Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 15 (1900)

Lt 153, 1900

White, J. E.; White, Emma

Crystal Springs, St. Helena, California

November 20, 1900

Previously unpublished.

Dear Children Edson and Emma:

I would be pleased to hear from you. I like to have you drop me a line occasionally, to say what you are doing. Is the matter of The Gospel Primer satisfactorily settled? Yesterday I signed my name to a written document which gave you the right to revise and publish this book. Previous to this, I had thought that everything was securely arranged. We hope that this last statement will be all-sufficient for your purpose, without any drawback. 15LtMs, Lt 153, 1900, par. 1

I am rather brain-weary. I have not had the rest I ought to have had, but with care I hope to avoid a breakdown and time of suffering. 15LtMs, Lt 153, 1900, par. 2

Last Sabbath, with Sister Peck, Sara, and her nephew, I rode to Calistoga. For several days soft showers had been falling, and on Sabbath they were still falling, so we took the covered carriage which came with the place. I find this a very easy carriage to ride in, but it is difficult for me to get in and out of. It had been used only a little. 15LtMs, Lt 153, 1900, par. 3

I was surprised to find at Calistoga a church of sixty-five members. Some outsiders were present. There was a stove near the door, and the pipe ran the whole length of the room to the back of the building. The room was very hot, and I soon began to feel the heat in my brain. I was unable to think, and I came near falling to the floor. The windows and doors were opened, and this brought some relief, but I have not yet entirely recovered. It was just as I was reading my text that the heat nearly prostrated me, but the Lord strengthened me to speak. I told the people that it was a mistake to have a fire in a small meetinghouse when all present wore outside wraps and the weather was not so very cold. 15LtMs, Lt 153, 1900, par. 4

I see that I must avoid sitting in rooms heated by steam coils or stoves. This being the case, how could I cross the continent in midwinter, when the cars are all heated, to attend a conference in Battle Creek. I dare not venture to do such a thing. The air I breathe must be vital. If the vitality is consumed by heat, the air is not life-giving. 15LtMs, Lt 153, 1900, par. 5

I am going to Healdsburg today. A general meeting is to be held there, and I must not disappoint the people, who will come from all parts of the surrounding country to the meeting. But this must be my last appointment for meetings at any distance from my home till the winter is over. 15LtMs, Lt 153, 1900, par. 6

I am fully satisfied with my home. I expect my farmer, Brother James, to come to us soon from Australia, to take charge of my place. We received a cable from him, saying that he had a chance to sell his place, and asking us to cable if we wished him to come. Some weeks before we had written him to come, and as he would receive our letters a few days after he sent his message, there was no need for us to cable. I wish Brother James were here now, but we shall see him soon. Then he will take charge of my place. 15LtMs, Lt 153, 1900, par. 7

I have lately bought another place, of one hundred and twenty acres, on which there is a fairly good cottage and two small outbuildings. The house has six rooms, two of which are quite good. A third, the dining room, is wainscoted to a distance of four feet from the floor with good timber, and is ceiled. This room is fifteen by fifteen. The kitchen is somewhat out of repair. Near the kitchen is one of the small outbuildings mentioned before. There is a very large tank, into which water will have to be pumped from the well. The well is only eighteen feet deep, but can be developed. In the orchard there are one hundred and sixty trees, prunes, peaches, apples, and cherries. 15LtMs, Lt 153, 1900, par. 8

For this place I paid five hundred and fifty dollars. The buildings are estimated as worth this amount, so I really got the land free. There is on this place enough timber to pay for it. We shall reserve this place for some family who can be of use in the work here. Many of our people will soon see the necessity of moving out of the cities with their families. 15LtMs, Lt 153, 1900, par. 9

I am well satisfied with this place. For a long time I have had it in mind to buy such a place when the opportunity came. It is our duty, from a humane as well as a religious standpoint, to make provision when opportunity offers, for the preservation of the physical and spiritual health of the faithful servants of the cross of Christ. 15LtMs, Lt 153, 1900, par. 10

I write you these particulars that you may know what we are doing. I have just made a bargain to sell the olives on my trees for fifty dollars per ton. Those who made the purchase will pick the fruit. The olives are small, and the gathering is no small job. 15LtMs, Lt 153, 1900, par. 11

I am praying that the Lord will give you health and strength for your Southern work. I find that I must be careful of my health and strength. Yesterday and last night I thought I would have a good excuse for not going to Healdsburg. The wind was blowing, and the clouds hung so heavily that I thought I must be presumptuous in making the journey. But this morning I see that I shall have to go, for the stars are shining. I have not slept since one o’clock. I had a few letters to write before starting for Healdsburg. 15LtMs, Lt 153, 1900, par. 12

I hope that you will be careful of your health. I hope you will have increased health in your new Southern home. Please tell me what you have found of my goods in Battle Creek. I hope you found something. Sister Hall wrote me, in response to a letter I sent her, that she would do her best to get things together. I hope you will be comfortable, and I wish you to be careful. The Lord has a work for you to do, and it is the duty of you both to relate yourselves to this work in such a way that you will not endanger your health and life. 15LtMs, Lt 153, 1900, par. 13

As yet I hardly know what to expect in regard to the conference. Dr. Kellogg, I think, will try hard to change the time, so that it can be held in Battle Creek. 15LtMs, Lt 153, 1900, par. 14