Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1913-09-23
DELIVERS AN
NUAL LECTURE:
Virgil 0. Stricken Of Boston, Mass,
Makes Address on Christian
Science at Armory OPP
era House.
SIXTEENTH ANNUAL LECTURE
Speaker is Introduced by H. NJ. Spar.
Doe in Very Interesting
Manner.

The sixteenth annual lecture OF
4 Christian Science, given under tn
auspices of the local church, was De
4 liyered at the armory opera house
Friday night by Virgil o. Stricken o.
1 Boston, member of the board o.
,Ilectureship of that society. The
i speaker was introduced by II. NJ
i sparboe in the following interesting
words:
! "There has been wonderful ad,
yancement in natural science in re-
cent years, while the advancement In
social and political conditions have
been equally marked, so much SC
i that the knowledge of one genera
ton has become ignorance in the
next. With all these grand material
ladvancements and achievements go
! ing on around us, are we not justi-
fed in asking ourselves this ques-
ton, is there no room for religious
development?
There are more forms of religion
in the world today than of civil gov
ernment, and greater diversity OF
opinion on religious subjects than on
any question social or political. Sure
lily then amid the multitude of these
opinions, there is room for further
Investigation and the possibility OF
advancement.
/ Christian Science is not a new re-
ligion. 1t is the re-awakening OF a
slumbering truth, a truth that was
demonstrated by Jesus and his fol-
lowers over 1900 years ago.
I take it that those who believe in
the Bible, believe that Christ healed
and taught his followers to heal the
sick and the sinner contemporary
eously. We believe that the same
simple teachings of the Scripture
are again being better understood
today, and are being given a more
practical application to the needs Of
humanity.
If God is, as the Scripture claims,
omnipotent, omniscient and omni-
present, can we believe that he
leaves us to shift for ourselves and
that he is either unwilling or unable
to relieve us of our physical ills?
Is it not more reasonable to believe,
that his unchanging Spiritual law If
properly and scientifically under
Stood will protect us against and re-
lieve. us from the seeming inharmoE-
ious conditions that surround us?
The critics of Christian Science
cite an occasional failure to heal as
a reason for condemning it. The
same line Of reasoning would con-
denim every church denomination for
failing to convert every person with
whom it comes in contact. 1t would
condemn the laws of math ematics
because some student failed to prop
erly demonstrate it's rules. To say
that the age of Christian healing has
passed, because Christians as rule
have ceased to practice it, is as un-
reasonable as it would be to assume
that Gods forgiveness of sin has
passed. because there are so many
sinners who do not avail themselves
of it.
We believe that the saving and
healing power demonstrated by
Jesus and his followers is present
with us today just as surely as the
power OF electricity, which until re-
Gently has been an unused force and
has been little understood"
Following the above, remarks, Mr.,
Sparboe formally presented the
speaker Of the evening to the audi
ence. Mr.. Stricken is speaker OF
pleasing voice and personality and
was accorded close attention
/ throughout his address. His lecture
in part follows:
4 However much people may differ
in their attitude towards Christian
Science every one will admit that II
has done many good things. Entire,
lily apart from the question Of ply.
sioal healing, it is generally conced.
ed that it produces happy and
contented mentality, that it destroy:
fear, and makes people loving ant
kind.
When we add to this the fact thai
it has healed many sick people whc
j had previously been unable to fine
!, relief under other systems, that i
has cured many OF the drug habit
and OF the liquor habit, has restored
harmony in many homes that wer,
discordant, and has given hope AMI