Manuscripts and Memories of Minneapolis

A. O. Tait to E. G. White, Oct. 7, 1895

INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS LIBERTY ASSOCIATION
OFFICES:
271 West Main Sr., Battle Creek Mich.
12th and Castle Sts., Oakland. Cal.
185 Dearborn St., Room 7 Chicago. Ill.
43 Bond St., New York City.
48 Paternoster Row, London., Eng
Battle Creek, Mich., U. S. A.
FROM A. O. TAIT
Oct. 7, 1895.
To Eld. W. C. White,
“Norfolk Villa,” Prospect St., Granville,
N. S. W., Australia.
Dear Brother:—

Your letter of Sep. 2, was duly received by the last Australian mail, and I wish to assure you, my brother, that while it was not more than half as long as I would have liked, yet I was more than glad to get it. And I hope that hereafter you will not be under the necessity of waiting until the mail is so near its close, but that you will begin, say two weeks before its close, to write me in regard to such matters as you think might be helpful to me in my work here. MMM 294.1

I note what you say in regard to the I. T. S. having purchased the various libraries and tracts and pamphlets of the denomination. Especially, was I interested in what you had to say in regard to having our publications revised, and brought up to the standard of the message as presented from the desk at the present time. You suggest that Elds Jones, Prescott, and Waggoner should be encouraged to set apart three or four months each year to working up some of these new tracts and pamphlets and booklets. I have thought of this same idea, and have suggested it a number of times, but you know, Bro. White, that there is quite a strong element on the Book Committee, that as soon as a manuscript is presented’ from one of these persons mentioned, they are ready to vote against it without giving it examination. And while I can see difficulties in the way of having so much work placed in the hands of the I. T. S. as you suggest, yet, I will tell you, Bro. White, that the management of the I. T. S. does not cut nearly such a figure in this matter of bringing out new publications and revising old ones as does the Book Committee. MMM 294.2

Now so far as the matter is concerned of having new publication gotten out by; these brethren, before a great deal can be done in that line, it will be absolutely necessary to have our Book Committee quite thoroughly worked over. For instance, a member of the Book Committee who has more or less influence, the other day told me very exultingly that when the testimony was sent to Bro. Jones in regard to Annie Rice, that he “was glad to see that Jones element getting a whack on the shout? And of course, when he feels that way toward a brother, he would not naturally be very favorably inclined toward his manuscript. And the feeling that is thus manifested toward Bro. Jones, is quite as deeply, if not more deeply manifested toward Bro. Prescott, and Waggoner is classed in with the lot. MMM 294.3

I will tell you, Bro. White, frankly, that there are quite a number of men in Battle Creek yet, who do not see light in this blessed truth in regard to the righteousness of Christ that has been coming to us as a flood of blessing ever since the Minneapolis General Conference. I found that doctrine just the food that my poor soul needed, there at Minneapolis, and I was converted at that meeting, and have been rejoicing in the light of it ever since. And now it is coming that a great many have a theory in regard to the righteousness of Christ, the same as they have a theory upon many other questions of present truth, but the righteousness of Christ, Bro. White, is not a theory to the real Christian, but it is a blessed reality that comes into his life, and its influences continually refine and soften him and make him like the Master, and the experience of this truth is what is lacking on the part of so many, and they do not treat each other as brethren and as the purchase of the blood of Christ. So it seems to me that there is a barrier in our Book Committee to any very great progress in the lines of getting out these tracts and pamphlets that you refer to by these brethren. Why, it was only the day before yesterday, Bro. White, that the Chairman of the Book Committee in apologizing to me for the rejection of a manuscript from Bro. Jones, stated in Just so many words, that there was such a prejudice against him on the part of the members of the Book Committee who are acting here in Battle Creek, that it was just about impossible to get one of his manuscripts passed through. MMM 294.4

Now the Book Committee, you know, is a creature of the General Conference, and it is no more related to one publishing house or publishing department, than to another, and the Book Committee is claiming morel and more of the censorship of the press, so far as our tracts, pamphlets, and books are concerned. I have contended right straight along, and am contending still, that as long as the I. T. S. or any of the rest of our publishing houses are getting out tracts and pamphlets, and as long as the Book Committee hangs over this manuscript as a kind of incubus, and refuses to act, or to allow anyone else to act, that the publishing houses should take the matter into their own hands and go ahead with the work MMM 295.1

I tell you, Bro. White, I am completely tired of having men hang back in the traces, and retard the progress of this message, and my voice will ever be raised against it. When the I. R. L. A. was publishing the I. R. L. A. tracts, our I. R. L. A. Board had the authority to go ahead and publish with all freedom, and we circulated millions of these tracts. There was quite a little kicking about it on the part of some of the members of the Book Committee, and particularly those who were opposed to the manuscript of Jones, Prescott, and some of these others being published, but we kept right straight on with our business, nevertheless. MMM 295.2

I know that some of the religious liberty tracts were gotten out without having all the editorial care that they should have had, but nevertheless, they got out, and we have positive proof that many have been led to embrace the truth as the result. MMM 295.3

Now, Bro. White, if it should seem at any time that some of our publications are being retarded, and we are not getting out as many of these tracts and pamphlets as we should, do not charge it up to the I. T. S. exclusively, but know that we have many elements here to contend against, and it is difficult for us sometimes, to so fit in with them as. to bring out what is needed. Now I am not writing this to find fault with the Book Committee by any means, because I think it is perfectly proper the Book Committee was doing what it should do, and what it was appointed to do. I understand that the Book Committee was organized to revise and perfect our literature, and to get hold of manuscript for new publications, and in this way increase and improve our literature, but in place of doing its legitimate work in these lines, it devolves upon our publishing houses to hunt around among our authors and get the manuscript that we think should be published, and then after we get this manuscript we place it in the hands of the Book Committee and it hangs a along month after month, and finally will receive an adverse decision because of some little technical points of justification by faith or something of that kind that some member of the Book Committee finds obnoxious to him. MMM 295.4

Now it may be that I am painting this matter a little too a strong, but I do not believe that I am. And I wish to say to you right here, that I am writing this matter to you quite freely, and therefore confidentially, and while I am not at all averse to taking my stand again at such things at proper times, I am simply giving you these facts, that you may have them for what they care worth to you, but do not care that I should be repeated in the matter as having written them to you. I am endeavoring to exert my influence directly here, against these matters. In fact a few months ago, they tied up a whole lot of our manuscript, and it was absolutely necessary for us to get out some new numbers of our libraries or else lose the right to continue their publication without having them re-entered, and I told the Book Committee very plainly, that if they did not get down to business and do something, that the I. T. S. proposed to see if there was not some other process by which we could get hold of manuscript, and since that little talk, they have been doing some better. MMM 295.5

Now what I have said in regard to the Book Committee, does not apply to the Committee as a whole by any means. And various members of h the Committee have various degrees of antipathy in their minds against those brethren who are leading out in the presentation of the doctrine of the righteousness of Christ. These difficulties do not in the least degree discourage me, because I can see how that God out of it all, can work out good. But I thought it was no more than proper that you should have something of an idea in regard to how things stood. MMM 296.1

[Selection ends here.] MMM 296.2