The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1916-11-07

With these distinctions clearly in view one may understand how far remOV- ed is this spiritual healing from any, thing that might be attempted through the use of human will, men, tai suggestion, or any "mind-over- matter" process.
 Clean Thoughts and Good Health.
 Tn view of what has been here said it should be evident that Christian Scientists have no fanatical objection to drug. medicines, or other material curatives, as such. The Christian Scientist dispenses with material medicines under no species of com- pulsion, but as @ matter of voluntary choice, based upon observation and experience. If material remedies were capable of doing all that is claimed or hoped for them by their most enthusiastic advocates, they would yet fail to meet the require ments of the Christian Scientist, for the reason that the whole system of material medicine is devoted to phy- sical conditions that the Christian Scientist understands to be effects not causes.
 Consider in this connection the matter of germs. The bacteriologist for the time being occupies the cen ter of the medical stage, and in his opinion the chief foe to the well-be- ing of humanity is an inf1nitesimal material organism called microbe. Fortunately glimmer or two of light is discernible through this dark cloud. It is observed, for instance.
 
 tions'' of the body the germ is unable to operate, and it is beginning to be realized to some extent that persons who live clean lives are least suscep- tible to contagion. Is it too much to hope that one day may everywhere clean thoughts and clean lives, and appear the direct relation between the further coincidence of purity of heart and that state of the body that is not favorable" to the business of the germ? There would seem to be some significance in the fact that Christian Scientists, who put not their trust in filthy serums, enjoy as gen. eral rule an increasing measure of good health amidst the myfiads of microbes.
 With all due respect to the bacter- iologists who are conscientiously striving to rescue the race from des7 truction, it may do no harm for us to be reminded that the germsst any rate is not cause, but is only an effect of something else, and that thus far all that has been said for the germ theory of the origin of disease has come from those who do not pretend to know what a germ actually is, or where or how it originated, or whence it derives the intelligence and power with which it is supposed to go about it's work.
 Ehe healing of disease is incidental to and is not the prime object of Christian Science practice. But be- cause this is not generally recognized outside the Christian Science ranks ute important proof of the correct ness of it's teachings, it is pertinent to refer briefly to some of the evil dence that Christian Science does heal all manner of disefse.
 A Worldwide Movement.
 The extraordinary gro vth of the movement is in itself an impressive testimonial to the efficacy of it's heal ing. Although the first Christian Science church was established only 40 years ago, there are to-day sixteen hundred such bodies in various parts of the world While the largest nu- merica1 representation is in the United States, where Christian Science had it's beginning, it's churches are to be found quite numerously in Eng
 
 are to be found also in France, Ire land, Scotland, Wales, Holland, Italy, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand, China, the Philippines, Argentina, Mexico, Panama, the West Indies and Bermu- da. From virtually all quarters come reports of continuing and substantial growth, corroborative evidence of which is found in the fact that the de- mand for the authorized literature of Christian Science is increasing so rapidly as to tax the constantly en- larging publication facilities.
 These data are cited because of their significance in tre light of the fdct that this movement, which in so brief a period has become world wide, has been recruited largely from among those who turned to it for healing. The proposition of Chris tian Science from it's beginning has been to all men, as it is to you, name ly, that nothing need be accepted with regard to it that cannot be demon strated to satisfaction in the individ ual experience of the student. Chris tian Science has no means of attract ing or holding followers except its superior ability to meet their human needs, and if it had failed to do this to any appreciable extent the closing chapter in it's history would have been written long agS. So, then, the rapid, widespread, and adi1y increasing growth of the movement constitutes inferential evidence of peculiarly forceful character that Christian Science healing is a fact.
 Thousands Testify to Healing.
 Then there is a mass of evidence of a direct and particular nature to be found in the individual testimonies or healing in the official publication of the Christian Science church. In these publications in recent years have appeared the statements of more than twelve thousand persons who testify to having been healed through Christian Science of ills, that cover virtually the whole range of human suffering These thousands of per- sons have been so impressed with