Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 3 (1876 - 1882)

Lt 26, 1876

White, J. S.

Oakland, California

May 14, 1876

Portions of this letter are published in 3Bio 35.

Dear Husband:

We received your letters to myself, Willie, Edson, and Mary. I have read them all over carefully. I think I can probably get my book out in time to attend [the] Minnesota camp meeting, if my health is good so that I can write a portion of each day. I am not willing to leave my writing before the matter for this book is all written, if I do at all. 3LtMs, Lt 26, 1876, par. 1

Yesterday, I spoke to the people in Oakland with great power—the plainest, the most direct I have ever spoken to them. I expected then they would not respond but deep feeling was in the meeting; and [at] the conference meeting following, there were prompt testimonies borne accepting the testimony given. They said they saw things as they had never seen before. Cochran felt deeply. Said he saw the mistakes of his life. He must have a thorough conversion. 3LtMs, Lt 26, 1876, par. 2

Brother and Sister Rickey both spoke well, decidedly to the point. Brother Montrose spoke better than I ever heard him. Brother and Sister Kime spoke well. Sister Baker spoke well; also her son. He is pure wheat I think. All the church felt the word spoken. It cut close. I asked them if their unbelief should drive the servants of God from the coast, what reckoning would they give in the days of accounts? I told them their course was like the people who prayed Jesus to depart out of the coast because financial loss was feared if he remained. 3LtMs, Lt 26, 1876, par. 3

Brethren Kime and Rickey are getting Spirit of Prophecy [volumes] and becoming interested in them. I see many tokens for good in Oakland and San Francisco. In Santa Rosa, Sister Hagar made a most thorough confession to the church, stating how she had felt what she had written you and how wrong it was. She made clean work of the matter. She was very much broken down. When she got through, she said she had not felt as free for three years. 3LtMs, Lt 26, 1876, par. 4

Mary and I are doing our utmost to get off our writings. We thought we might get my book written in four weeks, and if it is thought best for us to be at the Minnesota camp meeting, [we] will be there. Once we thought we would drop everything just where it is and go to the Kansas meeting. Not that I have any special light, but with the idea that I could write some while attending the meetings. We wrote a dispatch to send, that we would meet you the 22nd of May at Baldwin City; but Mary and I felt so badly about it afterwards, we concluded to wait four weeks. Mary said she would write day and night to complete the book and she hated to go to camp meetings, but if the book was done, she would not say another word against going then. But if we were not to stay here four weeks, she would rather go at once and see her mother, and she would remain at home and write while her mother and I attended camp meeting. But I feel badly about leaving my writing. I have been broken off so many times. I hope to have the work done, or nearly completed, in four weeks. If it is thought best for us to remain here this summer and you feel all right about it, I should prefer to remain, feeling that my books are really more important than what I might do at the camp meetings. 3LtMs, Lt 26, 1876, par. 5

Mary is thoroughly contented at Oakland, but we decided, taking all things into account, to leave here to be at the Minnesota camp meeting. You say in your letters, Stay, if you feel free in writing; then you throw in remarks to neutralize this statement so just what is for the best all around, I am at loss to determine. 3LtMs, Lt 26, 1876, par. 6

In haste. 3LtMs, Lt 26, 1876, par. 7

Do not put in the paper appointments for me, for I may see my duty clear to remain and write. I feel badly, indeed, about crossing the plains. I had rather by all means remain and improve my time in writing. When all is written then my burden is off. 3LtMs, Lt 26, 1876, par. 8