Welfare Ministry

Mrs. White Retained Broad Sympathies Throughout Life

Drawn Out to President McKinley's Widow—I am not able to sleep past two o'clock A.M. I am awakened often at one o'clock at night with my heart drawn out in tender sympathy for the bereaved wife of President McKinley. One is taken and the other left. The strong one upon whose large affections she could ever lean, is not. While he was in health, fulfilling the duties of his office, an apparently friendly hand was extended, which President McKinley was ready to grasp. That Judas hand held a pistol and shot the President. Amid scenes of pleasant life and enjoyment came sorrow and sadness and suffering and woe. How could he do this terrible murderous action? WM 338.1

My heart is in deep sympathy for the one who is left. I have been repeating over and over, Oh, how short come all words of human sympathy. There are thousands that would speak words to relieve if possible the breaking heart, but they do not understand how feeble are words to comfort the bereaved one, who in her feebleness ever found a human heart in her husband, full of tenderness and compassion and love. The strong human arm upon which the frail suffering wife leaned, is not. WM 338.2

I do not wish that our sister should have less regret and less love for the faithful husband, but that she should now look to her best Friend, One whose love has been expressed to her all her life. I would speak to her the words of Isaiah 61:1-3: “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me; because the Lord hath anointed Me to preach good tidings unto the meek; He hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the Spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord.”—Diary, 1901. WM 338.3

Ministering to Aged War Veterans—At one time I had some remnants of books and some complete volumes of Sabbath Readings stored somewhere in Battle Creek. Please ask Brother Amadon to make diligent search for all these things, and to send to me.... WM 339.1

We can use the small volumes of Sabbath Readings and other works to good advantage in orphans’ homes and in many other places where these little books will be highly valued. We could use some of them in the Soldiers’ Home at Yountville, where many hundreds of old soldiers are provided for in large government buildings. We are giving these men every attention possible. Every other Sabbath a party from the sanitarium and the St. Helena churches visits them, to sing religious hymns and to speak to them. They are interested in these meetings, and seem delighted with everything that our people do for them. WM 339.2

We are sending papers to these soldiers and have placed in their library copies of my works, Christ's Object Lessons, and some larger books of mine. Many of these men are intelligent. Our brethren and sisters are working this field, and we hope to do much more for the soldiers than we have yet done. Sometimes a talk—a short, pointed, Bible sermon—is given them, and they listen with intense interest. The gospel songs, the short prayer, and the good talk, taken together, seem to be just what is needed to interest the old men. They say, “We never have had any such work as this done for us before!” WM 339.3

We desire to keep books and papers circulating among these soldiers. Please help us all you can along this line by gathering together something for them to read—books and papers full of Bible truth.—Letter 96, 1903. WM 339.4