Arizona republican., 1919-04-08
TRUE COMPARTMENT Written for the Christian Science
 Monitor

Down through the centuries. men of all races and of all types and conditions of society have striven to attain one common goal to live in true content ment. Opinions concerning what con situate the necessary steps to be taken and what the ultimate shall be, seem innumerable. The men of the stone age were content if they had sufficient food and a comfortable shelter from the clements As time went on, how ever and mankind became more civil lzed, they no longer remained content with the old standards of life; their concept of what true contentment is and what is required to gain it, neces- sarily changed. In the course of pro- gress, as humanity gradually passed out of the lower order of primitive living, it became more and more recog- nlzed and admitted that strive as men might to secure those things which would bring them added material com fort and ease, these things did not of themselves contain the contentment so eagerly sought. Men were gradually elevated out of the more primitive modes of living, and were, through the advancement of civilization, able to escape the many privations their an
 
 discontent; they appeared no nearer their goal. As society became more and more organized, men began lool- ing in new directions for satisfying their most cherished desire. Some thought contentment could be gained through material wealth, or through political or ecclesiastical power. but strive as they might and whether their ambitions were attained or not, they found that true contentment was still beyond their grasp.
 It gradually became apparent that true contentment must come some other way; as it is of itself something loftier than mere material living can secure. and is attained only through the light of spiritual understanding and through a denial of those very things which had been regarded as primarily essential for gaining happiness. Was It not a recognition of this, that man kind cannot become satisfied until il acquires some of that understanding of God which does bring peace on earth, " that enabled the early Christians to face the wild beasts in the Roman arena with fortitude, that made it DOS sible for the victims of the Spanish inquisition to endure it's horrors with out a murmur?
 It was a realization of what consti tute true contentment helping humanity through his correct understanding ot God, through the Christ or Truth, that enabled Christ Jesus to declare that his yoke was easy and his burden light Tor in the eyes of the world he was most heavily burdened and full of sor- row. It was the understanding of the fact that true contentment comes not through a belief of life in matter. but through seeing that men will only be- come truly satisfied as they change .heir viewpoint of life from a material 70 a spiritual basis, that inspired Mary Baker Eddy. the discoverer and tounderer of Christian Science. to say The time for thinkers has come Truth. independent of doctrines ant time-honored systems, knocks at tho portal of humanity. Contentment witt he past and the cold conventionalit, of materialism are crumbling away Ignorance of God is no longer the step ping stone 10 faith" Science anC Health with Key to the Scriptures, pre- lace, D. vii.) It was this same recog hilton which justified Christ Jesus il telling his followers that While'he him self was departing from them, not false sense of peace, not a convenien peace, which mankind had been misle, into believing was peace but tha peace that passes all human under standing, the outcome of knowing God through healing the sick and awaken ing the sinner from his dream of If and ease in matter, in material pleas 7 ure. And then he added, Not as tn world giveth, give l unto you," showinl conclusively that the peace reveale through the Comforter or Holy Ghos which he was leaving as rich hertaS to p"sterifv Wns attainahi~. ~.'i