christian science-第15章
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〃Marriage〃 was right； but 〃Parentage〃 was not the best word for the rest
of the record。 It refers to the birth of her own child。 After a certain
period of time 〃my babe was born。〃 Marriage and Motherhood…Marriage and
Maternity…Marriage and Product…Marriage and Dividendeither of these
would have fitted the facts and made the matter clear。
〃Without my knowledge he was appointed a guardian。〃 Page 32。
She is speaking of her child。 She means that a guardian for her child
was appointed； but that isn't what she says。
〃If spiritual conclusions are separated from their premises； the nexus is
lost； and the argument with its rightful conclusions； becomes
correspondingly obscure。〃 Page 34。
We shall never know why she put the word 〃correspondingly〃 in there。 Any
fine； large word would have answered just as well： psychosuperintangibly
electroincandescentlyoligarcheologicallysanchrosynchro…
stereopticallyany of these would have answered； any of these would have
filled the void。
〃His spiritual noumenon and phenomenon silenced portraiture。〃 Page 34。
Yet she says she forgot everything she knew； when she discovered
Christian Science。 I realize that noumenon is a daisy； and I will not
deny that I shall use it whenever I am in a company which I think I can
embarrass with it； but； at the same time； I think it is out of place
among friends in an autobiography。 There； I think a person ought not to
have anything up his sleeve。 It undermines confidence。 But my
dissatisfaction with the quoted passage is not on account of noumenon； it
is on account of the misuse of the word 〃silenced。〃 You cannot silence
portraiture with a noumenon； if portraiture should make a noise； a way
could be found to silence it； but even then it could not be done with a
noumenon。 Not even with a brick； some authorities think。
〃It may be that the mortal life…battle still wages；〃 etc。 Page 35。
That is clumsy。 Battles do not wage； battles are waged。 Mrs。 Eddy has
one very curious and interesting peculiarity： whenever she notices that
she is chortling along without saying anything； she pulls up with a
sudden 〃God is over us all；〃 or some other sounding irrelevancy； and for
the moment it seems to light up the whole district； then； before you can
recover from the shock； she goes flitting pleasantly and meaninglessly
along again； and you hurry hopefully after her； thinking you are going to
get something this time； but as soon as she has led you far enough away
from her turkey lot she takes to a tree。 Whenever she discovers that she
is getting pretty disconnected； she couples…up with an ostentatious 〃But〃
which has nothing to do with anything that went before or is to come
after； then she hitches some empties to the train…unrelated verses from
the Bible； usuallyand steams out of sight and leaves you wondering how
she did that clever thing。 For striking instances； see bottom paragraph
on page 34 and the paragraph on page 35 of her Autobiography。 She has a
purposea deep and dark and artful purposein what she is saying in the
first paragraph； and you guess what it is； but that is due to your own
talent； not hers； she has made it as obscure as language could do it。
The other paragraph has no meaning and no discoverable intention。 It is
merely one of her God…over…alls。 I cannot spare room for it in this
place。
〃I beheld with ineffable awe our great Master's marvelous skill in
demanding neither obedience to hygienic laws nor；〃 etc。 Page 4I。
The word is loosely chosen…skill。 She probably meant judgment；
intuition； penetration； or wisdom。
〃Naturally； my first jottings were but efforts to express in feeble
diction Truth's ultimate。〃 Page 42。
One understands what she means； but she should have been able to say what
she meantat any time before she discovered Christian Science and forgot
everything she knewand after it； too。 If she had put 〃feeble〃 in front
of 〃efforts〃 and then left out 〃in〃 and 〃diction；〃 she would have scored。
〃 。 。 。 its written expression increases in perfection under the
guidance of the great Master。〃 Page 43。
It is an error。 Not even in those advantageous circumstances can
increase be added to perfection。
〃Evil is not mastered by evil； it can only be overcome with Good。 This
brings out the nothingness of evil； and the eternal Somethingness
vindicates the Divine Principle and improves the race of Adam。〃 Page 76。
This is too extraneous for me。 That is the trouble with Mrs。 Eddy when
she sets out to explain an over…large exhibit： the minute you think the
light is bursting upon you the candle goes out and your mind begins to
wander。
〃No one else can drain the cup which I have drunk to the dregs； as the
discoverer and teacher of Christian Science〃 Page 47。
That is saying we cannot empty an empty cup。 We knew it before； and we
know she meant to tell us that that particular cup is going to remain
empty。 That is； we think that that was the idea； but we cannot be sure。
She has a perfectly astonishing talent for putting words together in such
a way as to make successful inquiry into their intention impossible。
She generally makes us uneasy when she begins to tune up on her fine…
writing timbrel。 It carries me back to her Plague…Spot and Poetry days；
and I just dread those：
〃Into mortal mind's material obliquity I gazed and stood abashed。
Blanched was the cheek of pride。 My heart bent low before the
omnipotence of Spirit； and a tint of humility soft as the heart of a
moonbeam mantled the earth。 Bethlehem and Bethany； Gethsemane and
Calvary； spoke to my chastened sense as by the tearful lips of a babe。〃
Page 48。
The heart of a moonbeam is a pretty enough Friendship's…Album expression
let it pass； though I do think the figure a little strained； but
humility has no tint； humility has no complexion； and if it had it could
not mantle the earth。 A moonbeam mightI do not knowbut she did not
say it was the moonbeam。 But let it go； I cannot decide it； she mixes me
up so。 A babe hasn't 〃tearful lips；〃 it's its eyes。 You find none of
Mrs。 Eddy's kind of English in Science and Healthnot a line of it。
CHAPTER III
Setting aside title…page； index； etc。； the little Autobiography begins on
page 7 and ends on page 130。 My quotations are from the first forty
pages。 They seem to me to prove the presence of the 'prentice hand。 The
style of the forty pages is loose and feeble and 'prentice…like。 The
movement of the narrative is not orderly and sequential； but rambles
around； and skips forward and back and here and there and yonder；
'prentice…fashion。 Many a journeyman has broken up his narrative and
skipped about and rambled around； but he did it for a purpose； for an
advantage； there was art in it； and points to be scored by it； the
observant reader perceived the game； and enjoyed it and respected it； if
it was well played。 But Mrs。 Eddy's performance was without intention；
and destitute of art。 She could score no points by it on those terms；
and almost any reader can see that her work was the uncalculated
puttering of a novice。
In the above paragraph I have described the first third of the booklet。
That third being completed； Mrs。 Eddy leaves the rabbit…range； crosses
the frontier； and steps out upon her far…spreading big…game territory
Christian Science and there is an instant change！ The style smartly
improves； and the clumsy little technical offenses disappear。 In these
two…thirds of the booklet I find only one such offence； and it has the
look of being a printer's error。
I leave the riddle with the reader。 Perhaps he can explain how it is
that a person…trained or untrainedwho on the one day can write nothing
better than Plague…Spot…Bacilli and feeble and stumbling and wandering
personal history littered with false figures and obscurities and
technical blunders； can on the next day sit down and write fluently；
smoothly； compactly； capably； and confidently on a great big thundering
subject； and do it as easily and comfortably as a whale paddles around
the globe。
As for me； I have scribbled so much in fifty years that I have become
saturated with convictions of one sort and another
