christian science-第11部分

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us　with　a　suspicion　wellnigh　amounting　to　conviction；　that　that　person
would　not　suspect　us　of　being　so　empty　of　knowledge　if　he　wasn't
suffering　from　the　same　〃claim〃　himself。　　Then　we　turn　to　page　20　of　the
Autobiography　and　happen　upon　this　passage；　and　that　hasty　suspicion
stands　rebuked：

〃I　gained　book…knowledge　with　far　less　labor　than　is　usually　requisite。
At　ten　years　of　age　I　was　as　familiar　with　Lindley　Murray's　Grammar　as
with　the　Westminster　Catechism；　and　the　latter　I　had　to　repeat　every
Sunday。　　My　favorite　studies　were　Natural　Philosophy；　Logic；　and　Moral
Science。　　From　my　brother　A1bert　I　received　lessons　in　the　ancient
tongues；　Hebrew；　Greek；　and　Latin。〃

You　catch　your　breath　in　astonishment；　and　feel　again　and　still　again　the
pang　of　that　rebuke。　　But　then　your　eye　falls　upon　the　next　sentence　but
one；　and　the　pain　passes　away　and　you　set　up　the　suspicion　again　with
evil　satisfaction：

〃After　my　discovery　of　Christian　Science；　most　of　the　knowledge　I　had
gleaned　from　school…books　vanished　like　a　dream。〃

That　disappearance　accounts　for　much　in　her　miscellaneous　writings。　　As　I
was　saying；　she　handles　her　〃ancestral　shadows；〃　as　she　calls　them；　just
as　I　do　mine。　　It　is　remarkable。　　When　she　runs　across　〃a　relative　of　my
Grandfather　Baker；　General　Henry　Knox；　of　Revolutionary　fame；〃　she　sets
him　down；　when　she　finds　another　good　one；　〃the　late　Sir　John　Macneill；
in　the　line　of　my　Grandfather　Baker's　family；〃　she　sets　him　down；　and
remembers　that　he　〃was　prominent　in　British　politics；　and　at　one　time
held　the　position　of　ambassador　to　Persia〃；　when　she　discovers　that　her
grandparents　〃were　likewise　connected　with　Captain　John　Lovewell；　whose
gallant　leadership　and　death　in　the　Indian　troubles　of　1722…25　caused
that　prolonged　contest　to　be　known　historically　as　Lovewell's　War；〃　she
sets　the　Captain　down；　when　it　turns　out　that　a　cousin　of　her　grandmother
〃was　John　Macneill；　the　New　Hampshire　general；　who　fought　at　Lundy's　Lane
and　won　distinction　in　1814　at　the　battle　of　Chippewa；〃　she　catalogues
the　General。　　（And　tells　where　Chippewa　was。）　And　then　she　skips　all　her
platform　people；　never　mentions　one　of　them。　　It　shows　that　she　is　just
as　human　as　any　of　us。

Yet；　after　all；　there　is　something　very　touching　in　her　pride　in　these
worthy　small…fry；　and　something　large　and　fine　in　her　modesty　in　not
caring　to　remember　that　their　kinship　to　her　can　confer　no　distinction
upon　her；　whereas　her　mere　mention　of　their　names　has　conferred　upon　them
a　faceless　earthly　immortality。




CHAPTER　II

When　she　wrote　this　little　biography　her　great　life…work　had　already　been
achieved；　she　was　become　renowned；　to　multitudes　of　reverent　disciples
she　was　a　sacred　personage；　a　familiar　of　God；　and　His　inspired　channel
of　communication　with　the　human　race。　　Also；　to　them　these　following
things　were　facts；　and　not　doubted：

She　had　written　a　Bible　in　middle　age；　and　had　published　it；　she　had
recast　it；　enlarged　it；　and　published　it　again；　she　had　not　stopped
there；　but　had　enlarged　it　further；　polished　its　phrasing；　improved　its
form；　and　published　it　yet　again。　　It　was　at　last　become　a　compact；
grammatical；　dignified；　and　workman…like　body　of　literature。　　This　was
good　training；　persistent　training；　and　in　all　arts　it　is　training　that
brings　the　art　to　perfection。　　We　are　now　confronted　with　one　of　the　most
teasing　and　baffling　riddles　of　Mrs。　Eddy's　historya　riddle　which　may
be　formulated　thus：

How　is　it　that　a　primitive　literary　gun　which　began　as　a　hundred…yard
flint…lock　smooth…bore　muzzle…loader；　and　in　the　course　of　forty　years
has　acquired　one　notable　improvement　after　anotherpercussion　cap；　fixed
cartridge；　rifled　barrel；　efficiency　at　half　a　mile　how　is　it　that　such　a
gun；　sufficiently　good　on　an　elephant　hunt　（Christian　Science）　from　the
beginning；　and　growing　better　and　better　all　the　time　during　forty　years；
has　always　collapsed　back　to　its　original　flint…lock　estate　the　moment
the　huntress　trained　it　on　any　other　creature　than　an　elephant？

Something　more　than　a　generation　ago　Mrs。　Eddy　went　out　with　her　flint…
lock　on　the　rabbit　range；　and　this　was　a　part　of　the　result：

〃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。〃Preface　to　Science　and　Health；　first
revision；　1883。

N。B。　　Not　from　the　book　itself；　from　the　Preface。

You　will　notice　the　awkwardness　of　that　English。　　If　you　should　carry
that　paragraph　up　to　the　Supreme　Court　of　the　United　States　in　order　to
find　out　for　good　and　all　whether　the　fatal　casualty　happened　to　the　dead
manas　the　paragraph　almost　assertsor　to　some　person　or　persons　not
even　hinted　at　in　the　paragraph；　the　Supreme　Court　would　be　obliged　to
say　that　the　evidence　established　nothing　with　certainty　except　that
there　had　been　a　casualtyvictim　not　known。

The　context　thinks　it　explains　who　the　victim　was；　but　it　does　nothing　of
the　kind。　　It　furnishes　some　guessing…material　of　a　sort　which　enables
you　to　infer　that　it　was　〃we〃　that　suffered　the　mentioned　injury；　but　if
you　should　carry　the　language　to　a　court　you　would　not　be　able　to　prove
that　it　necessarily　meant　that。　　〃We〃　are　Mrs。　Eddy；　a　funny　little
affectation。　　She　replaced　it　later　with　the　more　dignified　third　person。


The　quoted　paragraph　is　from　Mrs。　Eddy's　preface　to　the　first　revision　of
Science　and　Health　（1883）。　　Sixty…four　pages　further　alongin　the　body
of　the　book　（the　elephant…range）；　she　went　out　with　that　same　flint…lock
and　got　this　following　result。　　Its　English　is　very　nearly　as　straight
and　clean　and　competent　as　is　the　English　of　the　latest　revision　of
Science　and　Health　after　the　gun　has　been　improved　from　smooth…bore
musket　up　to　globe…sighted；　long　distance　rifle：

〃Man　controlled　by　his　Maker　has　no　physical　suffering。　　His　body　is
harmonious；　his　days　are　multiplying　instead　of　diminishing；　he　is
journeying　towards　Life　instead　of　death；　and　bringing　out　the　new　man
and　crucifying　the　old　affections；　cutting　them　off　in　every　material
direction　until　he　learns　the　utter　supremacy　of　Spirit　and　yields
obedience　thereto。〃

In　the　latest　revision　of　Science　and　Health　（1902）；　the　perfected　gun
furnishes　the　following。　　The　English　is　clean；　compact；　dignified；
almost　perfect。　　But　it　is　observable　that　it　is　not　prominently　better
than　it　is　in　the　above　paragraph；　which　was　a　product　of　the　primitive
flint…lock：

〃How　unreasonable　is　the　belief　that　we　are　wearing　out　life　and
hastening　to　death；　and　at　the　same　time　we　are　communing　with
immortality？　　If　the　departed　are　in　rapport　with　mortality；　or　matter；
they　are　not　spiritual；　but　must　still　be　mortal；　sinful；　suffering；　and
dying。　　Then　wherefore　look　to　themeven　were　communication　possible
for　proofs　of　immortality　and　accept　them　as　oracles？〃Edition　of　1902；
page　78。

With　the　above　paragraphs　compare　these　that　follow。　　It　is　Mrs。　Eddy
writingafter　a　good　long　twenty　years　of　pen…practice。　　Compare　also
with　the　alleged　Poems　already　quoted。　　The　prominent　characteristic　of
the　Poems　is　affectation；　artificiality；　their　makeup　is　a　complacent　and
pretentious　outpour　of　false　figures　and　fine　writing；　in　the　sophomoric
style。　　The　same　qualities　and　the　same　style　will　be　found；　unchanged；
unbettered；　in　these　following　paragraphsafter　a　lapse　of　more　than
fifty　years；　and　afteras　aforesaidlong　literary　training。　　The
italics　are　mine：

1。　　〃What　plague　spot　or　bacilli　were　＇sic＇　gnawing　＇sic＇　at　the　heart　of
this　metropolis　。　　。　　。　　and　bringing　it　＇the　heart＇　on　bended　knee？
Why；　it　was　an　institute　that　had　entered　its　vitalsthat；　among　other
things；　taught　games；〃　et　cetera。C。S。　　Journal；　p。　　670；　article
entitled　〃A　Narrativeby　Mary　Baker　G。　　Eddy。〃

2。　　〃Parks　sprang　up　＇sic＇　。　　。　　。　　electric…cars　run　＇sic＇　merrily
through　several　streets；　concrete　sidewalks　and　macadamized　roads　dotted
＇sic＇　the　place；〃　et　cetera。Ibid。

3。　　〃Shorn　＇sic＇　of　its　suburbs　it　had　indeed　little　left　to　admire；　save
to　＇sic＇　such　as　fancy　a　skeleton　above　ground　breathing　＇sic＇　slowly
through　a　barren　＇sic＇　breast。〃Ibid。

This　is　not　EnglishI　mean；　grown…up　English。　　But　it　is　fifteen…year
old　English；　and　has　not　grown　a　month　since　the　same　mind　produced　the
Poems。　　The　standard　of　the　Poems　and　of　the　plague…spot…and…bacilli
effort　is　exactly　the　same。　　It　is　most　strange　that　the　same　intellect
that　worded　the　simple　and　self…contained　and　clean…cut　paragraph
beginning　with　〃How　unreasonable　is　the　belief；〃　should　in　the　very　same
lustrum　discharge　upon　the　world　such　a　verbal　chaos　as　the　utterance
concerning　that　plague…spot　or　bacilli　which　were　gnawing　at　the　insides
of　the　metropolis　and　bringing　its　heart　on　bended　knee；　thus　exposing　to
the　eye　the　rest　of　the　skeleton　breathing　slowly　through　a　barren
breast。

The　immense　contrast　between　the　legitimate　English　of　Science　and　Health
and　the　bastard　English　of　Mrs。　Eddy's　miscellaneous　work；　and　between
the　maturity　of　the　one　diction　and　the　juvenility　of　the　other；
suggestscompelsthe　question；　Are　there　two　guns？　　It　would　seem　so。
Is　there　a　poor；　foolish；　old；　scattering　flint…lock　for　rabbit；　and　a
long…range；　centre…driving；　up…to…date　Mauser…magazine　for　elephant？　　It
looks　like　it。　　For　it　is　observable　that　in　Science　and　Health　（the
elephant…ground）　the　practice　was　good　at　the　start　and　has　remained　so；
and　that　the　practice　in　the　miscellaneous；　outside；　small…game　field　was
very　bad　at　the　start　and　was　never　less　bad　at　any　later　time。

I　wish　to　say　that　of　Mrs。　Eddy　I　am　not　requiring　perfect　English；　but
only　good　English。　　No　one　can　write　perfect　English　and　keep　it　up
through　a　stretch　of　ten　chapters。　　It　has　never　been　done。　　It　was
approached　in　the　〃well　of　English　undefiled〃；　it　has　been　approached　in
Mrs。　Eddy's　Annex　to　that　Book；　it　has　been　approached　in　several　English
grammars；　I　have　even　approached　it　myself；　but　none　of　us　has　made　port。

Now；　the　English　of　Science　and　Health　is　good。　　In　passages　to　be　found
in　Mrs。　E