christian science-第14节

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a　way　as　to　make　successful　inquiry　into　their　intention　impossible。

She　generally　makes　us　uneasy　when　she　begins　to　tune　up　on　her　fine…
writing　timbrel。　　It　carries　me　back　to　her　Plague…Spot　and　Poetry　days；
and　I　just　dread　those：

〃Into　mortal　mind's　material　obliquity　I　gazed　and　stood　abashed。
Blanched　was　the　cheek　of　pride。　　My　heart　bent　low　before　the
omnipotence　of　Spirit；　and　a　tint　of　humility　soft　as　the　heart　of　a
moonbeam　mantled　the　earth。　　Bethlehem　and　Bethany；　Gethsemane　and
Calvary；　spoke　to　my　chastened　sense　as　by　the　tearful　lips　of　a　babe。〃
Page　48。

The　heart　of　a　moonbeam　is　a　pretty　enough　Friendship's…Album　expression
let　it　pass；　though　I　do　think　the　figure　a　little　strained；　but
humility　has　no　tint；　humility　has　no　complexion；　and　if　it　had　it　could
not　mantle　the　earth。　　A　moonbeam　mightI　do　not　knowbut　she　did　not
say　it　was　the　moonbeam。　　But　let　it　go；　I　cannot　decide　it；　she　mixes　me
up　so。　　A　babe　hasn't　〃tearful　lips；〃　it's　its　eyes。　　You　find　none　of
Mrs。　Eddy's　kind　of　English　in　Science　and　Healthnot　a　line　of　it。




CHAPTER　III

Setting　aside　title…page；　index；　etc。；　the　little　Autobiography　begins　on
page　7　and　ends　on　page　130。　　My　quotations　are　from　the　first　forty
pages。　　They　seem　to　me　to　prove　the　presence　of　the　'prentice　hand。　　The
style　of　the　forty　pages　is　loose　and　feeble　and　'prentice…like。　　The
movement　of　the　narrative　is　not　orderly　and　sequential；　but　rambles
around；　and　skips　forward　and　back　and　here　and　there　and　yonder；
'prentice…fashion。　　Many　a　journeyman　has　broken　up　his　narrative　and
skipped　about　and　rambled　around；　but　he　did　it　for　a　purpose；　for　an
advantage；　there　was　art　in　it；　and　points　to　be　scored　by　it；　the
observant　reader　perceived　the　game；　and　enjoyed　it　and　respected　it；　if
it　was　well　played。　　But　Mrs。　Eddy's　performance　was　without　intention；
and　destitute　of　art。　　She　could　score　no　points　by　it　on　those　terms；
and　almost　any　reader　can　see　that　her　work　was　the　uncalculated
puttering　of　a　novice。

In　the　above　paragraph　I　have　described　the　first　third　of　the　booklet。
That　third　being　completed；　Mrs。　Eddy　leaves　the　rabbit…range；　crosses
the　frontier；　and　steps　out　upon　her　far…spreading　big…game　territory
Christian　Science　and　there　is　an　instant　change！　　The　style　smartly
improves；　and　the　clumsy　little　technical　offenses　disappear。　　In　these
two…thirds　of　the　booklet　I　find　only　one　such　offence；　and　it　has　the
look　of　being　a　printer's　error。

I　leave　the　riddle　with　the　reader。　　Perhaps　he　can　explain　how　it　is
that　a　person…trained　or　untrainedwho　on　the　one　day　can　write　nothing
better　than　Plague…Spot…Bacilli　and　feeble　and　stumbling　and　wandering
personal　history　littered　with　false　figures　and　obscurities　and
technical　blunders；　can　on　the　next　day　sit　down　and　write　fluently；
smoothly；　compactly；　capably；　and　confidently　on　a　great　big　thundering
subject；　and　do　it　as　easily　and　comfortably　as　a　whale　paddles　around
the　globe。

As　for　me；　I　have　scribbled　so　much　in　fifty　years　that　I　have　become
saturated　with　convictions　of　one　sort　and　another　concerning　a
scribbler's　limitations；　and　these　are　so　strong　that　when　I　am　familiar
with　a　literary　person's　work　I　feel　perfectly　sure　that　I　know　enough
about　his　limitations　to　know　what　he　can　not　do。　　If　Mr。　Howells　should
pretend　to　me　that　he　wrote　the　Plague…Spot　Bacilli　rhapsody；　I　should
receive　the　statement　courteously；　but　I　should　know　it　for　awell；　for
a　perversion。　　If　the　late　Josh　Billings　should　rise　up　and　tell　me　that
he　wrote　Herbert　Spencer's　philosophies；　I　should　answer　and　say　that　the
spelling　casts　a　doubt　upon　his　claim。　　If　the　late　Jonathan　Edwards
should　rise　up　and　tell　me　he　wrote　Mr。　Dooley's　books；　I　should　answer
and　say　that　the　marked　difference　between　his　style　and　Dooley's　is
argument　against　the　soundness　of　his　statement。　　You　see　how　much　I
think　of　circumstantial　evidence。　　In　literary　mattersin　my　beliefit
is　often　better　than　any　person's　word；　better　than　any　shady　character's
oath。　　It　is　difficult　for　me　to　believe　that　the　same　hand　that　wrote
the　Plague…Spot…Bacilli　and　the　first　third　of　the　little　Eddy　biography
wrote　also　Science　and　Health。　　Indeed；　it　is　more　than　difficult；　it　is
impossible。

Largely　speaking；　I　have　read　acres　of　what　purported　to　be　Mrs。　Eddy's
writings；　in　the　past　two　months。　　I　cannot　know；　but　I　am　convinced；
that　the　circumstantial　evidence　shows　that　her　actual　share　in　the　work
of　composing　and　phrasing　these　things　was　so　slight　as　to　be
inconsequential。　　Where　she　puts　her　literary　foot　down；　her　trail　across
her　paid　polisher's　page　is　as　plain　as　the　elephant's　in　a　Sunday…school
procession。　　Her　verbal　output；　when　left　undoctored　by　her　clerks；　is
quite　unmistakable　It　always　exhibits　the　strongly　distinctive　features
observable　in　the　virgin　passages　from　her　pen　already　quoted　by　me：

Desert　vacancy；　as　regards　thought。
Self…complacency。
Puerility。
Sentimentality。
Affectations　of　scholarly　learning。
Lust　after　eloquent　and　flowery　expression。
Repetition　of　pet　poetic　picturesquenesses。
Confused　and　wandering　statement。
Metaphor　gone　insane。
Meaningless　words；　used　because　they　are　pretty；　or　showy；　or　unusual。
Sorrowful　attempts　at　the　epigrammatic。
Destitution　of　originality。

The　fat　volume　called　Miscellaneous　Writings　of　Mrs。　Eddy　contains
several　hundred　pages。　　Of　the　five　hundred　and　fifty…four　pages　of　prose
in　it　I　find　ten　lines；　on　page　319；　to　be　Mrs。　Eddy's；　also　about　a　page
of　the　preface　or　〃Prospectus〃；　also　about　fifteen　pages　scattered　along
through　the　book。　　If　she　wrote　any　of　the　rest　of　the　prose；　it　was
rewritten　after　her　by　another　hand。　　Here　I　will　insert　two…thirds　of
her　page　of　the　prospectus。　　It　is　evident　that　whenever；　under　the
inspiration　of　the　Deity；　she　turns　out　a　book；　she　is　always　allowed　to
do　some　of　the　preface。　　I　wonder　why　that　is？　　It　always　mars　the　work。
I　think　it　is　done　in　humorous　malice　I　think　the　clerks　like　to　see　her
give　herself　away。　　They　know　she　will；　her　stock　of　usable　materials
being　limited　and　her　procedure　in　employing　them　always　the　same；
substantially。　　They　know　that　when　the　initiated　come　upon　her　first
erudite　allusion；　or　upon　any　one　of　her　other　stage…properties；　they　can
shut　their　eyes　and　tell　what　will　follow。　　She　usually　throws　off　an
easy　remark　all　sodden　with　Greek　or　Hebrew　or　Latin　learning；　she
usually　has　a　person　watching　for　a　starshe　can　seldom　get　away　from
that　poetic　ideasometimes　it　is　a　Chaldee；　sometimes　a　Walking
Delegate；　sometimes　an　entire　stranger；　but　be　he　what　he　may；　he　is
generally　there　when　the　train　is　ready　to　move；　and　has　his　pass　in　his
hat…band；　she　generally　has　a　Being　with　a　Dome　on　him；　or　some　other
cover　that　is　unusual　and　out　of　the　fashion；　she　likes　to　fire　off　a
Scripture…verse　where　it　will　make　the　handsomest　noise　and　come　nearest
to　breaking　the　connection；　she　often　throws　out　a　Forefelt；　or　a
Foresplendor；　or　a　Foreslander　where　it　will　have　a　fine　nautical
foreto'gallant　sound　and　make　the　sentence　sing；　after　which　she　is
nearly　sure　to　throw　discretion　away　and　take　to　her　deadly　passion；
Intoxicated　Metaphor。　　At　such　a　time　the　Mrs。　Eddy　that　does　not
hesitate　is　lost：

〃The　ancient　Greek　looked　longingly　for　the　Olympiad。　　The　Chaldee
watched　the　appearing　of　a　star；　to　him　no　higher　destiny　dawned　on　the
dome　of　being　than　that　foreshadowed　by　signs　in　the　heavens。　　The　meek
Nazarene；　the　scoffed　of　all　scoffers；　said；　'Ye　can　discern　the　face　of
the　sky；　but　can　ye　not　discern　the　signs　of　the　times？'for　He　forefelt
and　foresaw　the　ordeal　of　a　perfect　Christianity；　hated　by　sinners。

〃To　kindle　all　minds　with　a　gleam　of　gratitude；　the　new　idea　that　comes
welling　up　from　infinite　Truth　needs　to　be　understood。　　The　seer　of　this
age　should　be　a　sage。

〃Humility　is　the　stepping…stone　to　a　higher　recognition　of　Deity。　　The
mounting　sense　gathers　fresh　forms　and　strange　fire　from　the　ashes　of
dissolving　self；　and　drops　the　world。　　Meekness　heightens　immortal
attributes；　only　by　removing　the　dust　that　dims　them。　　Goodness　reveals
another　scene　and　another　self　seemingly　rolled　up　in　shades；　but　brought
to　light　by　the　evolutions　of　advancing　thought；　whereby　we　discern　the
power　of　Truth　and　Love　to　heal　the　sick。

〃Pride　is　ignorance；　those　assume　most　who　have　the　least　wisdom　or
experience；　and　they　steal　from　their　neighbor；　because　they　have　so
little　of　their　own。〃Miscellaneous　Writings；　page　1；　and　six　lines　at
top　of　page　2。

It　is　not　believable　that　the　hand　that　wrote　those　clumsy　and　affected
sentences　wrote　the　smooth　English　of　Science　and　Health。




CHAPTER　IV

It　is　often　said　in　print　that　Mrs。　Eddy　claims　that　God　was　the　Author
of　Science　and　Health。　　Mr。　Peabody　states　in　his　pamphlet　that　〃she　says
not　she　but　God　was　the　Author。〃　　I　cannot　find　that　in　her　autobiography
she　makes　this　transference　of　the　authorship；　but　I　think　that　in　it　she
definitely　claims　that　she　did　her　work　under　His　inspirationdefinitely
for　her；　for　as　a　rule　she　is　not　a　very　definite　person；　e