Ellen G. White: The Later Elmshaven Years: 1905-1915 (vol. 6)

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Chapter 9—1907—At Home and in the Field

The year 1907 proved to be a fairly good year for Ellen White in the advancement of her literary work. There was some travel, but all within California. The work on the preparation of books was interspersed with speaking appointments, interviews, and correspondence, and with visions of the night sometimes given to meet crisis situations. It was the year of Ellen White's shortest testimony. 6BIO 118.1

New Year's Day at Elmshaven dawned clear, bright, and warm after several days of rain. But long before darkness gave way to the sunrise, Ellen White was up and writing, aroused from her sleep by a vision regarding the sanitariums in southern California, and some of the problems developing in the newly opened work at Paradise Valley and Loma Linda. 6BIO 118.2

Her cheery words of greeting, wishing members of her family a happy new year, made it clear that she was of good courage that Tuesday morning, and after breakfast she continued the writing out of the counsels and cautions imparted to her in the early-morning vision. 6BIO 118.3

It was a normal workday in the office. W. C. White had devoted Monday to letter writing, trying to catch up after a trip east. He continued on New Year's Day, and in a letter to his close friend, Arthur Daniells, he described what was going on (32 WCW, p. 619). Helen Graham was taking his dictation. Clarence Crisler, who had been gathering materials from Ellen White's writings regarding the work in the Southern States in anticipation of an E.G. White book devoted to that topic, was now assembling her writings on Ezra for a series of Review articles. The Sabbath school lessons for the first quarter of 1907 were on the book of Ezra, and it was hoped these articles would provide collateral reading. 6BIO 118.4

The task was larger than anticipated, and while the preliminary material on Nehemiah was printed in the Review in March and April, it was not until January and February, 1908, that the five articles on Ezra were published. But the eighteen articles on this phase of Old Testament history were steps in the preparation of Prophets and Kings. 6BIO 119.1

Dores Robinson was transcribing his notes taken on Sister White's talks in Oakland. Later in the day, W. C. White discussed with him the proposal of assembling her materials on Melrose Sanitarium for publication in a pamphlet as one of the numbers of the Series B Special Testimonies. Problems were developing there, and church leaders felt if such a pamphlet were widely circulated, it would be helpful. The sixteen-page document eventually appeared as Special Testimonies, Series B, No. 13. 6BIO 119.2

Two of the women secretaries, Maggie Hare and Minnie Hawkins, both from Australia, were collecting materials on Ellen White's experiences in Europe and Australia. 6BIO 119.3

Later in January the California Conference session would be held in San Jose, and it seemed desirable to present there Ellen White's counsel on the tithe and its use. On that New Year's Day, plans were laid for Dores Robinson to assemble the material, first to be read at the conference session, then published in a pamphlet and eventually in Testimonies, volume 9, a book then in preparation. 6BIO 119.4

Ellen White did not attend the San Jose meeting but the material assembled, amplified by her document titled “Faithful Stewardship,” was read. Later this was published in a thirty-two-page pamphlet titled The Support of God's Kingdom on Earth. Her article on “Faithful Stewardship” was brought into volume 9, filling pages 245-252. 6BIO 119.5

Sara McEnterfer was searching the writings, published and unpublished, to find answers to questions submitted in correspondence from church members. This was a phase of work Ellen White could not give time and strength to, and was one of Sara's continuing assignments. Helen Graham helped her when she could. 6BIO 119.6

Several members of the Wessels family of South Africa, including Mother Wessels, who had liberally helped the Avondale school with her means, were visiting northern California. They were entertained in the W. C. White home, and, of course, spent some time at Elmshaven (32 WCW, pp. 620-622). 6BIO 120.1