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POPULAR SCIENCE MONTHLY. 



ular preeminence of Christian Science' 

 and advises reading Science and Health. 

 Truth courts investigation, and when 

 Science and Health is universally read, 

 its abstract and metaphysical state- 

 ments will be found simple compared 

 with the tangled verbosity of human 

 reason and human logic. 



Logic is, indeed, the language of sci- 

 ence, but scientific fact is based on prin- 

 ciple, and principle — call it what you 

 will, but I call it God. 



J. Edward Smith. 



[Professor Jastrow's article on 'The 

 Modern Occult,' published in the Sep- 

 tember number of the Popular Sci- 

 ence Monthly, has not unnaturally 

 called forth a number of replies. As 

 there seems to be some fairness in the 

 claim of the 'Christian Scientists' that 

 a sect counting its adherents by hun- 

 dreds of thousands should be heard in 

 its defense, and as Mr. Smith appears 

 to have been delegated to make an of- 

 ficial reply and has consented to do so 

 briefly, we have pleasure in publishing 

 Ms letter. It will be read with interest 

 by many, and will undoubtedly confirm 

 Professor Jastrow's statement that ar- 

 gument is impossible when people do 

 not speak the same language. From 

 the remote past men have worshiped 

 strange gods in strange ways, and that 

 there should be survivals and avatisms 

 is in nowise surprising. We are not 

 concerned with these, but when a re- 

 ligious sect trespasses on the domain 

 of science it must be treated in accord- 

 ance with due process of law. The 

 Christian Scientists in their claims to 

 treat all manner of disease have laid 

 themselves open, not only to the charge 

 of folly, but also of charlatanism. The 

 writer of the above letter offered to pro- 

 duce before the editor of this journal 

 a number of persons who had been cured 

 of snake bites by Christian Science 

 treatment. As people almost never die 

 from bites of American snakes, and as 

 there is no reason in this case why the 

 Christian Science treatment should kill 

 them, the production of the survivors 



was not a matter of scientific interest. 

 It was, however, suggested to the gen- 

 tleman that he permit himself to be 

 a subject for inoculation experiments 

 with snake venom, as his assurance that 

 he could not be poisoned would in no- 

 wise interfere with the scientific results. 

 To this proposal, however, he did not 

 take kindly. It is on record that Mrs. 

 Eddy not only suffered from toothache 

 but took nitrous oxide gas when the 

 teeth were extracted. But the incon- 

 sistencies of the leaders of Christian Sci- 

 ence make no impression on its adher- 

 ents. We do not speak the same lan- 

 guage. — Editor.] 



MR. TESLA'S SCIENCE. 

 To the Editor: In the New York Sun 

 for January 3, Mr. Nikola Tesla has an 

 article that deserves a word. The 

 word is one of warning to all sober- 

 minded readers to remind them that Mr. 

 Tesla's recently published utterances 

 have discredited him in the eyes of com- 

 petent judges. In the Century Maga- 

 zine for June, 1900, Mr. Tesla printed a 

 long article, superbly illustrated with 

 cuts that had little or nothing to do 

 with his subjects, which dealt with a 

 few electrical matters, and also with 

 philosophic and social problems upon 

 which he freely expressed a jumble of 

 trivial, ignorant, pretentious and errone- 

 ous opinions. This article was free- 

 ly reviewed in the Popular Science 

 Monthly for July, 1900, and in Science 

 for September 21. These reviews were 

 doubtless seen by Mr. Tesla, but no 

 word of reply has been made public by 

 him. Indeed, he says in the Sun that 

 from adverse criticisms on his work he 

 experiences 'a feeling of satisfaction.' 

 Any one who desires a standing among 

 men of science is called upon to defend 

 his public utterances when they have 

 been seriously questioned in reputable 

 scientific journals. Until an adequate 

 rejoinder is received Mr. Tesla has no 

 standing among professed men of sci- 

 ence. He will have none among intelli- 

 gent readers from the moment that the 

 case is understood by them. It is not 



