This book, in its thirty-two chapters, comprises 334 pages. It was printed in 1883, and was advertised and sold by Review and Herald and Pacific Press, through all their agencies for more than twelve years.BSRWEGW 9.1

Thus two or three editions were exhausted, and when in the later nineties the Manager of Review and Herald asked Mrs. White’s consent to print another edition, she said, “No; that book contains only a part of what I desire to present, and I wish you to wait until I can write out the matter more fully.” This she did later, in her book Acts of the Apostles.BSRWEGW 9.2

When it was learned by our brethren that another edition of this book would not be printed and that the supply in the hands of our Tract Societies was exhausted, advertisements appeared in the Review, asking that anyone having a copy to spare, should send it in that those wishing to secure a copy might be supplied. A few copies thus changed hands. In 1911, Acts of the Apostles was published and that took its place.BSRWEGW 9.3

The fact that copies of Sketches from the Life of Paul were advertised for in Review and Herald together with the fact that there are in the book some passages which are copied from, and others which parallel very closely statements to be found in Conybeare and Howson’s Life and Epistles of the Apostle Paul, has opened the way for criticism and many wild rumors. One reckless critic has asserted that almost the entire book is the product of other authors. Another has declared that the book has gone out of circulation because of threatened prosecution by the American publishers of Life and Epistles of the Apostle Paul, and that Mrs. Write and the publishers in order to avoid prosecution, had to work lively to recall the copies of the book which had been sold.BSRWEGW 9.4

If this were true, it would be very serious. But it is not true. It is assumption, gross misrepresentation and falsehood.BSRWEGW 9.5

Here are same facts. There never was a lawsuit instituted or threatened by the publishers of Conybeare and Howson’s Life and Epistles of the Apostle Paul. Furthermore, no publisher in any land has ever brought suit against Mrs. White’s books, on the ground that rights of publishers or authors had been infringed upon.BSRWEGW 9.6

There never was an effort made by the author or the publishers of Sketches from the Life of Paul or by any of their agents, to call in copies of the book that they might be kept away from the people.BSRWEGW 9.7

Here is the simple story of this little book, now thirty-five years out of print.BSRWEGW 9.8

During the years 1881 and 1882, our Sabbath-school lessons were on the life of Christ. In connection with these lesson studies, we used for reference Spirit of Prophecy, Volumes II and III, also Geikie’s Life and Words of Jesus. We offered Geikie’s book as a premium with the Signs and handled about three thousand copies.BSRWEGW 9.9

It was planned that the Sabbath-school lessons for 1883 should be upon the acts of the apostles. Therefore, we offered The Life and Epistles of the Apostle Paul by Conybeare and Howson as a premium with the Signs and disposed of about two thousand copies.BSRWEGW 9.10

Thus many of our ministers, Sabbath-school teachers and other studious persons were supplied with this wonderful book. Then Sabbath-school teachers and laymen complained that this work was too voluminous and too heavy, and that the writings of Mrs. White, in their simplicity, would be such more acceptable to the majority of our people; and it was urged that Mrs. White bring out a book that could be used as a lesson help.BSRWEGW 9.11

The publishers requested that copy be furnished very soon because they wished to publish the book while our people were studying the life of Paul in the Sabbath-school lessons.BSRWEGW 10.1

At that time, Mrs. White’s manuscripts had not been so classified and arranged that she could readily find all that she had previously written upon a given subject. Nevertheless, in response to the appeal, she undertook to do quickly that which was requested.BSRWEGW 10.2

In her search for material to be used that she had written in past years, she found in The Spirit of Prophecy 3:117 pages that exactly suited her purpose. Some of what was needed was found in her manuscripts. She found, however, that same important links in the history needed to be supplied with new matter. This she did and there was added to what had appeared in The Spirit of Prophecy 3:227.BSRWEGW 10.3

In her former writings, she had used Conybeare and Howson’s Life and Epistles of the Apostle Paul, as a help in the description of Paul’s movements, and in her new chapters she continued to use passages from this book that were in perfect harmony with those things that had been revealed to her.BSRWEGW 10.4

Mrs. White made no effort to conceal the fact that she had copied from other writers statements that exactly suited her purpose. And in her handwritten manuscripts, most of the passages that she had copied word for word, were enclosed in quotation marks. But there were also many passages that were paraphrased. These paraphrased passages were usually shortened by the use in part of her own words. This brought the descriptive passages into briefer form.BSRWEGW 10.5

The question arose, How shall these passages be handled? Much time would be required to study each passage and mark it consistently. The printers were waiting for copy, and the public were waiting for the book.BSRWEGW 10.6

Then it was decided to leave out quotation marks entirely. And in that way the book was printed.BSRWEGW 10.7

Regarding the amount of matter copied or paraphrased from or even paralleling the thoughts of Conybeare and Howson, a greatly exaggerated idea has been set forth by our critics. In the list of parallel passages printed by them are to be found six citations, involving 31 lines, or a little less than one page of the book. We are convinced by our own comparison of the two books that many hours were spent by these critics in finding these parallelisms to support their charge of “plagiarism.”BSRWEGW 10.8

An exhaustive study may show that the amount of matter thus copied or paralleled would amount to five or ten pages, which is, however, only a small part of the entire book of 334 pages. For the spiritual lessons drawn from the experiences of the apostle Paul, Mrs. White was not dependent on any human author. And it is this phase of her writings that puts them in a class of themselves, and gives them untold value to the Christian reader,—not the few descriptive passages copied from other writers.BSRWEGW 10.9

Sketches from the Life of Paul became popular among our people, and sold well for twelve or thirteen years. Then the manager of Review and Herald asked Mrs. White’s consent to their printing another edition. She was in Australia closing her work on the life of Christ, and hoped to soon begin writing on the Acts of the Apostles. Therefore, she replied, “Do not print another edition of Sketches from the Life of Paul. I have much to write on the Acts of the Apostles which will make a book to take its place.”BSRWEGW 11.1

It was after this decision of Mrs. White’s not to reprint Sketches from the Life of Paul, that she was informed that a letter had been received by the Review and Herald from the T. Y. Crowell Publishing Company of Boston asking regarding their plans for the reprinting of this book. This letter was written in a kindly spirit. It contained no threats of prosecution, nor any complaints as to plagiarism from Conybeare and Howson’s Life and Epistles of the Apostle Paul. Reply was made that further editions were not contemplated and there the correspondence closed.BSRWEGW 11.2

How Mrs. White Regarded Her Books

The Case in Brief