East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1914-10-15

lions, ana mas round that under the
influence OF love and hate, serenity
and anger. pleasure and pain, the Sc
crciions present marked chemical
differences: all OF which gives evi-
dence that mental conditions are the
real causes of disease. Many physl-
clans will even admit that malignant
diseases have been caused by grief,
worry. and sin; indeed, II is now be-
coming more and more evident that
the cause of all disease is mental.
Even what are termed hereditary dis
eases and conditions are aov ho'iev-
ed by many to be OF mental origin,
AS there is no other way to account
for them.
Again, We are all familiar with the
fact that diseases and distressing
symptoms are alleviated when fear
and worry cease and the harmonious
effects OF peace, happiness, and salts
faction prevail. Take a rubber ball,
grasp It tightly in the hand. thereby
destroying fits normal outline: then
remove the pressure OF the fingers,
and when the strain Is gone, the ball
resumes its natural shape. In a sirp-
liar way, mental disturbances clamp
the boy. rut 1t under a stain. DIS
tort IL; but when these disturbances
are removed, the body becomes nor
NAL. natural
This effect OF thought on the body
is readily admitted even by pro-
nounced materlalists. Cheerfulness.
the habit Of looking on the bright side
of things, is generally acknowledged
TO be an aid in preserving and restor-
ing health Yet he who believes in
material causation will say: II can
not admit that malignant and organic
diseases may be caused or cured by
thought Possibly my headache will
disappear when I stop worrying or
being angry. but how can get rid
of tumor or of Bright's disease by
simply thinking about it?"
This expresses the attitude Of NOR
tai thought, and in answer to its
questions 1t is well to bear in mind
that the marvellous healing recorded
in the Bible. much of which is en-
tirely above and beyond any possible
achievement of medical or surgical
practice, was actually accomplished
through mental or spiritual activity
alone. and that Christian Science has
in the same way healed every known
disease. Admitting these facts, we
are the better prepared to discuss the
manner in which this healing is ac-
complished.
Nature of Existence.
In the first place, it is necessary
for US TO consider what existence Is,
ana the relation between mind and
body. All will admit that to exist
means to be conscious. Then indi-
vidual existence is individual con-
sciousness. and since consciousness is
mental. existence is mental. From
this it follows that the character OF
existence depends upon the character
Of consciousness. 1t is also exident
that hereditary tendency and educat-
ed bias largely determine the charac-
ter Of consciousness, and since our
mental makeup and perceptive facul-
ties vary greatly. it is manifest that
no two people can have the same con-
sciousness or even see the same OBJ
ject alike. For example, an aeroplane
viewed by a civilized person and by
a savage, awakens altogether differ
ent concepts. A flower is a very diff
ferent thing to a botanist from what
II Is to an engineer. The impression
received of the shape ana size OF an
object depends upon the shape and
size of the lens OF the eye. and indi-
vidual lenses are manifestly as dit
ferent as individual physiognomies
Again, since human consciousness
is acquired largely through the five
physical senses. it partakes OF the
nature of material sense. This sense
testimony is always relative and new
er absolute. II is dlmensional, finite
variable. inexact. Echoes DO not To-
cate sound correctly. Distant objects
are not small because they appear so.
Astronomical phenomena are not
what they seem to be. The sun does
not move across the sky and the earth
Is not stationary. Color is not abso-
Lutte. neither are the reports made to
US by the senses of taste, smell and
touch
Matter a Mental Concept.
According to recent discoveries In
physical science, matter Is a form OF
energy, instead of the indestructible
stuff or entity 1t has been believed
to be. It's unit the atom, is found
to be composed Of positive and mega
tive electrical corpuscles, called cleo
irons or ions. Through mechanical
and chemical processes material
object may be reduced to It's ultimate
theoretical limit, called atoms. Fur
ther separation of these atoms into
their constituent electrons or Ions,
leaves nothing Of our material object
but a form Of energy, a theoretical
manifestation OF force in which every
vestige Of the characteristics of mat
ter or the object has disappeared.
What the nature and history OF a
separated, a freed electron may be,
is something for the physicist to puz-
zle over.
Idealistic philosophy and psychol-
ogy teach that material objectsI are
but objectifled mental impressions or
concepts, and not substantive entities
exterior to consciousness. For ex-
ample: When we look at what we
call a material thing. we experience
an impression made upon conscious
ness by light, which is all we ever see.
Light, according to physics. is vibra-
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