There is no extant word from Ellen White, or even her son William, that marked the beginning of the new year as 1911 dawned. Her eighty-third birthday on November 26--a few weeks before--makes a better milestone for marking the passing of another year. She was glad it came on Sabbath, for she wrote in her diary, "This gives me a most excellent opportunity to reflect upon the goodness and mercies of God to spare my life so many years to engage heartily in the work which He has given me to do."--Manuscript 60, 1910. The fall weather had been pleasant, and on this Sabbath she wrote to Edson in words of gratitude:
I am more thankful than I can express for the uplifting of the Spirit of the Lord, and for the strength that He gives me. Recently I spoke at the Pacific Union College and in the Sanitarium chapel. On both occasions I had much freedom.
And then she quickly added:
But I dare not spend too much strength in public speaking, because I am trying to complete the manuscript for my unfinished book on Old Testament history. I have recently been able to do some important writing. May the Lord give me His grace, and enable me to understand the work He would have me carry forward in His name.--Letter 136, 1910.
On this, her birthday, no pessimism was evidenced as she viewed the church on its march toward a victorious reward. After quoting Zechariah 2, beginning with the words "Sing and rejoice, O daughter of Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the Lord" (verse 10), and carrying through most of chapter 3, she commented:
Nothing in this world is so dear to God as His church. With jealous care He guards those who seek Him. Nothing so offends God as for the servants of Satan to strive to rob His people of their rights. The Lord has not forsaken His people. Satan points to the mistakes that they have made, and tries to make them believe that thus they have separated themselves from God. Evil angels seek in every way to discourage those who are striving for victory over sin. They hold up before them their past unworthiness, and represent their case as hopeless.
But we have an all-powerful Redeemer. Christ came from heaven in the guise of humanity to live the principles of righteousness in this world. He was endowed with power to minister to all who would accept Him as their Redeemer, to succor the repentant ones who were convinced of the sinfulness of sin.-- Ibid.
Ellen White understood so well the issues and the bountiful provisions for salvation that there was no place in her mind for discouragement.
But she needed to get on with her writing, to fill out the books tracing the controversy between Christ and Satan--yet she needed one on Old Testament history and one on the early church and the apostles. Both were in preparation as December gave way to January. When, however, the staff at Elmshaven late in 1910 learned that the Sabbath school lessons for 1911 were to be on the early Christian church, the New Testament history took precedence. It was contemplated that materials in preparation, released week by week in Review and Herald articles, would serve as lesson helps.
But it was with somewhat divided attention that this new work was entered upon, for the final work on the new edition of The Great Controversy was still the first priority at Elmshaven and Pacific Press. The completion of this volume drew heavily on the time and talents of two members of the staff.
The Acts of the Apostles
For many years E. G. White articles had been furnished regularly to the Review and Herald, as well as Signs of the Times and Youth's Instructor. Selecting and assembling the E. G. White materials for these articles from sermons, general manuscripts, and other similar sources was the responsibility of Maggie Hare (now Mrs. Bree), an assistant of long experience in Ellen White's work. With emphasis to be given to New Testament history, Maggie was instructed to make an exhaustive study of the E. G. White sources to provide articles to parallel the 1911 Sabbath school lessons. Then the plan was that Clarence Crisler, as soon as the work on The Great Controversy was completed, would assemble materials on the life of Paul. He would take the 1883 E. G. White book Sketches From the Life of Paul as the foundation of this work. This book had been long out of print; Ellen White had been looking forward to the time when she could expand its presentation. Now Crisler would draw from this as well as from other E. G. White sources of the past twenty-five or more years.
Because Maggie, hard at work on the experiences of the early Christian church, became ill, the work was delayed; the deadline for copy for the January 5 issue of the Review, the time when the new series was to begin, was missed (WCW to F. M. Wilcox, January 17, 1911). But four weeks later the Review and Herald carried two articles in time to parallel current Sabbath school lessons.
Ellen White was much involved in the task, going over the materials as they were assembled, doing some editing and writing to fill in gaps. All of this was done with an eye on the full manuscript for the forthcoming book to be known as The Acts of the Apostles. On February 15 she wrote:
I am thankful that I can remain at home for a time, where I can be close to my helpers.... I have been very fully employed in the preparation of matter for the "Life of Paul." We are trying to bring out scriptural evidences of truth, and these, we believe, will be appreciated by our people.--Letter 4, 1911.
The work of article preparation and shaping up of chapters for the book manuscript proceeded well, as Ellen White devoted much of her writing ability to this task. April was consumed in a trip to Loma Linda, but in May she was back working on Acts (WCW to J. H. Behrens, May 21, 1911). On June 6, she reported that since her long trip in 1909 she had "written but few letters," and stated, "What strength I have is mostly given to the completion of my book on the work of the apostles."--Letter 30, 1911.
On July 25, in writing to F. M. Wilcox, editor of the Review and Herald, she said:
While preparing the book on the Acts of the Apostles, the Lord has kept my mind in perfect peace. This book will soon be ready for publication. When this book is ready for publication, if the Lord sees fit to let me rest, I shall say Amen, and Amen.
If the Lord spares my life, I will continue to write, and to bear my testimony in the congregation of the people, as the Lord shall give me strength and guidance.--Letter 56, 1911.
Her Review articles continued to appear in step with the Sabbath school lessons, but in mid-August they began to take on the form of finished book chapters, which indeed they were. Up to this point, most of the material in the articles went into The Acts of the Apostles chapters with some editing, some deletions, and some rearrangement of words. Through the rest of the year the articles and the book ran word for word.
On August 4, Ellen White reported in a letter to Edson:
My workers are busy completing the work to be done on the new book, The Acts of the Apostles. This we expect to close up very shortly.... My workers are continually bringing in chapters for me to read; and I lay aside my other work to do this.... This morning I have already read several chapters on the life of Paul.--Letter 60, 1911.
Four weeks later she again mentioned the book, this time in a letter to Elder Haskell:
My work on the book The Acts of the Apostles is nearly completed.--Letter 64, 1911.
It was a joyous day and one filled with satisfaction when Ellen White could write as she did on October 6 to Elder and Mrs. Haskell:
My book The Acts of the Apostles has gone to the press. Soon it will be printed and ready for circulation.
I feel more thankful than I can express for the interest my workers have taken in the preparation of this book, that its truths might be presented in the clear and simple language which the Lord has charged me never to depart from in any of my writings.--Letter 80, 1911.
The Acts of the Apostles was off the press and ready for sale in late November.
Depth of Ellen White Participation in Book Preparation
It was with satisfaction that Ellen White's staff noted her ability to engage actively in the preparation of book manuscripts at this late period in her life. Shortly after The Acts of the Apostles came from the press, W. C. White wrote of this to Elder L. R. Conradi, who headed the work of the church in Europe:
We are truly thankful that we have been enabled to gather together the principal parts of what Mother has written regarding the life and labors of the apostles....
You may be interested to know how we labored together in the preparation of the manuscript for the printer, and what part Mother has been able to take in the work.
At the beginning Mother took a very lively interest in planning about the new book. She instructed us to search through her manuscripts and her published articles in the Review, Signs, and other periodicals, and to gather together what she had written on the work and teachings of the apostles. The preliminary work took about five months of reading and research; then followed the work of selecting those articles and portions of articles and manuscripts which most clearly represented what she desired to say to all the people, both Adventists and members of other churches....
The burden of this work fell upon Brother C. C. Crisler, Mrs. Maggie Hare-Bree, and Miss Minnie Hawkins.
Day by day manuscripts were submitted to Mother for reading. To these she gave her first attention early in the morning when she was rested and her mind was fresh and she marked the manuscripts freely, interlining and adding words, phrases, and sentences to make the statements more clear and forceful, and these were passed back for a second copying.
As the work progressed, Mother would frequently give us instruction regarding points of importance and which she knew she had written and which she wished us to take special pains to search for in her writings. Sometimes this instruction was given to those who brought her the manuscripts in her room, and oftentimes after reading a few chapters or early in the forenoon after some important feature had been impressed upon her mind in night visions, she would come over to the office and talk the matter over with Brother Crisler.
One day when she was talking with him and me together, she said, "This book will be read by heathen in America and in other lands. Take pains to search out that which I have written regarding the work and teachings of St. Paul that will appeal to the heathen."
At another time she said, "This book will be read by the Jews. Take pains to use what I have written that will appeal to the Jews, and also that will appeal to our people as encouragement to work for the Jews."
And thus from time to time, she called our attention to the objects and aims that must be remembered in gathering from her writings that which would be most useful.--December 8, 1911.
Compared with Sketches from the Life of Paul
Clarence Crisler occasionally referred to the former book, Sketches From the Life of Paul, in selecting materials for The Acts of the Apostles. There had been some talk a few years earlier, particularly in and around Battle Creek, that Ellen White, in the preparation of her book, had plagiarized somewhat from The Life and Epistles of St. Paul. This was a book that had been jointly authored by British clergymen W. J. Conybeare and J. S. Howson and that several publishers in the United States had issued without copyright. While Ellen White had used some of the phraseology of the Conybeare and Howson book, particularly in historical description, there is no evidence that this was a matter of consideration in the work on the new book. W. C. White noted:
If you compare those chapters relating to the work of Paul with the old book, Sketches From the Life of Paul, you will observe that less room has been given to detailed descriptions of places and journeyings and that more room has been given to his teaching and the lessons to be drawn therefrom.-- Ibid.
Activities Other than Book Preparation
But perhaps we should get back to late winter and spring, for there were other things happening, some of them very important. First, a brief glimpse of things at Elmshaven. The year opened with mild weather, and on some days no fire was needed on the hearth. Mid-February brought frosty mornings; Ellen White wrote that "we can hardly keep warm, even with our fireplace packed with long, heavy chunks" (Letter 4, 1911), but one morning she was glad to report that "last night I slept more hours than usual" (Ibid.), and she thanked the Lord for restful sleep. March brought rains, night and day, but no heavy winds. The rains interfered with her daily carriage rides, to which she looked forward so much and on which she counted for relaxation (Letter 14, 1911).
Her heart was cheered when S. N. Haskell wrote from Madison, Tennessee, of the progress of the work at the school and little sanitarium located there. She responded:
I am much pleased to read your encouraging letter. You respond in words that vindicate all that I have expressed of the light given me concerning the location of a sanitarium in Madison.... This is very pleasant and acceptable to me.
Notwithstanding all the ideas that have been expressed, I have not had one doubt concerning the place the Lord directed for our school.... I thank the Lord that the light given me has proved the leadings of the Holy Spirit.--Letter 15, 1911.
In mid-March she commenced a course of treatments at St. Helena Sanitarium for suspected skin cancer. She explained:
For several weeks I took treatment with the X-ray for the black spot that was on my forehead. In all I took twenty-three treatments, and these succeeded in entirely removing the mark. For this I am very grateful.--Letter 30, 1911.
Trip to Southern California
On Thursday, March 30, Ellen White broke away from the work at Elmshaven. Taking with her Helen Graham, one of the secretaries, and Sara McEnterfer, her traveling companion and nurse, she set out for Loma Linda, where important meetings of the board were to be held early in April.
In a lighthearted letter to her longtime acquaintance and friend Mrs. G. A. Irwin she reported on good meetings and good food:
We had a pleasant journey and safe arrival at Loma Linda. Yesterday [Sunday] and today there have been heavy clouds, and we have had no sunshine. We hope the sun will soon shine, for it seems lonesome without the sunshine.
On Sabbath I spoke in the afternoon, and the Lord strengthened me. I shall speak again, perhaps tomorrow. There is quite a nice company here, and decisions are being made concerning the work. I think the Lord will guide the people who have gathered here to make right decisions.
They have excellent food here, strictly hygienic.--Letter 24, 1911.
Buy Land, Loma Linda, Buy Land!
There were seventy-six acres of land in the 1905 purchase of the Loma Linda property, twenty-three in the hill site and the remaining fifty-three in a strip of fertile valley land extending three fifths of a mile toward the railway. The hill land was half occupied by buildings, lawns, drives, et cetera; the other half was orchard. Of the valley land, a portion provided a site for barns, stables, vegetable garden, and three acres of apricot trees. The balance was in alfalfa, and there was land suitable for grain. Pressed as they were for money to meet the $40,000 purchase price, some looked hopefully to the sale of the valley land as building sites. When Ellen White heard of this, she urged that no land be sold.
None was sold. Elder J. A. Burden and others associated with him on the grounds felt there was a need of acquiring even more land for the institution. Within a few months, thirty acres just east was offered for something less than $100 an acre, and it was secured.
Shortly after this, Ellen White asked to see this land and was taken to the top of the Sanitarium building where she could view it. G. A. Irwin, board chairman, reported that she scanned it carefully for a time, and then remarked, "Well, we are thankful we have it."--The Unwise Use of Money and the Spirit of Speculation, 2.
Then she turned and looked to the north, to the land in the front of the Sanitarium that stretched to the railroad and Colton Avenue beyond. She waved her hand and declared: "The angel said, 'Get all of it.'" Somewhat startled, those with her reminded her of the financial difficulties experienced in securing what land they had, and she responded: "Well, we shall be thankful for what we have," and turned and went to her room. The brethren pondered just what was included in the words of the angel, "Get all of it."
The land north of the institution was in several tracts: one, of 150 acres, was held at $18,000; another, of fifty-five, was held for $20,000; another twenty-seven acres could be had for $2,250; and still another twenty acres just north of the railway was available for $750. But who had the foresight, and where would the money come from? Nothing was done, and three years went by. But in those three years some of the tracts were sold, and what was left had doubled in price.
When the decision to develop a medical school at Loma Linda was reached in 1910, the pattern of thinking began to change. In May, at the time of the organization meeting held at Loma Linda, at which Ellen White was present, steps were taken to secure land just in front of the institution. It was purchased for about $600 an acre.
On Hand for the 1911 Constituency Meeting
Now it was April, 1911, and Ellen White was at Loma Linda again. Her intense interest in the developments there led her for a year or two to go south to be present when the major board meetings were held in the spring and fall. Her counsel was much treasured by those who moved ahead, eager to see that the work was done in harmony with the mind of God, as revealed through His messenger.
The 1911 constituency meeting was held during the first week of April. The record reveals that among other things, study was given to the importance of securing more land adjacent to the institution. We may be sure Ellen White spoke in favor of it. A number looked over the Kelly tract of about eighty-five acres, available at $300 an acre, but no action was taken to purchase it.
Immediately following the meetings of the constituency and the board, Ellen White went on south to spend a few days at Paradise Valley Sanitarium. But ten days later she was back at Loma Linda, saying that her work there was not finished. The matter of securing more land rested heavily on her heart, and she talked of it and took several trips by carriage to look things over again. Repeatedly she stated that she had been instructed that the denomination should secure the land adjoining the Sanitarium, and she urged that the brethren pray over the matter, so that they might have light to know what to do. She mentioned the troubles that would come if others were allowed to secure the land and sell it to unbelievers.
Her rather relentless pressing of the matter led Elder Burden to call a council meeting of available workers on Thursday, April 20, to consider what should be done in the light of the availability of the Kelly tract. Ellen White was the principal speaker. After a few opening remarks she came right to the point:
Today with Sister McEnterfer, and again with my son, I rode around the Loma Linda grounds, and took more particular notice of them than ever before; and I feel very thankful that we have such a place.... In our meetings during this council, we have been speaking of the higher education. What is the higher education? It is to understand Christ's works and teachings, and to follow on to know the Lord. It is to know that His going forth is prepared as the morning.
Today, as I looked over the place more thoroughly than ever before ... I felt gratitude in my heart toward God, that through His providence we had been brought into possession of Loma Linda. I felt thankful also to see the improvements that have been made since we have had the place. And I thought how important it is that we make every move in accordance with the will of God.
As the Lord prospers us, we should manifest our gratitude by a willingness to advance. We should see the advantage of adding to that which we already have. I feel a burden regarding the danger of letting anybody come into the neighborhood to spoil the place.
There is a piece of land across the railroad, lying next to a piece already purchased, which should be secured.... I am sure, from the representations that have been made to me, that this piece of land ought to come into our possession.
If you are wise, the next time I come here, you will have that land. I will try to help you all I can. Let us work intelligently.
Then she enumerated several reasons why the school should secure all the land possible near the institution, and set forth several reasons why they should have the Kelly tract:
You need the produce from it for your cattle to subsist upon; this piece is close at hand, and joins that which you already have.
Here we have our school, and here many important interests are centered. We must not permit elements to come in that will tend to hinder and retard the work.
It will be pleasing to the Lord if we keep our eyes wide open, and are fully awake, ready to take advantage of every circumstance that will place us in right relation to the work we have to do.
It would be a grievous error for us to allow to pass an opportunity to secure this property, for we might never again have such an opportunity.
She pledged $1,000 toward the purchase of the tract. Then she assured her audience that she was well pleased in what had been accomplished at Loma Linda. "When one sees the prosperity that has attended the work," she said, "and the spirit of consecration that prevails, the conviction deepens that you are working in harmony with God." In closing her remarks, she added:
I am highly gratified as I look upon the land we already have. This will be one of the greatest blessings to us in the future--one that we do not fully appreciate now, but which we shall appreciate by and by. I hope that you will get the other land that I have spoken of, and join it to that which you already have. It will pay you to do this.
As I have carried the burden of this place from the very beginning, I wanted to say this much to you. Now I leave the matter with you; and let us work in harmony.--Manuscript 9, 1911.
The next day, Friday, she was off to Glendale and Los Angeles and points north. The evening after the Sabbath the workers at Loma Linda assembled again to consider the land matter further. It was clear that as an institution they could not go ahead and sign a contract to buy without board action, but in the light of Ellen White's counsel they felt something must be done at once. So they banded themselves together in an agreement to purchase the Kelly tract. They would pay $1,000 down, with notes to pay $4,000 in thirty days and the balance of the $18,000 in two annual payments. The land was to be held, without speculation, until by board action it should be purchased by the institution.
This step highly pleased Ellen White. On arriving home, she, on April 30, wrote to Elder Burden:
My mind is settled in regard to the purchase of the land in front of the Loma Linda Sanitarium. We must have that piece of land. I will pledge myself to be depended upon for $1,000.... The piece of land we must have, for it will never do to have buildings crowded in there. Do not fail to carry through the purchase of it. Do your best, and I will do my best. The money from me you may depend upon. We shall be able to send it soon.--Letter 20, 1911.
To do her best meant to Ellen White that she must borrow the money and that she would labor to persuade others to join in providing funds for the purchase. She succeeded in this. Looking back five weeks later, she told the Burdens:
I was moved to speak as I did concerning the piece of land in front of the Loma Linda Sanitarium. I was urged by the Spirit of God to make the pledge of $1,000; and I did so hoping that others, who were better able to give than I, would follow my example.
I dared not leave the meeting without following the conviction I had; and now I feel that I have done my duty, showing my faith by my works.--Letter 34, 1911.