any credit over his fellow men unless he shows some superiority over the errors of his age. To show that he is superior is to reduce to a science some phenomenon which has never been explained, music for an example. Before music was reduced to a science there was a phenomenon. People could whistle and sing, but no one supposed that the one who made the most noise was entitled to any credit above the rest. Credit was due to him who first reduced it to a science.
Take diseases. The world is full of sickness, arising from various causes,—the phenomenon exists in the natural world, while the causes originate in an invisible world. Doctoring is confined to the natural world, and [it attributes] the causes of the disease to the natural world.
Dr. Quimby, with his clairvoyant faculty, gets knowledge in regard to the phenomena, which does not come through his natural senses, and by explaining it to the patient, gives [another] direction to the mind, and the explanation is the science or cure. To illustrate: suppose a patient calls on Dr. Q. for examination. No questions are asked on either side. They sit down together. He has no knowledge of the patient's feelings through his natural senses, till after having placed his mind upon them. Then he becomes perfectly passive, and the patient's mind being troubled [this] puts him into a clairvoyant state, together with his natural state, thus [he is in] two states at once; when he takes their feelings, accompanied by their state of mind and thoughts. A history of their trouble thus learned, together with the name of the disease, he relates [this] to the patient. This [state which he discerns] constitutes the disease and the evidences in the body are the effects of the belief. Not being afraid of the belief he is not afraid of the disease.
The doctors take the bodily evidence as disease. Disease with him does not come to the natural senses, therefore he cannot explain to the well his mode of treatment. The well take no interest, and his theory is of no use to them. Then what use is it to the world? To give the sick such confidence that they will not be frightened by the opinions of the world, for disease is an imprudent opinion. He throws the [patient's] feelings off, and imparts his feelings[1] which are perfect health, and his explanation destroys their feelings or disease. His theory in this respect differing from any other, is
- ↑ That is, the silent spiritual realization of the Divine ideal.
