2. Change of circumstances:

Writing in 1903, Ellen White says that “if girls….could learn to harness and drive a horse….they would be better fitted to meet the emergencies of life” (Education, 216-217). In 1894 she cautioned against the purchase of bicycles, calling them a “craze” (Testimonies for the Church 8:51-52). In 1902 church leaders were counseled against using brick or stone for building sanitariums, because the resulting buildings were “generally cold and damp” (Testimonies for the Church 7:83). She said, “We need roomy buildings; and if brick is too costly, we must build of wood” (Ibid.).HPEGWW 14.3

These three statements represent the kind of messages that could be hard to understand today unless we consider them in the light of the times in which they were written. Yet, there are principles that continue to be valuable for similar situations. In some cases the clues are found internally in the writing itself. In others, external evidence helps us to understand.HPEGWW 15.1

Another illustration is in order. The Avondale School in Australia opened in April, 1897. In the first term, attendance grew from ten to sixty. Students ranged in age from 14 to 28, with most of them on the younger side. Classes were mostly to the eighth grade, but a few higher. Ellen White gave the following counsel when they were well into the first term:HPEGWW 15.2

We have labored hard to keep in check everything in the school like favoritism, attachments, and courting. We have told the students that we would not allow the first thread of this to be interwoven with their school work.—Letter 145, 1897.

This statement was quoted in later catalogues for the school. When, C. W. Irwin, who served as principal, came to Pacific Union College he thought to impose the same restrictions. At that time the manuscript for Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students was being prepared, largely from Ellen White’s writings from earlier years. However, she did not include the foregoing counsel.HPEGWW 15.3

Professor Irwin was asked to read the manuscript and was disappointed that this restriction was not included. He wrote to W. C. White, who in turn took it to his mother, but she would not consent to its inclusion in a volume of general counsel that would govern our educational institutions, including our colleges. Instead, she wrote for the chapter, “Deportment of Students,” where this statement would naturally have appeared:HPEGWW 15.4

In all our dealings with students, age and character must be taken into account. We cannot treat the young and the old just alike. There are circumstances under which men and women of sound experience and good standing may be granted some privileges not given to the younger students. The age, conditions, and the turn of mind must be taken into consideration.—Counsels to Parents, Teachers, and Students, 101.