The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1912-07-18


begin TO hope for better things, but these
hopes have never been realized. After four
thousand wears under the drugging system
we are forced to admit that not one disease
has been permanently eradicated. In fact,
there are more diseases today. than there
were five hundred years ago, and every year
adds to their number.
When we look at the question from
theological standpoint we see that there are
more than one hundred and fifty different
Christian denominations. They all use the
same Bible and worship the same God, and
vet thew differ as to what the Bible teaches.
Thew differ as to doctrines, ordinances, and
modes of worship. In some cases the diff
ferences are of such character that if some
be right others must be wrong. By thus
multiplying creeds man has not arrived at
absolute truth, nor has he been delivered
from evil.
Jesus said, "Come unto me, all We that
labor and are heavy laden, and | will give
YOU rest" but in spite of the consecrated,
loving, and faithful efforts of religious
workers there are as many tears today as
there were two thousand years ago. The
sum of human woe has not diminished.
Sadly and sorrowfully humanity looks back
at the efforts of Magnificent and earnest men
and women and is forced to admit that ma
terial medicine and scholastic theology have
failed to solve the human problem, though
diligently tried, through many centuries. ).
Nothing could induce me to say harsh
or an unknd word against the clergy or
against the members of the medical profess
sion. A large majority of them have labor
ed faithfully and conscientiously to bring
peace and health to mankind, and none have
grieved more than they when their efforts
were not attended by success. In face of
these things, however, it seems apparen
that if the human problem is ever to be
solved. if humanity is ever to be emanci-
pated from sin, suffering, sickness, and
death, delverance must come through a
better understanding of God and man than
material medicine and scholastic theology
have thus far been able to give.
When we contemplate the heroic persis-
tence of humanity to find deliverance
through these channels, cannot help think
ing of what Maeterlinck says of the honey
bee. He says that if a bee is placed in a
glass bottle with one end open and the
closed end turned toward the sun, the bee
will wear its life out in an effort to escape
through the closed end The bee is little
creature that manifests wonderful intelli-
gence with respect to many things, but be-
cause it sees through the glass it believes
that it can escape at no other place. So
strong is this belief that no failure is suff-
cient to cause it to turn around and look
for deliverance in any other direction even
though way of escape is at hand.
How many people are beating their wings
against the closed end of the bottle. When
will they turn in the, direction where there
is the light and liberty which they crave.
Mrs. Eddy.
Many people seem to think that Christian
Science is some new thing devised by Mrs.
Eddy, but such is not the case. 1t is de-
fined by its Founder as ''The law of God,
the law of good, interpreting and demon
strating the divine Principle and rule of I'M
iversal harmony fundamental Divine
Science, p. ~. 1t was understood and ap-
piled, in part at least, by Moses and the
prophets. 1t is the same principle that was
understood and practiced by Jesus, by means
of which he performed his works. 1t is the
same principle that he taught to his disciples,
and which they in turn taught to their dis
ciples. Whenever it has been understood
and applied it has been found to operate as
law of humiliation to sin, disease, and
death, and to supercede So-Called mortal
laws.
Mrs. Eddy discovered this law in the
year 1866 as the result of her own healing
from an injury that those around her be-
lieved would prove fatal. She turned to
God for help and through spiritual means,
as the result of prayer, she was Immediately
restored to health. She knew that it had
been the power of God that had healed her,
but she wanted to know how it had been
done. She wanted to know whether it was
miraculous exhibition of divine power or
had been brought about by the operation of
law that might be understood. She has
told us that she was fully convinced that
her healing had occurreEthrough the opera
ton of some law, and that if she could dis
cover the law it would be possible for 9TH
ers to be healed by means of it. She work
ed for three years, devoting most of her
time to the study of the Scriptures, and at
the end of that time she announced that she
had discovered the spiritual law by means
of which Jesus healed the sick.
At first people were skeptical, and refused
to believe, but she met their skepticism by
actually healing such cases as were brought
to her. She reduced her discovery to writ
ing, but before having it published, she tells
us that she subjected it to the broadcast prac-
tical tests. She healed many chronic and
supposedly incurable cases of sickness which
have been authenticated by the written and
signed statements of those who were healed.
She taught her discovery to large number
of students, and they were able to heal
through the application of the Principle as
taught to them by her. In this way Chris
tan Science grew very rapidly and every
where its growth was the result of the heal
ing of the sick. Wherever, the spiritual
law discovered by Mrs. Eddy was applied
it operated in the same manner and destroy
ed both sin and disease.
In 1QzE che fret nnhlichad stCcionco and