The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1912-10-01
Keen, Logical Address
on Christian Science
Delivered Last Night
William r. Rathvon, G. 5. B. Of Boston Gave a Highly In
teresting Talk to Large Audience in Stones
HaIL.-Was Clear and ForcefuI

crete ana un"dSrStandabl form.
Men may differ in their understand
ing of inspiration and revelation and
may haggfe over their being present
day possibilities. They may even deny
to woman the spiritual perception ac-
coded to nan but neither wrangling
nor disputations nor dentaIs have ver
brought to poor humanity the roses
of health or the fragrance of gratitude.
The book, Science and Health, has
done both in gracious profusion.
It has fallen to my lot to have known
its author intimately In the last few
years of her earthly activity. One No
vember day in 1908. Mrs. Eddy called
me to her side from my home in Colo
RADIO to become a member Of that his
toric household at Chestnut Hill which
she one publicly designated "the hap
piest group of Christian Scientists on
earth" / was privileged to share her
daily ~counsels for more than two years,
and from the time of my first half
hours heart-to-heart talk with her,
down to the afternoon, when standing
at her side saw her marvellous hands
shape her last written words, God is
my life" / have never wavered in my
conviction that she has been the chosen
evangel of Truth, intrusted with those
good tidings Of great joy that have
been waiting mans readiness since the
days when Jesus trod the dusty fields
of Syria, and sailed the blue waters of
GaIfIee.
The establishment of a great relig-
Gus organization whose 1900 growing
branches belt the globe, the installa-
ton of a simple form of service which
nils those churches twice each week
with throngs of worshippers who are
drawn neither by music, eIoquence, nor
sensational sermonizing: the building
up of efficient agencies and institu-
tons for the dissemination and protec-
ton Of a radically new system Of ethicss
and the launching of a great metropol-
ltan daily in the interests of clean
Journalism whose success has set a
new mark in the world
these things or any OF them would
give eminence to the life-work of the
o ambitious of men. To a modest
woman, Mary Baker Eddy. belongs the
credit of them all. y
But these achievements, grand as
they are, weighed little with her COM
pared with the fruits of her c~onsecrat-
ed endeavors to bring more and more
OF peace on earth and good will to
men, and to guide us to a clearer and
more practical understanding of the
brotherhood Of man. The applause of
men, like their abuse and condenna-
ton. h brushed aside as cobwebs
when she was once assured of the ap-
prevail Of God.
/ could by the hour recite to YOU in
cidents Of Mrs. Eddy's wisdom and
Sagaclty. or her courage and stead
fastness, of her wit and humor. of her
owe for little children and her delight
In h beautiful. of the inexpressible
charm OF her manne and the eloquence
of her voice, but 1t is not Of these
things that she would have me speak.
1t was her desire-almost daily ex-
pressed-that her followers should dis
regard her personality and address
their thought to the things Of God
which she has disclosed to them. She
would have us study her books and not
her personality. She would have us
know her by what she wrote and not
by how she looked. Years ago she in
structed her students to follow her
only as she followed Christ, and though
she was q rare Leader she was an
ideal follower Of all that is truly good.
God as Principle.
Mans comprehension of the prob
lens Of life is to be measured by his
understanding of God. He holds to
contrary and widely divergent beliefs
about God and hence his interpreted
tions of life are conflicting and dis
cordant. If he comedies to God, the
primal cause of all being, illimitable
poWer-Cmnipitence-and illimitable
Observation-Disclosures. and in the
next breath attributes to Him tn eaf-
hictions and disasters of human ex-
perience, he is setting up a god of good
and evil, of ~benevolence and cruelty.
whom he may try to love but is bound
to fear.
The anthropomoTphic idea of God AZ
a man-Iike being OF human attributes
and qualities enormously Enagnifed. a
heritage of mythology. handed down
to us through generations 0f ortho-
doXy, is repudiated in Christian. Sci
ence. For its definition of God. Chris
tan Science consistently turns to the
Scriptures.
In oar contemplation If Deity, we
are thus led to lift u thought from
effect to Cause: from the thing created
to the creator; from idea to Principle.
Thus We come to under stand God to be
the infinite Personality without cor
poreality, the Principle os all true be-
ing, the supreme good. the same yes
terday. today and forever. sin whom
there is no yariableuess neither shad-
ow of turning"
In contemplating God as infinite
Principle, W. find our life problems
must be worked out according to this
unerring Principle of Being. or they
will be failures, precisely as failure
fouoWs the work Of the student of al
zebra, who ignores the principles of
mathematics. The mistakes we make
IN life and their affective results are
due to our ignorance Of Principle. or
to disregard of the laws expressing
Principle, and in all cases are assign
able to u own shortcomings and new
er to Principle itself. The dep1orable
mistakes in mans history which he
designateS as sickness and suffering
and failure and disaster will diminish
in frequency and virulence as he ap-
plies himself to gain a better under
standing of divine Principle, and per-
sists in using that understanding In
the affairs of his everyday. life. He
must give 1t expression to the limit of
his cognition, for a principle unex-
pressed is as futile as a theory I'M
tried.
Christian Science stands before the
world as a demonstrable religion, one
that is to be lived. not merely believed.
The standard of proficiency for the
Christian Scientist Is not now much he
believes. but how much of that belief
he is using in his daily life. in his
dealings with his fellow men and in
the ~sanctity of his innermost thoughts.
Hence 1t is that there is no such
thing az a purely theoretical Chris
tian Scientist. No man can become a
Christian Scientist by merely beIiey-
Ing In the teachings of its textbook
without practising them. we are
Christian Scientists only as we nut
into constant practise our knowledge
of our religion, be that knowledge
great or small. We are Christian
Scientists only as we are kind and
helpful in thought and deed; only a.
we think health and talk health in
stead of disease and disasfar- We are