Through the kindness of a friend I have had the loan of your book "Science and Health"Editorial Note: Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy and I am a good deal interested in the Healing power you claim as the result of Scientific research. Now pardon me for giving you some personal history which may not be interesting but which may be necessary in order that you shall understand my motives- I am 40 yearsAs Written:yrs old have had a series of experiences in life that made a man of strong passion strong appetites x with all the attendant evils embracing hatred Revenge of the deadliest kind etc- Well by a Miracle of Divine As Written: Divin Grace that was all taken away some five years past. The desire for Liquor Tobacco and the Lust of passion and a new man created I believe As Written: beleive or at least this is the only way I know of expressing the change. During the past three Winters I have been engaged in City Missionary As Written: Missionry work in BuffaloEditorial Note: Buffalo, New York though my Home is here in Rochester – My work has been among the very lowest of the low. Vile men and viler women and a result obtained better than I had any reason to expect. Having come up out of the mire of lust and passion I could meet them on their level as it had been my level and we were Brothers and Sisters still- only one saved and the other still wandering.
It was my privilege As Written: privalege to take 23 Prostitutes from the slums of Canal St to a Home kept by Godly women for the Reformation of such cases. Among this number several are standing erect and are working for the salvation of others. (I do not write this for the sake of Praise or to gain any credit. God knows I only did what I had to do-) In connection with this work I had some sick to care for and a great many cases of Delirium Tremens and whiskey fits to attend– We have had a Lady Physician who the last Winter established a dispensary furnishing medicine free- This was a great help but as you know it is sometimes hard to bring Physician and patients together, I feel that I must give myselfAs Written:my self more fully to this kind of work and have wished that I might acquire a knowledge of Medicine in order to enhance my usefulness As Written: usefullness but this treatise of yoursEditorial Note: Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy gives my desire a new channel – and I wish to know of you- Is this power of Healing acquirable by common As Written: commen mortals such as you can see I am. My desire if I know my own heart is to help men and women to be true men and women- I know what it is to follow Christ in one thing that is in denying myselfMatt 16:24 ¶Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me. and giving to others who suffered more for food or Medicine and I can truly say this I am only happy when engaged in this kind of work- The work has been a labor of love as I had no Salary- I have a family to care for and I have spent my summers at other work and in the Winter when the greatest suffering was to be met I could give some time and help to it- While a young man I followed painting – (House work) and this summer have been very busy but by November I hope to be at some kind of Mission work. I am not now begging free tuition but stating my own position so that you can know what kind of an answer to give me- Please tell me in your reply- Can I acquire the power to heal (successfully) Can I make any arrangement with you by which I can part pay or wholly in the future –
How long would it be necessary for me to be at your place to acquire this ScienceEditorial Note: Christian Science – Could I take the lessons oftener than once a week and would I need all my time at study or could I use some of it work to provide for my daily wants – How long after finishing my course would it be before I would be proficient to attempt Healing x Please remember in answering that I shall have to contend with the Devil himself or error in its worst estate in my work– Now let me tell you of one of my experiences which has been common – to me – I have often tried to convince a man or woman of their error and so have asked them to just give it up – put on the hat or shawl and come away that I would see they had a chance to begin anew but the plea was of no avail to make them start although melted to tears but the simple touch of the hand saying come my sister I will be a brother has brought more than one away- Was this magnetism – Was it error? again friends in pain like headacheAs Written:head ache have often said rub my head the result would be the pain left them but I had it for hours in my arms. Another a Physician had a sore throat that no drug would alleviate – fifteen minutes As Written: minuts with my hand rubbing the throat took away the pain – put the person to sleep and next morning As Written: morig after a long sleep of 10 or 11 hours the throat was well or nearly so.
I have not followed up these things at all- I have been afraid that I might use some power and call it wrong. Not give the honor due to God alone – and have ever before my eyes the fear of a Presumptuous As Written: Presumptious Sin – am I right or ought As Written: aught I to go forward as fast as the way opens to me – I do not wish any power of body or mind except what I can use to help my fellow men- and if I possessed all the power of the MasterEditorial Note: Jesus Christ I should As Written: shuild always be a poor man. My wife (who was the means of my Conversion and change of desire) and self made it our rule to give one tenth – then it went further. It is all this and no matter how much I gain or how little we never have to suffer and never have much over - It is like the Manna sufficient for one dayEx 16:11 ¶And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Ex 16:12 I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel: speak unto them, saying, At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God. Ex 16:13 And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the host. Ex 16:14 And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness there lay a small round thing, as small as the hoar frost on the ground. Ex 16:15 And when the children of Israel saw it, they said one to another, It is manna: for they wist not what it was. And Moses said unto them, This is the bread which the Lord hath given you to eat. Ex 16:16 ¶This is the thing which the Lord hath commanded, Gather of it every man according to his eating, an omer for every man, according to the number of your persons; take ye every man for them which are in his tents. Ex 16:17 And the children of Israel did so, and gathered, some more, some less. Ex 16:18 And when they did mete it with an omer, he that gathered much had nothing over, and he that gathered little had no lack; they gathered every man according to his eating. Ex 16:19 And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning. Ex 16:20 Notwithstanding they hearkened not unto Moses; but some of them left of it until the morning, and it bred worms, and stank: and Moses was wroth with them. Ex 16:21 And they gathered it every morning, every man according to his eating: and when the sun waxed hot, it melted. Ex 16:22 ¶And it came to pass, that on the sixth day they gathered twice as much bread, two omers for one man: and all the rulers of the congregation came and told Moses. Ex 16:23 And he said unto them, This is that which the Lord hath said, To-morrow is the rest of the holy sabbath unto the Lord: bake that which ye will bake to-day, and seethe that ye will seethe; and that which remaineth over lay up for you to be kept until the morning. Ex 16:24 And they laid it up till the morning, as Moses bade: and it did not stink, neither was there any worm therein. Ex 16:25 And Moses said, Eat that to-day; for to-day is a sabbath unto the Lord: to-day ye shall not find it in the field. Ex 16:26 Six days ye shall gather it; but on the seventh day, which is the sabbath, in it there shall be none. Ex 16:27 ¶And it came to pass, that there went out some of the people on the seventh day for to gather, and they found none. We have an adopted Child a boy of two and a half years – taken because we felt God sent him to us individually and a care we could not give over to someoneAs Written:some one else- I have worked very hard all summer and have saved about seventy five dollarsEditorial Note: $75.00 in 1883 is the equivalent of $1,898.45 in 2019. up to this time But with a brother wife and child it is only about what will keep them 3 months or maybe a little longer- It is more money than I have had together at any one time since I was as I call it converted – Before that I was a traveling salesman in the West – big salary and big sins how poor but possessing all thingsII Cor 6:10 As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things. Rev 2:8 And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and the last, which was dead, and is alive; Rev 2:9 I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. yes I believe As Written: beleive that is what is meant but I certainly do not possess the power to heal or at least- do not know how to use it and am afraid to use some of the powers I do possess.
I hope you will forgive me for writing such a long letter to you- I shall not expect as long a one in reply- and if I ever write to you again will try and be a little more lenient toward you– My first reading of your bookEditorial Note: Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy puzzled me a great deal- In going over it step by step the second time a great many things seem clearer I shall keep this up till I can at least understand what you mean to say. I desired to go into the Foreign Missionary field a year ago and have at present in my possession a number of Recommendations that were given then, some from BusinessmenAs Written:Business men- others from Pastors and other Christian Workers If these would help you in your judgment of my case I will forward them and you can address the parties yourself as you may think best. The Board Of Missions could not accept me as I was not a Theological Graduate- one Board replied that the principle objection was I was a married man- The station I wanted was on the Congo River Africa – and I supposed a Christian As Written: christian family among those many-wivedAs Written:many wived would be a benefit- So I shall have to content myself with the Home field of sin in the Cities Please let me hear from you in person soon-