Advice To Students

The true consciousness is the true health. One says, [25]

“I find relief from pain in unconscious sleep.” I say,

You mistake; through unconsciousness one no more

gains freedom from pain than immunity from evil. When

unconscious of a mistake, one thinks he is not mistaken;

but this false consciousness does not change the fact, or [30]

its results; suffering and mistakes recur until one is awake [1]

to their cause and character. To know the what, when,

and how of error, destroys error. The error that is seen

aright as error, has received its death-blow; but never

until then. [5]

Let us look through the lens of Christian Science,

not of “self,” at the following mistake, which demands

our present attention. I have no time for detailed report

of this matter, but simply answer the following question

sent to me; glad, indeed, that this query has finally come [10]

with the courage of conviction to the minds of many

students.

“Is it right to copy your works and read them for our

public services?”

The good which the material senses see not is the only [15]

absolute good; the evil which these senses see not is the

only absolute evil.

If I enter Mr. Smith's store and take from it his gar-

ments that are on sale, array myself in them, and put

myself and them on exhibition, can I make this right [20]

by saying, These garments are Mr. Smith's; he manu-

factured them and owns them, but you must pay me,

not him, for this exhibit?

The spectators may ask, Did he give you permission

to do this, did he sell them or loan them to you? No. [25]

Then have you asked yourself this question on the sub-

ject, namely, What right have I to do this? True, it

saves your purchasing these garments, and gives to the

public new patterns which are useful to them; but does

this silence your conscience? or, because you have con- [30]

fessed that they are the property of a noted firm, and

you wished to handle them, does it justify you in appro-

priating them, and so avoiding the cost of hiring or [1]

purchasing?

Copying my published works verbatim, compiling them

in connection with the Scriptures, taking this copy into

the pulpit, announcing the author's name, then reading [5]

it publicly as your own compilation, is—what?

We answer, It is a mistake; in common parlance, it

is an ignorant wrong.

If you should print and publish your copy of my works,

you would be liable to arrest for infringement of copy- [10]

right, which the law defines and punishes as theft. Read-

ing in the pulpit from copies of my publications gives

you the clergyman's salary and spares you the printer's

bill, but does it spare you our Master's condemnation?

You literally publish my works through the pulpit, instead [15]

of the press, and thus evade the law, but not the gospel.

When I consent to this act, you will then be justified

in it.

Your manuscript copy is liable, in some way, to be

printed as your original writings, thus incurring the pen- [20]

alty of the law, and increasing the record of theft in the

United States Circuit Court.

To The Church of Christ, Scientist, in Boston, which I

had organized and of which I had for many years been

pastor, I gave permission to cite, in the Christian Science [25]

Quarterly, from my work Science and Health, passages

giving the spiritual meaning of Bible texts; but this was

a special privilege, and the author's gift.

Christian Science demonstrates that the patient who

pays whatever he is able to pay for being healed, is more [30]

apt to recover than he who withholds a slight equiva-

lent for health. Healing morally and physically are one.

Then, is compiling and delivering that sermon for which [1]

you pay nothing, and which you deliver without the

author's consent, and receive pay therefor, the precedent

for preaching Christian Science,—and are you doing

to the author of the above-named book as you would [5]

have others do unto you?

Those authors and editors of pamphlets and periodi-

cals whose substance is made up of my publications, are

morally responsible for what the law construes as crime.

There are startling instances of the above-named law- [10]

breaking and gospel-opposing system of authorship, which

characterize the writings of a few professed Christian

Scientists. My Christian students who have read copies

of my works in the pulpit require only a word to be wise;

too sincere and morally statuesque are they to be long [15]

led into temptation; but I must not leave persistent

plagiarists without this word of warning in public, since

my private counsel they disregard.

To the question of my true-hearted students, “Is it

right to copy your works and read them for our public [20]

services?” I answer: It is not right to copy my book

and read it publicly without my consent. My reasons are

as follows:—

First: This method is an unseen form of injustice

standing in a holy place. [25]

Second: It breaks the Golden Rule,—a divine rule

for human conduct.

Third: All error tends to harden the heart, blind

the eyes, stop the ears of understanding, and inflate

self; counter to the commands of our hillside Priest, to [30]

whom Isaiah alluded thus: “I have trodden the wine-

press alone; and of the people there was none with me.”

Behind the scenes lurks an evil which you can prevent: [1]

it is a purpose to kill the reformation begun and increas-

ing through the instructions of “Science and Health with

Key to the Scriptures;” it encourages infringement of my

the perverter preserves in his own consciousness

and teaching the name without the Spirit, the skeleton

without the heart, the form without the comeliness, the

sense without the Science, of Christ's healing. My stu-

dents are expected to know the teaching of Christian Sci- [10]

ence sufficiently to discriminate between error and Truth,

thus sparing their teacher a task and themselves the

temptation to be misled.

Much good has been accomplished through Christian

Science Sunday services. If Christian Scientists occasion- [15]

ally mistake in interpreting revealed Truth, of two evils

the less would be not to leave the Word unspoken and

untaught. I allowed, till this permission was withdrawn,

students working faithfully for Christ's cause on earth,

the privilege of copying and reading my works for Sunday [20]

service; provided, they each and all destroyed the copies

at once after said service. When I should so elect and

give suitable notice, they were to desist from further copy-

ing of my writings as aforesaid.

This injunction did not curtail the benefit which the [25]

student derived from making his copy, nor detract from

the good that his hearers received from his reading thereof;

but it was intended to forestall the possible evil of putting

the divine teachings contained in “Science and Health

with Key to the Scriptures” into human hands, to sub- [30]

vert or to liquidate.

I recommend that students stay within their own fields

of labor, to work for the race; they are lights that can- [1]

not be hid, and need only to shine from their home sum-

mits to be sought and found as healers physical and

moral.

The kindly shepherd has his own fold and tends his [5]

own flock. Christian students should have their own

institutes and, unmolested, be governed by divine Love

alone in teaching and guiding their students. When

wisdom garrisons these strongholds of Christian Science,

peace and joy, the fruits of Spirit, will rest upon us all. [10]

We are brethren in the fullest sense of that word; there-

fore no queries should arise as to “who shall be great-

est.” Let us serve instead of rule, knock instead of

push at the door of human hearts, and allow to each

and every one the same rights and privileges that we [15]

claim for ourselves. If ever I wear out from serving

students, it shall be in the effort to help them to obey

the Ten Commandments and imbibe the spirit of Christ's

Beatitudes.