The Republican journal., 1922-04-27

two instances she had been able to ac-
complish healing of serious ailments in
others without the use of drugs. (See
Life of Mary Baker Eddy" by Sibyl
Wilbur Her healing from Quimby's treat
ment, however, was not permanent and
she came to understand that mis- method
was not spiritual but magnetic, or mes
meric and hypnotic. 1t is clear to the un-
prejudlced that she look I'd upon him as
utilizing the healing principle which she
had come to regard available in the
cure of disease. She endowed him with
her own exalted ideas of the true Chris
tian ministry, again exemplified, as she
believed, in healing sickness While both
the editor of this volume and the reviewer
wish to impress upon its readers that
Quimby progressed out of the use of hy-
notism and magnetism as methods of
healing, the use of which he frankly ad-
mitted, into purely mental system, they
plllory Mrs Eddy for the assertion that
subsequent to her experience with Quinn
I by, and after her own discovery of divine
healing, she came to understand that she
had entirely misinterpreted his method.
That is to say, they deny her the posslbil-
ity of progressive understanding which
they claim for him.
A careful perusal of the letters from
Mrs. Patterson (Mrs. Eddy appearing in
the volume in question leads one to the
conviction that during the three or four
years which passed between her first visit
to Quimby and his death, in 1866, she was
FAR from enjoying good health, as she was
frequently appealing to him for help. If
his mnlstrations had really healed her,
there would have been no occasion for
these frequent appeals; and while the
letter OF April "a, 1865, from her husband,
DR.. Patterson, states that his wife is
greatly improved in health, it does not
state that she was healed even then. The
letter on page 1863, written to julius Dres-
ser on February 15 1866, almost year
later and after the death of Qumby, is a
piteous appeal for help apparently sent in
the hope that he had gained knowledge
from Quimby which he might use to re-
lieve her distress. In the fact that Dres-
ser, even though patient and friend of
Qumby, was unable to help her is good
evidence that no system of healing had
been developed. OF this situation Mrs.
Eddy writes in The Christian Science
journal of June, 1887: Before UNDER
standing and settling the great question
of my discovery, | wrote to Mr.. Dresser,
who had tried Mr.. Quimby's cure by man.
ipulation, and asked him if he could help
ANYBODY, or tell me how Quimby healed.
He replied, in a letter which | have, to
the effect that he could not, and was un-
able to heal his wife of slight ailment;
adding, that he did not believe anyone
living knew how Mr. Qumby healed the
sick" Manifestly if Quimby had de-
veloped a system of healing his most in
innate friends were not aware of it. No
more were they able to explain it to an
other or to use it in healing disease
As 10 Quimby's method of treatment,
there is complete evidence in the book it.
self that it bore no resemblance to the
practice of Christian Science First of all,
Christian Science is Christianity; that is,
it is based upon the teachings of Christ
Jesus and reproduces his practices. On
the other hand, there is no proof that
Quimby's method had a Christian basis.
In fact, he denies the very fundamentals
of Christianity, namely, the immaculate
conception, the resurrection of Jesus, and
the efficacy of prayer-which are basic in
the teachings of Christian Science
In letter written by George A. Quinn
by in 1904 appears this statement: IA
word or two about Mrs. Eddy. No one
least of all myself-disputes her claims
that she is the originator of Christian
Science. AS far as the religious aim goes
it is hers-the facsimile cf the author on
the label and her picture blown in the
bottle and stamped on the cork" AL
though the spirit of the letter as whole
is hostile to Mrs. Eddy, it's author dis
claims that his father, whose secretary he
was for considerable period, was in any
sense an originator of Christian Science,
that is of ''its religious aim." This view
ic ed n statement
him on Nov. IL, 1901 (p 436, "The Quimby
Manuscripts'1: GAS far as the book,
Science and Health, is concerned, Mrs.
Edd, had no access to fathers manus-
cripts [save Questions and AnswersI
when she wrote it, but that she did have
a very full knowledge of his ideas and be-
iefs is also true. The religion which she
teaches certainly is hers, for which can
not be too thankful; for should be loath
to 60 down to my grave feeling that my
father was in any way connected with
Christian Science.
OF the lack of logic and conference in
Quimby's writings citation OF few char
acteristic passages will suffice. On page
244 he says: "Our life is in our senses
and if our wisdom is in our mind, we
:: matter is the medium of Wis
DOM" On the following page he says:
"Our senses are not life. But all of these
are solid and eternal; and to know them
is life and life eternal" "The word 'life'
cannot be applied to Wisdom, for that has
no beginning and life has," Also on page
234, "The elements of the mineral king
dom by their chemical change bring forth
life;;" and on page 227, 'You know have
tried to prove that mind is spiritual mat
ter; and if have proved that, will now
show you that matter is life." To COM
pare these statements with the clear, de-
finite, and logical declarations of Christian
Science is to reveal the impossible gulf
which exists between his sayings and this