Loma Linda Messages

W. C. White to J. A. Burden, Aug. 5, 1907

Sanitarium, Calif., August 5, 1907. LLM 223.1

Elder J. A. Burden,
Loma Linda, California. LLM 223.2

Dear Brother:— LLM 223.3

In my letter written to Dr. C. C. Nicola, August 2, after telling him that Mother had permitted me to read his letters to her and her letter to him and referring to your letter in which you spoke of meeting the Doctor at College View, I told him that I had heard from Elder Reaser that your Board had invited him to come to Loma Linda, and then wrote as follows: LLM 223.4

“A few days ago I heard in a roundabout way that Dr. Paulson had secured your services for a time at Hinsdale, and that you and Mrs. Nicola would soon go there to take charge of the work for a time while Dr. Paulson is in the lecture field. LLM 223.5

“I am somewhat acquainted with the Hinsdale Sanitarium; I never miss a chance to visit it, for I am deeply interested in its progress and in watching development of the plans which Brethren Paulson and Sadler have had in mind regarding making it an educational center where the true simplicity of our work may be maintained and where the old-time spirit of genuine medical missionary work which for many years was such a prominent feature of the work at the Battle Creek Sanitarium, might be developed along lines in perfect harmony with our evangelical work. LLM 223.6

“I wish I could visit you this afternoon and have an hour's talk with you about the great work that lies before us in training nurses to be true evangelists so that they may go forth and carry on the work in accordance with the commission which Christ (392) gave to His disciples in Matthew 10. In a little tract which we sent out a few weeks ago, entitled, The Strengthening of Our Institutions and a Plea for Medical Missionary Evangelists, we copied a very few of the many things which Mother has written during the last few years on this subject. LLM 223.7

“I am confident that there is a work just before us in which our schools, our sanitariums, and our conferences will unite in a strong successful effort to train our young people for this line of work, and I know that we need to select a few of our strongest institutions and provide them with a group of teachers who feel a burden for this work and who will teach it to a class of nurses in our sanitariums, to the students in our schools, and to the conference employees in the field. LLM 223.8

“Loma Linda was given to us in a miraculous way, and the instruction given to Mother over and over again has been that the Lord brought this place within our reach as a center from which we were to do genuine evangelistic work for the cities and villages of the San Bernardino Valley, and also as a place where we were to train home and foreign missionaries to go forth and do genuine medical missionary evangelical work. LLM 223.9

“At the Loma Linda school last winter a good beginning was made, and the work has been carried forward during the spring and summer by Dr. Lillie Wood-Starr and several very efficient nurses. Just recently the interest in San Bernardino aroused by this work was found to warrant the renting of a house and the establishment of a nurses' home or medical mission in that city. It is hoped that this work may be carried forward until we have a strong work established in Redlands, Riverside, and other places. This work will prove an inestimable blessing to the (393) people of these cities and its establishment will be giving experience to workers who may afterward be called to distant fields. LLM 224.1

“Prof. Howell who took an active part in the educational work last winter, has been called to Greece. During the coming winter we desire to see the work greatly strengthened, and if we strengthen the work we must have a strong faculty. Some of our brethren in southern Calif. are not acquainted with you, but Mother and I who know you, and Elder Cottrell with whom you have labored so many years, are very desirous that you should come to Loma Linda. Elder Cottrell was very hearty in his desire that you should come to California; in fact, all our people here who know you are united in this matter and those who do not know you personally are ready to accept our views regarding this matter and join us in inviting you to come. LLM 224.2

“But what about the work in Hinsdale? Is it not an important work? Certainly it is. But Hinsdale has strong educators in the Drs. Paulson and the Drs. Sadler, whereas in our work here on the Pacific Coast we are lacking in physicians who are educators and who can take the lead in such a place as Loma Linda. LLM 224.3

“I know nothing of what the Hinsdale Sanitarium is able to pay you or how you will look upon the proposition made by our people of Southern Calif.; but this I do know, that our work here can afford to pay you what is necessary and right and that if you will come to the Coast and connect yourself with the work and give our brethren an opportunity to become acquainted with your value and ability as a worker that you will receive as liberal consideration as in any other part of the country. LLM 224.4

“Please write me as soon as possible on receipt of this letter, telling me where you are and about your work and (394) future plans. If you have bound yourself to labor for a time in Hinsdale, tell me for how long; and if it would be possible to secure a release in case you become satisfied that you are more needed here on the Coast. LLM 224.5

“I shall send a copy of this letter to Hinsdale and a copy to Melrose, thinking that you may have been detained in the East or that you may be now in Chicago. LLM 224.6

“With kindest regards, and hoping to hear from you soon, I am LLM 224.7

Yours very truly, W. C. White.

P.S. Elder Burden:— LLM 225.1

After writing the above to Dr. Nicola, I wrote to Dr. Paulson, telling him of Mother's interest that Dr. Nicola should come to California and asking him to plan to release the Drs. Nicola. I will quote you from the letters as follows: LLM 225.2

“Mother feels that it would be a blessing for our work in S. Calif. for the Drs. Nicola to connect with it, and she feels very confident that it would be a blessing to them to connect with the workers at Loma Linda. LLM 225.3

“Therefore, I request you to do one of the most difficult things that the Bible suggests to us where it says, ‘Look not every man upon his own things, but every man upon the things of others.’ I request you to accept Mother's burden in behalf of Brother and Sister Nicola and her clear conviction that they ought to be connected with the work at Loma Linda as a reason why you should close your eyes to your own interests which you can see and feel, and open your heart to the interest of the (395) work on the Pacific Coast with which you are not so well acquainted and encourage them to respond to Mother's call and to the call of our brethren in S. Calif. at as early as you can reasonably arrange.” LLM 225.4

I think that when you write to them it would be well to give them some intimation of the work which we expect will be done at Loma Linda without presenting it in any way as a rival of the work done in the East. Some day the lord will help us to understand that there is a great work to be done in many places and that the building up of one place does not necessarily cast reflection upon the work in other places. LLM 225.5

Yours very truly, W. C. White. LLM 225.6

Dear Brother Burden:— LLM 225.7

Since writing the foregoing, I have received from you a copy of your letter to Dr. C. C. Nicola, dated August 2, and Mother has received a very nice letter from Dr. Mary B. Nicola in which she tells us that she has accepted work for a time at Hinsdale in place of Dr. Mary Paulson. She also tells us that Dr. Nicola is just now in New York State, doing some operations for Dr. Otis. LLM 225.8

Mrs. Nicola says that her only desire is to be in the place where the Lord wants her, and her letter indicated that they will consider with candor our propositions regarding Southern Calif. She feels that her husband ought not to take up work in a place where the care and anxiety will break him down, and it may be well for us to point out to them that at Loma Linda the financial burdens do not come heavily upon the physician. LLM 225.9

Yours in haste, W. C. White. LLM 225.10

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