When James married Ellen at age 25 he possessed unusual physical strength and ability. He had grown strong and tall working on his father's farm. During the years immediately following the Disappointment his zeal for the cause propelled him along a course that made increasing demands on his time and strength.
By 1865 he was president of the General Conference; head of the General Conference Committee; president of the SDA Publishing Association; active in writing, publishing, traveling, and filling appointments. In addition he had been intimately involved in publishing the first of a series of Ellen's pamphlets, Health; or How to Live.
On Friday, August 18, at age 44, he suffered a stroke of paralysis. Here is what led up to this:
[The next three sentences have been updated (2018) for historical accuracy.] After the General Conference in May, James and Ellen met up with Elder Loughborough who was visiting various churches, when they got wind of a critical situation developing in Marion, Iowa. Providentially, they had just rescheduled the annual state conference and had planned to go together to Pilot Grove for that conference. As a result of most earnest labor there, the trouble was seemingly resolved, and the visiting workers were again on their way.
But it took a heavy toll on James. James and Ellen had looked forward to a little period of rest on returning from Iowa but were denied this, as they were called upon to contend with criticism and falsehoods. Then they faced an appointment with the church in Memphis, Michigan, across the state, just north of Detroit. A debt hung over the meetinghouse, and the members were discouraged. James White's presence was urged. Ellen White described the journey:
When the time came to attend our appointment in Memphis, we needed rest of body and mind. A constant strain had been upon us for months.... Yet we urged up our exhausted energies, arose at midnight, walked about a mile to the depot, and stepped on board the train which was to take us to Detroit.... The meetings in Memphis were those of labor. My husband here performed the amount of labor which was sufficient for two men who possessed a good degree of strength. His vital energies were exceedingly depressed, yet his zeal in the cause of God urged him on presumptuously to exhaust, by overlabor, the little strength that remained.
Our meetings closed on Sunday evening after eleven o'clock. We retired after midnight, and arose at daybreak to take the stage for the cars [train]. The cars missed connection, and we did not arrive at our home till past midnight.
My husband slept but little, and would not be prevailed upon to rest the next day. He thought his business required his presence at the office. Night found him exhausted. His sleep was broken and unrefreshing, yet we rose in the morning at five o'clock to take our usual walk before breakfast (The Review and Herald, February 20, 1866).
As they walked that early-morning hour, on Wednesday, August 16, they stopped for milk at Brother Lunt's home, and then stepped into the corn patch. Admiring the full ears, James plucked one and started to pull back the husk. Ellen, by his side, heard a strange noise. Looking up, she saw the face of her husband flushed, and then she saw his right arm drop to his side, helpless. He attempted to raise his arm but could not. He staggered, but did not fall. He was unable to speak. Ellen helped him into the Lunt home. Indistinctly James uttered the word "Pray," and repeated it. Ellen reported later:
We dropped to our knees and cried to God, who had ever been to us a present help in time of trouble. He soon uttered words of praise and gratitude to God, that he could use his arm. His hand was partially restored, but not fully (Ibid.).
Physicians were called, but they had little to offer, either as to what might be done for him or encouragement that he would survive.
Two days later, Friday, August 18, James White was carried on a couch to his own home. The next Tuesday, as the Review and Herald came from the press, it carried a notice that Elder White had been stricken by "a partial shock of paralysis."
Seeking Help at Dansville
For five weeks James was tenderly cared for by Ellen, joined by the Uriah Smiths, the George Amadons, and the M. J. Cornells (Ibid., November 7, 1865). Having spent a few weeks at "Our Home" in Dansville, New York, during the past year, Ellen White was convinced of the value of water as one of God's approved remedies, and having no confidence in the use of poisonous drugs, she turned to hydrotherapy. But this, in her worn-out condition, seemed more than she could undertake. There were none in Battle Creek who would dare to venture treating James with the little-known hydropathic remedies. This led her to consider taking him to Dansville. Dr. H. S. Lay, now in Battle Creek, was sent for and helped them decide that James should go back with him to "Our Home on the Hillside." And as will be seen from the notice placed in the Review by the acting editor, James White was not the only one who traveled with the doctor to Dansville:
Journeyed, from this city, Thursday, the fourteenth inst., in quest of rest and health, a Seventh-day Adventist invalid party consisting of the following named persons: Elder James White and wife, Elder J. N. Loughborough, Sr., M. F. Maxson, and the editor of the Adventist Review [Uriah Smith].
They were accompanied by Dr. H. S. Lay, recently by request from Dansville, New York, to which place they now direct their course....We hope also these overworked and overburdened servants of the Lord will share largely in the prayers of the faithful, while they are obeying that very important, but much-neglected, command of Christ, to "rest a while" [Mark 6:31] (The Review and Herald, September 19, 1865).
The Whites were cordially welcomed by Dr. Jackson, and the next day all in the party were given physical examinations. A cottage close to the institution was found where the Whites had upstairs rooms. Treatments were begun, and each day they walked in the open air. Smith and Loughborough remained for rest and treatment.
Dr. Jackson's judgment in regard to James was that "it was very fortunate for him that he was arrested in his course of toil and labor when he was; for if nature had held up even but a short time longer under the same pressure, it would have eventually given way, and in such a manner as to produce a complete wreck, for which there would have been no remedy. As it is, under proper hygienic influences, he will fully recover, regaining more than his former health and strength; but the causes which have led to this attack must for all time be avoided, and to the work of recovery, quite a length of time, perhaps six or eight months, must be devoted" (Ibid., October 3, 1865; italics supplied).
James and Ellen remained at Dansville for about three months. Here they had opportunity to observe methods of treatment and the wholesome diet.
In time the Whites were able to secure a ground-floor apartment. There were good days for James, and there were bad days. When disturbed with the extreme nervousness that accompanied his illness, he seemed to lose courage. But the good days outnumbered the bad. On October 23 Dr. Lay sent to the Review a report of the progress he was making:
Though he has made marked progress toward recovery since coming to this place, yet he is far from being well; and in order for him to fully recover, it seems indispensably necessary that he should devote at least several months to that special object; and in order to do this successfully, he needs rest, simple diet, judicious bathing, a certain amount of exercise in the open air, with the most pleasant social surroundings; consequently his family should be here with him. He should also have a team at his command, that he may ride every day when the weather will permit (Ibid., October 31, 1865).
He wrote of the arduous labors of Ellen White in caring for her husband, and felt she should have some help and several months' treatment. He called for Adelia Patten, now Mrs. Van Horn, who had filled an extremely important place in the White family, to be sent to Dansville.
Dr. Lay's suggestions were taken seriously, for everyone was ready to do whatever was thought best to hasten James's recovery. On November 7 Adelia Van Horn and the children, Edson and Willie, left Battle Creek, and the next day there was a united White family at Dansville. Arrangements were also made for the use of a carriage and a team of horses that would augment James's physical activities.
The total expense for the White family was now running at $40 per week, and that of Loughborough about $20. The denomination had no plan for aiding workers who were ill, so fellow Adventists sent generous gifts to Battle Creek to help carry the burden. In six weeks' time Smith and Loughborough were fully recovered, but Loughborough stayed on to be a help to the Whites.
Morning, noon, and night those of like faith met to pray for James White, but he made very slow progress. In explanation Ellen White wrote:
My husband could obtain but little rest or sleep nights. He suffered with the most extreme nervousness. I could not sew or knit in his room, or converse but very little, as he was easily agitated, and his brain confused almost beyond endurance. He required almost constant care, and the Lord gave me strength according to my need....
Many nights when my husband was suffering with pain, unable to rest or sleep, have I left my bed at midnight and bowed before God and earnestly prayed for Him to grant us this token of His love and care--that my husband might realize the soothing influence of His Holy Spirit, and find rest in sleep.... We had the evidence that God heard us pray, and my husband would drop into a quiet sleep (Ibid., February 27, 1866).
We did not doubt that God could work a miracle, and in a moment restore to health and vigor. But should He do this, would we not be in danger of again transgressing--abusing our strength by prolonged, intemperate labor, and bringing upon ourselves even a worse condition of things? (Ibid., February 20, 1866).
The fact that his illness was the result of overwork, together with the instructions of the Dansville physicians concerning the importance of entire rest, led him, in his feeble state, to shrink from all exertion. Here was one of the most serious obstacles to his recovery (Life Sketches of James White and Ellen G. White (1888), 353, 354).
With the coming of December, the family knew they would have to endure a winter in somewhat cramped quarters, and with the very slow recovery of James, there were days when he was so discouraged he thought he might not live. Ellen worked devotedly and untiringly in the care of her husband until she herself was in danger of a breakdown. She knew she could not keep up the program as it was at Dansville through the whole winter. Her thoughts turned to Battle Creek:
I thought of our large and convenient house at Battle Creek, with its high and airy rooms, and asked myself the question Would we not make more rapid progress toward health were we at our own home? I thought of the large reservoir of hot water upon our stove--ready for use at any time--and our immense cistern of soft water, and our filter in the cellar, our various bathing pans, and bathroom fitted up with a stove.
But all these convenient things had but little weight in my mind compared with my anxiety to get my husband, while I could, among his tried brethren who knew him, and who had been benefited by his labors (The Review and Herald, February 27, 1866).
Ellen White was convinced that they should return to Battle Creek. But she would not trust her judgment alone. She prayed that God would guide her and not allow her to take one wrong step. As she prayed, the conviction grew that she must take James where he could be among his brethren. She talked with Dr. Lay. He told her that she could not take him home, for he could not endure the journey. Then she talked with Dr. Jackson. He thought it would be well to try it, taking the journey in easy stages. She sought the counsel of Loughborough, who was surprised at first at such a sudden move, but saw light in it. James, overhearing her conversations, was soon enthusiastic to go. They packed that evening, finishing before 9:00.
On December 6 they took the train to Rochester. James had proposed that they call some of their trusted friends in that vicinity to come to Rochester to engage in seasons of prayer--J. N. Andrews, who lived in Rochester but was laboring in Maine; the Lindsays from Olcott; and friends in Roosevelt "who had faith in God, and felt it their duty." "These friends," wrote Ellen White, "came in answer to his call. For ten days we had special and earnest seasons of prayer. All who engaged in these seasons of prayer were greatly blessed" (Ibid.).
The Important Vision Of December 25
Each morning the group met in the Andrews home in Rochester; in the afternoons they went to the Lamson home, where they could be with James as they prayed. This routine continued till December 25. Ellen White described what then took place:
Christmas evening as we were humbling ourselves before God, and earnestly pleading for deliverance, the light of heaven seemed to shine upon us, and I was wrapped in a vision of God's glory. It seemed that I was borne quickly from earth to heaven, where all was health, beauty, and glory. Strains of music fell upon my ear, melodious, perfect, and enchanting. I was permitted to enjoy this scene awhile before my attention was called to this dark world (Ibid.).
Recounting the experience many years later, Loughborough declared:
As she related the vision to us, she said: "Satan's purpose was to destroy my husband, and bring him down to the grave. Through these earnest prayers, his power has been broken" (Pacific Union Recorder, November 21, 1912).
Ellen had been caring for James for more than four months, but neither she nor the others had witnessed the progress for which they had hoped and prayed. Why? And what did the future hold? The answers came in the vision: "I had an encouraging view of the case of my husband, the particulars of which will be presented hereafter" (The Review and Herald, February 27, 1866).
I was shown that God had suffered this affliction to come upon us to teach us much that we could not otherwise have learned in so short a time. It was His will that we should go to Dansville, for our experience could not have been thorough without it (Testimonies for the Church, 1:614, 615).
I have been shown that Satan is angry with this company who have continued for three weeks praying earnestly in behalf of this servant of God, and he is now determined to make a powerful attack upon them. I was told to say to you, "Live very near to God that you may be prepared for what comes upon you" (Pacific Union Recorder, November 21, 1912).
Ellen White reported that shortly after the vision, with its encouragement to James, "my husband then proposed our returning to Battle Creek the next week on Monday [January 1, 1866], New Year's evening.... I felt the evidence that the Lord would go with us on our journey, and bring us safely to our home again" (The Review and Herald, February 27, 1866).
New Year's day was set for the trip. Andrews proposed that he accompany them to Battle Creek, but Ellen replied that she wished them to go by themselves, trusting alone in God to sustain them. A number of their friends accompanied them to the railway station to see them off.
At Battle Creek later in the day they were met by friends and escorted to their home, which had been comfortably prepared for them. At 5:00 they sat down at their dining table, bountifully spread with good food that the women of the church had prepared. James rested well through the night and on the weekend participated in the services at the church. Wrote Ellen:
I saw that God was fitting up my husband to engage in the solemn, sacred work of reform which He designs shall progress among His people. It is important that instructions should be given by ministers in regard to living temperately. They should show the relation which eating, working, resting, and dressing sustain to health. All who believe the truth for these last days have something to do in this matter (Testimonies for the Church, 1:618).
Ellen Shocks Battle Creek (With Unconventional Therapy)
The year following the Whites' return from Dansville was a "year of captivity." Ellen's attention was given almost wholly to James's care. Although there had been temporary gains, James had remained an invalid in spite of her efforts. But remembering the assurance given her in the vision at Rochester, Ellen White could not dismiss the picture in her mind of her and her husband working together to build up the cause. She feared, however, that James had been too much impressed with the counsel of the physicians at Dansville, who urged entire rest, both of body and mind, for those who had been prostrated by overwork.
Having become fully satisfied that James would not recover from his protracted sickness while remaining inactive, Ellen decided to "venture a tour in northern Michigan" with James "in his extremely feeble condition, in the severest cold of winter" (Ibid., 1:570).
She added,
It required no small degree of moral courage and faith in God to bring my mind to the decision to risk so much, especially as I stood alone.... But I knew I had a work to do, and it seemed to me that Satan was determined to keep me from it. I had waited long for our captivity to be turned and feared that precious souls would be lost if I remained longer from the work. To remain longer from the field seemed to me worse than death, and should we move out we could but perish (Ibid.).
In recounting the experience several years later, Ellen stated:
We had the assurance that God could raise him up, and we believed he would yet be able to work in the cause of God. I thought my husband should have some change, and we took our team, faithful Jack and Jim, and ventured a journey to Wright, Michigan.
In this matter I was obliged to move contrary to the judgment of my brethren and sisters in Battle Creek. They all felt that I was sacrificing my life in shouldering this burden; that for the sake of my children, for the cause of God, I should do all in my power to preserve my life (Manuscript 1, 1867).
So, in a snowstorm, on December 19, 1866, they left Battle Creek with the team and Brother Rogers for northern Michigan, planning to make Wright, Ottawa County, their first stop. The weather was stormy, yet they drove 46 miles [74 kilometers] that day, and were obliged to put up at a noisy rum tavern.
The next morning they arose at 5:00 and before breakfast drove 15 miles [24 kilometers] against a keen north wind to Brother Hardy's. Here they thanked God for the hospitality and the simple, wholesome food. Driving another 23 miles [37 kilometers] brought them to Wright. Ellen reported:
My husband stood the long and severe journey of ninety miles [144 kilometers] much better than I feared, and seemed quite as well when we reached our old home at Brother Root's as when we left Battle Creek (Ibid., 1:570).
Here commenced our first effective labors since the sickness of my husband. Here he commenced to labor as in former years, though in much weakness (Ibid., 1:571).
At long last they were turning a corner, with the promise of better days ahead. But the battle was not fully won. It took some persuasion on her part to get James to prepare reports for the Review. But this was a significant step in his recovery.
Wright was off the beaten path; ministers seldom visited the church. Ellen wrote:
We found this church in a very low condition. With a large portion of its members the seeds of disunion and dissatisfaction with one another were taking deep root, and a worldly spirit was taking possession of them. And notwithstanding their low state they had enjoyed the labors of our preachers so seldom that they were hungry for spiritual food (Ibid., 1:570, 571).
The situation was just the challenge James White needed to draw him into active spiritual labor. They conducted a series of meetings, lasting several weeks. Visions were given to Ellen presenting lines of instruction, counsel, and reproof for a number of the members of that church.
It was a critical time for a number in the church. They hardly knew how to relate to personal testimonies. It is not easy to receive and accept reproof. In the service Sabbath morning, January 12, James White saw an opportunity to help the church in a special way. He spoke on the testimony to the Laodiceans, drawing parallels and giving counsel. He pointed to the Saviour standing at the door, knocking, waiting, entreating. He reminded the audience:
It is those He loves that He rebukes and chastens, whether by the cutting testimony of the Word of God or by a corresponding testimony, pointing out their errors and spiritual blindness. Let those, then, thus reproved, rejoice, instead of being discouraged. It is the best of evidence that their salvation is possible (The Review and Herald, January 29, 1867).
This was a landmark experience in the history of the Wright church, bringing strength and stability. It also was a milestone in James White's finding his way back to active service. Ellen White was jubilant. During the six weeks that they were at Wright, she spoke 25 times, and James 12. Since James was recovering from a long illness, she carried the heavy part of the burden, but she was careful to see that her husband led out.
Ultimately nine baptisms resulted from this evangelistic thrust, and the church was spiritually revived. The Roots, who so graciously took the Whites into their home, cared for them as tenderly "as Christian parents can care for invalid children" (Testimonies for the Church, 1:570). As a result, the Roots were blessed with health and temporal prosperity. Root reported that his wheat fields had produced 27 bushels [108 pecks] to the acre [.41 hectare] and some 40 [160 pecks], while the average yield of his neighbors' fields had been only seven bushels [28 pecks] to the acre [.41 hectare] (Ibid., 1:574, 575).
Ellen insisted on keeping up James's exercise program. They took a long walk twice a day. Then came a snowstorm that left a heavy blanket on the ground, bringing a minor crisis. She later told of it:
I went to Brother Root and said, "Brother Root, have you a spare pair of boots?" "Yes," he answered.
"I should be glad to borrow them this morning," I said. Putting on the boots and starting out, I tracked a quarter of a mile [.41 kilometer] in the deep snow. On my return, I asked my husband to take a walk.
He said he could not go out in such weather.
"Oh, yes, you can," I replied. "Surely you can step in my tracks."
He was a man who had great respect for women; and when he saw my tracks, he thought that if a woman could walk in that snow, he could. That morning he took his usual walk (Manuscript 50, 1902 [see also Selected Messages 2:307]).
On January 29, 1867, the Whites left Wright and rode to Greenville, Montcalm County, a distance of 40 miles [64 kilometers]. Ellen described the trip:
It was the most severely cold day of the winter, and we were glad to find a shelter from the cold and storm at Brother Maynard's. This dear family welcomed us to their hearts and to their home. We remained in this vicinity six weeks, laboring with the churches at Greenville and Orleans, and making Brother Maynard's hospitable home our headquarters (Testimonies for the Church, 1:575).
The activities in the Greenville area were much the same as those at Wright. Meetings were frequent, and both James and Ellen participated. She noted the improvement in her husband's health:
His labors were received by the people, and he was a great help to me in the work.... The Lord sustained him in every effort which he put forth. As he ventured, trusting in God, regardless of his feebleness, he gained strength and improved with every effort (Ibid.).
With the prospect improving that the two would work together again, Ellen's feeling of "gratitude was unbounded." Subjects dealt with in depth were primarily Systematic Benevolence and health reform in its broad aspects. They found the Word more readily received there than at Wright, prejudice breaking away as plain truth was spoken (The Review and Herald, February 19, 1867).
They were delighted with Greenville's surroundings. Of this James wrote:
One might suppose that Montcalm County was a very new, log-house country, it being seventy-five miles [120 kilometers] north of Calhoun County [and Battle Creek]. But this is the most beautiful portion of the State. The farmers are generally independent, many of them rich, with large, splendid houses, large, fertile farms, and beautiful orchards.
One traveling through this country passes a variety of scenery peculiar to Michigan, namely, rolling, oak openings, and plains covered with heavy maple and beech, and lofty pines. Then before he is aware of it, he comes upon a fine farm with buildings equal in size and style to the dwellings in our small cities (Ibid.).
"The sleighing has been excellent for the last two months," he reported, "and the weather, generally, comparatively mild and fine" (Ibid.). With their team of horses, which were a great blessing, they drove from five to 40 miles [eight to 64 kilometers] nearly every day. In his report written March 3, James informed the readers of the Review:
Since we left home [Battle Creek on December 19], ... we have ridden, with our team, one thousand miles [1,600 kilometers], and have walked some each day, in all amounting to one hundred miles [160 kilometers]. This, with our preaching, writing, baths, and rest hours, has filled up our time (Ibid., March 12, 1867).
Other reports put his health at about one-half recovered. He was still frail, but determined to move on by faith, looking forward to full restoration. He closed his report of their work in the vicinity of Greenville:
We have taken our leave of this people for the present, who express a desire that we should settle among them. And we feel the strongest desire, if the Lord will, to settle with this dear people where our testimony, as is most natural, is prized more than in those places where they are blessed with much ministerial labor, and the labors also of efficient local elders and experienced brethren.
When men come from ten to fifteen miles [16-24 kilometers] on foot, and aged and feeble come from three to twelve miles [five-19 kilometers] on foot, at this season of the year, depend upon it, they come to hear (Ibid.)
Disappointing Reception in Battle Creek
With the spring thaws, the roads were getting bad, making weekly visits to the churches difficult. James was eager to see the church members in Battle Creek and to "rejoice with them in the work which God was doing for him" (Testimonies for the Church, 1:577), so they planned the trip south in such a way that they could spend a few days visiting believers en route. One night Ellen White was given a disquieting dream. It warned of a cold reception in Battle Creek (Ibid., 1:578). They had reason to expect that after an absence of three months, during which James White had definitely improved in health, they would be heartily welcomed.
But no. False reports and criticism had done their work. Although James took services Sabbath morning and afternoon, March 16, speaking with clearness, and again Sunday morning, and Ellen White bore her testimony with freedom, they seemed to be held at a distance.
Ellen was crushed. James too was terribly disappointed at the cold reception. Little by little they discovered the reason. Part of the problem rested in Ellen White's refusal to take the counsel of friends and church leaders in Battle Creek that would have dissuaded her from taking her husband to Wright in December. Also, evil reports had been bandied about for some time to the effect that James White had a craze for money and that the Battle Creek church had not the slightest confidence in the testimonies of Sister White.
While painful, such reports were no great surprise to Ellen, for this had been revealed to her in a dream.
The Move To Greenville
Under these circumstances James and Ellen White packed some of their goods and on Thursday, April 25, left by wagon for Greenville. They arrived at the Maynard home Tuesday afternoon, April 30. "Home again," they sighed. From the Maynard yard they could see the framework of their new home, rising half a mile away on farm acreage they had purchased before the trip to Battle Creek. "Before getting out of the carriage," wrote James White, they drove over to it "and viewed the premises." He added, "Today, May 2, we start the plow for garden. We hope, with the blessing of God, to prosper in our new home" (The Review and Herald, May 14, 1867).
But they had hardly moved in when they returned to Battle Creek to attend the May 14 General Conference of 1867. Although weary from traveling and the move to Greenville, they spoke on "both Sabbath and First-day upon the coming of the Lord, and felt much as we used to feel on such occasions" (Ibid., May 28, 1867).
The Battle Creek church had not yet fully disabused themselves of their indifferent attitudes toward the Whites, but there was an exchange of formal statements published in the Review: the Battle Creek church expressed sympathy, and James and Ellen White expressed love and confidence in the church at Battle Creek. They requested the prayers of the church and all who had faith (Ibid.). By the end of May they were back in Greenville.
Farming In Greenville
It was a happy day for the Whites--James White, and Willie, now 12--when on Thursday, May 2, 1867, they could see the plow turn the rich soil on their little Greenville farm (Ibid., May 14, 1867), to be followed quickly by the setting out of grapes, blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries, and incidentally watch the construction of their new home. At some point about this time Ellen devised a plan to encourage James to engage in physical activity. He had been warned by the physicians at Dansville that physical activity could lead to another stroke. Ellen had been shown that without mental and physical activity he could not hope to recover fully. Here is her account:
In the spring there were fruit trees to be set out and a garden to be made. "Willie," I said, "please buy three hoes and three rakes. Be sure to buy three of each." When he brought them to me, I told him to take one of the hoes, and Father another. Father objected, but took one. Taking one myself, we began to work; and although I blistered my hands, I led them in the hoeing. Father could not do much, but he went through the motions. It was by such methods as these that I tried to cooperate with God in restoring my husband to health (Manuscript 50, 1902 [see also Selected Messages 2:307]).
Rather triumphantly James White reported on Tuesday, June 18, that he harnessed his horses and went to town on business and brought home materials for the builders (The Review and Herald, June 25, 1867). Sabbath, June 29, he and Ellen met with the church in Fairplains. He spoke in the morning for an hour and a half on baptism, and in the afternoon for an hour on Galatians 6:6, 7, on reaping what one sows. Ellen followed, speaking for an hour. The next morning he led four candidates into the nearby lake and baptized them. Willie was one of the four. James took Brother King into the water with him in case he needed assistance, but he needed none.
Getting In The Hay
The work of recovery continued at a steady but slow pace. Thursday and Friday, July 18 and 19, were busy days for James White, for it was time to get in the hay. He arranged with the neighbors to cut the hay, and expected to invite them to help him get it in. But Ellen saw a good opportunity to draw her husband into further activity. While the hay was drying she slipped away and visited the neighbors. Through inquiry she learned that they were pressed with their own work, but were planning to help James get his hay in. To each she said, "When he sends for you, tell him what you have just told me, that you are pressed with your own work and it is not convenient to leave your own work, as you will suffer loss if you do" (see Life Sketches of James White and Ellen G. White (1888), 357). The neighbors were reluctant to do this, but when she explained her plan to encourage James in activity, they agreed to cooperate. The story is told in several places, but here is the account as related in Life Sketches of James and Ellen White, published in 1888:
When the call was made for help, all the neighbors declared themselves too busy to respond. It was necessary that the hay be secured at once, and Elder White was sorely disappointed. But Mrs. White was not at all despondent; she resolutely said: "Let us show the neighbors that we can attend to the work ourselves. Willie and I will rake the hay and pitch it on the wagon, if you will load it and drive the team." To this he consented; but how could they make the stack?
The farm was new, and they had no barn. Mrs. White volunteered to build the stack, if her husband would pitch up the hay, while Willie should be raking for another load (Ibid.).
Some of the neighbors, as they passed by, were surprised to see Ellen White, the woman who spoke each week to a houseful of people, treading down the hay and building the stack. Reporting his activities for this week, James wrote: "I have worked from six to twelve hours each day, and have enjoyed blessed sleep from six to nine hours each night.... My work has been haying, plowing, grading about the house, hoeing, and putting down carpets" (The Review and Herald, July 30, 1867).
The days in their new roomy home in Greenville marked the gradual recovery of James from the point of such weakness that he could carry neither purse nor watch, to an active, aggressive ministry. Years later Ellen commented:
After his recovery, my husband lived for a number of years, during which time he did the best work of his life. Did not those added years of usefulness repay me many fold for the eighteen months of painstaking care? (Manuscript 50, 1902 [see also Selected Messages 2:308]).
Rugged Pioneers
In fact, they were so pleased with James's improvement that by the end of October 1867 they jubilantly set off for a three-month tour of the Eastern states, visiting the members in New England.
Wednesday, October 23, James and Ellen White, accompanied by D. T. Bourdeau, left for appointments with the churches in the East. Sabbath and Sunday they were at Roosevelt, New York, where J. N. Andrews joined them. It was soon seen at Roosevelt that much would be called for to get the work in full order.
Their next appointments were in Maine. The first was for Norridgewock, some 75 miles (120 kilometers) north of Portland. There delegates were being called together to organize the Maine Conference. J. N. Andrews, president of the General Conference, was with them. D. M. Canright had been doing good work there and at the time seemed to be the most prominent minister in that area. He reported the accomplishments of the meeting held from Friday through Sunday and emphasized the special value of the help given by both James and Ellen White.
Never before did I so fully realize the great importance of the gifts in the church, and never did I have so strong faith in them as now. Many, nay, nearly all, felt the same. Thank God for the testimonies (The Review and Herald, November 12, 1867).
On Friday, November 1, the delegates set about to organize the Maine Conference. Through November and till mid-December James and Ellen White were in Maine, visiting the churches and, when possible, relatives and friends of former days.
J. N. Andrews, who had done considerable work in Maine, described the experience of those who had not been acquainted with Ellen White and her special gift. He stated that "even those who have felt the greatest opposition to the reproofs they received have, with scarcely an exception, on calm and serious reflection, acknowledged that they were justly reproved," and accepted her messages to them. Andrews observed thoughtfully:
I have had great opportunity to judge of the truthfulness of these testimonies by witnessing their faithful and exact delineations of character in a very large number of cases, presenting very widely dissimilar features. I have every reason to know that these things were almost entirely unknown to Sister White, and in some cases absolutely unknown, only as given her by the Spirit of God. Yet a most perfect and exact representation of the faults, as well as the virtues, of many persons has thus been given, so that even those who know them best have said they could not so well have described them (Ibid., December 24, 1867).
It was this type of evidence that convinced many of the integrity of the visions given to Ellen White.
The Whites and Andrews filled appointments in Topsham, Maine; in Washington, New Hampshire; and in Vermont. Many places could be reached only by sleigh or carriage.
Monday, December 23, the meeting was held during the daylight hours in the William Farnsworth home. Farnsworth was the man who in 1844 had risen to his feet in the Washington, New Hampshire, church and declared that he was going to keep God's Sabbath. Others followed him in his decision.
Sitting in the group was 19-year-old Eugene Farnsworth, one of William's 22 children. As he heard Ellen White addressing one and then another with messages indicating that she had insights others did not have, an idea came to him. He said in his heart, I wish she would tackle my dad. He knew what most others did not know--that his father had slipped back to the use of tobacco. Their farm was quite isolated, and William did his chewing of tobacco on the sly, but Eugene had seen him spit tobacco juice into the snow and quickly scuff it out of sight with his boot. As these thoughts were forming in Eugene's head Ellen White turned and addressed William:
"I saw that this brother is a slave to tobacco. But the worst of the matter is that he is acting the part of a hypocrite, trying to deceive his brethren into thinking that he has discarded it, as he promised to do when he united with the church" (WCW, in Ibid., February 11, 1937).
As Eugene saw these covered sins dealt with faithfully by Ellen White, he knew he was witnessing a manifestation of the prophetic gift. When she had finished with her messages to different ones in the room and there was an opportunity for a response, one after another stood and acknowledged the truthfulness of her message, and with repentance and confession yielded themselves anew to God. Then the parents made confession to their children. This touched the hearts of the young people who had been watching and listening, and whose hearts were being moved by the messages and invitations not only of Ellen but of James White and Andrews.
On Wednesday morning, Christmas Day, a meeting was held and 13 children and young people expressed their determination to be Christians.
Five young people were not present Christmas morning, but in response to the appeals of their young friends they too gave their hearts to the Lord, making 18 whose lives were changed during the five eventful days at Washington. Some of them wanted to be baptized without delay, so a hole was sawed in the ice on nearby Millan Pond, and with joy they went forward with this rite. Others waited till spring and warmer weather. Nine of the 18 became church workers in the cause of God, some filling prominent positions. Among them were Eugene, Elmer, and Orville Farnsworth, and their sister Loretta. The latter married A. T. Robinson and led out in developing the Bible instructor ministry. The two Mead children made their contributions, Rose in city mission work and Fred as a literature evangelist leader, and missionary to Africa.
Thursday morning, December 26, James and Ellen White and John Andrews hastened on to northern Vermont, where a conference was to begin in West Enosburg Friday evening in the church close to the A. C. and D. T. Bourdeau homes. A. C. Bourdeau reported in the Review that in the evening, after the Sabbath, 150 participated in the "ordinances of the Lord's house."
Monday morning the meeting commenced with a good interest. The good work progressed till two o'clock p.m., when by request of Brother White, six long seats near the pulpit were vacated and then filled with those who during these meetings had decided to make a new start for the kingdom....
These were examined one by one and received into the church by vote as candidates for baptism; and just before the setting of the sun, when the thermometer stood at 20 degrees below zero [--29° C], we went down to the branch nearly one mile [two kilometers] from the meetinghouse, where I stepped down from the ice into a clear stream of water and baptized eleven, among whom were my aged and respected father and mother (Ibid., January 21, 1868).
Back In Battle Creek
Back in Battle Creek on Sabbath, January 11, James White took the morning service and preached on the parable of the lost sheep. In the afternoon Andrews and Ellen White spoke. Sunday morning Ellen had the meeting. She gave "an account of absorbing interest of what she had seen relative to the view given to Moses of the land of Canaan, typical and antitypical" (Ibid., January 14, 1868). James White reported concerning their Eastern tour:
We have, in this time [nearly three months], traveled by railroad 3,200 miles [5,120 kilometers], and by private conveyance 600 [960 kilometers]. Have held 140 meetings and preached 60 times, and have spoken more or less in nearly all these meetings. Mrs. White has spoken from half an hour to two hours in more than 100 of these meetings. We have assisted in the ordination of four ministers, and the dedication of one house of worship. Have presided in the examination of 150 candidates for baptism, and have baptized 18....
We leave for our good home in Greenville the fifteenth, where we hope to hear from friends (Ibid.).
No question, James and Ellen White were back in the harness again.