Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1917-05-16
LARGE AUDIENCE IS
TOLD TEACHINGS Of
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE
FRANK BELL DELIVERS INTER
ESTiNG LECTURE AT GAYETY
THEATRE IN WHICH HE EX-
PLAINS FAITH FOUNDED BY
MARY BAKER EDDY.

A large and appreeiatiye audience
heard Frank Bell. 2 member II the
Christian Science Board of Lecture,
ship. give 4 most enIightening address
last night at the Gayety theatre upon
the teachings OF Mary Baker Eddy.
founder of thai faith. Mr. Bell. be-
sides being an interesting talker de-
livered his discourse III such man.
ner his propoundings were clearly IN
derstandable 10 an audience made up
OF people of all creeds and of all
walks of life.
Many visitors were present from
out OF town; Streator. Marseilles,
Seneca, Morris, Princeton and La
Sale being represented in the audi
ence. The Introductory remarks
were made by Mrs. Margarita Sand
ers. In his address, Mr. Bell said;
II il the mission of Christian
Science to bring to light the fact that
mans true selfhood is not separated
from the intelligence that makes and
governs all Manifestly working
knowledge of divine law involves and
requires a correct understanding of
the nature and qualities of the cause
or source of all things, the infinite
intelligence or divine Mind, which is
God. In the light OF Christian Science
man begins to acquaint himself with
Z his Maker by processes as satisfy
ing to his reason as those by which
the mathematician is assured OF the
bers.
! Christian Science makes it clear
that there is God. and that the
Scriptural statements with regard to
Him are correct, namely, that He is
the one and only creator, having made
all that was made; that His creation
was and is spiritual and perfect and
good, as He is spiritual and perfect
and good; and that infinite Spirit is
necessarily omnipotent, omnipresent,
omniscient; that is, the only power,
everywhere present, supreme intelli-
gence. In John 1t Is stated that
God is love" and Mrs. Eddy, on page
40 Of Science and. Health, says THE
Christian Science God Is universal /
eternal, divine Love. which changeth
not and causeth no evil disease, nor
DEATH"
II is needless perhaps to add that i.
those to whom this definition Of Is
apprecicahle do net think Of Him as in \
the nature OF a magnihed human being
with material form, occupying
great throne in the sky and dealing
with His children in manner that
would be considered reTehensible
even in human parent. bestowing
rewards on certain favored ones and
furnishing others for doing things He
Is supposed to have made them capable
OF doing. Christian Scientists learn
to question the accuracy CT any de
scription Of God that. does not con
form to the highest standards of
justice, mercy, and love. to say no
thing Of intelligence Therefore they
are not expected to believe that God
created evil or uses evil to accom-
pliah good, or that He could put into
the heart Of man the capacity to yield
to sinful temptation and then eternally
torture man for succumbing to a God
bestowed tendency or that an infinite
ly coed God ever did or could destroy
any OF His children or even make them
sick
And now since il Is obvious that an
intelligent and good God could not
have made evil, and that to attribute
to evil any other positive or actual
source Is equivalent TO contending FOR
the impossible theory of there being
more than one primal cause or creator
our conclusion necessarily IL this tha,
evil is not an entity at all but mega
ton This thought may be illustrated
in simple way, Ignorance Is one Of
the most pronounced types Of evil A
very considerable proportion Of human
endeaqor ~ directed TO the overcom.
ing of ignorance. Thousand Of
schools and colleges, hundreds OF
thousands of teachers the tremendous
facilities Of modern printing. publish
ing and distribution, are devoted large
ly to this service The profession OF
the educator is honored among men,
and rightly 50 ana the business of
education is supported by untold
wealth Of public and private funds
And all this vast expenditure of Ia
lent and time and treasure is direct.
ed against what? Against ignorance.
nothingness.
Would the educator succeed Ii he
were to regard that against which he
contends as a positive thing, with
real source and an actual presence and
power? Ii there a school anywhere
whose curriculum includes a course of
in the origin and elements
Of ignorance? Through all education.
al effort Is exerted to the overcoming
OF ignorance. such effort IL based on
full recognition Of the fact that igno-
rance IN not of itself anything. but
merely the lack OF something, and
that the one practical way TO dispose
of lack by the positive process of sup
plying the needful thing,
We are all familiar with the effects