Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-03-15
CHRISTIAN SCIENCE
BILL BRINGS ROW
Charges of Voodooism HurI-
ed in Bitter Debate in
Maryland House.
RY WILLIAM J. WHEATLEY,
staff Correspondent of The star.

StaH correspondent OF Inc star.
ANNAPOLIS, Md, March 15.-Vivid
pictures of voodooism, witchcraft and
other forms of fanaticaI faith healing
running rampant in the State of Mary
land. leaving wake strewn with hun
dreds of dead, uselessly and carelcssly
sacrificed for want of medical care
and threatening to inflict the State with
q condition similar to that which re-
suited in the voodoo murder in Penn
sylvania. were verbally drawn before
the House of Delegates yesterday in An
unsuccessful effort to kill the So-called
Christian Science bill. which has for
its purpose the legalizing OF the collec-
ton OF a fee by practitioners OF this
church.
Hundreds of fatalities will rest square
~ on the shoulders of the legislators
If the bill is allowed to pass, 1t was
charged by vehement opponents of the
measure who cited concrete instances
IT deaths, particularly of children. which
has been caused by the failure to pro-
vide medical attention. 1t was one Of
the most bitter debates of the present
session. the House spending nearly three
hours in the consideration of the meas
IRE. on favorable report from the
committee ON hygiene. The report
was finally adopted by a vote OF 81
~ IS.
Lee Offers Amendments.
The bill then became open to amend
ment from the floor, when Speaker E.
Brooke Lee of Silver Spring left the
rostrum and from his position with the
Montgomery delegation offered two
amendments which specifically confined
the PURPOSE of the measure to the al
lowance of the payment of fee and
holding the practitioners fully resppn-
sible under the medical laws of Mary
land for treatments of persons under
the age Of 81 years.
Speaker Lee said he was not disposed
to prolong the debate and would not
discuss his amendments II the propo-
nents of the measure were willing to
accept them. He said his amendments
merely put into the bill what the pro-
pcnents indicated was the purpose. of
the bill, but he wanted the proposed
Law clarified to that extent. The
amendments were accepted without
debate.
The measure now has to go through
a third reading before final passage.
Since its introduction in the House, the
halls of the Capitol have been crowded
daily by scores of followers of the faith,
and each day special buses brought
large numbers. When the bill was up
for hearing by the committee on ny
giene, it was necessary for the commit |
tee to seek permission to use the House |
chamber in order to accommodate the |
crowds. During the debate yesterday |
the galleries were packed.
Although he said he had presented |
the favorable report and had concurred /
in 1t merely for the purpose Of putting |
the bill before the House for action, |
Frank G. Purdum of the third Balti- |
more district, chairman of the hygiene |
committee, expressed the hope that the |
measure would not become law. He |
also read a letter from DR.. Robert H. |
Riley, director of health of Maryland, |
opposing the measure. Purdum pointed |
out that every member of the Christian |
Science Church is potential prac-
titioner.
Pleading for defeat of the bill. Dele
gate A. Percy White of Wicomico County |
said that the measure was going to give /
the witch doctor, the voodoo doctor and
spiritualists all a chance to practice.
Secs Menace to Church.
he charged InaL the issue was IlOt I
one between the doctors and the Chris
tian Science Church. but between the /
doctors and any faith. He said that |
if the bill was allowed to pass it would |
do grave injustice to the Christian |
Science Church.
eff this bill passes" he concluded, |
'then every man here will be respon- |
sible for hundreds of deaths that will |
occur, which would make capital pun |
ishment Incompatible. In 10 years, if |
the members here could see the result |
Of this bill being passed, you would not |
stand for It,"
Waving to the House and inviting |
minute inspection of what he said was
a death certificate in the case of a
9-year old child who died of diphtheria
for want of medical attention, Fred |
erick Volland of the sixth Baltimore
district said that cultures taken by Bal
timore city health officials 20 hours
after death showed the child had the
disease He said the child's parents
were Christian Scientists and its moth
er a practitioner. After reading the
certificate in detail, he glared at the
galleries, waved the certificate and
challenged the mother to deny it.
Delegate Daniel c. Joseph of the
fourth district spoke at length in favor
Of the bill.
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