The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1917-06-29
UNDISMAYED


From the Christian Science Mont
tor the following article is reproduced.
Its treatment of the conditions which
have been brought about by the pres
ent war and the final results that
might be expected to emenate there
from, shows careful and painstaking
deductions, based on the promises of
the Bible as it is read and understood
by the writer, Louise knight Wheat
ley:
When to a waiting nation there
came the news that it was actually
involved in a situation from which it
had so long and earnestly sought to
Scientist, and perhaps to many, the
first agonizing cry was: "Are our
prayers of no avail? Are all these
declarations of truth which have been
on the lips of unnumbered multitudes
during these past months proved impo-
tent? After every mental effort has
been made to avoid participation in
this worldwide struggle, is error to
triumph after an?"
In the first place, have our prayers
failed? 1t is true that the answer has
not come in the way which most of
us perhaps expected but is that not
usually the case? Prayer which out
lines specific result is not prayer at
all, as Christian Science understands
it. Suppose we honestly analyze the
nature of our past prayers in this
connection, and see just what we were
really asking. Did we pray that
Gods will might be done, in His own
time and way, that His Word might
"enrich the affections of all mankind,
and govern them, or did we just
pray for peace? That which is called
peace, however, is sometimes only
mortal minds soothing syrup, lull-
ing us into convenient slumber. Jesus
could have had that kind of peace had
he desired it, but no one ever reused
such turmoil and fury in the carnal
mind as did he, simply because no
one ever so continually disturbed that
false sense of peace which those
around him were expressing.
The "nations in commotion" of to-
day are only manifesting that same
unrest and perturbance which accom-
panies an experience, be it with an in
dividual or an aggregation of indi-
viduals, when the old is giving place
to the new. Because there is a turn
ing and an overturning such as has
never before been witnessed in human
history, is it necessarily time to be
dismayed? Rather is it not time
to look beyond the material evidences
of the passing moment to discern that
which all the world will see later on,
when the lannon's thunder has ceased
and the smoke has cleared away,
namely, that Truth is awakening ev-
cry Nation on earth from it's long
dream of oppression. Are our prayers
then, unanswered? No. The only
thing which has failed is our misguid-
ed zeal in thinking that. our limited,
finite view of the situation was suf-
ficiently clear to warrant us in adj
vising the infinite intelligence.
Were Jesus prayers ever unans-
wered? Never. That was because
he knew how to pray. Even when he
hung upon the cross he did not outline
his answer; he did not ask to be de-
livered. Suppose every Christian
Scientist on earth today had been
there at that time; might they not
have prayed just as earnestly that
he should not be crucified as we have
been praying that there should be no
war? Unless they were unusually
good Christian Scientists they would
probably have done that very thing;
yet if those prayers had been ans
wered, Jesus would have failed to
make his supreme demonstration.
Already we can rejoice to recall
what has been done among our broth
ers in the great nation so recently de-
livered from autocracy. In the super
heated crucible of the present turmoil
there has melted away in a single
night that which would ordinarily
have been consumed only in the slow
process of the centuries. Suppose our
prayer for peace had been granted a
year ago. It is not impossible that
millions of our fellow beings would
have settled hopelessly back again
into another generation of apathy.
Deplorable as the destruction Of hui
man life and property may be, that
which is called '1war" is destroying
much more; it is destroying time hon.
ored institutions, injustice, tyranny,
mental domination, and the
might which calls itself right. This