Time Traveling to Science of Mind in 1929
A Look Back at Early Articles for 21st Century Readers
by Jeannette Quinn Bisbee
We are beginning an ongoing feature on the blog that we hope will interest readers—looking back at Science of Mind magazine and highlighting issues or specific articles that we think will be of interest to readers here and now. There are so many great things in the Archives, but it can take a while to peruse them and find things that are appealing to your particular taste. Sometimes, we will concentrate in the column on just going in-depth on one particular magazine issue of interest, and, at other times, we will give you an overview of an entire year. In this blog, we are focusing on the year of 1929—(that was just recently uploaded by our amazing volunteer, Ted Penberthy) and offering you a sample of what is best in the magazine. We have linked a few of articles at the bottom of the page that we think you will enjoy, and we hope you go even further and read an old issue. Much of the work and contributions of the magazine in 1929 were still from Ernest Holmes, or Dean Holmes as he is referred to, because he was the “Dean” of the Institute of Religious Science, so it is a great chance to read Ernest Holmes talking very personally to readers. So, now, let’s go time traveling together via the computer screen….
Historical Facts of the Year 1929
* Herbert Hoover was President (In fact, in the April issue of the magazine, you can read a transcript of a radio talk Ernest Holmes gave welcoming Herbert Hoover as the new President of the United States.)
* U.S. Population was only 122 Million.
* Stock Market Crash in late October began the Great Depression, which lasted until 1941, the beginning of World War II.
* U.S. Government Budget was $3.3 billion, and the Stock Market losses in 1929 were $26 billion dollars.
* Penicillin was first used to fight an infection; EEG to record brain waves used for the first time.
* Einstein proposed the Unified Field Theory in physics.
* Religious Science magazine officially becomes Science of Mind magazine in October, 1929; it had 5,000 subscribers.
Of course, Ernest Holmes’ contributions are, perhaps, the most worthy of reviewing and searching out. In the February, 1929 issue, Holmes wrote an article that was eerily centered on what would be the most notable topic of that year—business success and/or failure. But, the Stock Market didn’t “crash” until October of that year, and in February, the magazine revolved around the main topic of achievement in enterprise. Ernest Holmes wrote the lead article called, “It is Wrong to be Unsuccessful in Business”. In it Holmes said,
If one is engaged in a business in
which he has no faith he should get
out of that business and into something
to which he can give his entire
faith and enthusiasm. He should expect
success, think success and talk
success, refusing to listen to anything
which contradicts success.
In recent years, Louise Hay or Jesse Jennings has each handled the Question and Answer [Q and A] column in the Science of Mind magazine. But, what if you could directly read what Holmes would answer to some frequently asked questions? How would Ernest Holmes answer your questions? Well, any issue of 1929 includes this column, and all of the answers were handled by Ernest Holmes. His thoughts are extremely illuminating. Readers may particularly enjoy this column in the July, 1929, issue where almost all the questions revolve around spiritual mind treatment. It is a real encouragement and support for Religious Science Practitioners.
Also, a noteworthy contribution from Ernest Holmes starts in the October, 1929 issue. That issue begins a series of four lessons by Ernest Holmes that readers are encouraged to read and study on a weekly basis. Holmes writes about the topic and then refers the reader to portions of his Science of Mind text for further study; it is like an Ernest Holmes correspondence course in which readers can still engage with Holmes in the 21st Century! Remember, at this time, there were no Centers for Spiritual Living, no study groups, and no teaching chapters—there was just the Institute in Los Angeles and Holmes’ radio program that was heard around the nation, so people all around the country were extremely eager to study his ideas and thoughts, and the magazine was the best tool to reach out to people. The lessons for that month were: “Body,”, “The Soul,”,“The Mind,” and, finally, “The Spirit.”
There are two other features that readers might find interesting. First, it is commonly assumed that there are no fictional articles in Science of Mind magazine, but in the early years there were occasional fictional features. You might enjoy the story, “The Kelly Case,” which is a fictional yarn about a lawyer, who is also a Practitioner, and he is called upon to work on a case of false accusations and stock fraud. In the story, the lawyer first establishes the idea into The Divine Mind that all will be revealed, and is able, through what appears to be some “amazing coincidences” to settle the legal case with ease for his client. It is also very readable as it is written in the style of Raymond Chandler and Dashiell Hammett.
One last article readers might enjoy perusing, the longest article of 1929 running ten pages, is the article, “A Spiritual Will: A Sage of 102 Bequeaths a Philosophy of Life to His Children,” by Mirza Assad Ullah. This gentleman was an early founder of the Bahai faith, and was the father of a psychiatrist, Dr. Ameen Fareed, who taught at the Institute of Religious Science at the behest of Ernest Holmes. Ullah had no possessions to leave his children, but, this centenarian had priceless wisdom he wished to share with his progeny. Holmes wrote this in his preface to the article,
So profound were the thoughts of this sage that, learning of the following document written eleven years ago, as a legacy to his children, we besought his permission to publish it. So deep and yet so simple are its truths, so far reaching its conclusions, that we feel it should take its place in the sacred literature of the ages and not become lost in the private archive of an individual family….
It is wonderful to see that Ernest Holmes and Science of Mind magazine truly were and always have been ”open at the top”! Wisdom from other philosophical, spiritual, and religious traditions is to be found between the pages of the magazine in 1929! So, readers, jump back into that memorable year and know that that although times have changed, ideas and population have expanded, that Science of Mind, then and now, is a philosophy, a world of ideas, that is magnificent and profound and has been a spiritual beacon since the beginning.
Please click on the link below to read the 1929 issues:
http://www.scienceofmindarchives.org/som-magazine/itemlist/category/71-1929