from his moulding mind. If one imagines that Christian Science is a jumble of wild fancies or wonders that it has won to itself so many followers of varying degrees of intelligence, it will be of benefit to him to know that Plato, from whom so many philosophic systems good, bad, and indifferent, have sprung, is in the background of this system also. Yes, no less a person than Plato stands there, at first in dim outline, but growing more distinct the longer we look, though Mrs. Eddy is unwilling that anyone should see him there.[1] However, she does give to him the honor of dimly discerning Christian Science.[2]
If there is one thing new in Christian Science it is the application of Plato's principle, that matter is unreal, to the healing of the body. Plato, it may be supposed, was smart enough to see that, if the body is unreal, the healing of it is unreal in the same sense in which the body is. It does not take much of a philosopher to see that. If the unreality of matter means the non-existence of the body, as Mrs. Eddy argues, then it is illogical to speak of the healing of the body at all, for what does not exist cannot be sick nor healed. Surely this world-conquering thinker could see that, too. So, it may be, he concluded not to be troubled about therapeutics. Mrs. Eddy, however, could not thus compose her mind. “Aching voids” or painful non-entities were of great concern to her. But notwithstanding all Mrs. Eddy's talk
