christian science-第35章

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blemish　which　another　person　believes　he　has　found　in　itwell；　in　their
place　could　you　do　it？　　Would　you　do　it？　　Wouldn't　you　be　ashamed　to　do
it？　　If　a　tramp　had　rescued　your　child　from　fire　and　death；　and　saved　its
mother's　heart　from　breaking；　could　you　see　his　rags？　　Could　you　smell
his　breath？　　Mrs。　Eddy　has　done　more　than　that　for　these　people。

They　are　prejudiced　witnesses。　　To　the　credit　of　human　nature　it　is　not
possible　that　they　should　be　otherwise。　　They　sincerely　believe　that　Mrs。
Eddy's　character　is　pure　and　perfect　and　beautiful；　and　her　history
without　stain　or　blot　or　blemish。　　But　that　does　not　settle　it。　　They
sincerely　believe　she　did　not　borrow　the　Great　Idea　from　Quimby；　but　hit
upon　it　herself。　　It　may　be　so；　and　it　could　be　so。　　Let　it　gothere　is
no　way　to　settle　it。　　They　believe　she　carried　away　no　Quimby
manuscripts。　　Let　that　go；　toothere　is　no　way　to　settle　it。　　They
believe　that　she；　and　not　another；　built　the　Religion　upon　the　book；　and
organized　it。　　I　believe　it；　too。

Finally；　they　believe　that　she　philosophized　Christian　Science；　explained
it；　systematized　it；　and　wrote　it　all　out　with　her　own　hand　in　the　book
Science　and　Health。

I　am　not　able　to　believe　that。　　Let　us　draw　the　line　there。　　The　known
and　undisputed　products　of　her　pen　are　a　formidable　witness　against　her。
They　do　seem　to　me　to　prove；　quite　clearly　and　conclusively；　that
writing；　upon　even　simple　subjects；　is　a　difficult　labor　for　her：　that
she　has　never　been　able　to　write　anything　above　third…rate　English；　that
she　is　weak　in　the　matter　of　grammar；　that　she　has　but　a　rude　and　dull
sense　of　the　values　of　words；　that　she　so　lacks　in　the　matter　of　literary
precision　that　she　can　seldom　put　a　thought　into　words　that　express　it
lucidly　to　the　reader　and　leave　no　doubts　in　his　mind　as　to　whether　he
has　rightly　understood　or　not；　that　she　cannot　even　draught　a　Preface
that　a　person　can　fully　comprehend；　nor　one　which　can　by　any　art　be
translated　into　a　fully　understandable　form；　that　she　can　seldom　inject
into　a　Preface　even　single　sentences　whose　meaning　is　uncompromisingly
clearyet　Prefaces　are　her　specialty；　if　she　has　one。

Mrs。　Eddy's　known　and　undisputed　writings　are　very　limited　in　bulk；　they
exhibit　no　depth；　no　analytical　quality；　no　thought　above　school
composition　size；　and　but　juvenile　ability　in　handling　thoughts　of　even
that　modest　magnitude。　　She　has　a　fine　commercial　ability；　and　could
govern　a　vast　railway　system　in　great　style；　she　could　draught　a　set　of
rules　that　Satan　himself　would　say　could　not　be　improved　on　for
devilish　effectivenessby　his　staff；　but　we　know；　by　our　excursions
among　the　Mother…Church's　By…laws；　that　their　English　would　discredit　the
deputy　baggage…smasher。　　I　am　quite　sure　that　Mrs。　Eddy　cannot　write　well
upon　any　subject；　even　a　commercial　one。

In　the　very　first　revision　of　Science　and　Health　（1883）；　Mrs。　Eddy　wrote
a　Preface　which　is　an　unimpeachable　witness　that　the　rest　of　the　book　was
written　by　somebody　else。　　I　have　put　it　in　the　Appendix　along　with　a
page　or　two　taken　from　the　body　of　the　book；　and　will　ask　the　reader　to
compare　the　labored　and　lumbering　and　confused　gropings　of　this　Preface
with　the　easy　and　flowing　and　direct　English　of　the　other　exhibit；　and
see　if　he　can　believe　that　the　one　hand　and　brain　produced　both。

And　let　him　take　the　Preface　apart；　sentence　by　sentence；　and　searchingly
examine　each　sentence　word　by　word；　and　see　if　he　can　find　half　a　dozen
sentences　whose　meanings　he　is　so　sure　of　that　he　can　rephrase　themin
words　of　his　ownand　reproduce　what　he　takes　to　be　those　meanings。
Money　can　be　lost　on　this　game。　　I　know；　for　I　am　the　one　that　lost　it。

Now　let　the　reader　turn　to　the　excerpt　which　I　have　made　from　the　chapter
on　〃Prayer〃　（last　year's　edition　of　Science　and　Health）；　and　compare　that
wise　and　sane　and　elevated　and　lucid　and　compact　piece　of　work　with　the
aforesaid　Preface；　and　with　Mrs。　Eddy's　poetry　concerning　the　gymnastic
trees；　and　Minerva's　not　yet　effete　sandals；　and　the　wreaths　imported
from　Erudition's　bower　for　the　decoration　of　Plymouth　Rock；　and　the
Plague…spot　and　Bacilli；　and　my　other　exhibits　（turn　back　to　my　Chapters
I。　　and　II。）　from　the　Autobiography；　and　finally　with　the　late
Communication　concerning　me；　and　see　if　he　thinks　anybody's　affirmation；
or　anybody's　sworn　testimony；　or　any　other　testimony　of　any　imaginable
kind　would　ever　be　likely　to　convince　him　that　Mrs。　Eddy　wrote　that
chapter　on　Prayer。

I　do　not　wish　to　impose　my　opinion　on　any　one　who　will　not　permit　it；　but
such　as　it　is　I　offer　it　here　for　what　it　is　worth。　　I　cannot　believe；
and　I　do　not　believe；　that　Mrs。　Eddy　originated　any　of　the　thoughts　and
reasonings　out　of　which　the　book　Science　and　Health　is　constructed；　and　I
cannot　believe；　and　do　not　believe　that　she　ever　wrote　any　part　of　that
book。

I　think　that　if　anything　in　the　world　stands　proven；　and　well　and　solidly
proven；　by　unimpeachable　testimonythe　treacherous　testimony　of　her　own
pen　in　her　known　and　undisputed　literary　productionsit　is　that　Mrs。
Eddy　is　not　capable　of　thinking　upon　high　planes；　nor　of　reasoning
clearly　nor　writing　intelligently　upon　low　ones。

Inasmuch　asin　my　beliefthe　very　first　editions　of　the　book　Science
and　Health　were　far　above　the　reach　of　Mrs。　Eddy's　mental　and　literary
abilities；　I　think　she　has　from　the　very　beginning　been　claiming　as　her
own　another　person's　book；　and　wearing　as　her　own　property　laurels
rightfully　belonging　to　that　person　the　real　author　of　Science　and
Health。　　And　I　think　the　reasonand　the　only　reasonthat　he　has　not
protested　is　because　his　work　was　not　exposed　to　print　until　after　he　was
safely　dead。

That　with　an　eye　to　business；　and　by　grace　of　her　business　talent；　she
has　restored　to　the　world　neglected　and　abandoned　features　of　the
Christian　religion　which　her　thousands　of　followers　find　gracious　and
blessed　and　contenting；　I　recognize　and　confess；　but　I　am　convinced　that
every　single　detail　of　the　work　except　just　that　onethe　delivery　of　the
Product　to　the　worldwas　conceived　and　performed　by　another。




APPENDIX　A

ORIGINAL　FIRST　PREFACE　TO　SCIENCE　AND　HEALTH

There　seems　a　Christian　necessity　of　learning　God's　power　and　purpose　to
heal　both　mind　and　body。　　This　thought　grew　out　of　our　early　seeking　Him
in　all　our　ways；　and　a　hopeless　as　singular　invalidism　that　drugs
increased　instead　of　diminished；　and　hygiene　benefited　only　for　a　season。
By　degrees　we　have　drifted　into　more　spiritual　latitudes　of　thought；　and
experimented　as　we　advanced　until　demonstrating　fully　the　power　of　mind
over　the　body。　　About　the　year　1862；　having　heard　of　a　mesmerist　in
Portland　who　was　treating　the　sick　by　manipulation；　we　visited　him；　he
helped　us　for　a　time；　then　we　relapsed　somewhat。　　After　his　decease；　and
a　severe　casualty　deemed　fatal　by　skilful　physicians；　we　discovered　that
the　Principle　of　all　healing　and　the　law　that　governs　it　is　God；　a　divine
Principle；　and　a　spiritual　not　material　law；　and　regained　health。

It　was　not　an　individual　or　mortal　mind　acting　upon　another　so…called
mind　that　healed　us。　　It　was　the　glorious　truths　of　Christian　Science
that　we　discovered　as　we　neared　that　verge　of　so…called　material　life
named　death；　yea；　it　was　the　great　Shekinah；　the　spirit　of　Life；　Truth；
and　Love　illuminating　our　understanding　of　the　action　and　might　of
Omnipotence！　　The　old　gentleman　to　whom　we　have　referred　had　some　very
advanced　views　on　healing；　but　he　was　not　avowedly　religious　neither
scholarly。　　We　interchanged　thoughts　on　the　subject　of　healing　the　sick。
I　restored　some　patients　of　his　that　he　failed　to　heal；　and　left　in　his
possession　some　manuscripts　of　mine　containing　corrections　of　his
desultory　pennings；　which　I　am　informed　at　his　decease　passed　into　the
hands　of　a　patient　of　his；　now　residing　in　Scotland。　　He　died　in　1865　and
left　no　published　works。　　The　only　manuscript　that　we　ever　held　of　his；
longer　than　to　correct　it；　was　one　of　perhaps　a　dozen　pages；　most　of
which　we　had　composed。　　He　manipulated　the　sick；　hence　his　ostensible
method　of　healing　was　physical　instead　of　mental。

We　helped　him　in　the　esteem　of　t