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＇sic＇ the place；〃 et cetera。Ibid。
3。 〃Shorn ＇sic＇ of its suburbs it had indeed little left to admire； save
to ＇sic＇ such as fancy a skeleton above ground breathing ＇sic＇ slowly
through a barren ＇sic＇ breast。〃Ibid。
This is not EnglishI mean； grown…up English。 But it is fifteen…year
old English； and has not grown a month since the same mind produced the
Poems。 The standard of the Poems and of the plague…spot…and…bacilli
effort is exactly the same。 It is most strange that the same intellect
that worded the simple and self…contained and clean…cut paragraph
beginning with 〃How unreasonable is the belief；〃 should in the very same
lustrum discharge upon the world such a verbal chaos as the utterance
concerning that plague…spot or bacilli which were gnawing at the insides
of the metropolis and bringing its heart on bended knee； thus exposing to
the eye the rest of the skeleton breathing slowly through a barren
breast。
The immense contrast between the legitimate English of Science and Health
and the bastard English of Mrs。 Eddy's miscellaneous work； and between
the maturity of the one diction and the juvenility of the other；
suggestscompelsthe question； Are there two guns？ It would seem so。
Is there a poor； foolish； old； scattering flint…lock for rabbit； and a
long…range； centre…driving； up…to…date Mauser…magazine for elephant？ It
looks like it。 For it is observable that in Science and Health （the
elephant…ground） the practice was good at the start and has remained so；
and that the practice in the miscellaneous； outside； small…game field was
very bad at the start and was never less bad at any later time。
I wish to say that of Mrs。 Eddy I am not requiring perfect English； but
only good English。 No one can write perfect English and keep it up
through a stretch of ten chapters。 It has never been done。 It was
approached in the 〃well of English undefiled〃； it has been approached in
Mrs。 Eddy's Annex to that Book； it has been approached in several English
grammars； I have even approached it myself； but none of us has made port。
Now； the English of Science and Health is good。 In passages to be found
in Mrs。 Eddy's Autobiography （on pages 53； 57； 101； and 113）； and on page
6 of her squalid preface to Science and Health； first revision； she seems
to me to claim the whole and sole authorship of the book。 That she wrote
the Autobiography； and that preface； and the Poems； and the Plague…spot…
Bacilli； we are not permitted to doubt。 Indeed； we know she wrote them。
But the very certainty that she wrote these things compels a doubt that
she wrote Science and Health。 She is guilty of little awkwardnesses of
expression in the Autobiography which a practiced pen would hardly allow
to go uncorrected in even a hasty private letter； and could not dream of
passing by uncorrected in passages intended for print。 But she passes
them placidly by； as placidly as if she did not suspect that they were
offenses against third…class English。 I think that that placidity was
born of that very unawareness； so to speak。 I will cite a few instances
from the Autobiography。 The italics are mine：
〃I remember reading in my childhood certain manuscripts containing
Scriptural Sonnets； besides other verses and enigmas；〃 etc。 Page 7。
＇On page 27。＇ 〃Many pale cripples went into the Church leaning on
crutches who came out carrying them on their shoulders。〃
It is awkward； because at the first glance it seems to say that the
cripples went in leaning on crutches which went out carrying the cripples
on their shoulders。 It would have cost her no trouble to put her 〃who〃
after her 〃cripples。〃 I blame her a little； I think her proof…reader
should have been shot。 We may let her capital C pass； but it is another
awkwardness； for she is talking about a building； not about a religious
society。
〃Marriage and Parentage 〃＇Chapter…heading。 Page 30＇。 You imagine that
she is going to begin a talk about her marriage and finish with some
account of her father and mother。 And so you will be deceived。
〃Marriage〃 was right； but 〃Parentage〃 was not the best word for the rest
of the record。 It refers to the birth of her own child。 After a certain
period of time 〃my babe was born。〃 Marriage and Motherhood…Marriage and
Maternity…Marriage and Product…Marriage and Dividendeither of these
would have fitted the facts and made the matter clear。
〃Without my knowledge he was appointed a guardian。〃 Page 32。
She is speaking of her child。 She means that a guardian for her child
was appointed； but that isn't what she says。
〃If spiritual conclusions are separated from their premises； the nexus is
lost； and the argument with its rightful conclusions； becomes
correspondingly obscure。〃 Page 34。
We shall never know why she put the word 〃correspondingly〃 in there。 Any
fine； large word would have answered just as well： psychosuperintangibly
electroincandescentlyoligarcheologicallysanchrosynchro…
stereopticallyany of these would have answered； any of these would have
filled the void。
〃His spiritual noumenon and phenomenon silenced portraiture。〃 Page 34。
Yet she says she forgot everything she knew； when she discovered
Christian Science。 I realize that noumenon is a daisy； and I will not
deny that I shall use it whenever I am in a company which I think I can
embarrass with it； but； at the same time； I think it is out of place
among friends in an autobiography。 There； I think a person ought not to
have anything up his sleeve。 It undermines confidence。 But my
dissatisfaction with the quoted passage is not on account of noumenon； it
is on account of the misuse of the word 〃silenced。〃 You cannot silence
portraiture with a noumenon； if portraiture should make a noise； a way
could be found to silence it； but even then it could not be done with a
noumenon。 Not even with a brick； some authorities think。
〃It may be that the mortal life…battle still wages；〃 etc。 Page 35。
That is clumsy。 Battles do not wage； battles are waged。 Mrs。 Eddy has
one very curious and interesting peculiarity： whenever she notices that
she is chortling along without saying anything； she pulls up with a
sudden 〃God is over us all；〃 or some other sounding irrelevancy； and for
the moment it seems to light up the whole district； then； before you can
recover from the shock； she goes flitting pleasantly and meaninglessly
along again； and you hurry hopefully after her； thinking you are going to
get something this time； but as soon as she has led you far enough away
from her turkey lot she takes to a tree。 Whenever she discovers that she
is getting pretty disconnected； she couples…up with an ostentatious 〃But〃
which has nothing to do with anything that went before or is to come
after； then she hitches some empties to the train…unrelated verses from
the Bible； usuallyand steams out of sight and leaves you wondering how
she did that clever thing。 For striking instances； see bottom paragraph
on page 34 and the paragraph on page 35 of her Autobiography。 She has a
purposea deep and dark and artful purposein what she is saying in the
first paragraph； and you guess what it is； but that is due to your own
talent； not hers； she has made it as obscure as language could do it。
The other paragraph has no meaning and no discoverable intention。 It is
merely one of her God…over…alls。 I cannot spare room for it in this
place。
〃I beheld with ineffable awe our great Master's marvelous skill in
demanding neither obedience to hygienic laws nor；〃 etc。 Page 4I。
The word is loosely chosen…skill。 She probably meant judgment；
intuition； penetration； or wisdom。
〃Naturally； my first jottings were but efforts to express in feeble
diction Truth's ultimate。〃 Page 42。
One understands what she means； but she should have been able to say what
she meantat any time before she discovered Christian Science and forgot
everything she knewand after it； too。 If she had put 〃feeble〃 in front
of 〃efforts〃 and then left out 〃in〃 and 〃diction；〃 she would have scored。
〃 。 。 。 its written expression increases in perfection under the
guidance of the great Master。〃 Page 43。
It is an error。 Not even in those advantageous circumstances can
increase be added to perfection。
〃Evil is not mastered by evil； it can only be overcome with Good。 This
brings out the nothingness of evil； and the eternal Somethingness
vindicates the Divine Principle and improves the race of Adam。〃 Page 76。
This is too extraneous for me。 That is the trouble with Mrs。 Eddy when
she sets out to explain an over…large exhibit： the minute you think the
light is bursting upon you the candle goes out and your mind begins to
wander。
〃No one else can drain the cup which I have drunk to the dregs； as the
discoverer and teacher of Christian Science〃 Page 47。
That is saying we cannot empty an empty cup。 We knew it before； and we
know she meant to tell us that that particular cup is going to remain
empty。 That is； we think that that was the idea； but we cannot be sure。
She has a perfectly astonishing talent for putting words together in such
a way as to make successful inquiry into their intention impossible。
She generally m