How Ellen White's Books Were Made: An Anonymous Testimony
By , The Gathering Call, Vol. 40, No. 6, , Riverside, CA
In the year [withheld], the writer became the wife of a man whose son had been for two years, more or less, one of the trusted helpers of Mrs. E. G. White. In the spring before our marriage we both attended a session of the General Conference. One day as we walked together to the dining room, we came face to face with Mrs. E. G. White and her son, Elder W. C. White, and the son said, “Mother, this is [name withheld]’s father.” Mrs. White remarked, “We have a good firm hold on that boy of yours.” The father told me that the son had for some time felt a burden to help in that work, and when Mrs. White heard of it she was very glad and urged him to come, as she had been praying that the Lord would place that burden upon someone.
Sometime after he went there, he wrote his father that he would probably be interested to know something of the nature of his work, and went on to tell in detail how the workers took notes as written by Mrs. White and copied and rewrote them — being careful to preserve the thought — submitting them to her inspection until they were ready for the printer. He also sent a sample of the crude notes as originally written so that his father could see the work that needed to be done.
When I learned of this it was quite a shock to me, for one of the strongest proofs of inspiration that had been given in my introduction to her work was the wonderful, beautiful language which would have been impossible for one of her very limited education had it not been especially given to her from God. We had not thought that this was not supposed to be generally known, or that there was anything secret or mysterious about her work.
In the course of years, as questions came up, my husband had occasion more than once to write to his son with reference to them, though not with reference to the preparation of the work nor to the inspiration of Mrs. White. There was then no question in our minds regarding that; but we soon noticed that the son grew more and more reticent in answering the simplest questions, and we wondered at it.
Letter from Son to Father
Finally he wrote:
Now in our correspondence in the future, how would it work if we separate the business from the social part? When you write on business, you will receive formal responses; and these need not count as part of the personal correspondence. I welcome all the questions folks desire to send; but they have to be dealt with in a formal way. If I could talk with you face to face, I could tell of many things that it would never do for me to put on paper. In these days, when the enemy is doing so much, we in this office feel averse toward committing to paper many things that we can say by word of mouth direct. This is the principal reason Professor Prescott spent nearly a month with us last winter and Elder Daniells spent nearly three weeks with us just recently.
We did not understand the reason for this secrecy in the work of the Lord, when Christ had said, “I ever spake openly to the world and in secret I have said nothing” (John 18:20).
We knew that some people were questioning and doubting the Testimonies, but we were sure that we were thoroughly established in them. The opportunity for this “face to face” visit came after the session of the General Conference in the year [withheld]. The son had to remain in Washington after the meeting to put Vol. 9 through the press and did not reach us as soon as he had expected. In explaining the delay he said that there had been some hindrances in getting the book ready. Some of the brethren had insisted that all of “Jehovah Is Our King” be inserted, but the General Conference officials were afraid of the effect that this would have on their work and insisted that other material should be put in which would modify its influence. This was a revelation to us, as we had always supposed that the Testimonies were prepared without human dictation and that the Lord directed by His Spirit as to what they contained.
What the “Face to Face” Visits Revealed
In our ignorance and simplicity we had believed and taught the Testimonies too much and too literally. In these “face to face” talks we were told that Mrs. White was so “ingenuous” ["refers to a person who is so trusting or inexperienced that they fail to recognize trickery or deviousness in others" –Cambridge Dictionary] that they had to be very careful about who they let interview her. People with new ideas, doctrines, and fads were not allowed to see her, lest she be taken in and led to endorse their theories. She was shown only such letters addressed to her as those in charge of her work thought best for her to see.
Evidently the infirmities of age were upon her, for she would insist on driving miles into the country to buy apples, where there were so many apples spoiling on her own place that they had to keep burying them without her knowledge, lest she be distressed at the waste. The apples on her place were inferior to those that she bought.
The “Daily” Controversy
The “Daily” was being much discussed at this time. Professor Prescott had made them quite an extended visit. He evidently was not one whose influence was feared, for we were told that after he had had a long talk with Mrs. White one evening, she had a vision in which she saw that she had no light on the subject that would conflict with his position. It seems no wonder afterward, when the “other side” came out with their quotations from Early Writings — “Then I saw concerning the Daily” — that the brethren were forbidden to use her writings to sustain their positions on either side.
A Book That Never Appeared
For a long time there had been talk of a book on the “Colored Question” being issued, and the workers in the South were quite anxious for it. We knew that the son had remained behind after one meeting to visit libraries in Washington to collect all the data he could on this subject, and that he had been quite successful in this quest; yet strangely enough, the significance of this had never occurred to us.
One day at the dinner table the father asked, “When is the new book on the Colored Question to be out?” The son replied:
We have all the data now, and when we can get Professor Magan to come out and weave it together it will be out shortly. We have hoped that he would come out after this meeting.
(Not an exact quotation, but the sense of the words as nearly as can be remembered.) I think he must have seen something dawn on our faces, though nothing more was said then; but when we were apart from him a few minutes later, we said to each other, “And that is to be the new book from Sister White on the Colored Question!” We never heard another word of their issuing such a book. When we received a copy of the new Vol. 9 a few weeks later, we said, “This is the first volume of the Testimonies that we have doubted was wholly from the Lord.”
It is with great reluctance that I write these things. I would not do anything to bring discredit upon this son. He is dear to me. In our family and social relations he has always been consideration itself. I am sure that he entered upon the work with Mrs. White with the most honest, sincere motives, and I do not believe that he had any idea that there was anything dishonest or secret connected with them. A number of people who have known the facts through other sources have said to us, “I do not see how a man like [name withheld] can ever be connected with such a thing.” I do not understand it and will not try to explain it. Perhaps none of them quite realized the inconsistencies of their position.
A Letter to the Son
In a letter to him several years after these experiences, I wrote:
[Name withheld], it is not those who you are pleased to call ‘the enemies of our faith’ who are doing the most to shake the confidence of the people in the Testimonies. These never had any possible effect upon us. It is the attitude of those who profess to believe the Testimonies and of those who are most intimately connected with their source. There are honest souls who are seeking for the truth who are perplexed because of the indirect way many things are done, or with the ignoring entirely, or the vague evasive replies that are given to communications.
Please answer definitely the following questions: Was a Testimony of this import sent out as from Sister White? ‘Recently in the visions of the night I stood in a large company of people… I was directed by the Lord to request them and any others who have perplexities and grievous things in their minds regarding the Testimonies that I have borne, to specify what their objections and criticisms are. The Lord will help me to answer these objections, and to make plain that which seems intricate. Let those who are troubled now place upon paper a statement of the difficulties that perplex their minds, and let us see if we cannot throw some light upon the matter that will relieve their perplexities… Let it all be written out and submitted to those who desire to remove the perplexities.’
When responses were made to this, there was no real effort made to clear up the difficulties according to the promise of the Testimony.
Was this conflicting Testimony afterward sent out? ‘I had a vision in which I was speaking before a large company where many questions were asked concerning my work and writings. I was directed by a messenger from heaven not to take the burden of picking up and answering all the sayings and doubts that are being put into many minds.’
I am not asking for the sake of caviling. We consider that it will be no disadvantage to the truth of God for these charges to be utterly and emphatically denied and refuted if they are false, and we certainly would be thoroughly glad to have them so disposed of. We cannot view with any complacency anything that would lead us to think that you would countenance in any way anything in which there is a shade of fraud or deceit or inconsistency.
How the Son Answered
The response came quite promptly:
Your communication bearing date of April 4, reviewing some of our correspondence of past years, and closing with some direct questions to which you desire replies, came to hand today at noon. I have read your letter with care twice, and will give it further study at the proper time.
There is one sentence in your letter that I am unable to understand. You write: ‘We feel that various things which you said during your visit here were not calculated to strengthen our faith in the Testimonies so far as their being kept free from human influence was concerned.’ If you will send me an outline of these various things referred to, I may be able to deal with this portion of your letter more intelligently than I could at present.
A Second Letter to the Son
This is all that he ever said with reference to those direct questions. I will admit that my answer to this letter was rather “saucy,” but I felt a little tried:
You quote from my letter a statement with reference to various things which you said while here which made us suspicious of human influence connected with the Testimonies, and ask that I send an outline of these various things referred to.
I scarcely think you have forgotten the conversations which we had during your visit, but will say we think these things said by you are among those referred to in the following quotation from a letter which we received from you before your visit: ‘I welcome all the questions which folks desire to send; but they have to be dealt with in a formal way. If I could talk with you face to face I could talk of many things that it would never do for me to put on paper. In these days when the enemy is doing so much, we in the office feel averse toward committing to paper many things which we can say by word of mouth direct. This is the principal reason Professor Prescott spent nearly a month with us last winter and Elder Daniells spent nearly three weeks with us recently.’
I really cannot see why the truth with reference to God’s work should be considered so dangerous; but since, as you write, ‘It would never do for me to put them on paper,’ you probably would not consider it best for me to do so either, and I do not expect to do so for you at present — not at least until you answer my other letter.
Other letters have passed between us during the years since, but that letter has never been answered, though more than seventeen years have elapsed since it was written.
Why These Things Are Published
It is not for the purpose of evading personal responsibility that the writer has eliminated names and dates from this article, but with a wish to save the son from embarrassment and trial as far as consistent. You may ask, “Then why is it published at all? It relates to private correspondence and conversations in the privacy of your home. You are violating the rules of hospitality.”
Yes, and I regret it exceedingly, and have found it very difficult to bring myself to do it. But when I consider the nature of the work to which it refers — that it is called the work of God in the earth, which the people must endorse in order to be ready for Christ’s coming — I am sure it is wrong for any part of it to be covered up.
“Baruch wrote from the mouth of Jeremiah all the words of the Lord” (Jeremiah 36:4). Paul often wrote by the hand of others, but there was no secret made of it.
A book purporting to come from Mrs. White was supposed — and is still supposed — to be received and believed as the very Word of God to His people. Suppose that book on the “Colored Question” had come out with an honest statement: that it was compiled from the very best material on the subject obtainable from public libraries, woven together by a very competent writer of the denomination, and included instruction from Mrs. White which she had received directly from the Messenger of the Lord. If published with that disclosure, would it have been received by “our people” as her books are expected to be received?
So, because I do not consider this a private matter to which I alone have a private right, I have written this out — hoping that honest-hearted people may be enlightened by it, and not with any desire to bring reproach upon anyone.