The Big Bible Legend

By Dirk Anderson, last updated Aug. 2023

Stories like the “Big Bible” legend have natural appeal. We all want to believe in supernatural powers. It is an incredibly appealing story — a sick, feeble teenager performs a supernatural feat to demonstrate her prophetic calling. Arthur White and his staff from the White Estate used to travel around to various Seventh-day Adventist [SDA] schools to tell this fantastic story to wide-eyed students. But when you peel back the layers, the story begins to look less like history and more like legend. What remains isn’t solid evidence of a miracle, but a case study in how religious folklore is built, polished, and passed off as fact.

Arthur White's Fantastic Claim

In his biography of his grandmother, Arthur White describes how Ellen Harmon held a large Bible, weighing "18.5 pounds," during an early vision at the Harmon home. In his account, he makes this fantastic claim:

Placing it on her left hand, she easily held it at arm’s length for an estimated half hour.¹

This is an astounding feat of supernatural strength that would rival the strength of Samson. Interestingly, Arthur goes on to mention that "Ellen White made no reference to the experience" in the 100,000 pages and 25 million words she wrote.²

Is this an accurate portrayal of what happened? Or, has legend has crept into the story? Legends rarely start big. They grow over time. A simple event gets retold, and with each retelling:

• Details are added to make it more vivid
• Numbers increase (heavier weight, longer time, more witnesses)
• Uncertainty gets smoothed out into confidence
• Ordinary actions become extraordinary

Over time, the story shifts from “something unusual happened” to “something miraculous happened.” And because later writers often rely on earlier accounts—while adding their own embellishments—the story becomes more polished, more dramatic, more embellished, and less historical with each generation.

Big Bible Event at the Harmon Home, Portland, Maine

Several big Bible stories began circulating in Adventism after J.N. Loughborough published some accounts in 1892. The setting for the first account was the Harmon home in Portland, Maine in early 1845. Loughborough writes in his book:

I will here state some facts respecting her third vision, the one given in her father's house, mentioned in Chapter XIII, page 212, as related to me by Mrs. White's father and mother, by her sister, Mrs. Sarah Belden, and others.

In the room where the vision was given, there was lying on the bureau a very large family Bible. It was one of an edition printed in Boston by Joseph Teale, in the year 1822. The book is eighteen by eleven inches, four inches in thickness, and weighs a little over eighteen pounds. While in vision, she arose, and took this heavy Bible on her left arm, the book lying open, and held it out at right angles with her body; and then for over half an hour, with her right hand, turned from place to place, and pointed to different texts of Scriptures, which she repeated while her eyes were looking upward, and in an opposite direction from the book. Her sister Sarah (afterward the wife of Stephen Belden), or, at times, some other person present, looked at every text to which her finger pointed, and saw clearly that in every instance she was repeating the scripture upon which her finger was resting. Mother Harmon said her daughter Ellen in her natural condition was unable, for lack of strength, to lift that heavy Bible from the bureau; but in the vision she held it as easily, apparently, as though it were only a pocket Testament.³

The supernatural claims for this event will be covered later. It is worth noting the following:

• Loughborough was not an eyewitness to the event.
• The story is a second-hand account as related to Loughborough by Mrs. White's parents and sister who attended the event, and were no-doubt interested in promoting her prophethood.
• Neither James or Ellen ever made use of this story during their lifetimes, despite the fact that they were fond of promoting Ellen as a prophet and used other legendary stories (such as the Israel Dammon Incident).
• Loughborough first mentioned it in a sermon at the 1891 General Conference session, 46 years after the event.⁴
• The account first appeared in print in 1892, 47 years after it occurred.
• Loughborough said the Bible was open but W. C. White said that his parents told him it was closed.⁵
• Loughborough is well known in SDA scholarship for his lack of accuracy and poor memory of events.⁶

Big Bible Event at the Curtiss Home

The second Big Bible event occurred in early 1845 at the home of Mr. Curtiss in Topsham, Maine. Loughborough provides two accounts of this event. The first is from Mrs. Frances Lunt, who wrote out her account in 1890:

I, with my father's family attended the meetings of Sister Harmon in Topsham, in 1845, and during these meetings she had a vision. It was the first time we ever saw her in vision. One of those old-fashioned Bibles [the Teale Family Bible, weighing eighteen pounds] was owned by Brother Curtiss. This big Bible was taken from the bureau by sister Harmon while in vision, and texts of Scripture were pointed out by her as she turned leaf, to leaf, while her eyes were looking upward, and away from the book. It was held on her open hand at an angle of forty-five degrees, and no one else was able to hold any book at a similar angle without its slipping at once from the hands; but Sister Harmon held this Bible at that angle for several minutes, as firmly as though it was stuck to her hand, she passing meanwhile from one to another in the room…⁷

The following facts are worth noting:

• This account was written in 1890, 45 years after the event.
• Loughborough inserts the words "[the Teale Family Bible, weighing eighteen pounds]" into the letter, appearing to conflate this event with the event at the Harmon home. The Curtiss family possibly had a Teal Bible, but Loughborough was not there, so how would he know? Lunt simply says the Bible was "old-fashioned" and "big." That does not mean it weighed 18 pounds. Other family Bibles were available in that era — most of them smaller and weighed substantially less than the Teal Bible.
• Lunt says that Ellen recited verses without looking at them.
• Lunt makes no mention of a display of supernatural strength. Instead, her amazement was that the Bible did not slip off Ellen's hand when held at an awkward angle for "several minutes." (This will be addressed later in the article.)

Mrs. Truesdail was also in Topsham and witnessed the "sticky hand" miracle. She wrote the following to Loughborough in 1891:

I was fifteen years old in 1845, and was present at the time of Sister Harmon's first visit to Topsham, when she had the vision at the house of Brother Curtiss, where she took up the great family Bible and held it up in a position in which none of the others could hold a book on the hands without its slipping off at once.

Sister Harmon was in vision over two hours...she read us passages...holding the large family Bible so high that I was obliged to stand on a chair to read where she was pointing. I do not think Sister Harmon was over two inches the taller.⁸

The following facts are worth noting:

• This account was written in 1891, 46 years after the event.
• SDAs tell us Truesdail had an accurate memory of this event, but assure us her memory was poor when she said Ellen spoke of people living on Jupiter in her solar system vision. So, is she reliable or not?
• Truesdail says Ellen "read" the Bible passages, which means she was not reciting from memory as she had done as her parents' home.
• Truesdail also observed the "sticky hand" effect.

While this event lacked any display of supernatural strength, both witnesses were impressed that some supernatural magnetic force was keeping the Bible pinned to Ellen's hand. Both also seemed to have thought it odd that Ellen could point to verses without seeing where she was pointing, as if she out of her body looking down at the Bible.

The Randolph Incident

Shortly after the Great Disappointment, in early 1845, Otis Nichols was hell-bent on convincing other Adventists that Ellen Harmon was a prophet of God. One group of Adventists near his home was united in opposition to Ellen's visions. This irked Nichols. Nichols, writing in 1859, explains:

The bands of believers in Boston, Roxbury, and Randolph--a large company--had become almost totally alienated to Bro. and Sister White through the false teachings, deceptions, and Satanic influences of J. Turner and his associates, T. Haskins, Howel and others. They were influenced to believe that her visions were of the devil, that Bro. White mesmerized her, that she could not have a vision in Bro. White's absence...⁹

From this description it appears Joseph Turner — at one time a close associate with Ellen — had turned against her and then managed to convince others that she was a false prophet. Nichols was intent on proving to the people in Randolph that Ellen was a true prophet. So, In January of 1845, Nichols fetched Ellen and her sister Sarah from their home in the middle of the Winter to go on a mission to prove Ellen's prophetic abilities. They learned of a meeting of Adventists to be held in Randolph, Massachusetts and made their way to the Thayer home in Randolph. They entered the home around one in the afternoon. Ellen then proceeded to go into a unhinged verbal tirade, disrupting the entire meeting. Nichols writes:

Then Sister White commenced praying and was soon afterward taken off in vision with extraordinary manifestations and continued talking in vision with a shrill voice which could be distinctly understood by all present, until about sundown. S. [Sargent] R. [Robbins], and F. [French] were much exasperated as well as excited to hear Sister White talk in vision, which they declared was of the devil. They exhausted all their influence and bodily strength to destroy the effect of the vision. They would unite in singing very loud, and then alternately would talk and read from the Bible in a loud voice in order that Ellen might not be heard, until their strength was exhausted and their hands would shake, so they could not read from the Bible. But amidst all this confusion and noise, Ellen's clear and shrill voice as she talked in vision, was distinctly heard by all present. The opposition of these men continued as long as they could talk and sing, not withstanding some of their own friends rebuked them and requested them to stop.¹⁰

Mr. Thayer, the owner of the house, decided to test if Ellen was having demonic visions by placing an open Bible on her chest. According to Nichols, this was "a heavy, large quarto family Bible."¹¹ Nichols continues:

Immediately after the Bible was laid upon her, she arose upon her feet and walked into the middle of the room, with the Bible open in one hand and lifted up as high as she could reach, and with her eyes steadily looking upward...she continued for a long time while the Bible was extended in one hand and her eyes looking upward and not on the Bible, to turn over the leaves with the other hand and place her finger upon certain passages and correctly utter their words with a solemn voice. Many present looked at the passage where her finger was pointed to see if she spoke them correctly, for her eyes at the same time were looking upward. ... In this state she continued all the afternoon until nearly sundown when she came out of vision.¹²

It is impossible to know how long Ellen lofted the Bible. She entered the room at 1 pm, and at that time, the people were singing and praying. At some point later, she began to disrupt the meeting by shouting in a shrill voice. The meeting's leaders attempted to sing and talk over her, but eventually got weary. It was only after all this had transpired that Ellen lofted the Bible. She continued until "nearly" sundown. In Randolph in January, the sun sets between 4:30 pm and 4:45 pm, so she likely ceased around 4 pm.

Here are some notable facts from this event:

• Nichols states that the Bible was a Quarto Family Bible. This Bible is significantly smaller than the Teal Bible, as shown in the image to the right. It was roughly half the size. Thus, if the Teal Bible weighed 18 pounds, the Randolph Bible weighed around 9 pounds.¹³
• Ellen did not hold the Bible over her head for long because she was holding it "extended in one hand" with her other hand pointing to verses. It is physically impossible to do that with the Bible lofted straight overhead.
• No supernatural strength is required for a 17-year-old female to lift a 9-pound weight overhead momentarily. Many untrained teenage girls can overhead press 10–25 pounds. Holding 9 pounds statically is easier than lifting it repeatedly. So, this is not extraordinary — it is something well within normal human ability.
• Nichols was certainly not a neutral observer. He wrote 14 years after-the-fact, interpreting events in Ellen's favor. His goal was the defense and promotion of her visions.
• Nichols suggests Mrs. White was looking away from the Bible while pointing to verses and reciting them from memory.

Nichols was a partisan and loyal believer in Ellen. He would be expected to write a glowing account of the event. What about the other witnesses?

Ellen visited the same group several weeks later and found, "The principal members of the band still continued alienated from her, and the visions." Apparently, the shrill screaming, Bible lofting, and reciting memorized verses were unconvincing to everyone other than Nichols. In typical fashion, once she found out the Randolph Adventists rejected her, "She told them that the curse of God would soon follow their course."¹⁴

Despite Ellen's furor at being rejected yet again, there is no known historical record showing early deaths among these specific individuals or any pattern that would support the claim of a supernatural curse. Nichols claims that the proof of the fulfillment of this curse was that the group leaders were caught up in the fanatical "no-work" movement for a while. However, many other shut-door Millerites were involved in various fanatical activities, including Ellen and Nichols. In fact, SDA pioneer J.N. Andrews, a believer in Ellen White, was heavily involved in the "no-work" movement. Using Nichols logic, if being involved in the "no-work" delusion is proof of a curse then Andrews must also have been cursed.¹⁵

Ellen White a Superhero?

As a boy, I recall how an SDA teacher told us the legend of how a weak and sickly teen-aged Ellen held out a heavy Bible in her hand. We were in awe. It seemed as if she was a modern-day Samson.

The teacher challenged us to go home and see how long we could hold up a heavy book in our hand with our arm fully outstretched at 90 degrees. That evening, I did just that. I discovered I could hold a 16-pound weight at that angle for only 20 seconds! Needless to say, as a boy who grew up in an era of superheroes like Batman, Superman, and the Bionic Man, I was very much in awe of Ellen White's supernatural strength! I was convinced she was a real prophet. What other explanation could there be?

Later in life, as I examined the story in more detail, questions arose. Was Mrs. White really holding the Bible in her palm with her arm straight out at 90-degrees for the whole 30 minutes? If so, that is an obvious supernatural feat. However, a careful reading of the Portland account shows that after she lifted the Bible, Ellen was pointing at verses in the book. That is physically impossible with the arm fully out-stretched. The book must have been brought much closer to the body to point at specific verses. Could Ellen's family have exaggerated about the first event to promote her prophetic career? And how good was Loughborough's memory? After all, 50 years is a long time to remember exactly what her family said. What really happened at these events?

A Simplified Physics Lesson

Just how much weight should an average-sized 17-year-old woman be able to lift? A big part of that question depends on two factors:

1. The location of the weight on the arm
2. The angle of the arm

Here is a brief review of high-schools physics.

The amount of force required to hold something out in one's hand is expressed by the formula:

TORQUE = WEIGHT x DISTANCE x SINE of the angle

So, if Mrs. White held an 18-pound weight in her palm, 2 feet from her shoulder at a 90-degree angle, then it would feel like lifting 36 pounds...

    18 x 2 x 1 = 36

If Mrs. White held the weight on her arm with the center of gravity at her elbow...

    18 x 1 x 1 = 18

If Mrs. White held it on her arm at a 45-degree angle...

    18 x 1 x .7 = 12.6

Thus, it takes only one-third the strength to hold the weight in the last position. In fact, the more the arm is lowered, the less strength is required.

Now, turning back to the story, can it be determined where the Bible was held?

Where was the Bible?

Loughborough says the book was resting on Ellen's "left arm," not her hand. If the book was resting on her left arm, the book was most likely centered near her elbow. Having the spine of the book near the elbow would cut the effort required to hold the book by nearly 50%. Also, from this position she could have pointed to verses with her right hand. So, when my SDA teacher told me to hold a weight out in my hand, he was teaching a farce, because even Loughborough admits the book was held on the arm, not the hand.

Notice how the female on the right is holding her arm. This is most likely how Mrs. White carried the Bible most of the time during the meeting. This position is the natural way a person would support a heavy, awkward weight on the arm. This is similar to the way a mother holds a child in her arm. The upper arm is straight down close to the body, bringing the center of gravity very close to the body. The elbow can be rested on the left hip for further support. The forearm is bent at a 45-degree angle, further reducing the effort. Holding a book in this position would require less than one twentieth of the strength required to hold it straight out on an outstretched arm at a right angle.

Notice the elderly man at the right holding out the large Bible on his arm. Notice how his upper arm is bent down at a 45-degree angle, thereby reducing the load by 30%. Notice also how the spine of the book is on his forearm, near his elbow. This reduces the load by nearly 50% over what it would take to hold the book in one's palm.

Notice how the man's left hand is used to steady the Bible (and hold some of the weight of the book). If a person wanted to hold a Bible of this size with one hand, and point to verses with the other, it would be nearly impossible to keep the book balanced on the arm, especially while moving around a room. To keep the Bible from falling off the arm, it must be brought close against the body so that the body can be used to hold the book steady and prevent it from slipping off the arm. This illustrates why Ellen most likely cradled the Bible in her arm close to her body. It would be extremely difficult — akin to a circus balancing act — to balance the Bible on the arm unless it was resting against the body.

The Mysterious "Sticky Hand"

In Mrs. Lunt's account of the second event, she describes the Bible being held in Mrs. White's palm at a 45-degree angle for "several minutes." Did she remember that angle correctly? It is hard to say, but positioning the hands and wrist can stabilize awkward objects surprisingly well. In the photo on the right, I asked my 12-year-old son, who was similar in size to Mrs. White, to hold a large book, similar to the one held by Mrs. White, at a 45-degree angle. He did not have any problem holding the book with his palm, even when opening up his fingers. The weight of the book pressed into his palm, keeping it from slipping. In fact, the only way to make the book slip and fall was to open the palm and point the fingers towards the floor (much more than a 45-degree angle). If Mrs. White had actually done this, it would certainly be a strange way to hold a book! So, did Mrs. Lunt really see a miraculous "sticky hand" as some have claimed? Or was she simply a dedicated believer who thought she saw something amazing, something that could be used to convince others to adopt her belief in Ellen White?

Pointing to and Reciting Texts from Memory

During the meeting, Mrs. White was said to be able to point to scriptures and recite them without looking. Before jumping to a supernatural explanation, it is prudent to search for a rational explanation. The most obvious natural explanation is that she was peeking at the Bible. Even with her head tilted upward, she could still glance downward briefly or use her peripheral vision. What if she wasn't cheating? Oddly enough, out-of-body experiences and veridical perceptions are frequently reported in two specific contexts: Temporal Lobe Epilepsy and Mesmeric/Hypnotic Trances. Mrs. White is suspected of having suffered from both.

As for reciting verses from memory, there is a perfectly natural explanation. Mrs. White was fond of committing Scripture to memory, as can be seen from her writings which frequently extol the benefits of such:

Let the more important passages of Scripture connected with the lesson be committed to memory, not as a task, but as a privilege. Though at first the memory may be defective, it will gain strength by exercise, so that after a time you will delight in thus treasuring up the precious words of truth.¹⁶

The most rational explanation is that she had previously memorized the verses she quoted. Millerites were fond of memorizing verses about judgment, so this is not at all surprising.

The Most Natural Scenario

So what really happened? Supernatural strength? A miraculous "sticky hand"? A supernatural ability to locate and recite verses?

If one desires to discover the supernatural in this account, and if one is predisposed to believing something supernatural happened there, then one will find exactly what they are looking for. But why believe a ridiculous story when there are perfectly rational explanations that make much better sense?

Here is what the author believes to be the most likely scenario of events that took place in Portland at the Harmon home.

Ellen was in a meeting, surrounded by friends, family, and supporters. She walked over and picked up the Teal Bible, placed it in her left arm, with the center of the book near her elbow, her elbow against her body, cradling it in a manner similar to the way a mother cradles a baby. The book was most likely closed, as per Willie's recollection of what his parents told him. From this position she could...

• Open it from time to time and point to verses with her free hand
• Keep it from falling off her arm by resting part of it against her body
• Rest the weight of the Bible against the side of her body, or rest her elbow on her hip thereby reducing the load by 95%, which enabled her to carry the book around the room for 20 or 30 minutes

From this position she could also see what chapter and verse the Bible was opened to. When she found a verse she had memorized, she recited it from memory. At times she held the book out at right angles to her body, at other times she held it above her shoulder, but probably only for a short duration. After the event, her friends and family, wanting to convince others to believe in her supernatural powers, reported the event in the most glowing terms.

As for Mrs. Lunt's account, she said the book was on her "open hand" for "several minutes". Apparently Ellen shifted the Bible towards her viewers (as in the photo above) with the spine of the Bible resting on her palm and held it briefly at what appeared to Mrs. Lunt to be an awkward angle. Was it a miracle? Or did Mrs. Lunt simply see what she wanted to see that evening? You decide.

Miracles Stories Abounded in that Era

Is it possible her friends and family exaggerated her abilities to convince others to believe in her? It happens all the time in religious settings.

If you zoom out from Ellen G. White and look at the broader 19th-century religious landscape, you will find that claims of visions, supernatural insight, and seemingly “impossible” physical feats were actually commonplace. Many were later explained by psychology, social pressure, suggestion, or outright trickery.

Here are some well-documented parallels:

The Fox Sisters (Spiritualism)

In the 1840s–1850s, the Fox Sisters claimed to communicate with the dead through mysterious “rapping” sounds. People believed spirits were answering questions in real time. Eyewitnesses were convinced that something supernatural was happening. Thousands of believers were fooled. Finally, in 1888, one sister publicly confessed that the sounds were made by cracking joints in their toes and knees. It was merely a clever parlor trick.

Takeaway: Intelligent audiences can be completely convinced by phenomena that feel interactive and supernatural. Even Sister White was fooled by the Fox Sisters' Rapping.

Joseph Smith and the Golden Plates

Joseph Smith claimed to translate the Book of Mormon from golden plates using divine instruments. Witnesses testified they “saw” the plates—yet often described seeing them in visions, not physically.

Takeaway: “Seeing” and “knowing” were often visionary or psychological experiences, not physical observation.

“Miracle of the Sun” at Fátima

At Fátima, three children claimed that the Virgin Mary appeared to them repeatedly. They announced that on October 13, 1917, a public miracle would occur. Between 30,000 and 70,000 people showed up to see the miracle. Witness reports included:

• The sun spinning like a wheel
• The sun zig-zagging across the sky
• The sun plunging toward the earth
• Multicolored lights radiating outward
• Clothing and ground drying instantly after rain

Even secular journalists and skeptics reported the phenomenon. But here is the problem: the event collapses under basic scrutiny

Not everyone saw the same thing. Some saw dramatic solar movement. Others saw nothing unusual at all. Some reported different motions and colors. If this were an objective astronomical event, observations would be consistent.

Looking directly at the sun can produce spinning or pulsating visuals, color distortions, and apparent motion. These are well-known effects of retinal overstimulation.

At Fátima, many sincere people reported a miracle that physically could not have happened.

Takeaway: If thousands of people—including skeptics and journalists—can sincerely believe they saw the sun fall from the sky when it did not, then a handful of witnesses decades later claiming a woman pointed to Bible verses without looking is not evidence of the supernatural—it is evidence of how easily human perception can be shaped.

Dubious Origin of the Tale

According to former White Estate Director Ronald Graybill:

The story seems to have surfaced orally in the late 1880s [40 years after the supposed event] and then finally in print in 1892, in Loughborough's Rise and Progress of the Seventh-day Adventists. Loughborough was more hagiographer than historian, and often proved unreliable in the latter role.¹⁷

A hagiographer is someone who writes a highly idealized biography of a person. Hagiographers...

• Ignore flaws or contradictions
• Selectively present evidence
• Amplify positive traits into the extraordinary
• Write more like an advocate than a historian

A hagiographer doesn’t just tell a story—they polish it until it shines.

According to Graybill, Loughborough made "numerous" major errors in his writing, and those errors always seemed to "fall into a pattern" to "enhance the reputation of Ellen White."¹⁸ Given his reputation, this raises some serious doubts about the accuracy of his account.

A General Conference President Weighs In

SDA General Conference president A.G. Daniells was not totally opposed to the big Bible story. He included it in his book about Ellen White.¹⁹ At the 1919 conference on the Spirit of Prophecy he said he did not "disbelieve" the stories. However, he questioned the accuracy of them:

I differ with some of the brethren who have put together proofs or evidences of the genuineness of this gift, in this respect, - I believe that the strongest proof is found in the fruits of this gift to the church, not in physical and outward demonstrations. For instance, I have heard some ministers preach, and have seen it in writing, that Sister White once carried a heavy Bible - I believe they said it weighed 40 pounds - on her out-stretched hand, and looking up toward the heavens quoted texts and turned the leaves over and pointed to the texts, with her eyes toward the heavens. I do not know whether that was ever done or not. I am not sure. I did not see it, and I do not know that I ever talked with anybody that did see it. But, brethren, I do not count that sort of thing as a very great proof. I do not think that is the best kind of evidence. If I were a stranger in an audience, and heard a preacher enlarging on that, I would have my doubts. That is, I would want to know if he saw it. He would have to say, No, he never did. Then I would ask, "Did you ever see the man that did see it?" And he would have to answer, "No, I never did."

Well, just how much of that is genuine, and how much has crawled into the story? - I do not know. But I do not think that is the kind of proof we want to use. It has been a long time since I have brought forward this sort of thing, - no breath in the body, and the eyes wide open. That may have accompanied the exercise of this gift in the early days, but it surely did not in the latter days, and yet I believe this gift was just as genuine and exercised just the same through these later years as in the early years.²⁰

A. G. Daniells sat at the very center of the SDA movement’s leadership. He spent decades in direct contact with the very people who would have known about this story (W. C. White, J. N. Loughborough, George I. Butler, Uriah Smith, Stephen N. Haskell, John Harvey Kellogg). Daniells explicitly says he never spoke to anyone about this story. That is remarkable considering who he knew. That does not prove the story is false. However, it shows that this story was not considered solid proof of Ellen's calling. For a sect that liked to tell stories about Ellen White, this is telling.

You Should See Their Faces!

Visitors to the White Estate in Takoma Park, Maryland, can view the heavy Bible that Mrs. White purportedly held up in vision. Former SDA Wallace Slattery writes of an experience:

My aide in my last SDA teaching position in Pennsylvania was a great-granddaughter of Sister White. I discussed this supposed event with her, and she agreed that undoubtedly it never happened. She telephoned her mother, who worked at the White Estate in Washington, D.C., and asked her,

"Why do you still show that big Bible to people who come in, when you know that the event never took place?"

Her mother answered, "But you should see their faces when they see it!"²¹