Science and Health (1881)/00.1 To the Public
TO THE PUBLIC.
While this third edition of “Science and Health” was in press a certain man set afloat a pamphlet, the contents of which he took from Mrs. Eddy's works published in 1870 and 1878, all of which can be found in this edition, in chapters “Recapitulation” and “Platform of Christian Scientists.” This pamphlet is prefaced with the following pretext: “In preparing this work we have made use of some thoughts contained in a work by Eddy,” and then went on to repeat her words verbatim, in over thirty pages, as the following extracts will show. (See this book, page 168.)
“Ques. What is the scientific statement of being?
“Ans. There is no Life, substance, or intelligence in matter; all is mind; there is no matter. Spirit is immortal Truth, matter is mortal error. Spirit is the real and eternal, matter the unreal and temporal. Spirit is God, and man is His image and likeness; hence, man is spiritual and not material.”
Copied by this fellow, without quotation marks, thus: —
“Ques. What is the True statement of Being?
“Ans. No Life, Substance, nor Intelligence in matter. All is Mind (God); there is no matter. Spirit is Immortal Truth, and matter is mortal error. Spirit is Real and Eternal, matter the unreal and temporal. Spirit is God, and Man is the Image and Likeness of God; therefore Man is Spiritual and not material.”
Because there are twenty-four capital letters in the above sentence of seven lines this man claims that immortal sentence of Mrs. Eddy's.
See this edition, page 185, Chapter V. The first few pages of this chapter include the contents of his private directions for healing, taken from Mrs. Eddy's manuscripts in 1879, before they were published. With such implements he is carrying out the rôle of Christianity, and deceiving the public in Boston and in Europe, claiming to teach metaphysics and Mrs. Eddy's method of healing. Telling people at one time that “he learned metaphysics in Germany”; at another that “he was Mrs. Eddy's pupil, and paid five hundred dollars for his tuition”; and again, that “Mrs. Eddy was his pupil.”
See second volume of this edition, “Platform of Christian Scientists,” section XVIII.
“Section XVIII. That Life, Truth, and Love are the trinity, or triune Principle, the three in one, which are the same in action and entity; therefore these are the one God. That the Holy Ghost is Science revealing and explaining this triune Principle, and leading into all truth; that Christ is but another term for God; that Jesus is the name of a man; the conception of Jesus is spiritual; Joseph was not his father. The superior spirituality of Mary was the transparency through which immortal Mind reflected somewhat the idea of God giving that better likeness of Truth and Love in the good and pure Jesus. Into Mary's idea of God and conception of man the male or sensual element of thought did not enter to taint the idea; thus it was that Jesus became the mediating or intervening belief between Spirit and matter, Truth and error, or Soul and sense, which belief opposed not God, and that Truth which healed the sick, dispelled the illusions of sense or the belief of Life and intelligence in matter, and revealed the impersonal truth, namely, that Soul and God are one and the ‘I’ or the Father.
“Section XIX. That our Church is built on Christ, not a person, but the Principle that Jesus told us is Christ; namely, ‘The Way, the Truth, and the Life.’ That Christian Science is the way, and its foundations are eternal. That in reality we unite with this Church only as we become unselfish and pure, and are new-born babes into the Life that is Truth and the Truth that is Life, which casts out error and heals the sick, thus reestablishing the Christianity of ancient prophet and apostle. That our only cup is the one our Master drank, and we are not to refuse, namely, persecutions for righteousness' sake, ‘for theirs is the Kingdom of Heaven,’ the reign of harmony that scientific Christianity demonstrates.”
Copied, without quotation marks, into his pamphlet: —
“Life, Truth, and Love are the Trinity, or Triune Principle; they are the Three in One, which are the same in action and entity; therefore, these are the One God.
“The Holy Ghost is Understanding, a constant revelation and explanation of this Triune Principle, leading into all Truth. Christ is the Understanding of God, and Jesus is the name of a man. The conception of Jesus was Spiritual. Joseph was not his father. The superior spirituality of Mary was the transparency through which the Idea of God was reflected, giving that better reflection of the Idea of Life, Truth, and Love in the good and pure Jesus. Into Mary's idea of God and conception of Man, the male or sensual element of thought did not enter to taint the idea. Thus it was that Jesus became the mediator between Spirit and matter, Truth and error, or between Spiritual and mortal senses. This belief opposed not God, and his understanding of Truth healed the sick, dispelled the illusions of sense, or the belief of Life and Intelligence in matter, and revealed the Immortal Truth; namely, that Spirit and God are One, and the ‘I,’ or the ‘Father.’
“Our Church is built on Christ, the Understanding of God (Principle), not a person (belief); this Understanding is ‘The Way, the Truth, and the Life,’ and Its foundations are Eternal. In reality we unite with this Church, only as we become unselfish and pure, and are new-born babes unto the Life that is Truth, and Truth that is Life, which casts out error and heals the sick; thus re-establishing the Christianity of ancient prophet and apostle. Our only cup is the one our Master drank, and we are not to refuse, namely, persecution for righteousness' sake, ‘For theirs is the kingdom of Heaven,’ the reign of harmony that true Christianity demonstrates.”
He who claims the authorship of the aforesaid pamphlet is not building on Truth, and he knows it. Dishonesty is not the superstructure of metaphysics. Once before this he attempted a pamphlet of plagiarisms, and the following are some of his original interpolations, that show his metaphysical calibre: —
“Ques. What is the meaning of Christ and Jesus?
“Ans. Let us remember it has been said that Christ Jesus were like two eyes, a Right and a left eye. Christ, or Right eye, which was in the beginning and is and will be forever; but Jesus, or left eye, was the name of a man who did only the Will of the Father. So, the creature also has two eyes, but they cannot perform their work at once; but if the creature shall see with the right eye into Eternity, then the left eye must close itself and be as though it were dead. Therefore, whosoever will have the one must let go the other.”
Where he has not copied directly his metaphysics they are not healthy; the left eye has paralysis of the optic nerve, and the right a visual range extraordinary. Another original sentence in which he says: “But I fear that for one who is truly possessed of the God-Spirit, there are a hundred thousand possessed with the evil spirit.”
But when he borrows without giving credit he copies as his own from Mrs. Eddy: “Spirit is infinite, therefore there is but one Spirit.” He says: “Through the blending portion of Deity with a portion of evil matter, error, which keeps out the understanding of God.” But when he filches he states plumply from “Science and Health,” “All is Mind, there is no matter.”
If simply writing at the commencement of a work, “I have made use of some thoughts contained in a work by Eddy,” walks over copyright, any fool can aspire to be wise, commence a book with the announcement that “I have taken some thoughts from Ralph Waldo Emerson,” and then copy verbatim, without quotation marks, from thirty to three hundred pages of his works, and publish them as his own. Thus it is found out that copyrighting books is a farce. This may be convenient for an ignoramus or a villain, but a real expounder of “The Understanding of Christianity or God” would scarcely be caught at it.
Mrs. Eddy's works are the outgrowths of her life. I never knew so unselfish an individual, or one so tireless in what she considers her duty. It would require ages and God's mercy to make the ignorant hypocrite who published that pamphlet originate its contents. His pratings are colored by his character, they cannot impart the hue of ethics, but leave his own impress on what he takes. He knows less of metaphysics than any decently honest man.
Science, according to Mrs. Eddy, is the same as science according to Greenleaf; any interpolation makes a medley of it. That the science of metaphysics, any more than the science of mathematics, can be mixed up with ologies and isms, as this metaphysical mouse says, is purely ridiculous, and betrays the ignorance, conceit, and foolhardiness of the pamphleteer.
The “Platform of Christian Scientists,” to which this would-be expounder of Christianity has put his signature, was written by Mrs. Eddy four years ago, as a synopsis of metaphysics, for the members of the Christian Scientists' Association, from which this fellow was expelled.
The undersigned, in justice to ourselves, hereby publicly
state that we believe the abuses denominated mesmerism
and malpractice are carried on by some claiming to be
metaphysicians; but while our knowledge of metaphysics enables
us to defend ourselves and others from their attacks, we are
by no means committing their crimes, for our power lies not
in mesmerism, but Truth; it is not animal magnetism, but
moral and spiritual strength.
And we are fully convinced that no one can reach the height in metaphysics that our teacher, the author of “Science and Health,” has reached, and progress as she is progressing, and be a moral or mental malpractitioner.
If the malpractitioner is causing others to believe that we are venturing on his forbidden ground, it is only to screen himself, and to hide the results of his wrong-doing, that take away his ability to heal.
It ought to suffice duplicity, envy, and malice, that Mrs. Eddy has not stopped the plagiarists hitherto from appropriating the result of her labors, and gaining the little they have of the public confidence, through claiming her practice, and publishing her writings under their own signature.
| H. L. Bancroft. | Clara E. Choate. |
| James C. Howard. | Dorcas B. Rawson. |
| S. Gardner Todd. | Elizabeth G. Stuart. |
| George W. Chase. | Jane L. Straw. |
| Hanover P. Smith. | Anna B. Newman. |
| Hugh Hart. | L. L. S. Brown. |
| George D. Choate. | Sarah T. Prime. |
| James Ackland. | H. N. Kingsbury. |
| Arthur T. Buswell. | Julia S. Bartlett. |
| Asa G. Eddy. | Mary A. Damon. |
| George T. Einsborg. | Ellen P. Davis. |
| Miranda R. Rice. | S. Rowena Smith. |
| Margret J. Dunshee. | Mary E. Sprague. |
| Caroline A. Fifield. | Charlotte K. Potter. |
| James Wiley. | Elizabeth Nichols. |
| H. W. Hook. |