Letters Reveal Wagner’s Ties to Christian Science
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Hill Country Living
By Coulter Fussell
It’s a Wagner Week…again! Apologies to everyone looking for current town gossip, observations and opinions. All I’ve got is the old stuff because I’m out of town for a family happening. I did attend the Water Valley Homecoming Parade on Thursday and I will tell, observe and opine that our town’s kids and teachers are extra cute when they wear cowboy hats!
This week’s letters are responses to John Henry Wagner. He seems to be desperately and repeatedly writing to the town Christian Scientist! And she, Annie Quinche, is the busiest religious lady in 1890! (I think these undated, un-postmarked letters may be based in Oxford, as opposed to Water Valley.)
Annie Quinche later became Annie Q. Mason, sued the Church of Christian Science in the Massachusetts Supreme Court over them kicking the Nashville Church of Christian Science off their register, and then she died in 1958 at age 90 of gangrene of the leg.
Mr. Wagner –
I have had several patients this morning and one is waiting now but I will treat you just as soon as she leaves, but the work is going on anyway. God does the work and when we once voice the words they must be manifested.
I think “Footsteps of Truth” would be a good chapter for today – I do not mean the whole chapter either for I often feel one or two pages or perhaps one sentence is all I can digest at a time.
Someone else has just come but I will treat you very soon.
“Science of Being” page 221, line 27 and on from there is good.
Yours truly,
Annie Quinche
Mr. Wagner –
The house is full now and I have to treat right now but will give you a treatment just as soon as I possibly can. All day yesterday we wanted to see Mrs. Wagner and tell her that it was all right to do as she did and please do not let it trouble you. Ella will go over right away and all is right for God is ALL. Do not say anything to Mrs. Wagner about your writing to us about this.
I think this beautiful letter on page 110 of the Journal will rest you.
Yours Sincerely,
A.E. Quinche
Mr. Wagner –
I want to assure you that what you write this morning is a favorable indication – it is what Christian Science call chemicalization. “Chemicalization is the upheaval produced when immortal Truth is destroying erroneous mortal belief.” It brings the error, sin and sickness to the surface allowing it to pass away. Mrs. Eddy says chemicalization follows the explanation of Truth and a higher basis is won.
An aggravation of symptoms is favorable – it is the alternative effect of Truth on error. Truth is an alternative to the entire system and can make it every whit whole.
Just meet this — “God never made you – you are a false sense that has no knowledge of God. You do not exist, you have no right to exist for God made all that was made and He saw that it was Good.” John tells us “all things were made by Him and without Him was not anything made that was made.”
“Let Christian Science in stead of corporeal sense support our understanding of Being.”
I will treat you right away.
Yours truly,
Annie Quinche
