Faith Healing.

Timaru Herald, Volume XIIC, Issue 13834, 20 February 1909, Page 2 (Supplement)

Faith Healing.

The New York correspondent of the "Standard," writing• under date of December 9tli, says that suf-prising growth attends the new auto-sugges-tion religious cure that New England has given to the world under the name' of the •"Emmanuel Movement." Its cures have been too pronounced, and the movement is attracting too many persons of high intellectual gifts for the scoffer to find much field for his comment. The movement takes its name from Emmanuel Church (Protestant and Episcopal) at Boston. It has spread among many denominations, but its chief. strength is within the Episcopal ranks, America's Church pf England. Everywhere Episcopal clergymen are becoming enthusiastic converts to the .principle of the". influence of mind on disease. It differentiates between functional disorders and organic diseases.. It-declares medical treatment alone is able to cure the lattej-, but complaints of the nervous system yield not only, to the physician's ministration, but also may be treated by religious therapeutics, in the form of thought suggestion. Once a week Dr. Worcester, the pastor, holds what he calls a "health conference" in. Emmanuel Church. The Emmanuelism element enters in the form of prayers for the cure of those who request Divine assistance. - The, idea is to put iuto the minds of sufferers ilio thought that religious help is at work on their behalf. After the service a social reception follows, and gaiety abounds. The people are forbidden to talk about their disorders, and are encouraged to lose thought of themselves in the joyousness of the occasion. This part of the treatment, has for its object the forcing of tlie afterthought on the patients.that their" illnesses had vanished during the time they had ceased thinking of themselves'. Such illnesses as alcoholism, insomnia, indigestion, neurasthenia, senilit,-. and locomotor ataxia are registered among Dr. Worcester's cures. He declares there is no one method he follows in his treatment of patients beyond the expedient of trying to induce the patient to forget himself, .which, perhaps, may be considered the ba.sr? principle of Emmanuelism.

The Emmanuel workers do not charge anyone n penny for their services. Contributions are received for the furtherance of the work, hut no fees of any kind are accepted.