The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1936-11-30
Noted Massachusetts, Lecturer
Speaks Before Large Gathering
At Women's Club Auditorium

the same King JaI1eS OlUIS o.
widely used throughout Christendom
and take it as their guide to eter-
nal life.
Experience Promotes Progress
To know God as UNNECESSARILY
patient md tender, always right at
hand-as combining In Himself
every good and worthy attribute
is to love God above all else. No one
need feel discouraged If his first
steps in Christian Science do not
Immediately bring a workable un-
Outstanding Of Christian Science
and a satisfying knowledge OF God
Making beginning is the first re-
qiusite. Progress follows in pro-
portion to earnest and rightly d.
rected endeavor. Every worthy ef-
fort Is sure to bring some gain.
Our desire to do right may not at
first lead us to exactly the best way
but experience teaches many help
full lessons. II our course leads to
the edge of 8 swamp or precipice we
should know enough to take diff
ferent trail next time. We need not
feel a sense of defeat or failure If
1t becomes necessary to change or
reverse our course In any under
taking. If we recognize the expert
ence as a part of our education out
of erroneous beliefs we will not in
dulge in self-condemnation or self
pity over misdirected efforts or un-
fulfilled expectations, once we have
seen the error and corrected 1t.
A baby topples over pretty often
in his first efforts to walk, but he
perseveres and before long he Is
scampering about freely. During his
progress through school days. col
lege days, and into years Of senior
ity no one would recall those baby
days in order to lament or condemn
his unsteady footsteps. Instead, all
would rejoice over the gains he has
made. 1t is a rule in Christian
Science that we must appraise our
selves and others according to to-
days motives and efforts, not yes
terday's.
Much of human progress comes
through learning what not to do.
When being interviewed by maya
zine writer, Thomas A. Edison once
told that he and his assistants had
made many hundreds Of laboratory
experiments in efforts to perfect a
certain invention on which he was
then working, and still had not
found the right way. The journalist
expressed his sympathy to Mr.. Edi-
son, who replied, you need not feel
sorry for us, for we now know hun
dreds Of ways how not to do 1t and
are that much nearer the right
way"
Mistakes, misdeeds, misfortunes-
all untoward experiences - result
from erroneous thoughts, but they
are useful for the lessons they teach
as scientific right thoughts lead to
greater enlightenment.
At every step along wrong
course, God, divine Love, is right
there. Sooner or later, as we read
in Isaiah, Thine ears shall hear a
word behind thee, saying, This is
the way, walk we in 1t, when We turn
to the right hand, and when We
turn to the left" ...
Universal Operation Of Divine
Principle
Ever since Jesus walked among
men, spiritually minded men and
women have yearned for a renewed
manifestation of the divine Prin-
ciple which he understood and used
in his healing ministry Humanity
has needed that great boon and still
needs 1t. Many are now finding 1t In
some measure through the study and
practice Of Christian Science. There
was nothing mysterious, super
natural. or complicated in Jesus
work. His ability to heal all manner
of sickness, reform sinners, and even
raise the dead, sprang from his clear
knowledge of his eternal oneness
with his Father-the Father of all.
Mathematics being what Is known
as an exact science-that is, sub
ject to no deviation whatever-.it
lends itself to illustratin of the ex-
actitude Of the truths set forth In
Christian Science No one can con-
ceive of any fac in mathematics as
having beginning or ending. No
one can think far enough into the
past or future to conceive of a sin
gle moment when seven times four
could be anything but twenty eight.
Nor could anyone contemplate
single spot in the entire universe
where the correct answer would be
different. Mathematical facts are
not influenced by weather, locality,
time, or the whims of humanity.
If a miscalculation is made and
recorded the mistake Is mental; 1t
cannot rightly be blamed upon the
figures. Nor Is the erroneous calcu-
lation entitled to be called mathe-
mates; 1t is a counterfeit, and when
detected, a simple change In the
figures records the correct answer.
A wrong thought of any kind is
corrected when replaced by a right
idea. That is what occurs In heal
ing in Christian Science. Through
illumination Of thought, scientific
right ideas replace mental images
OF disease manifested on the body,
OF poverty manifested on the pock-
etbook, OF SinfulnesS manifested In
wrong actions. To the extent that
men discern and understand the
spiritual truth Of mans eternal, har-
monious oneness with God do they
prove their dominion over the ills OF
mankind. The truth about mans
relation to God and about mans
Harmonious existence Is no more
subject to deviation or impairment
than Is the fact that seven times
four Is twenty-eight.
Jesus understanding of divine,
spiritual law enabled him to per-
form his mighty works. He did not
create the power he derived from
that law of Spirit. 1t had always
existed and was and Is operative
everywhere. When Jesus said, Be
fore Abraham was. am" he meant
that his real spiritual selfhodo. the
image and likeness OF God, had al
ways existed. The same funda-