Union Signal

Page 79

1      [The Union Signal, Chicago]

         [Extract]

3          THE NEW WOMAN AND THE NEW CHURCH

         The dedication, in Boston, of a Christian Science temple

         costing over two hundred thousand dollars, and for which

6      the money was all paid in so that no debt had to be taken

         care of on dedication day, is a notable event. While we

         are not, and never have been, devotees of Christian Science,

9      it becomes us as students of public questions not to ignore

         a movement which, starting fifteen years ago, has already

         gained to itself adherents in every part of the civilized

12    world, for it is a significant fact that one cannot take up

         a daily paper in town or village — to say nothing of cities —

         without seeing notices of Christian Science meetings, and

15    in most instances they are held at “headquarters.”

         We believe there are two reasons for this remarkable

         development, which has shown a vitality so unexpected.

18    The first is that a revolt was inevitable from the crass

         materialism of the cruder science that had taken posses-

         sion of men’s minds, for as a wicked but witty writer has

21    said, “If there were no God, we should be obliged to in-

         vent one.” There is something in the constitution of

         man that requires the religious sentiment as much as his

24    lungs call for breath; indeed, the breath of his soul is a

         belief in God.

         But when Christian Science arose, the thought of the

27    world’s scientific leaders had become materialistically

         “lopsided,” and this condition can never long continue.

Page 80

1      There must be a righting-up of the mind as surely as of a

         ship when under stress of storm it is ready to capsize. The

3      pendulum that has swung to one extreme will surely find

         the other. The religious sentiment in women is so strong

         that the revolt was headed by them; this was inevitable

6      in the nature of the case. It began in the most intellectual

         city of the freest country in the world — that is to say,

         it sought the line of least resistance. Boston is emphati-

9      cally the women’s paradise, — numerically, socially, in-

         deed every way. Here they have the largest individuality,

         the most recognition, the widest outlook. Mrs. Eddy we

12    have never seen; her book has many a time been sent

         us by interested friends, and out of respect to them we

         have fairly broken our mental teeth over its granitic peb-

15    bles. That we could not understand it might be rather

         to the credit of the book than otherwise. On this subject

         we have no opinion to pronounce, but simply state the

18    fact.

         We do not, therefore, speak of the system it sets forth,

         either to praise or blame, but this much is true: the spirit

21    of Christian Science ideas has caused an army of well-mean-

         ing people to believe in God and the power of faith, who

         did not believe in them before. It has made a myriad of

24    women more thoughtful and devout; it has brought a

         hopeful spirit into the homes of unnumbered invalids.

         The belief that “thoughts are things,” that the invisible

27    is the only real world, that we are here to be trained into

         harmony with the laws of God, and that what we are here

         determines where we shall be hereafter — all these ideas

30    are Christian.

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1      The chimes on the Christian Science temple in Boston

         played “All hail the power of Jesus’ name,” on the morn-

3      ing of the dedication. We did not attend, but we learn

         that the name of Christ is nowhere spoken with more

         reverence than it was during those services, and that he

6      is set forth as the power of God for righteousness and the

         express image of God for love.