Crisis Comes in 1903

Men of prominence in ministerial, medical, and educational circles openly took their position in favor of the book and of its teachings. A campaign of correspondence encouraging the young people to come to Battle Creek to obtain an education that was made to seem very promising was carried forward by the advocates of the new teaching.AGP 336.3

The crisis came in the month of October, 1903. The headquarters of our denominational work had been moved from Battle Creek to Takoma Park. We had appointed a council of our leading workers, and were hoping to lay broad plans for advance moves. But our proposed plans were interrupted when a group of about ten men came to our meeting and introduced points of controversy, which soon focused in a discussion of the teachings to be found in the book to which we have referred, “The Living Temple.” It was a painful session to us all.AGP 336.4

One evening a prominent worker accompanied me from the meeting to my home. He believed the new views, and was doing all in his power to uphold and to circulate the book which was the cause of our controversy. As we stood under a street lamp on the corner near my home, he said to me, “You are making theAGP 336.5

mistake of your life. After all this turmoil, some of these days you will wake up to find yourself rolled in the dust, and another will be leading the forces.”AGP 337.1

To this I replied: “I do not believe your prophecy. At any rate, I would rather be rolled in the dust doing what I believe in my soul to be right than to walk with princes, doing what my conscience tells me is wrong.”AGP 337.2