Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1921-09-24
A LECTURE
ON
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE
By
John j. Finn, c. S.
Member of: the Board of Lectureship
Of The Mother Church. The First
Church of Christ, Scientist
In Boston, Mass.

u1cuMeRt, In AMERICAN DSc!aEalioA
Of Independence, one of the truths
which the Trainers and signers held to
be self-evideEf was that all men arc
entitle to Life. Liberty and the pur-
suit of Happiness. Countless null
titudes in practically all nations Of
teh earth have since subscribed to
this assertion Of elemental human
| privilege. n recent years. outside as
we'll as inside of the United States,
more than ever before, teh inalienable
] pue GflI7q!I 'oHl OF pu!HuuW 10 4qS!1
the unhampered pursuit of happiness
has been affirmed.
Eighteen centuries before the Dec
laration Of Independence became the
Magma Charta OF the American colo
n,es, however, mans right to life IN
all its rullness was proclaimed by
| Christ Jesus in the presence Of the
-lnreq leql u! 'so9s!IeQd 5u!lno9saod
fli figure of speech wherein he des-
cpibes himself as a Shepherd who is
willing TO lay down his life, if neces-
sary, for his sheep. Il am come"
he said, that they might have life
and that they might have j..
more abundantiy Again, he told the
Jews, who were striving to harass
and embarass him, how they might
secure real freedom. In almost his
first utterance in the presence of the
rabbis, he read from Isaiah the mar
velous passage predicting the coming
of the Messiah: The Spirit of the
Lcrd God is upon me; because the
Lord hath anointed me to prach good
tidings unto the meek; he hath sent
b h. h,.Ol-n,, la, +aI
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
ard the opening of the prison to
them who are bound In the First
Psalm is laid down teh basis upon
which man may obtain happiness.
He 'walketh not in the counsel Of
the ungodlyy, nor standeth in the way
CT sinners, nor stitch in the seat OF
| the scornful, but his delight IS in the
Jaw of the Lord; in his law doth ne
mediate day and night" And Mary
Baker Eddy, the Disccvercr and
4 Founder of Christian Science, ever
alert to perceive, and ever jealous to
conserve, every privilege Of the chill
lrn of God, declares in the Christian
Science textbook, Science and Health
with Key to the Scriptures: Dis
corning the rights OF man, ew cannot
fail to foresec the doom of all OPP
preston. Slavery is not the lcgFti-
mate state of man. God made man
free. Il was free born. All men
| should be free. Where the spirit
OF the Lord is. there is liberty. Love
ard Truth make free. but evil and CT
ror lead into captivity"
! FruitleSs Pursuit of Happiness
4 II|pr ,,,rr bava hpI1 I
in an effort to get more out of life,
to obtain larger measure to liberty.
ard to find in the possession of both
trat ease, comfort, contentment and
peace which are supposed to make
up the sum Of human happiness.
But the prizes sought have been elu-
s.ve: they have lost their value even
with seeming attainment, for the
struggle to capture them has, in the
main, has been carried along on the
theory that happiness is something
Daterial and, therefore. to be pur-
sued by indulging the material
senss and turning loose upon the
chase the sensual desires.
To Judge by appearance, the world
is a whole today is unhappy; never
more so in all its history If one
were disposed to indulge in it, here
would be an exceptionally tempting
opportunity to satrize material pros
perty Prosperity and happiness,
happiness and prosperity, as we all
know, are almost invariably coupled
in human thought and conversation
Humanity in general thinks of happi- !
ness as something largely if not
wholly dependent upon, or certainly
as a companion of, prosperity. IN
rch opinion of the world, to be pros
porous means to be happy.
In ali the ages, 50 far as known, |
there was never before such wide |
spread prosperity on this planet rs
that (which prevailed during the 20
years preceding the first Of August. |
1914, and later developments seem
to show that never in all ages was |
discomfort so prevalent in the breasts
and thoughts Of men as during this |
period. Some Of the nations were so |
rich that they could afford TO apply |
Almost unbelievable SURPRISES of rev.
enue to means Of giving vent to |
their unrest. Freedom from indebted |
ness. phenomenal expansion Of trade, I
luxury unrivaled in ancient or in |
modern times-ind;vidaul fortune.
swollen. almost beyond calculation,
individual extravaganza carried on |
with confidence and boldness that |
could neither be reasoned with nor .
abashed-thesc were all present, ami
Yet the nations mad their populations
Wcer unhappy.
Time was, and that not so very
long ago, when, comparatively speak
!rg, a mans awntS were little here /,
below, and among the great majority
CT the people only moderate effort
was required to supply them. But
prosperity. legitimate and artificial,
has multiplied mems seeming wants
in our days many times over, and
has made them so complex, that they
lave long since passed and distanccd
actual needs. To meet what have
now come to be known as wants de-
aands constant strain: attainment
only whets the appetite for more;
emulation takes the JOY out of ac-
ccmplishmcnt; possession disappoints
,atha7. than satisfies and pettiror