Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-07-25
Faith Healing Found to Haze Not an
Iota of Evidence to Aid It's Claims

The MacMillans have published a
book on Spiritual Healing which will
challenge criticism. The work is
founded on the report of a clerical
and medical inquiry into spiritual
faith and mental healing. In connec-
ton with this report there is issued
by the same publishers Some Prin-
ciples of Spiritual Healing"
1t may be said at once that the
committee of clerics and physicians
have come to the conclusion, definite
", that the claims of spiritual healers
are wholly unsupported by evidence.
This conclusion was reached only
after the examination of many wit
nesses to whose testimony the most
careful consideration was given.
But, in spite of this unfavorable de-
cision in regard to faith healing, the
individual experience of many per-
sons will controvert the ultimatum
even of so learned a body as this
committee undoubtedly was,
For ourselves we have seen at
least one triumph of faith cure which
would establish trust in such a
method in the mind Of the most
skeptical
In spiritual healing. as a writer
saws in an English review, two pre-
liminary difficulties present them
selves. The one danger Is in bring
ing final metaphysical conceptions
into a practical debate. In the ulti-
mate resort the distinction between
mind and body, between spirit and
matter fades away, and the philosopher
can maintain the proposition that all
we know of matter may be resolved
into terms of mind or spirit.
But in practise there is, as every
one must acknowledge, certainly a
clear and simple distinction between
body and mind, between a physical
agent, such as carbolic acid, and
mental or emotional agent like conf
dence.
Within the limits of this practical
distinction, disease, whatever may be
its cause Is expressed by and asso-
ciated with, some physical disorder
sof the body. When the most extreme
opponents of spiritual teaching, like
the Boston school, deny that the body
has a real existence, and assert that
the apparently abnormal condition OF
the body is the unreal shadow OF an
abnormal soul. they may be on ten
able metaphysical ground, but they
cannot be allowed to forget that their
attention is directed to disease by its
physical symptoms, and that they
cannot dismiss consideration of these
symptoms when they are judging OF
the efficacy of their treatment.
We may assert or deny the reality
of matter. but whether real or not IT
is by material phenomena that we
Judge of disease and its progress.
The second difficulty, says the can
did critic, Is the general one that en-
tirely honest convictions may be
wrong, whether these are in favor OF
physical or Of non-physical treat
ment.
Quite certainly majority of physi-
clans, from savage to modern times,
have been reasonably honest men,
and have been satisfied that the re-
suits of the treatment in which they
believed fully justified their use of it.
Almost equally certain most of the
advocates of what are called quack
remedies even when these have been
reduced to a commercial proposition,
have also been honest.
For persons recover, fail TO re
cover or die under any treatment. and