Evening star., 1926-02-15
Mrs. Eddy Was Founder
Of Christian Science
To the Editor of The Star:

Kindly allow me space in your
paper to answer a communica ton
over tho name of j. f. Mallocf in your
issue Of February g.
Most of the statements made by the
writer are far from being well au-
thenticated," but on the contrary are
without foundation of fact and have
never been established to the satisfac-
ton Of fair minded people. They have
been seized upon by the opponents and
critics of Mary Baker Eddy and Chris
tian Science.
The writer somewhat critically
speaks of Mrs. Eddy as not having
been a student of the Bible from child
mood. by referring TO Mrs. Eddy'S
writings, particularly RetroSpection
and 1ntrospection, as we'll as to THE
Life Of Mary Baker Eddy" by Sibyl
Wilbur, one will readily be convinced
that she was. 1t is true that Mrs.
Eddy was a semi-invalid for a number
OF years and sought many modes of
healing, among them being the mag
netic and mesmeric form of treatment
practiced by Mr.. Phineas Quimby of
Portland, Me. She improved for a
time under his treatment and CRATE
fully acknowledged the Improvement,
but she relapsed and apparently was
in no better state of health at the
time of Mr.. Quimbys passing Later,
In the year 1866, she suffered a seri-
Gus accident, an account of which,
published in the Lynn Reporter at
the tlme OF its happening, can be
found in Sibyl Wilbur's book
While apparently within the con-
flnes of death, there was revealed to
her the great discovery which she
afterward called Christian Science.
On this point Mrs. Eddy says: I'm the
year 1866, l discovered the Christ
Science or divine laws of Life, Truth
and Love. and named my discovery
Christian Science God had been
graciouSly preparing me during many
years for the reception of this final
revelation of the absolute divine
principle of scientific mental healing"
Scriptures, page 107. Mr.. Quimby
makes the statement in his manu-
scripts: 1T IS necessary to say have
no religious beliefs" also, Prayer
contains no knowledge and only leaves
men in ignorance and superstition"
Contrast these statements with
the following which Mrs. Eddy
has written: THE prayer that
reforms the sinner and heals the sick
is an absolute faith that all things are
possible to Coda spiritual under
Science and Health, page l. Also:
christian Science is the law of
Truth, which heals the sick on the
basis of the one Mind or God. 1t can
heal in no other way, since the hu-
man, mortal mind so-called is not a
healer, but causes the belief in dis
ease" Ibid, page 4s2.
The claim that Mr.. Quimby was the
author or founder of Christian Science
began with the more limited claim
made by his son, George S. Quimby,
and published by him in "a letter dated
August 10, 1904, in which he SAYS:
No one, least of all myself, disputes
her Mrs. Eddy's) claims that she is
the originator of Christian Science, so
far as the religious aim goes. 1t is
all hers but so far as she
claims to have originated the treat
ment OF disease mentally, she lies"
Mrs. Eddy never claimed to have
originated the treatment of disease
mentally; this took place long before
Mr.. Quimby'S time and is being prac-
ticed today by other systems decidedly
different from the treatment of dis
ease employed in Christian Science.
However, Mrs. Eddy did base her dis
covery of the treatment of disease on
the teachings of Christ Jesus as
found in the Bible. Moreover, the
authorship of Science and Health. with
Key TO the Scriptures, was established
against the Quimby claim in 1883 by
decree of the Circuit Court of the
United States for the District of
Massachusetts.
Concerning the affidavit which the
writer states was made by DR.. CuSh-
ing. allow me to call attention to the
fact that it was procured 40 years
after the happening of the event and
was contained in a series of articles
published in McClures Magazine
in 1907. This series of articles was
a vicious attack to diScredit both Mrs.
Eddy and her teachings; of its futility
l need not remark. Christian Science
since that time has shown increasing
growth throughout the world, there
being over 1000 churches and soci-
cites. James says in the Bible, "Shew
me thy faith without thy works and
l will shew thee my faith by my
works" The fruitage of Mrs. Eddy's
works is shown today in an ever-in-
creasing following of adherentS. hum
bic seekers after truth earnestly Striv-
ing to obey the commands of Jesus
by healing the sick as we'll as saving
the sinner.
In closing. the following statement
of Mrs. Eddy is pertinent: NO hui
man pen nor tongue taught me the
Science contained in this book, Science
and Health; and neither tongue nor
pen can overthrow it. This book may
be distorted by shallow criticism or
by careless or malicious students, and
it's ideas may be temporarily abused
and miSrepresented; but the Science
and truth therein will forever remain
to be discerned and demonstrated"
Science and Health. page 40.
PHILIP KING,
Christian Science Committee on Pub
lication for the District of Columbia.