christian science-第10节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


take　aim；　but　lets　fly　just　as　he　stands。　　Facts　are　nothing　to　him；　he
has　no　use　for　such　things；　he　works　wholly　by　inspiration。　　And　so；　when
he　is　asked　why　he　considers　a　new　movement　a　passing　fad　and　quickly
perishable；　he　finds　himself　unprepared　with　a　reason　and　is　more　or　less
embarrassed。　　For　a　moment。　　Only　for　a　moment。　　Then　he　waylays　the
first　spectre　of　a　reason　that　goes　flitting　through　the　desert　places　of
his　mind；　and　is　at　once　serene　again　and　ready　for　conflict。　　Serene　and
confident。　　Yet　he　should　not　be　so；　since　he　has　had　no　chance　to
examine　his　catch；　and　cannot　know　whether　it　is　going　to　help　his
contention　or　damage　it。

The　impromptu　reason　furnished　by　the　early　prophets　of　whom　I　have
spoken　was　this：

〃There　is　nothing　to　Christian　Science；　there　is　nothing　about　it　that
appeals　to　the　intellect；　its　market　will　be　restricted　to　the
unintelligent；　the　mentally　inferior；　the　people　who　do　not　think。〃

They　called　that　a　reason　why　the　cult　would　not　flourish　and　endure。　　It
seems　the　equivalent　of　saying：

〃There　is　no　money　in　tinware；　there　is　nothing　about　it　that　appeals　to
the　rich；　its　market　will　be　restricted　to　the　poor。〃

It　is　like　bringing　forward　the　best　reason　in　the　world　why　Christian
Science　should　flourish　and　live；　and　then　blandly　offering　it　as　a
reason　why　it　should　sicken　and　die。

That　reason　was　furnished　me　by　the　complacent　and　unfrightened　prophets
four　years　ago；　and　it　has　been　furnished　me　again　to…day。　　If
conversions　to　new　religions　or　to　old　ones　were　in　any　considerable
degree　achieved　through　the　intellect；　the　aforesaid　reason　would　be
sound　and　sufficient；　no　doubt；　the　inquirer　into　Christian　Science　might
go　away　unconvinced　and　unconverted。　　But　we　all　know　that　conversions
are　seldom　made　in　that　way；　that　such　a　thing　as　a　serious　and
painstaking　and　fairly　competent　inquiry　into　the　claims　of　a　religion　or
of　a　political　dogma　is　a　rare　occurrence；　and　that　the　vast　mass　of　men
and　women　are　far　from　being　capable　of　making　such　an　examination。　　They
are　not　capable；　for　the　reason　that　their　minds；　howsoever　good　they　may
be；　are　not　trained　for　such　examinations。　　The　mind　not　trained　for　that
work　is　no　more　competent　to　do　it　than　are　lawyers　and　farmers　competent
to　make　successful　clothes　without　learning　the　tailor's　trade。　　There
are　seventy…five　million　men　and　women　among　us　who　do　not　know　how　to
cut　out　and　make　a　dress…suit；　and　they　would　not　think　of　trying；　yet
they　all　think　they　can　competently　think　out　a　political　or　religious
scheme　without　any　apprenticeship　to　the　business；　and　many　of　them
believe　they　have　actually　worked　that　miracle。　　But；　indeed；　the　truth
is；　almost　all　the　men　and　women　of　our　nation　or　of　any　other　get　their
religion　and　their　politics　where　they　get　their　astronomyentirely　at
second　hand。　　Being　untrained；　they　are　no　more　able　to　intelligently
examine　a　dogma　or　a　policy　than　they　are　to　calculate　an　eclipse。

Men　are　usually　competent　thinkers　along　the　lines　of　their　specialized
training　only。　　Within　these　limits　alone　are　their　opinions　and
judgments　valuable；　outside　of　these　limits　they　grope　and　are　lost
usually　without　knowing　it。　　In　a　church　assemblage　of　five　hundred
persons；　there　will　be　a　man　or　two　whose　trained　minds　can　seize　upon
each　detail　of　a　great　manufacturing　scheme　and　recognize　its　value　or
its　lack　of　value　promptly；　and　can　pass　the　details　in　intelligent
review；　section　by　section；　and　finally　as　a　whole；　and　then　deliver　a
verdict　upon　the　scheme　which　cannot　be　flippantly　set　aside　nor　easily
answered。　　And　there　will　be　one　or　two　other　men　there　who　can　do　the
same　thing　with　a　great　and　complicated　educational　project；　and　one　or
two　others　who　can　do　the　like　with　a　large　scheme　for　applying
electricity　in　a　new　and　unheard…of　way；　and　one　or　two　others　who　can　do
it　with　a　showy　scheme　for　revolutionizing　the　scientific　world's
accepted　notions　regarding　geology。　　And　so　on；　and　so　on。　　But　the
manufacturing　experts　will　not　be　competent　to　examine　the　educational
scheme　intelligently；　and　their　opinion　about　it　would　not　be　valuable；
neither　of　these　two　groups　will　be　able　to　understand　and　pass　upon　the
electrical　scheme；　none　of　these　three　batches　of　experts　will　be　able　to
understand　and　pass　upon　the　geological　revolution；　and　probably　not　one
man　in　the　entire　lot　will　be　competent　to　examine；　capably；　the
intricacies　of　a　political　or　religious　scheme；　new　or　old；　and　deliver　a
judgment　upon　it　which　any　one　need　regard　as　precious。

There　you　have　the　top　crust。　　There　will　be　four　hundred　and　seventy…
five　men　and　women　present　who　can　draw　upon　their　training　and　deliver
incontrovertible　judgments　concerning　cheese；　and　leather；　and　cattle；
and　hardware；　and　soap；　and　tar；　and　candles；　and　patent　medicines；　and
dreams；　and　apparitions；　and　garden　trucks；　and　cats；　and　baby　food；　and
warts；　and　hymns；　and　time…tables；　and　freight…rates；　and　summer　resorts；
and　whiskey；　and　law；　and　surgery；　and　dentistry；　and　blacksmithing；　and
shoemaking；　and　dancing；　and　Huyler's　candy；　and　mathematics；　and　dog
fights；　and　obstetrics；　and　music；　and　sausages；　and　dry　goods；　and
molasses；　and　railroad　stocks；　and　horses；　and　literature；　and　labor
unions；　and　vegetables；　and　morals；　and　lamb's　fries；　and　etiquette；　and
agriculture。　　And　not　ten　among　the　five　hundredlet　their　minds　be　ever
so　good　and　brightwill　be　competent；　by　grace　of　the　requisite
specialized　mental　training；　to　take　hold　of　a　complex　abstraction　of　any
kind　and　make　head　or　tail　of　it。

The　whole　five　hundred　are　thinkers；　and　they　are　all　capable　thinkers
but　only　within　the　narrow　limits　of　their　specialized　trainings。　　Four
hundred　and　ninety　of　them　cannot　competently　examine　either　a　religious
plan　or　a　political　one。　　A　scattering　few　of　them　do　examine　boththat
is；　they　think　they　do。　　With　results　as　precious　as　when　I　examine　the
nebular　theory　and　explain　it　to　myself。

If　the　four　hundred　and　ninety　got　their　religion　through　their　minds；
and　by　weighed　and　measured　detail；　Christian　Science　would　not　be　a
scary　apparition。　　But　they　don't；　they　get　a　little　of　it　through　their
minds；　more　of　it　through　their　feelings；　and　the　overwhelming　bulk　of　it
through　their　environment。

Environment　is　the　chief　thing　to　be　considered　when　one　is　proposing　to
predict　the　future　of　Christian　Science。　　It　is　not　the　ability　to　reason
that　makes　the　Presbyterian；　or　the　Baptist；　or　the　Methodist；　or　the
Catholic；　or　the　Mohammedan；　or　the　Buddhist；　or　the　Mormon；　it　is
environment。　　If　religions　were　got　by　reasoning；　we　should　have　the
extraordinary　spectacle　of　an　American　family　with　a　Presbyterian　in　it；
and　a　Baptist；　a　Methodist；　a　Catholic；　a　Mohammedan；　a　Buddhist；　and　a
Mormon。　　A　Presbyterian　family　does　not　produce　Catholic　families　or
other　religious　brands；　it　produces　its　own　kind；　and　not　by　intellectual
processes；　but　by　association。　　And　so　also　with　Mohammedanism；　the　cult
which　in　our　day　is　spreading　with　the　sweep　of　a　world…conflagration
through　the　Orient；　that　native　home　of　profound　thought　and　of　subtle
intellectual　fence；　that　fertile　womb　whence　has　sprung　every　great
religion　that　exists。　　Including　our　own；　for　with　all　our　brains　we
cannot　invent　a　religion　and　market　it。

The　language　of　my　quoted　prophets　recurs　to　us　now；　and　we　wonder　to
think　how　small　a　space　in　the　world　the　mighty　Mohammedan　Church　would
be　occupying　now；　if　a　successful　trade　in　its　line　of　goods　had　been
conditioned　upon　an　exhibit　that　would　〃appeal　to　the　intellect〃　instead
of　to　〃the　unintelligent；　the　mentally　inferior；　the　people　who　do　not
think。〃

The　Christian　Science　Church；　like　the　Mohammedan　Church；　makes　no
embarrassing　appeal　to　the　intellect；　has　no　occasion　to　do　it；　and　can
get　along　quite　well　without　it。

Provided。　　Provided　what？　　That　it　can　secure　that　thing　which　is　worth
two　or　three　hundred　thousand　times　more　than　an　〃appeal　to　the
intellect〃an　environment。　　Can　it　get　that？　　Will　it　be　a　menace　to
regular　Christianity　if　it　gets　that？　　Is　it　time　for　regular
Christianity　to　get　alarmed？　　Or　shall　regular　Christianity　smile　a　smile
and　turn　over　and　take　another　nap？　　Won't　it　be　wise　and　proper　for
regular　Christianity　to　do　the　old　way；　Me　customary　way；　the　historical
waylock　the　stable…door　after　the　horse　is　gone？　　Just　as　Protestantism
has　smiled　and　nodded　this　long　time　（while　the　alert　and　diligent
Catholic　was　slipping　in　and　capturing　the　public　schools）；　and　is　now
beginning　to　hunt　around　for　the　key　when　it　is　too　late？

Will　Christian　Science　get　a　chance　to　show　its　wares？　　It　has　already
secured　that　chance。　　Will　it　flourish　and　spread　and　prosper　if　it　shall
create　for　itself　the　one　thing　essential　to　those　conditionsan
environment？　　It　has　already　created　an　environment。　　There　are　families
of　Christian　Scientists　in　every　community　in　America；　and　each　family　is
a　factory；　each　family　turns　out　a　Christian　Science　product　at　the
customary　intervals；　and　contributes　it　to　the　Cause　in　the　only　way　in
wh