Evening journal., 1911-04-12
Frank H. Leonard, Who Gave Up Business
Career for Church Work, Interestingly
UnfoIds the Principles of Christian
Science at Avenue Theatre

Ellflit AMuANu UldUR Oh interesting
address in the Avenue Theatre last
night on Christian Science, the Prom
ised Comforter" A large audience was
present and listened sttentively to Mr..
Leonard, who is a pleasing speaker |
with a thorough command of his sub |
iect He has been engaged in the |
Christian Science cause for many |
years, and gave up a successful busi- |
ness career to give his time and talent |
TO the Christian Science propaganda. |
Mr.. LeOnards address was free from |
prejudice or attack upon any religious |
denomination or belief, bat was a calm |
discussion of the principles of Chris |
tian Science
He was introduced by Norman f. |
John, of the committee on publication |
for the State of Delaware, who ex-
pressed his pleasure in introducing a !
friend with whom he had been asso-
ciated in Christian Science work for
nearly twenty years.
I'm the course of his address Mr.. !
Leonard said:
I'm approaching Christian Science
from the standpoint of honest desire to
know the truth about it. the average
person finds there are some things
about its Leader and its teachings
which they do not understand and
which they are entitled TO have eX-
planned
II is my intention, in this address to
confine myself chiefly to a discussion
of four fundamental teachings of
Christian Science. which when un-
derstood. establish the position Mrs.
Eddy occupies I'm the movement by
reason of being the Revelator Of Sci
entihc Christianity to this age. and
absolutely elucidate the Christ-like
nature Of the teachings Of Christian
Science, glOrifying and. praising God
with endless thanksgiving for His
wonderful goodness unto the sons of
men,
First, one usually wants to know
the origin and purpose of the Chris
tian Science movement and its chief
purpose i'm the world.
It's origin stretches back so far that
no man knows the beginning Of IT, It
had it's beginning when God began. 1t
is Truth which the Christian Science
movement is demonstrating, and it is
therefore as eternal as is God HIM
self
What It its chief purpose, and what
viii prove the statement / have Just
made? It's chief and Overpowering. its
and TO do IL by destroying sin in the
world II has no other purpose The
things that are accomplished under the
ministration of Christian Science are
accomplished only i'm proportion as
man turns away from the cOntempla-
tion OF evil and lust and discord and
inharmOny and disease, turns away
from darkness and lifts his gaze unto
the everlasting Light which is a bet
ter understanding of God, and learns
TO know that only as the worship Of
God Is made practical, does man be-
come Christians
We as Christian Scientists. have
most of us been church members or
church attendants before becoming
Christian Scientists. | myself was
one. If I were honest, I would say
was one because had to be. My eXper-
ience in early life was one OF misery.
discord and suffering, and I was forced
To go to church where I heard time
and again, that some or all of the
misery sent upon the world was the
visitation of God. My mother. honest,
earnest Christian worker i'm her
church. knowing my suffering, know
ing IL might have a fatal end at any
moment. tried the best way she knew
to make me think that i'm this awful
suffering laid upon me, God i'm his
wisdom was preparing me for better
thingsl Was teaching me to bear bur-
dens so that. In a future state, might
have Joy and peace and be 1T to dwell
with Him i'm Paradise ! was only 2
child. and that statement did not APP
neal 10 me- The only thing ! knew was
while 7 saw other boys happy and free
and having a good time, ! myself was
unable TO do anything but suffer. And
as | heard it more and more ] ceased "a
love God. because I believed Him "a
be the author of all of my suffering
and ] felt that / had not done any
Thing that should call it down upon me
And then Christian Science came into
my life. and taught me its mission OF
health II tOic me the belief that Sod
has aughr to do with suffering is abso.
lutely false and untrue and an onenss
against Him Christian Science came
to me and said audibly and mentally
Don't you know God Is Love? Don't
YOU know that God has stretched ou
underneath the everlasting arms So
that YOU shall not dash your foo
against a stone, shall not stumble an(
shall not fall? Don't you know that th'
Bible teaches us that God said. "Com'
unto me. and 7 will give
YOU rest?" Don't you know that al
you turn TO him you will find him no
mighty potentate afar off, but ten
der loving, compassionate Father
right at your side, very present hell
i'm trouble? And don't you know that u
proportion as you accept the knowl
edge that God is Love. the very radi
ance and glory of His divine effulgenc
will descend upon you, and make yo'
free? And it has made me free.
touched me and cleansed me from tn
sin Of believing that God, the on
whose eyes behold everything and ye
and yet is "of purer eyes than TO be
hold evil and canst not look on in
iquity.' as Habakkuk tells us, ha
sught to do with my suffering. or wit
any suffering. The chief mission O
Christian Science is to show to ever
man. woman and child just as It did 4
me- that the belief that suffering j
from the omnipotent and all powerful
God is untrue, giving surcease from tn
suffering which legitimately goes wit
any such belief.
Right at this point the question natu
rally arises what does the Christian
Scientist mean when he says that sir
disease and death are unreal? u
Christian Scientists mean to say tha
sin is unreal2 DO thcy mean to sa
that there is no such thing? Do IN
Christian Scientists. in saying ther