MRS EDDY AND HER FAITH

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIIC, Issue 13727, 17 October 1908, Page 1 (Supplement)

MRS EDDY AND HER FAITH

(By Frank Podmore.) The writer was present not. long ago «t one of the weekly meetings for testimony held in the Finst Church, Scientist,, in Sloano Terrace. The large bull; veminding :bbe irr'ilis' gtnenrt arrwiiements «f * lecture room or""operatirig i *lwatW : rat Iter than a. church, was about half 'Tult. but. the congregation numbered probably 600 or 700. ■■■■■..- The hall and wiling arc pure while, brilliantly illuminated by ehetric light;' the cast end is dosed flatly by an organ. Tliere is no element of mystery in this white, shadowless interior, no "long-drawn aisles or. fretted vault." Nor w there room for mystery in the creed of Christian Science; Mrs Eddys' revelatinn .is complete and final. But the •proceeding'* did not lack impressiveness. ' One after another twelve ppjsons got, up—seven men and five women—to give thanks to Christian Science and Mi* Eddy for the benefits which they had received. They testified to relief from col&i, headache, influenzal repeated sea-sickness. skin disease, tho misery of chapped hands —this from an enthusiastic sxhoolgirl—malarial fever. In one case the witness had saved herself from the surgeon's knife by a course of mental treatment, which reduced a tumour in a few weeks- to hulf its former size. But testimony to the moral fruits was yet more impressive, a changed outlook ■on life, happiness instead of suffering; perpetual peace in place of, worry and "nxiety: love and goodwill where there had been quarrels ami contention.' . The movfinont thus proved by il?s fruits i* rapidly spreading in this country a* | well ax in America. It is a itiiteh wider movement than the follower of Mrs Eddy seem to realise. 'There ar- oiher M'.hooV and phaMK of the belief—Divine Healing, Mental .Science, the . Higher Thought. And com- of the able*' writers arc outside the Church of Christ Scientist. The extraordinary success of Christian Sciene\ properly so-call-d. is do-v partly to it js association with Christ ianil v. mainly to the personality of its, founder. It "r= the forceful character and the remarkable husiirrsx aptitude, of Mrs Eddy which have won .witch immediate popular SUCCesS. But its dependence on one command iug personality, it* implicit obedi-ncc to a single inspiration, constitute aVo tieupecial wcakne>« of the e*s-t. It i.«'difficult- to reverence a prophet, who has plagiarised her gospel, and then attempted to disown and discredit the M.tite-s of J,-r inspiration. That, in effect. is the i-h.-irgr brought hv the writer of tli- book before os. who hit* followed the historv of Ml-. Eddy's earlier life given in •• Mcf'tin ■■■'» Magazine" last year, hv further inv—ti gat ions of his own. The account which Mr Powell gives ;'„ ... well «.<.,.„„, ( .,,.<ei - Mrs. Eddy's own letters of forty years ago, happily pr-vrv.d. arc mi explicit, are tho testimony of the M-ivivun' nit-m-r.es so concordant, that it is impos„ibl." to doubt til- Mi)i-t;.i>'i-.l aeeiira.-v of the narrative Mis. Eddy was. in fact, a patient :'ii-l pupil in 18M>. and for rfliue later, i.f one PliineaQnimliv. a" faith healer and >lf t.tight philosopher: Mr». Eddy f«r year* followed this matt with ulni'M fiib-oi.i.. ven- r.i'ion. as hj« r T. ,i< her and M-sler. and from him, in fact, r-he seems to lev- burnt !,..{. onlv the methods of !e aling now practise,'! by le-r followeis-. sm!. the dotriors embodi-il in lw r " iti-piici " book. "Schne,. and Health."