Tremendous sense of principle

Councilman and businessman James Alonzo Jordon's story is one of innovation, courage, inspiration and forthrightness. His chapter is titled 'Black Man, White Man, God's Man', and his stirring account of fighting for equal rights for all indicates a man of action and great love. As a young man he 'was reading literature on religion in business, law, and politics...[but he] found no denomination that seemed to relate completely to personal as well as social and economic problems, particularly the many problems of the black community' (p. 104)...at least, not until he met Marion Bond, a Christian Scientist. They married a year later.

Jordon's final paragraph is impressive in its thoughtfulness:

'Every man is part of the world, and his work either adds to or subtracts from its harmonies. When a man's work contributes to the spiritual evolution of mankind, it contains elements of immortality, and his individual life becomes structured to conform to God's plan. the prayers and commitments we make to God to do His work place a moral responsibility on us because we are constantly put to the test of proving our sincerity and trust in Him. The tests are challenging, but if we are faithful, the rewards are spiritually satisfying beyond any personal success' (p. 117)

Marion Jordan's (nee Bond) first encounter with Christian Science resulted in the realisation that 'it offered healing for all situations and had relevance for the entire spectrum of human existence' (p. 121). Working with a Christian Science practitioner, Marion was able to work through an inharmonious relationship in which 'he wanted to change me, and [she] wanted to change him' (p. 122). The practitioner encouraged her to 'dwell on the spiritual qualities of man: his integrity, consideration, unselfishness, purity, kindness [etc and] express this in [her] daily living until they became [her] constant companions' (ibid). Working in this way, she was soon able to move away from that discordant relationship. Meeting Jim Jordon sometime later, she 'was impressed by his tremendous sense of principle' (p. 123). They were soon married.

Together, they let their lights shine for the benefit of the human race.

Julie Swannell

Significant lives: Erwin Canham's Foreword

Editors of The Christian Science Monitor are inclined to take a 'different' view of any writing they are invited to comment on. Erwin D Canham's Foreword to Living Christian Science - Fourteen Lives does just that.

When I found the book on the Internet in order to get a copy I noticed that it is described as being by Marcy Babbitt and Erwin D Canham.* Reasonable no doubt, because Canham, long time editor (1941-1964) of the Monitor, is well known to students of Christian Science (ed.: and many others), and at the time of the publishing of this book (1975) he had recently retired from the position of editor-in-chief (1964-1974) of that remarkable publication. 

In the Monitor files there is a tribute to Canham by Saville R Davis: https://www.csmonitor.com/1982/0104/010436.html.

And the Mary Baker Eddy Library has a podcast titled 'The Papers of Erwin D. Canham, Editor of The Christian Science Monitor'.

The 'different' view I noticed was brought out in the last two paragraphs of the Foreword.

For every Christian Scientist who became an ambassador or an opera star or a business leader there are many, many others who are living its precepts simply, lovingly, and in what may seem to be obscurity. Their lives are just as significant as those recorded here. Each of them could also help enlighten the seeker, and many do with each weekly or monthly issue of the Christian Science periodicals.

It is perhaps more “authentic" for the lives in this book to be recorded with names and dates, chapters and verses. But personality is not the essence of Christian Science. Everything in this book would have just as much meaning if the names were left off. But here they are, people, many of whom are known and recognized in the world of affairs, telling of the blessings they have received – perhaps reluctantly as far as the personal identification is concerned – so that people who need to learn of this truth may find their way more readily into the understanding of God's love for them through the application of Christian Science.

Joyce Voysey

* Actually, I just looked it up. Canham gets first billing! Canham and Babbitt. I think he would be shocked!

Can you mix matter with Spirit?

Homer E Newell (see pp 239-255 Living Christian Science - Fourteen Lives by Marcy Babbitt). 

The NASA site says of him:

 In 1958, he transferred to NASA to assume responsibility for planning and development of the new agency's space science program. He soon became deputy director of space flight programs. In 1961, he assumed directorship of the office of space sciences; in 1963, he became associate administrator for space science and applications. Over the course of his career, he became an internationally known authority in the field of atmospheric and space sciences, as well as the author of numerous scientific articles and seven books, including Beyond the Atmosphere: Early Years of Space Science (Washington, DC: NASA SP-4211, 1980). He retired from NASA in late 1973. 

See "Homer E. Newell," biographical file, NASA Historical Reference Collection, NASA History Division, NASA Headquarters, Washington, DC.

In reading his story I noted all the sciences that were his introduction to his life work: Astronomy, Chemistry, Geology, Maths/Geometry/Theory of Relativity, Physics. And Christian Science. I had recently become more aware that Christian Science is the science of all things and disciplines. I realise that this list does not include all the sciences, but I was impressed.

Homer gives us some wise reasoning. For instance on page 250, “Some people want to mix matter with Spirit; they have an idea that a study of the physical sciences and the physical universe will lead to the understanding of spiritual causation and creation. But this is not going to happen because the study of matter and mortality is the constant study of an enigma.”

In speaking of the NASA work in the universe and all the benefits that have accrued to mankind through it, he says, “But most importantly, I think the activity has given everyone a better picture of the immensity of the universe and of the beauty of the world we live in, while pointing up reasons for more thoughtful, wiser, and more considerate in the way we use our own planet” (p. 245).

Again. “Space exploration has moral, economic, and spiritual implications. The great progressive periods in modern history have almost always been time of war, leading many to conclude that war is necessary for technological and economic progress – a very immoral point of view. But suppose nations become so involved in the challenging problems of exploring the solar system and the universe that they don't have need for wars to spur mankind's progress? Then conquest of space replaces conquest of nations as a productive adventure in the human economy.

“Realistically speaking, man must meet the challenge of space. It has appeared in his line of reason, and he must find the answer to the nature, substance, and identities of the universe. It is in meeting and overcoming such challenges that he grows and progresses. The struggle to know, to understand, to extend his domain is what keeps the spirit of man alive. Wherever his imagination roams, man seeks also to go” (pp 245-6).

“Christian Science presents unfoldment and progress. And the physical sciences offer mankind opportunities for unfoldment and progress. In this sense the purposes of my religion and the physical sciences seem to coincide. The basic divergence between the two come from the limitations and finiteness which the physical sciences would impose upon man and the universe by classifying them as matter. This is the dark side of the picture – a picture that I am convinced the Science of Mind is destined to change. At the present time my participation in the physical sciences is to help spur inspiration, development of insight, and increasing understanding in the field of space exploration. I have a role to play here even though I know that there is another, more direct way to reveal the forces of the universe" (p. 247).

Joyce Voysey

An Australian voice

Ah! Ellis Gulliver. The Master cake maker who was allergic to flour! Don't worry. The severe dermatitis was healed through Christian Science. Three days of study and persistent prayer. He says: ''After three days of my persistent prayer in this fashion, 'the Word was made flesh' – rendered practical. My raw skin had been renewed” (p. 208, Living Christian Science - Fourteen Lives, by Marcy Babbitt). This in his very early days of consulting with Science and Health.

And he gives us a description of how he prayed: “I disposed of the tarlike* substance in the snow and gained a clear, spiritual concept that I had to deny the reality of this condition and plead, or understand, God's allness. This mental discipline was undertaken with a zest that excluded everything else from consciousness. I realized with all my heart that such consecration was vitally necessary. Every time the itch, the pain, the discomfort presented itself, I denied its spiritual reality and pleaded God's allness. This was my first thought before going to sleep at night, and my first on waking in the morning. It was an earnest longing and thirsting after righteousness, or a right understanding of God.

 ibid)

* Medically prescribed

Ellis is careful to describe how he worked spiritually on all the problems which came his way in business and in his cattle raising activities.

When considering the leavening effect of yeast, how a small amount caused chemical changes to take place when thinking of the possibility of his going into sheep and cattle raising, he found that, “To me this presented a practical illustration of the way a progressive idea could become an expanding influence in my life.” He found a property 300 miles north-west of Sydney. Prayer was needed every step of the way -- needed and utilised.

On page 213 one can read about how he coped with a flood which seemed about to drown 1,500 sheep; on page 215, how he increased by five times the carrying capacity of the land with sheep; page 217, dealing with a very bad drought.

Ellis was an excellent metaphysician – page 216 gives an example of his reasoning.

Joyce Voysey

No room for procrastination: Paul Gore-Booth

In Living Christian Science - Fourteen Lives by Marcy Babbitt, British diplomat Paul Gore-Booth tells of becoming ill during 'an outbreak of mumps' when he was studying at Eton. He requested help from a Christian Science practitioner and, after experiencing 'a great convulsion [followed by] sleep' (p. 62-3) on the third morning, at the doctor's visit the following morning, the doctor 'explained that [he] had had symptoms akin to those of mumps, but they had been coincidental' (p. 63). Gore-Booth mentions that his uncle Ralph Scholfield had arranged for Christian Science Sunday School classes to be held at Eton at that time, so the young Gore-Booth had not lost touch with Christian Science during those formative years.

Gore-Booth comments on the statement of Mary Baker Eddy, Founder of Christian Science: "The true theory of the universe, including man, is not in material history but in spiritual development" (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures p. 547 - see p. 63 of 14 Lives), remarking that there is a strong 'interaction between strength and weakness of societies and their ethical and religious standards' (p. 63).

On page 70 the author refers to 'that great enterprise, the Marshall Plan of June 1947'. I was very interested to read this, as I've recently read a wonderful biography of George Marshall: George Marshall - Defender of the Republic by David Roll, that I discovered at our local library.

An interesting assignment came in 1953 to become Ambassador to Burma, where the family lived for three years. While in that country, he 'had an illness...which put [him] out of action for several weeks' (p. 73). Through Christian Science, his 'health was completely restored, and for the remaining fifteen years of [his] diplomatic career [he] never lost a day's work through illness' (ibid). He explains that 'Christian Science equips one with the mental wherewithal to be more active and effective than simply waiting for what comes next' (ibid). On the contrary, daily study of the Bible and Mrs. Eddy's works 'steadies and clears the thought and adds inspiration to it, and ... this action shows itself in its effect on health of body as well as of mind' (ibid).

I have found one article by Paul Gore-Booth in the Christian Science periodicals - Sentinel December 20 1947: 'Some Proper Sense of the Infinite'. Writing about infinity and the inadvisability of procrastination when dealing with difficulties he reasons that

Not only are procrastination and failure to dispute and remove error mistaken, but in terms of infinity they make no sense. If God is here and everywhere, there is no place where any manifestation of error or evil can be pigeonholed for future reference or later rejection.

I am glad to have re-read his valuable story.

Julie Swannell

Necessary youthfulness

Deborah Huebsch opens her story with this: 'One of the greatest things I have learned in Christian Science is the difference between sensuous, human love and divine Love...[which] always blesses and always heals, and it never fails' (p. 19). Huebsch stresses the need for churches to welcome and encourage the 'qualities of youthfulness expressed by members whatever their age, and the reach for progress' (p. 29).

Deborah Heubsch has written, and continues to write regularly for the Christian Science periodicals and is a teacher of Christian Science.

Julie Swannell

A neighbourly ambassador

In our book Living Christian Science - Fourteen Lives by Marcy Babbitt, American diplomat Howard Palfrey Jones begins his section with an account of his 'mother's dramatic healing of tuberculosis through Christian Science' (p. 33)

Music, children and love

26/1/20: This article has been updated to include a link to the short of the movie A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood.

Yes. My copy of 14 Lives arrived and I have now read it all. What a treasure it is.

The last life I read was that of John Reardon. It is beautiful, but the most interesting part for me was at the end where John tells of having performed on Mister Rogers' Neighborhood on TV. How topical is that, when the movie A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood is getting so much publicity and praise right now. John sang opera on the show, which was for children.

So. I had to look up John Reardon on the Internet. There he is singing to the “King” puppet, the bird catcher's song from Mozart's The Magic Flute. It is sung in German – the song being Der Vogelfänger and the character Papageno (very Italian). Delightful!

In the book John illustrates how young people can be introduced to opera. An amusing story:

He was out West (of the USA) on tour with a production of the opera Tosca. He explains, “The opera company has a policy of selling student tickets at a dollar apiece, but at a private girls' school of 250 students in that area the company had sold only one ticket. So the management asked the tenor, the soprano, and myself to go out to the school and try to sell a few tickets. We appeared at the school during lunch hour. After relating sequences of our opera roles, the tenor then sang the line “Vittoria, vittoria,” from the second act of Tosca, ending on a high A-sharp.

“Pandemonium broke loose in that dining hall. The students had never heard a human voice making a sound like that. They had grown up listening to transistors. Now they heard the actual sound of a tone so vital they couldn't contain their excitement. Here was proof that when young people have the proper exposure to great music, they respond with vigor. We sold many tickets at the school that day” (p. 96-7). 

John adds, “I believe that our young people have suffered culturally because they have not been sufficiently exposed to its exalting influence” (p. 97).

An inspiring approach to progress in a career: “Christian Science has taught me that progress comes when we are ready to receive it. Consequently I never felt it was necessary to go after anything. Everything in my career has led naturally to the next step” (p. 90-1).

It was nice to have John's description of Leonard Bernstein: “Bernstein had that spontaneous welling-up of love that was felt by everyone. He loved the music; he loved the musicians; he loved the audience....Bernstein is quoted as saying that music is spiritual – something with which most musicians agree. Being a spiritual outpouring music partakes of the nature of God, the great Spirit of all harmony” (p. 83).

Joyce Voysey

Interlude: Alex McCowen's Mark

from the editor: While our most faithful contributor, Joyce Voysey, awaits her copy of this month's book 14 Lives, she has not been sitting idle! Oh no. She writes: 

Readers of this blog will recall that last month we spoke about the Gospel of Mark. I was thrilled to see David Suchet read the book on YouTube and our editor added this postscript to my blog:

 Suchet mentions his fellow actor Alex McCowen who performed this gospel by heart in venues around the world, including the White House. Mr McCowen is mentioned by Bible teacher Madelon Maupin in her most recent teaching on Mark.

Well. I ordered the CD of McCowen's performance from Amazon. I have now watched it. It is amazing. One reaction I have had to it is that I would like to watch it with our church membership. It is so powerful!

I also found an article from The New York Times (NYT) of March 18, 1990, which reviews a performance by Mr McCowen, and speaks of the genesis of his remarkable achievement. It reports that the actor learned three verses early each morning for 16 months.

He chose Mark for his purpose because, as the NYT correspondent (Benedict Nightingale) wrote:

John struck Mr. McCowen as too mysterious for the theater, Matthew as too didactic and Luke as too poetic for an actor with his feisty style. It was in some despair that he turned to Mark, whom he remembered as the weakest of the four. “I started learning little passages to see if it would come alive, and instantly realized it was absolutely right. The style had a blunt, astringent quality which suited me. And it was a Gospel of action not teaching, one which had plenty of episodes and dwelt on none for too long.”

I hope readers will find and read the whole article. It can be found on:

https://www.nytimes.com/1990/03/18/theater/theater-the-gospel-according-to-alec-mccowen.html

There is also an article from The Christian Science Monitor on:

https://www.csmonitor.com/1990/0403/lmark.html

I would mention that my thought on Mark had been somewhat similar to McCowen's in that it seemed to be weaker than the other Gospels. I have changed my mind! In a big way!

Joyce Voysey

PS. My 14 Lives hasn't arrived in the post yet. I don't know where my original copy is...

Why has God done this to me?

LIVING CHRISTIAN SCIENCE by Marcy Babbitt

Chapter One: 'Search and Discovery in Indonesia'

As an outspoken young Dutch-Indonesian woman who had studied dance in Europe and was now (1942) living under Japanese rule in her native Indonesian, Adele Blok was captured and imprisoned. Her 'first three days of imprisonment were spent in solitary confinement. There was nothing in the cell except a small board of wooden slats used in Indonesia for shower purposes. The window had been hammered shut, no light entered the cell, and [she] had no way of measuring time. Also during those three days [she] was not given any food' (p. 8).

'Why has God done this to me?' she cried.

This prompted much soul-searching and purification. What she discovered was a great deal of dissatisfaction and ingratitude in herself. 'Ungrateful for the sunshine, I could see now what it meant to me. The beauty of the universe, the heavens, the trees, the grass--I hadn't thought of them as I went complainingly through life. ....I had not been grateful for the food and would often throw it away; now I had none' (ibid).

The challenges continued. She was led to relocate to Jakarta (where her eventual mission in life was to be revealed to her) where a man persuaded her to take up mysticism and she was almost swallowed up by a malevolent power. She then was again sent to prison, and was severely tempted either to resign herself into believing that the effort to do good was useless or to simply 'escape from reality' and give up. What she did decide to do was 'never to admit that evil is stronger than good' (p. 11), at which she 'regained [her] poise' (ibid) and was transferred to a different prison and soon released.

After her release, she was offered a copy of Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy. Reading the chapter 'Science of Being' she now understood the 'distinction between Jesus and the Christ' and 'everything suddenly fell into place' (ibid). Convinced that she had found the truth, she and her assistants 'began to study this beautiful book every day' (p. 13).

With the end of World War II and the departure of the Japanese came the struggle for independence from the 300 year-long colonial rule of the Dutch. Most of the Dutch Christian Scientists left Indonesia and very 'gradually more Indonesians began to come to [the] church services (p. 14).

Ms Blok shares a beautiful example of Christian Science healing. An earnest young student was sick but did not want the operation his mother wished him to have. Adele asked him if he accepted 'the basic message of our religion that now you are the child of God' (p. 15). He wavered but in a simple exchange with Ms Blok 'the light...broke through, and the fear of his disease left him. ...Then he understood that sickness is a mistake of thought...' (ibid). He was soon well.

A very clear thinker, Adele Blok shares that 'No man on earth can give us anything we don't already have by divine right, and no man on earth can deprive us of anything that is ours by divine right.' (p. 17).

Ms Blok was a practitioner and teacher of Christian Science for many years.

Julie Swannell

Dedicated to youth

Our book this month, Living Christian Science: Fourteen Lives by Marcy Babbitt, is notably dedicated to