Ellen G. White and Her Critics

7. Uriah Smith’s Statement

Uriah Smith joined the staff of the Review in the early 1850’s. Canright, who left the Seventh-day Adventist ministry in 1887, stated that in 1883 he received a letter from Smith in which Smith declared that he had not seen a copy of A Word to the “Little Flock” since the 1850’s. This is supposed to show how effectively the little tract had been suppressed—not even the editor had seen a copy in about thirty years. EGWC 276.2

Reference to the files of the Review reveals that in 1866 Smith ran a series entitled “The Visions—Objections Answered.” In it are found several references to this tract in terms of specific pages and quotations. For example, in the issue of July 31, 1866, he comments thus on the source of a quotation: “This is based on language found in Word to the Little Flock, p. 19, as follows.” Then he gives the text of the passage. Further in this July 31 issue he says: “Those who have the Word to the Little Flock, and can read it for themselves, will notice ...” An editor would not speak thus to his subscribers if he had any reason to think that the tract had disappeared or been suppressed. EGWC 276.3