MENTAL SCIENCE. The name given to a philosophical or religious system which, as ex plained by one of its adherents, aims at the pre vention of disease, rather than its cure, by awak ening in the individual the inherent but dormant spiritual forces through the medium of its litera ture. lecture courses, and by onto-suggestion. It contends that no system of (-are ran rid the world of discord and disease; that the various systems of medication, ranging from the incanta tion of the barbarian to mind healing or faith cure, are simply compatible with the different temperaments of humanity. A materialistic nature demanIs 'things' as antidotes for dis cord, while a metaphysical temperament demands 'thoughts' as a mode of cure. Mental Science looks upon all schemes of cure as temporary expedhmts only to bridge over a defect in man's estimation of himself. It maintains that the phenomenal world Is the differentiation of the infinite mind of humanity, ranging front an atom to immensity and from a molecule to man. It contends that man does not live in a physical world. but rather in a physical phase of con sciousness, and that to transcend mentally the plane of human conseionsness to that of the spiritual would dissolve the human or physical misconception of life and being. It argues that
since each individual thinks for himself alone. he must be just what he thinks he is. for he is the one who thinks it. Therefore each lives; Mores, and has his being in an environment coin patible with the status of his own mind.
:Mental Science has numerous subdivisions, known in 1/art as 'Divine Science,' 'Spiritual Science,"51etaphysical Science.' 'Spiritual Eth ics,' and other titles. it differs from Christian (q.v.), which is an organized church with government, tenets, etc.. and which teaches the practical of the Christ Mind healing to all forms of disease. Attempts to organize the Mental Scientists have met with persistent defeat, owing to the impossibility of organizing a body of individualists. IA is claimed that the numerical strength of Mental Science is upward of 1.0(0.000 adherents in the l'idted States. under the various titles mentioned.