White, W. C.
“Elmshaven,” St. Helena, California
August 16, 1903
Previously unpublished.
Dear Son Willie C. White,—
I am very grateful to my heavenly Father that my health is quite good. While I feel the affliction again and again, my heart thanks the Lord that I am yet active and really suffer no more, as I consider, than I have all through my lifetime. I never have done more work in writing, and I have not one word of repining. 18LtMs, Lt 293, 1903, par. 1
I will not be depressed, although I am not receiving much in line of means. The London office sent me three hundred and forty-seven dollars. The Pacific Press owes the London office, the London office wants Pacific Press—if they have my consent—to make some turn to pay me, and they consent to take this money. I owe the Pacific Press one thousand dollars, and this exchange will help lessen the debt. So I consent and will hope from some source to receive money for books. We are planning, I and my workers, not to lay out means, and I hope to have something come in. I sent letter to Sister Stickney or her daughter Perkins, a widow, to lend me, but answer came they had it not. She wrote me a very nice letter. I shall write the two women, both widows, again as soon as I can conveniently. I am of good courage in the Lord. 18LtMs, Lt 293, 1903, par. 2
Shall not attend any camp-meeting this season unless I am especially drawn out to write Los Angeles, and I do not consider it my duty. I want to be in a prepared state when you shall arrive from your long journey, that we shall consult together and decide in regard to the publications of books. And never, never shall books go through several hands from me at any future time. I need the profits on my books and must have them, and my donation that the Lord signified I should make I have tried to do thoroughly, whole-heartedly. 18LtMs, Lt 293, 1903, par. 3
I have asked H. W. Kellogg to loan me at least one thousand dollars in behalf of Edson. I have told Edson to not rush matters, but bind himself to no such propositions as have been proposed. He has had enough such work to do and suffered for it. 18LtMs, Lt 293, 1903, par. 4
God knows just how we are situated, and I mean to trust in God and not disregard the light God has given me before we went to Australia, that if the parties managing the Review and Herald could get my books published and I have nothing, no protest would be made by them. I have a copy of a letter that I will send you that I wrote at that time. I am immovably fixed that I will not be controlled in this matter of price of books any longer. I have a little prospect of getting free from debt to the Pacific Press; light has been given me over and over again on this point and I shall heed it. If I am worth what I know the Lord would have me be to His cause, I must take my business in my own hands and refuse this screwing me down to the lowest sum, and I have not money to pay my workers. It cost me something more than selfish minds will take in, but I am now in good spirits, have not lost my mind, and I will not place myself under the harrow because men solicit me to. I have now come to where I will prefer to take my books to unbelievers to handle rather than to have the past experience repeated. There now, I have done with that. 18LtMs, Lt 293, 1903, par. 5
I have had a talk with Elder A. T. Jones, and I have told him facts in regard to establishing a school of higher classics that the Lord has no call for whatever. The great day of the Lord is near and hasteth greatly. We have no call, no duty to establish a college in Battle Creek. A. T. Jones came to call for money to help the acre fund and, I think, the college too. I told him plainly the Lord sent him on no such errand. If he had any zeal or interest in collecting money, let him bear in mind there was a sanitarium to be created, there was an orphanage to be established in California, there was a debt on the Sanitarium, and he might have expended his zeal in setting this Sanitarium in a better condition; but to come from Battle Creek and begin to gather up money from our churches—I protested against it, in the name of the Lord, that the Lord had never put that work upon him. 18LtMs, Lt 293, 1903, par. 6
Again I told him I had been shown that Dr. Kellogg was trying to use him to oppose the very things the Lord had been trying to do, for Dr. Kellogg was in no state of mind to give that kind of education the students needed and to exert that influence that would be a savor of life unto eternal life. The man is in no spiritual condition to do the work in the Sanitarium, even, and his course of action has been of that character that God forbids our young people should be educated to study under him. He is working to have the school one year in Battle Creek, get the school there one year for the sake of their obtaining degrees; and it will be opposed to the light God has given by testimonies and the wiping out of these two great principal institutions. 18LtMs, Lt 293, 1903, par. 7
I told A. T. Jones that Dr. Kellogg was not to have his way in everything he proposes for worldly policies and worldly plans in education—which the Lord had been leading us away from—in the place forming such a school now in Battle Creek. It seems Dr. Kellogg is determined to counterwork God’s plans. 18LtMs, Lt 293, 1903, par. 8
I have not seen A. T. Jones since. He may be at the Sanitarium. I did not go anywhere to speak on Sabbath. I felt like shutting myself away, where I would not become distracted with the confused working and counterworking at Battle Creek. I am thinking I do not know what it is best to do. I wish I had seen him. I told him Sabbath morning some plain, straightforward things, but what course he will now pursue I know not. I told him that J. H. Kellogg was acting a part in connection with the cause of God that would unsettle many souls. He has gone directly against the testimonies of the Spirit of God, and how long his brethren were to sustain him in his deceptive course I could not determine; that A. T. Jones was acting like a man with his eyes put out. That piece in the paper he would have to explain to make a consistency in his own case, and then he would put a wrong construction on the matter, and thus the matter stands. He did not come to see me again; left this morning. 18LtMs, Lt 293, 1903, par. 9
I have strong feelings in regard to his coming on the Pacific Coast to raise money to build up interests in Battle Creek. I understand A. T. Jones will be in Healdsburg till the last of this week. I may decide to go to Healdsburg and read him further testimony. Oh, that our brethren would open their eyes to see all things clearly! 18LtMs, Lt 293, 1903, par. 10
I was going to see A. T. Jones this day, but he left this morning. 18LtMs, Lt 293, 1903, par. 11
Whatever may be decided in reference to my books, I must have not so many handling them that I get hardly any income after paying the printers and the material—but there, I have said enough. May the Lord strengthen and bless me and help me to hold fast my hope and trust in God. 18LtMs, Lt 293, 1903, par. 12
When Dr. Kellogg takes the lines, he does it with a purpose. If he could only glorify God it would be well, but when it is the human agency that works without he Holy Spirit, I am agonized at the thought. Now I shall call your attention to this letter written so long ago. You see how it reads. I came across it by accident. I have another letter on the point somewhere. It may come to me as this has done. I copy the letter just as it was written. 18LtMs, Lt 293, 1903, par. 13
When your work is done, please to come home. I want to see you, and we all want to see you. Be of good courage. We can pray and commit all our difficulties to God. I will not look on the dark side. 18LtMs, Lt 293, 1903, par. 14
In love. 18LtMs, Lt 293, 1903, par. 15