Manuscripts and Memories of Minneapolis

S. N. Haskell to E. G. White, Jun. 30, 1893

You speak of Brother Smith, or course I am not there much and so cannot say much in reference to him. While at B. C. there were two or three interviews with the leading brethren. Such as Oleson, Kellogg the Doctor, Prescott, Loughborough, Smith &C. one of these was very profitable. They were to see how near we could get together or how near we beloved alike on the theme of Justification and Righteousness by faith &C. It rather appeared to me that much of the difficulty arose from a misunderstanding of terms, and some younger men being quite officious in acting an unwise part on points where there was a difference of faith and feeling. Of course brother Smith has a way of justifying himself in saying what he did in the paper from his stand point. I do not think that such a thing will ever occur again. And hardly think it would at that time had there been more of a feeling of friendliness in talking over matters. But he had a feeling that there was a disposition to put into papers what ever they pleased without any consultation with him and so they did and so to defend himself or to sate what to believed was right in the matter justified him in doing it &C. What you wrote to Brother Jones and Smith I think has settled any such a move again. I had great hopes that brother Smith would get out free but some how he did not as far as I know while I was at B. C. But it appears to me he will for I cannot see how that any one that has had any part or so prominent a part as he and Butler has in the past in the work will fail to see and come up to all the advance steps as the work progresses. It is not always that those who are now coming on the stage of action, and God is using, fully appreciates the feelings of some of the older hands and their course to the oldest hands appears different from what is intended. Then when these older ones are blinded by Satan and makes some wrong moves and are not fully in harmony with the real advance steps to have some young man who have not passed through the work or earlier times tell them that they are behind and do not know the work or the voice of God [original illegible] they do not feel quite as comfortable over it as though older ones would have told them. This in some respects represents Brother Smiths course and case. I think the more the older hands get acquainted with Brother Jones the more of a feeling of harmony there is with him and his positions. So what I have said some young men &C I have reference to W. A. Colcord in particular and others outside of Elder Jones.

I have felt since the Lord has blessed me with his spirit more felt to write to some of these individuals and being armed with so much that you have sent me direct it has helped me. I have great sympathy for them for had it not have been for your letters to me, what and where I would have been the Lord only knows. The disciples of John could not appreciate the experience of the disciples of Christ. And the Saviour acknowledges it in the parables of sewing new cloth on an old garment and putting new wine in old bottles but what we need who are so slow is new bottles. And when the Saviour makes us over new then we can begin to appreciate some of these things more then we otherwise could. I write this from my own standpoint. I still need your prayers and personal letters whenever the Lord has any thing for you to say to me, and I think that will be appreciated as much as in the past year and that is more then ever before in the world. For I see more to appreciate in them. MMM 262.1

[Selection ends here.] MMM 262.2