When Mother first went into Chris tian Science, she nfade several demon strations. She used to testify of them at the Christian Science church on Wednes day night. When I was working for Universal films, she had quinsy sore throat at Thanksgiving time. I had been invited to the home of Thelma Sorter, another child actress. I went, but Mother stayed in bed, declaring the so-called truths of Christian Science. When I returned home, Mother was well. It is the general practice with Chris tian Scientists when attacked by a “false belief” of sickness to go to bed and phone the practitioner. The practitioner holds the correct thought for the person under the illusion of sickness. But no doubt, it is the complete bed rest which cures. More and more doctors advise bed rest as a cure. It is also true that Christian Science does not cure all it claims to cure. When ,1 was thirteen I was at what is called the “ awkward age” and was temporarily off the stage. During this time Mother did Christian Science nursing. Few peo ple realize that there is such a thing, but there is. There are also Christian Science rest or nursing homes. These are for people who do not make their demonstrations! Those at the head of Christian Sci ence, the practitioners, the readers, and those on the Board always make it very plain that it is not Christian Science which has failed. Rather, the person, through fear, has failed to make his demonstration, and they back their statement by quoting “ For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me” (Job 3:25). All of Mother’s searchings prove that she had a hungry heart. She needed something and nothing which she tried satisfied her. She went from cult to cult because the cults promised health, suc cess, and peace of mind. But they all failed her. Shortly before her death, she wrote in her diary: “ 0 God, I have the awful feeling that I have lost the way. It is so dark.” That brooding, tragic woman was my mother. She carried me in her arms when I was a baby, she held my hand when I learned to walk, she shaped my outlook on life. Living as we did, alone together, there was a deep love be tween us. And the cry of my heart is—if all these people who believed in cults were so willing to share their diabolical truths with her, where were the Christians? Did anyone reach out and invite her to an evangelical church? Did any church service she ever casually attended pre sent the truth of Christ attractively? Wasn’t there some Christian along the way who was kind enough to her to at tract her to Christ? I was a child. I do not know. But I wonder! My mother was a spiritually hungry woman who missed the way! And I too nearly did—but for the amaz ing grace of God! (Continued in the April issue) T H E K I N G ' S B U S I N E S S
Dorothy Clark Haskin in a “still” from “ Who Knows?” featuring Betty Brice
San Diego and she read many of their books. Being a child, I really did not understand too much about these teach ings. Christian Science which told me I was a good girl no matter what I did was more inviting. Numerology caught mother’s attention for a while. We bought books by Mrs. L. Dow Balliett and sought to master this system. It gives every letter a nu merical value, and your name has to add up to a higher number than your birth. Mother was easily persuaded to try a variety of signatures. Her name was Emma Evelyn Clark and she switched from E. E. Clark to Evelyn Clark. I be came known as both Dorothy Love Clark and Dorothy Marie Clark, trying to find the best vibration, but it resulted mainly in confusion. Palmistry, too, had its place. This in terested me because certain lines stood for definite things. I read books and mastered the heart line, life line, etc. I learned to read palms quite well and as it foretold the future, who could check if it were the truth or not? A kindred study was analysis of hand-writing— nothing but psuedo-science. Astrology cast a deep shadow over our home for many years. Mother even sent money for a horoscope to Evangeline Adams, at that time the foremost astrol- ogist in the United States. We lived by these charts. If the day were an auspi cious one, we interviewed casting direc tors. If the day were ill-omened, Mother scarcely stirred from bed, but read Christian Science or one of her books on metaphysics. All this nurtured a belief in the pro phetic value of dreams. If mother had good dreams, then the atmosphere of our home was cheerful. If mother had bad dreams, with foreboding, she awaited her bad luck. She kept a dream book by her bed and looked up her dreams before she got up. Superstition played a large part in my life. The stage is rampant with su perstition. Don’t put your shoes on a shelf higher than your head. Don’t whistle in the dressing-room. Don’t ping “Home, Sweet Home.” Don’t say the last line of a play. If your palm itches, you will receive money. All these supersti- Poge Tan
tions bound my actions. They had power to make one a success or failure and success was so all-important that one obeyed them slavishly. The last cult which mother studied was spiritualism. Her mother, back in Maine, had died and mother’s grief sent her to Mae Taylor, a spiritualist medium who was active up to a few years ago in Hollywood and may still be. We at tended circles at her home and arranged for a seance. For this, we met in her cellar with several others interested in reaching their departed loved ones. We sat around a table in the darkness and sang hymns, especially “ Shall we Gather at the River?” which ha,d been my grandmoth er’s favorite. While grandmother had supposedly frequently given messages to Mae Taylor to deliver to Mother, she herself did not “materialize” at the seance. The Bible acknowledges that it is pos sible to contact departed ones. The witch of Endor contacted Samuel for Saul. But Samuel rebuked Saul saying, “ Why hast thou disquieted me to bring me up?” and further declared, “ The Lord is de parted from thee” (I Samuel 28). Truly spiritualism is of the devil for the Bible tells that dealings with those who have a familiar spirit are “abomination unto the Lord” (Deut. 18:10-18). One incident which adds proof that it is, and confused my mother at the time, was the advice purportedly received from the spirit of my devout Baptist grandmother. As a teen-age actress I was going with a married man to night clubs and other typical motion picture places of entertainment. And my grand mother’s “ spirit” encouraged this! There were certain things typical of all these cults. At the beginning, they did seem to produce some results. When we first went to hear Mae Taylor, Mother and I were strangers to her. We took our place amid a large congrega tion. Miss Taylor singled out Mother and told her that grandmother was there, carrying a bird. My grandmother’s last name was Bird. Of course, this convinced Mother there was something in spiritual ism. Yet, after that first encouragement, it became merely a mess of promises.
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