"Realizing as we must ourselves the wondrous truth concerning his real self and all which that implies, we impressively and with the most thrilling conviction affirm for him that only health, strength, joy, courage, peace, satisfaction, can come to him as the child of G.o.d, the idea of Mind _in_ the power of the Thought that thinks him into being.

We a.s.sure him that he can recognize and reflect nothing but Good, that he can manifest only the Father whose son he knows himself to be.

Nothing but Mind can affect him. He is like a column of light against which no darkness can be thrown; like a true answer to a problem which any number of wrong answers can not change. Spiritual like G.o.d, he can only recognize and appropriate what is G.o.d-like. Henceforth he knows himself and his Father, knows that whatever he may ask (realize) will be granted unto him. Knows that he must acknowledge the Truth, and he will abide in the kingdom of Good.

"We send him forth with all the blessings he can desire, because we have realized for him the possession of those blessings. Knowing that G.o.d is all there is, and that our patient lives, is moved and has his being in G.o.d, we point with unerring finger to the sunny uplands of health. He can never more relapse as he will ever walk in the open fields of Truth.

We bid him G.o.d speed on his journey, and thank G.o.d that he has come into the consciousness of life everlasting, into health and joy without measure. So be it forever more.

"The thought of perfection should be held steadfastly, even though the patient do not manifest health at once. No matter if the cure is not effected in one, two, three weeks, or even as many months, hold fast, with unwavering faith (even if you do not give regular treatments all the time, and it may be well to skip a week or so occasionally), _knowing_ that good seed _must_ bring forth good fruit; when, where or how, you nor no other may know. Time is unthinkable with G.o.d. We are dealing with Principle, not time. We plant the seed, 'G.o.d giveth the increase.'

"Do the best you know, and work out your own problems. No one else can do that for you. Jesus gave us the key, showed us the way; more than that he could not do. We must live our lives and maintain our place by our own efforts. It is 'he that overcometh' who receives the supreme gift of eternal life."

CHAPTER x.x.xVI.

"May I reach That purest heaven,--be to other souls The cup of strength in some great agony, Enkindle generous ardor, feed pure love, Beget the smiles that have no cruelty, Be the sweet presence of a good diffused, And in diffusion ever more intense-- So shall I join the choir invisible, Whose music is the gladness of the world."

--_George Eliot._

"Mrs. Hayden's was a joyous home-coming. No sooner was the first rapturous welcome from children and husband received, than in came Grace and Kate, who, in their eagerness to see her, had scarcely been able to let her have the first half hour to her family.

"I think you will have to include us in your family, Mrs. Hayden, for we could not resist the family welcome, said Grace, smiling with happiness, as she grasped Mrs. Hayden's hand and drew Kate close beside her with the other.

"You _are_ included my dears. There is but one family you know," was the cordial reply grasping the hand of each.

"What a change in you, Grace--Kate--why, I should hardly know you,"

exclaimed Mrs. Hayden, after the first excitement was over.

"Grace has lost the cloud of perplexity and doubt, and Kate the expression of fear," she added, turning to Mr. Hayden with a pleased surprise.

"Didn't I tell you they were both growing beautiful?" was his laughing answer. "But girls," he added, "don't you notice something different in Mrs. Hayden? That is quite wonderful, I think."

"Really, Mrs. Hayden," exclaimed Grace, with wonder, "you are not nearly so fleshy are you? I can hardly define the change, if that is not it, but I noticed something the moment I saw you."

"I have lost something in weight since I left home," she replied, somewhat amused at their looks of astonishment.

"Your figure is so much better proportioned, too," continued Grace.

"And your complexion clearer," added Kate.

"Do tell us what it all means. You certainly look better than I ever saw you," said Grace again.

"I am quite thankful she came home before all resemblance to my wife was lost," said Mr. Hayden, with a hearty laugh, as he looked at each in turn.

"Well, be serious now, and I will tell you something after I have put the children to bed," said Mrs. Hayden, cuddling the sleepy Jem in her arms. Fred and Mabel stood beside her, frequently interrupting the conversation, for they, too, wanted to share the good time with mamma.

When Mrs. Hayden returned, she resumed.

"It may seem strange to you as it did to me at first, but I see it clearly now, that desiring, searching and living for right, brings the body into harmonious expression. If we think truth, we see it expressed in harmony, beauty, symmetry, because the external is the expression of the internal."

"It was particularly by the denial of matter that I lost the superfluous flesh, for since I was too fleshy to be of symmetrical form, it was superfluous and----"

"Did you know the denial of matter would have such an effect?"

interrupted Kate.

"No, not till I heard some of the rest of the cla.s.s speaking of it, and then I could hardly believe it, but after I understood the theory better, of course it seemed more reasonable."

"It is both wonderful and reasonable too, I think. Why didn't you write something about it?" asked Kate again.

"Oh, there are many things that can be told better than written."

"And many things that can be thought better than told," added Grace, thoughtfully.

"Another lady in the cla.s.s had about the same experience," said Mrs.

Hayden.

"But tell us the scientific reason for such an effect?" continued Grace.

"I will, as well as I can. Have you noticed that it is people who are materially minded in their tastes and habits that are apt to be fleshy?"

"That depends upon what you would call materially minded," was Grace's smiling reply.

"I mean those who like what the world calls the good things of life--those who think a great deal of material pleasures or environments, and find it comparatively difficult to think or realize spiritual things."

"Oh!----yes, I believe that is true, although I have never thought of it," said Grace, slowly.

"Because the denial of matter makes all these things secondary, the effect of the new thought is to make the body more spiritual."

"Of course! Why could we not see it before?" was Kate's conclusive query.

"What effect then, has this denial on lean people?" asked Mr. Hayden, more seriously, for until now he had been inclined to regard this as a little 'far fetched,' as he would have expressed it.

"It does not effect them like the denial of evil, because material things are not so important to them, while they are apt to be pining and fretting about the evils and ills in the world, either as touching themselves or humanity in general. Denying evil and evil conditions would then have the opposite effect, and cause them to gain flesh, or grow into the expression of physical harmony to correspond with the spiritual."

"This is only a higher reading of what we have already learned, and it is lovely to know we may go on indefinitely, ever reading something new," said Grace.

"Now tell me something of what _you_ have all been doing?" said Mrs.

Hayden, as she looked at Grace.

"Oh, Kate has been doing some wonderful treating among her pupils, and the patients we took up, are all doing nicely."

"Grace is very modest. She doesn't say a word of how quickly she cured me of neuralgia, or a horrible fit of the blues," supplemented Kate, looking fondly at Grace, who had become dearer than ever since their confidential talks.

"Mr. Hayden has a good report for himself and the children, too, though I suppose you have heard from him," Grace remarked with a smile. He looked rather pleased at her thoughtfulness, but said: "I would rather hear more from Marion. Were there many cures in the cla.s.s?"

"Several. Mrs. Dexter, the lady I mentioned in my letters as having been a long while under the doctor's care, went home perfectly well, and Miss Singleton also, of whom I wrote. A gentleman who had been in a previous cla.s.s told his experience. His right arm had been fractured in the army.

Orders were given that it should be amputated, but by the intervention of a physician with whom he was acquainted, the arm was saved, though he had never been able to use it much. At times it was very painful. It was so weak he could scarcely lift a plate of bread to pa.s.s it at the table.

After a few lessons, that arm was just as well as the other. In his joy he told everybody. When the doctors got hold of it, they laughed at him saying if that arm was as large as the other in six months, they would believe there was something in Christian Healing. In six weeks it was as large and strong and sound as the other."