Lectures and Articles on Christian Science

488 Pages·2013·2.05 MB·English

Lectures and Articles
on Christian Science
By
Edward A. Kimball
This book is not to be sold.
It is published in e-book transcription and presented as a gift of love by
cslectures.org
"The 'still, small voice' of scientific thought reaches
over continent and ocean to the globe's remotest bound.
The inaudible voice of Truth is, to the human mind,
'as when a lion roareth.'"
— Mary Baker Eddy
[Note: This e-book is based on the text appearing in the
Fifth Edition, Edna Kimball Wait Publisher, Chesterton,
Indiana, Copyright 1921 in the United States, now in the
public domain. Later editions differ somewhat in content.
[Among the noticeable differences: Some items appearing
in later printed editions (the end note on p. 378, the
“Letter on Reflection,” and the “Letter on Identity”) do not
appear in this e-book; and in this e-book, some footnotes
(on pp. 442 and 443) and a brief item (“Extract from
Letter to a Student upon the Loss of Her Husband,” p.
478) will not be found in the later printed editions. This is
all on account of the fact that this e-book relies on the
1921 edition, to which changes were made by the
publisher in later printings.
[This e-book has been carefully prepared so that the page
breaks and the line breaks within pages correspond to
those in the 1921 printed edition. It is believed by the
compiler that, up until p. 478, the pagination in this
transcript corresponds to that found in all printed
editions.
[Blank pages are inserted herein at transition points
between sections. This is done deliberately and
corresponds to the presence of such pages in the print
edition.]
Dedicated
as a Memorial to my Father
EDWARD A. KIMBALL

PREAMBLE
T
HIS volume is the immediate result of repeated
requests for its publication and is most lovingly
offered to all those interested in the subject of
Christian Science.
Our family is indebted to Mrs. Eddy for every-
thing that has meant the realization of the sweet and
satisfying promises of Christian Science. My father
was restored to health through Christian Science and
lived a useful, vigorous, and happy life for more than
a score of years after his case had become hopeless
under medical attention. My mother was healed
very quickly upon receiving treatment in Christian
Science and enabled to resume her pursuits as a
wife and mother. With my father she early had the
privilege of class instruction from Mrs. Eddy and
took an active part with him in the work and growth
of the Christian Science movement.
Nothing that we could do would ever serve to
cancel our indebtedness to Christian Science, to Mrs.
Eddy, to The Mother Church and loving friends
everywhere. Love, confidence, and succor have been
lavished upon us, we have had the guidance and trust
of our revered Leader and through her revelation
and instruction, have gained that priceless posses-
ion — an understanding of the truth. Such gifts are
immortal!
At the time our parents were healed my brother
and I were children and had been separated from
them for seventeen months prior to their healing on
account of their critical illness. The reunion with
them, under such favorable conditions, impressed me
and I became interested and a student of the subject
5
PREAMBLE
6
at once. It is because I have been a witness of the
efficacy of Christian Science for over thirty years
and much of that time as a practitioner, and because
I know that Christian Science is true, and deem it a
sacred privilege to give something of what has been
so generously bestowed upon my family and myself
throuugh the untiring efforts of our Leader, that I am
offering this collection of my father's writings to the
public.
From the time my father passed on in 1909 there
was a demand upon my mother to publish his lec-
tures and articles in book form, and with that end in
view she and I reviewed his writings. She intended
to write a preamble or introduction when it might
be deemed advisable to publish them. In lieu of this
I am making this explanation and can give full
assurance that she approved all the articles as being
authentic.
I have no doubt if my father could have edited
the book himself he would have made it conform
more nearly to the demands of rhetoric — especially
in the case of lectures reported stenographically, but
my mother and I felt it would be more acceptable
and satisfactory to have the material unchanged ex-
cept in instances of obvious mistakes and therefore
comparatively few alterations have been made.
Our material was in various forms — manuscript,
clippings. lectures delivered in Great Britain bound
as a gift book, pamphlets, newspapers containing his
lectures from which he supplied synopses for other
newspapers, et cetera. Almost immediately after he
left us, my mother had these put in convenient shape,
and this, supplemented by copies or duplicates from
a collection, which, at that time, one of my father's
students lent her for that purpose, constituted a fair
representation of his public work.
PREAMBLE
7
In 1915 she took further steps to complete this
collection, and let it be known that she would be
glad to receive any articles purporting to emanate
from my father, and, in response, innumerable let-
ters, clippings, and typewritten copies of steno-
graphic notes, taken from extemporaneous speeches,
were sent to us. Many of these were not only dupli-
cates of what we already had, but of each other. We
read them all comparing them carefully with ours,
and from the best, revised and compiled the copies
herein used. Quantities of class notes were also re-
ceived but we decided not to include them.
The Bible and "Science and Health with Key to
the Scriptures" by Mary Baker Eddy together with
her other works constitute the standard and guide in
our study of Christian Science. In referring to Mrs.
Eddy and "Science and Health" my father said in a
lecture in which he answered certain accusations
against Christian Science, "Although not attempting
to use her phraseology or to republish any part of
her book it is proper to say that no Christian
Scientist does more in making such an explanation
than to reproduce in part or to reiterate what she
has already written and taught on the subject."
As our public lectures and the periodicals have
for years been of service to the Cause and as Mrs.
Eddy has referred to the writings of others as being
useful from time to time, so it is hoped that this book
may also be helpful.
On behalf of my mother and myself I want to
thank the many friends who have so cordially
coöperated with us, and my husband, Henry Heile-
man Wait, for his constant encouragement and as-
sistance.
I also wish to acknowledge with gratitude the
courtesy of the International Magazine Company in
PREAMBLE
8
assigning to us the copyright of the article "Mark
Twain, Mrs. Eddy, and Christian Science" by my
father in the Cosmopolitan Magazine of May, 1907,
and the permission given us by the Appleton Cyclo-
pedia to use their sketch of him written by Mr.
Bicknell Young.
Edna Kimball Wait.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Page
Personal Recollections, by Bicknell Young . . 11
LECTURES
Facts and Fictions About Christian Science,
Atlanta . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Action and Influence of Thought on the Af-
fairs of Man, Kansas City . . . . . . . 47
"Why Should It Be Thought a Thing Incredible
That God Should Raise the Dead?" Chicago 71
Christian Science the Science of Healing, Kan-
sas City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
The Cause and Scientific Cure of Disease, Kan-
sas City . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121
Christian Science Consistencies, Jacksonville,
Illinois . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147
The Religion of Common Sense, Baltimore . . 152
The Theology of Christian Science, Chicago . 162
What Is the Living God? Dayton . . . . . 179
Unlimited Promise, Chicago . . . . . . . . 204
Some of the Indisputable Facts About Chris-
tian Science, Kalamazoo . . . . . . . . 218
The Availability of Christian Science in Every-
day Life, Cambridge, Massachusetts . . . 226
Law and Power Invisible, Chicago . . . . . 246
Fear the Chief Procurator of Disease, London 258
The Power of Thought, Aldershot . . . . . 281
The Divinity of Christ, Manchester . . . . 297
ix
CONTENTS
x
Page
The Significance of Christ Jesus' Mission, Edin-
burgh . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
The Primary Cause of Disease, Dublin . . . 343
ARTICLES
Mark Twain, Mrs. Eddy, and Christian Science 361
An Abbreviated Statement of Christian Science 379
Christian Science . . . . . . . . . . . . 385
Tribute to William McKinley. . . . . . . 403
ADDRESSES TO CHRISTIAN SCIENTISTS
Modern Man Understands What the Ancients
Failed to Grasp . . . . . . . . . . . 413
The Case of Christian Science . . . . . . 425
Concerning the Practice of Christian Science . 433
Love an Absolute Essential. . . . . . . . 453
LETTERS
In Response to a Message from a Group of Chi-
cago Men Who Frequently Lunched Together475
Letter to an Official of _____ Church of
Christ, Scientist, Chicago . . . . . . . 476
To a Student upon the Occasion of Bereavement 477
Extract from Letter to a Student upon the
Loss of Her Husband . . . . . . . . . 478
To Friends in Chicago, Written While on a
Trip South . . . . . . . . . . . . . 479
To a Student in America, Written While in
Europe . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 480
Instructions to a Student . . . . . . . . 480
Letter on "Poise" . . . . . . . . . . . . 484
Reply to a Letter of Inquiry from a Student . 485