oks
were to be wasted upon people who had nothing the matter with them, and
who would, perhaps, be slow in recognizing the fact. I was even weak
enough to remark:

"Winona, my dear, you look this evening handsome enough to eat."

As Christian Scientists are said to harbor the belief that, owing to
the non-existence of matter, looks of any kind are a delusion and
snare, for the reason that individuals do not really exist, but are
merely so many reflections of the one eternal and immutable existence,
just as the various reflections in a stream are often but the
continuous duplication of some single incandescent jet, it was scarcely
to be expected that my darling daughter would fall a victim to the lure
which I held out to her. She had the goodness to smile a ghost of a
smile, but it was evident that the speech interested her very little.
Before settling down to the business in hand I could not help, however,
saying to myself that, if I were a young man, I should fall down and
worship before this particular shrine, Christian Science and delusion
to the contrary notwithstanding. Then I said, with as much cheer as I
could muster:

"And so you wish to practise medicine, Winona?"

"Not medicine, father. It is Christian Science."

"Excuse me. But are not Christian Scientists doctors?"

"We do not give medicine."

"But you cure sick people?"

Winona shook her head and smiled sweetly. "There are no sick people,"
she said, with quiet decision.

"Then why are there so many physicians?"

"If people had the requisite faith, there would be no more physicians."

"Only Christian Scientists."

My daughter looked at me no less sweetly because of my taunt, and
responded:

"In time we shall all be able to heal ourselves. It is simply a
question of strength and degree. Some of us have more power than
others at present, but as the world grows the number of those
sufficient unto themselves will increase."

"What makes you think so?"

"I know it, father."

"From Mrs. Titus?"

"Mrs. Titus knows it too; but I know it not merely because she knows
it, but because I can feel that it is so."

"But, my dear child, surely you do not mean to tell me that if I were
to have typhoid fever, I shouldn't have it?"

"I know that you would think you had it."

"Well, supposing I died, wouldn't I be dead?"

Winona hesitated for an instant, but it was only in order to avoid
committing herself to one heresy while seeking to avoi