Ellen White: Woman of Vision

En Route To Battle Creek

The travel schedule called for the party to spend Sunday night on the train en route to Nashville via Memphis. Reaching Memphis in the morning, they found that a meeting had been arranged for 9:00 (16 WCW, p. 300). WV 381.5

Leaving Memphis at 1:00 they arrived at Nashville at 8:30. Edson, who had hurried on ahead, was at the station with his wife, Emma, when the train pulled in! He had brought what was called the “Gospel Wagon” to pick up the party (Ibid.). They were to have two days in Nashville, with the time divided between inspecting the work that was being done there and a convention of the Southern Missionary Society. WV 381.6

Tuesday morning they climbed into the “Gospel Wagon,” 14 in all, and Edson conducted a tour of the Adventist work in Nashville (Ibid.). This included the printing establishment, which later grew into the Southern Publishing Association, treatment rooms for the Blacks, and the treatment rooms for Whites, operated by Louis Hanson and his wife. WV 381.7

At the meetings of the Southern Missionary Society Ellen White spoke strongly in favor of the establishment of an industrial school near Nashville. WV 381.8

She “gave a straight testimony upon this point, bringing out clearly the need of such schools, and in regard to other lines of work in the South. She also spoke about the necessity of our people arousing to the needs of this field, which has been so long neglected” (Gospel Herald Supplement, March 1901). WV 382.1

The party left Nashville on another night journey, arriving in Chicago at WV 382.2

10 :00 Thursday morning, March 21. With the tenuous condition of Mrs. White's health when they left Nashville, no meetings were scheduled in Chicago. The general plan was that if she was able to do so, they would spend Thursday in Chicago and go on to Battle Creek on Thursday evening or Friday morning.

The Chicago visit was indeed an interesting one for Ellen White (Manuscript 29, 1902). In visions the work in Chicago had been opened up to her. On the basis of these visions she had written encouraging words and had sounded warnings of the perils of a disproportionate work. Such endeavors would funnel too large a percentage of available funds into a work that was good in itself but that would yield only a limited fruitage. WV 382.3

The church's medical school, the American Medical Missionary College, had been started in 1895 with its clinical division in Chicago. She was deeply interested in this undertaking to train physicians within the church's educational and medical structure. WV 382.4

The train arrived late in Chicago, but they found a number of workers waiting to meet them. Ellen White was urged to remain over and speak on Sabbath, which she consented to do. When she was told that the medical workers in Chicago would like to hear from her, she also consented to speak at the medical school to students, helpers, and patients. She was pleased when it was suggested that she might have a hydrotherapy treatment at the sanitarium's branch at 33rd Place. Miss S. M. Gallion, a youthful Battle Creek Sanitarium nurse, gave her an hour of bath and massage. WV 382.5

Sabbath morning Ellen White spoke with freedom to a congregation of about 650 (16 WCW, p. 307). Looking back later, she wrote, “It was only by the Lord's help that I was enabled to do this work, for I was weary from traveling, and was not free from pain for a moment” (Manuscript 29, 1902). WV 382.6