart to him or any member of his
amily his method of treating disease.
% this the doctor replied, I cannot
do not understand it myself"
There is only one other fact neces-
ary to end this discussion forever:
amely, there is nothing in Mrs. Eddy's
that is in any way akin to
that Mr.. Quimby believed and prac-
Iced. Furthermore, Mr. Quimby was
consistent man, and if he had be-
eyed in the allness of mind, as Mrs.
,ddy teaches, he could not have had
faith in magnetism to have
racticed it., He would have praeticed
Science instead
The careful student of Mrs. Eddy's
rritings is aware that she discrim-
rates sharply between the Mind "that
-as in Christ Jesus" and the carnal
lind that is "enmity against God"
Christian Science is a repetition of
le curative methods of Jesus Christ,
-ho ascribed his healing powers to
cd. 1.-THE Son." he said, "can de-,
othing of himself, but what he seeth
le Father do"
The Mind that is God is the only
ealen according to Christian Science,
nd This Mind acts Nvithout canrfoh