Miscellaneous Writings, 1883-1896 Part 76

face, figure, and drapery of that Jesus portrayed by the oldest of the old masters, and said to have been authen- tic; the face having been taken by Fra Angelico from Caesar's Cameo, the figure and garments from a descrip- tion, in _The Galaxy_, of a small sketch handed down [10]

from the _living reality_. _Their_ productions are expres- sionless copies of an engraving cut in a stone. _Yours_ is a palpitating, living Saviour engraven on the heart.

You have given us back our Jesus, and in a much better is form." [15]

Sunrise At Pleasant View

Who shall describe the brave splendor of a November sky that this morning burst through the lattice for me, on my bed? According to terrestrial calculations, above the horizon, in the east, there rose one rod of rainbow [20]

hues, crowned with an acre of eldritch ebony. Little by little this topmost pall, drooping over a deeply daz- zling sunlight, softened, grew gray, then gay, and glided into a glory of mottled marvels. Fleecy, faint, fairy blue and golden flecks came out on a background of [25]

cerulean hue; while the lower lines of light kindled into gold, orange, pink, crimson, violet; and diamond, topaz, opal, garnet, turquoise, and sapphire spangled the gloom in celestial s.p.a.ce as with the brightness of His glory.

Then thought I, What are we, that He who fashions for- [30]

[Page 377.]

ever such forms and hues of heaven, should move our [1]

brush or pen to paint frail fairness or to weave a web of words that glow with gladdening gleams of G.o.d, so unapproachable, and yet so near and full of radiant relief in clouds and darkness! [5]

CHAPTER X. INKLINGS HISTORIC

[Page 378.]

About the year 1862, while the author of this work [1]

was at Dr. Vail's Hydropathic Inst.i.tute in New Hampshire, this occurred: A patient considered incur- able left that inst.i.tution, and in a few weeks returned apparently well, having been healed, as he informed [5]

the patients, by one Mr. P. P. Quimby of Portland, Maine.

After much consultation among ourselves, and a struggle with pride, the author, in company with several other patients, left the water-cure, _en route_ for the aforesaid [10]

doctor in Portland. He proved to be a magnetic practi- tioner. His treatment seemed at first to relieve her, but signally failed in healing her case.

Having practised h.o.m.opathy, it never occurred to the author to learn his practice, but she did ask him how [15]

manipulation could benefit the sick. He answered kindly and squarely, in substance, "Because it conveys _electricity_ to them." That was the sum of what he taught her of his medical profession.

The readers of my books cannot fail to see that meta- [20]

physical therapeutics, as in Christian Science, are farther removed from such thoughts than the nebulous system is from the earth.

[Page 379.]

After treating his patients, Mr. Quimby would retire [1]

to an anteroom and write at his desk. I had a curiosity to know if he indited anything pathological relative to his patients, and asked if I could see his pennings on my case. He immediately presented them. I read the [5]

copy in his presence, and returned it to him. The com- position was commonplace, mostly descriptive of the gen- eral appearance, height, and complexion of the individual, and the nature of the case: it was not at all metaphysi- cal or scientific; and from his remarks I inferred that [10]

his writings usually ran in the vein of thought presented by these. He was neither a scholar nor a metaphysician.

I never heard him say that matter was not as real as Mind, or that electricity was not as potential or remedial, or allude to G.o.d as the divine Principle of all healing. He [15]

certainly had advanced views of his own, but they com- mingled error with truth, and were not Science. On his rare humanity and sympathy one could write a sonnet.

I had already experimented in medicine beyond the [20]

basis of _materia medica_,-up to the highest attenuation in h.o.m.oeopathy, thence to a mental standpoint not un- derstood and with phenomenally good results;(7) mean- while a.s.siduously pondering the solution of this great question: Is it matter, or is it Mind, that heals the [25]

sick?

It was after Mr. Quimby's death that I discovered, in 1866, the momentous facts relating to Mind and its superiority over matter, and named my discovery Chris- tian Science. Yet, there remained the difficulty of ad- [30]

justing in the scale of Science a metaphysical _practice_,

[Page 380.]

and settling the question, What shall be the outward [1]

sign of such a practice: if a divine Principle alone heals, what is the human modus for demonstrating this,-in short, how can sinful mortals prove that a divine Principle heals the sick, as well as governs the universe, time, [5]

s.p.a.ce, immortality, man?

When contemplating the majesty and magnitude of this query, it looked as if centuries of spiritual growth were requisite to enable me to elucidate or to dem- onstrate what I had discovered: but an unlooked-for, [10]

imperative call for help impelled me to begin this stu- pendous work at once, and teach the first student in Christian Science. Even as when an accident, called fatal to life, had driven me to discover the Science of Life, I again, in faith, turned to divine help,-and com- [15]

menced teaching.

My students at first practised in slightly differing forms. Although _I_ could heal mentally, without a sign save the immediate recovery of the sick, my students'

patients, and people generally, called for a sign-a ma- [20]

terial evidence wherewith to satisfy the sick that something was being done for them; and I said, "Suffer it to be so now," for thus saith our Master. Experience, however, taught me the impossibility of demonstrating the Science of metaphysical healing by any outward form [25]

of practice.

In April, 1883, a bill in equity was filed in the United States Circuit Court in Boston, to restrain, by decree and order of the Court, the unlawful publishing and use of an infringing pamphlet printed and issued by a student of [30]

Christian Science.

Answer was filed by the defendant, alleging that the

[Page 381.]

copyrighted works of Mrs. Eddy were not original with [1]

her, but had been copied by her, or by her direction, from ma.n.u.scripts originally composed by Dr. P. P.

Quimby.

Testimony was taken on the part of Mrs. Eddy, the [5]

defendant being present personally and by counsel. The time for taking testimony on the part of the defendant having nearly expired, he gave notice through his counsel that he should not put in testimony. Later, Mrs.

Eddy requested her lawyer to inquire of defendant's [10]

counsel why he did not present evidence to support his claim that Dr. Quimby was the author of her writings!

Accordingly, her counsel asked the defendant's counsel this question, and he replied, in substance, "There is no evidence to present." [15]

The stipulation for a judgment and a decree in favor of Mrs. Eddy was drawn up and signed by counsel.

It was ordered that the complainant (Mrs. Eddy) recover of the defendant her cost of suit, taxed at ($113.09) one hundred thirteen and 9/100 dollars. [20]

A writ of injunction was issued under the seal of the said Court, restraining the defendant from directly or indirectly printing, publishing, selling, giving away, distributing, or in any way or manner disposing of, the enjoined pamphlet, on penalty of ten thousand [25]

dollars.

The infringing books, to the number of thirty-eight hundred or thereabouts, were put under the edge of the knife, and their unlawful existence destroyed, in Boston, Ma.s.sachusetts. [30]

It has been written that "n.o.body can be both founder and discoverer of the same thing." If this declaration