An invitation for Ellen White to visit Europe had come from the members of the Central European Mission. Thus the General Conference of 1884 voted:
Resolved, That we extend to Sister White a hearty and urgent invitation to visit the different fields in Europe as soon as practicable.
At first Mrs. White was overwhelmed with the idea of traveling to Europe. She was in her late 50s and considered herself old. Following the strenuous activities connected with the Battle Creek crisis and then at the numerous camp meetings in the East, she found herself depleted in strength and aware that she must take steps to recoup her physical forces.
Oh, To Know What To Do!
Ellen did not relish traveling to Europe, especially in time to attend the missionary council in September 1885. "To travel across the continent in the heat of summer and in my condition of health," she wrote, "seemed almost presumptuous" (Ibid., September 15, 1885). She wished for positive guidance to know what course to follow.
As the appointed time for starting drew near, my faith was severely tested. I so much desired someone of experience upon whom I could rely for counsel and encouragement. My courage was gone, and I longed for human help, one who had a firm hold from above, and whose faith would stimulate mine Ibid.
As the time for the final decision was at hand, W. C. White slipped away from Oakland for a few days at Healdsburg. He spoke courage to his mother. He pointed her to the past, when, under the most forbidding circumstances, she had moved out by faith according to the best light she had, and the Lord strengthened and supported her. Of the experience she reported:
I did so, and decided to act in the judgment of the General Conference, and start on the journey, trusting in God. My trunk was packed, and I returned with him to Oakland. Here I was invited to speak to the church Sabbath afternoon. I hesitated; but these words came to me with power, "My grace is sufficient for you" Ibid.
Writing of the experience in her diary, she said, "I was no longer uncertain. I would venture to go with the party across the plains" (Manuscript 16a, 1885). There were 12 who left Oakland for the East on Monday, July 13. Among them were her son, Willie; his wife, Mary, and their daughter, Ella; also, Miss Sara McEnterfer, whom Ellen chose to go with her as a traveling companion not only across the country but also to Europe.
This was her twenty-fifth trip to or from the West Coast. The party made brief stops at Battle Creek and South Lancaster. On Friday, after writing for a few hours, at 10:00 in the morning she left for Boston, where she and those traveling with her were to embark for Southampton, England. As the S.S. Cephalonia was to leave Sabbath afternoon, the party went aboard Friday afternoon so as to be settled before the Sabbath. She noted that "we accomplished this nearly." Her stateroom was large enough for the company to gather for Friday evening worship. She reported, "All take part. The Lord seems very near, and I feel peaceful and restful" (Ibid.
The voyage across the Atlantic took more than a week. Most of it was pleasant, but one storm was encountered, followed by foggy weather. Ellen White was able to do quite a bit of writing--articles and letters, with the help of Mary and Sara McEnterfer. She noted: "We used the calligraph [typewriter] with good effect" (Ibid.
Two Weeks In England
At Liverpool they were met by George Drew, who accompanied them to Grimsby, the city in which the mission headquarters was located. Thursday they went to the beach, but, finding it cold and windy, Mrs. White was glad to get back to their living quarters.
She spent two weeks in England, the first Sabbath at Grimsby. Of this day's activities she reported:
Sabbath afternoon, when the little company of Sabbathkeepers assembled for worship, the room was full, and some were seated in the hall. I have ever felt great solemnity in addressing large audiences, and have tried to place myself wholly under the guidance of the Saviour. But I felt even more solemn, if possible, in standing before this small company, who, in the face of obstacles, of reproach and losses, had stepped aside from the multitude who were making void the law of God, and had turned their feet into the way of His commandments (Historical Sketches of the Foreign Missions of the Seventh-day Adventists, 162).
Sunday morning she again met with the believers, and in the evening she spoke in the town hall to an audience of about 1,200. Every seat was taken and some people stood. The Union Temperance Prize Choir of some 50 voices sang seven numbers--three at the opening, two at the close, and two after the benediction. The topic of Mrs. White's address was "The Love of God." She spent a busy week speaking and sightseeing in London and nearby cities, then on Friday took the train for Southampton and the house of J. H. Durland. That night she spoke to a small company of believers, and on Sabbath had two meetings.
Sunday night she spoke to 1,000 people in a rented hall. The public press asked her to write up the address for publication, and she spent the next two days in London preparing the copy. On Wednesday they took the train to the channel boat and were on their way to Basel, Switzerland.
On To Basel, Switzerland
Crossing the English Channel by ship is often an uncomfortable experience, and so it was on Wednesday, September 2. However, even though many were seasick, Ellen White reported that she was not sick at all. But "we were glad, after one hour and a half's ride, to step off the boat at Calais" (Manuscript 16a, 1885). There they were met by Mr. Brown, a literature evangelist in the city.
To secure a sleeping compartment on the train to Basel would have cost $11 apiece, so they chose to spend an uncomfortable night and save the dollars. She reported on the experience:
A bed was made for me between the seats on the top of the satchels and telescope boxes. I rested some, but slept little. The rest took their chances on the seats. We were not sorry to have the night pass (Ibid.).
Morning came as they entered Basel. They were met at the train station by B. L. Whitney, president of the Swiss Mission, accompanied by R. F. Andrews and Albert Vuilleumier. Taking a hack, they drove to the publishing house on the corner of Weiherweg and Rudolphstrasse. There they were greeted by A. C. Bourdeau and were introduced to quite a number who had awaited their arrival (Ibid.).
As they entered the building Whitney said to her, "Look at our meeting hall before going upstairs." Observing all the features of the large room, she said, "It is a good meeting hall. I feel that I have seen this place before." She stepped into the office across the hall for a brief look and then was taken to the pressroom, just below the ground floor. The press was running, and she said, "I have seen this press before. This room looks very familiar to me."
Two young men were at work, and they were introduced to Ellen. She shook hands with them and inquired, "Where is the other one?" "What other one?" Whitney asked.
"There is an older man here," she replied, "and I have a message for him."
Whitney explained that the foreman of the pressroom was in the city on business (Life Sketches of Ellen G. White, 282, 283). Ten years before, in Battle Creek, on January 3, 1875, Ellen White was given a vision in which this publishing house and the foreman of the pressroom were shown to her. Needless to say, this experience brought courage to the heart of Whitney and his associates involved in the work in Basel.
Organization Of The Work In Europe
It was in Switzerland that J. N. Andrews had begun his work in 1874 and started to publish as he was learning the French language. Here in Basel he died and was buried in 1883.
In the late 1870s literature from America reached the countries of northern Europe. In various places the minds of individuals, in one way or another, were called to the Sabbath truth, and workers were sent to augment Andrews' work. The interests of the church stretched out of France, Germany, Italy, and Romania, and companies of believers emerged. With minimal steps in organization, what came to be known as the Central European Mission developed. Work that had begun in Norway, Denmark, and Sweden culminated rather quickly in what were designated as the Norway and Denmark conferences. In England the work was known as the British Mission.
At a meeting attended by S. N. Haskell in Switzerland in 1882, the several emerging units were bound together in a parent organization known as the European Missionary Council. Each of the local organizations was managed by a committee; the chairman of each was an ex-officio member of the European Missionary Council, which met annually.
In 1884 George I. Butler attended the second annual meeting of the European Missionary Council, held in Basel. At that time the loosely organized Central European Mission, the largest and strongest of the four local organizations in Europe, became the Swiss Conference. Organizational plans were perfected, and the decision was made to build a publishing house in Basel.
The publishing house, recently completed, was constructed of stone and consisted of three levels. In the subbasement were the furnace and two gas motors that provided power for the presses. The next level, the ground floor, provided room for the presses, bindery, stereotype foundry, storage space for the paper, and some storage space for the families living above. On the main floor to the right was the meeting hall, with seating capacity for 300; the other half was given to the business offices and the folding and mailing rooms.
Typesetting was done on the second floor; here also were rooms for the editors, translators, and proofreaders. On the left side there was some family housing. The third floor was devoted entirely to living apartments.
After meeting many of the workers, Ellen White was escorted into the hydraulic elevator and taken to the third floor, where the Whitneys had an apartment, for breakfast and a rest. Before long she was shown what was to be her apartment, close to the one the W. C. White family would occupy. These, apparently, were on the south side of the building and had the advantage of exposure to the winter sun.
She did not know it then, but this would be the place she would call "home" for the next two years--a place to rest between trips to Scandinavia, Italy, and Germany; a place to write and recoup.
Ellen White and her son were present for the first general meetings to be held in the publishing house chapel--first the Swiss Conference, scheduled to meet in session from September 10 to 14, and then the European Missionary Council, to open September 14.
The Swiss Conference consisted of 224 members in 10 churches, and an additional 39 Sabbathkeepers in groups. The members were served by one ordained minister and seven licensed ministers. There were 251 Sabbath school members, enrolled in 11 Sabbath schools.
Of the session that opened on Thursday evening, September 10, Mrs. White wrote:
The conference was quite generally attended by our Swiss brethren, and by representatives from Germany, France, Italy, and Romania. There were nearly two hundred brethren and sisters assembled; and a more intelligent, noble-looking company is seldom seen. Although gathered from different nations, we were brought near to God and to one another by our eyes being fixed upon the one object, Jesus Christ. We were one in faith, and one in our efforts to do the will of God. The influence of the gospel is to unite God's people in one great brotherhood (The Review and Herald, November 3, 1885).
Of course, not all in the assembly could converse in one language. The congregation was divided into three parts, according to the language they understood. These were seated in different parts of the hall--French, German, and English.
Friday afternoon it was Ellen White's turn to speak, and she was surprised at the large number assembled. It was a new experience to have her with them, and the people did not want to miss a word. Her message was picked up by two translators, one speaking French, the other German. But with the audience divided into groups, time was conserved as the translators spoke to their respective groups simultaneously. She soon found this method of addressing the conference less taxing than her usual manner of continuous speaking, for she had more time for thinking of the construction of what she would say (Ibid).
She spoke again on Sunday afternoon for a half hour on missionary work, and again on Monday early afternoon, this time on the necessity of cultivating love and Christian courtesy and of being forbearing with one another (Manuscript 16a, 1885).
Following her message more than 12 were baptized, using the new baptistry in the meeting hall for the first time. Then they united in celebrating the ordinances of the Lord's house.
A Mini-General Conference
The third session of the European Council of Seventh-day Adventist Missions opened Tuesday morning, September 15, 1885, in Basel, Switzerland. Twenty delegates from the Central European Mission, seven from the British Mission, six from the Scandinavian countries, and three representatives from North America were present. The delegates were joined by a substantial number of laymen who came in, largely from Switzerland but also a few from other countries. The meeting, which W. C. White described as a "miniature General Conference," was to convene for a week, but as the work got under way it was extended to two full weeks. It was a time of spiritual refreshing, a time of learning, and a time of constructive planning for the work of God in new and varied fields. Ellen White divided her time between writing and diligent public labor, as was usually the case in a meeting of this kind.
The daily program of the council contained most of the same features that characterized the General Conference. B. L. Whitney served as chairman and appointed committees. Mrs. White was the devotional speaker at 5:30 Wednesday morning. This was her first meeting with the workers who had come in especially for the council. She directed her remarks to the necessity of cultivating love and tenderness for one another.
A Profitable Council
At the 9:00 business meeting W. C. White spoke of making the most profitable use of the time they would spend together. He suggested that a Bible institute, devoted to giving Bible readings and the investigation of difficult Bible subjects, be held during the council. Bible studies prepared in America could be revised and translated into French, German, and Danish-Norwegian and serve as the basis of their work. He suggested also that an English class could be held.
So the stage was set for a very profitable council, with daily reports from the various fields of labor, business sessions, and daily periods devoted to the study of the Bible and the English language.
Topics given special attention during the two weeks included: The evangelistic use of literature; the thrust of public evangelism; use of tents; problems unique to Europe: serving in the army? serving in the army on Sabbath? compulsory school attendance of Adventist children on Sabbath.
Daniel Bourdeau presented a potentially explosive proposition. Ellen White's diary gives the picture:
Daniel then presented his plans that France and Italy be not encouraged to unite with Switzerland but become a separate conference and use their means among themselves to build up their own conference. This I earnestly opposed, for the influence would be bad. It would not lead to union and harmony in the work, but to separate interests, and they would not labor for that oneness that the Lord demands Ibid.
Bourdeau argued that each one of the national groups was jealous and independent and therefore would resent being a part of the Swiss Conference. Mrs. White suggested that this was a strong reason that each group should learn to blend with other nationalities. As she reported the experience to the president of the General Conference, she said:
I told Brother Daniel that this would not be in accordance with God's will.... The truth is one. It will take people from France and Italy, and, mingling them with other elements, soften and refine them through the truth (Letter 23, 1885).
She pointed out that the cause was still in its infancy in the European countries and that to follow this suggestion would result in weakness. In the face of the dissent, Bourdeau grew excited and declared that he had been abused as he had labored in the cause, and cited examples. Ellen White walked out of the room. When she next wrote in her diary she declared: "I will not give sanction to any such spirit" (Manuscript 16a, 1885).
Daniel Bordeau had accepted the third angel's message at the age of 22. Soon after his conversion he had been given strong evidence of Ellen White's call and work, for, on June 28, 1857, he had witnessed her in vision. He later declared, "Since witnessing this wonderful phenomenon, I have not once been inclined to doubt" (in MR, p. 24). But when the testimony of Ellen White touched his life, he almost floundered. He reported his experience of victory in The Review and Herald, November 10, 1885. His report opened with words that reflected his attitude:
This council is among the precious gatherings of the past. Of all the general meetings of our people I have attended in twenty-nine years, I think of none that could be more properly pronounced a success, in every sense of that term, than this one. Christian love and union prevailed throughout. There was a wonderful blending of nationalities, all seeming to feel that the cause was one, that our aim was one, and that we must unitedly push on the work to certain victory.
He then turned to the matter that came close to him in his personal struggle to relate to the Spirit of Prophecy counsels:
The labors of Sister White and her son, Elder W. C. White, were highly appreciated at this general gathering....
How interesting and wonderful it was to hear Sister White correctly delineate the peculiarities of different fields she had seen only as the Lord had shown them to her, and show how they should be met; to hear her describe case after case of persons she had never seen with her natural vision, and either point out their errors or show important relations they sustained to the cause, and how they should connect with it to better serve its interests!
As I had a fair chance to test the matter, having been on the ground, and knowing that no one had informed Sister White of these things, while serving as an interpreter, I could not help exclaiming, "It is enough. I want no further evidence of its genuineness."
A Visit To Scandinavia
The summer months, rather than early winter, would have been more favorable to visit the countries of northern Europe, where the work of the church was developing quite nicely. But there was some uncertainty as to how soon Ellen White would return to America. So it was felt that the safest course was for her to visit the leading churches in Scandinavia at the earliest opportunity.
On October 6, just one week after the council closed, the party of four left Basel--Mrs. White, W. C. White, Sara McEnterfer, and Cecile Dahl. Cecile was from Christiania (Oslo), Norway, and would serve as guide and interpreter. It was an overnight trip to Frankfurt, Germany, then on to Hamburg. At Kiel, on the Baltic Sea, they took the ferry to Denmark. Ellen White found this trip through the northern countries an interesting experience.
Visit To Denmark
They were met Thursday morning at Copenhagen, by J. G. Matteson. He took the travelers to his home and led them up six flights of stairs to the apartment occupied by his family. While it was somewhat of a struggle to get to the apartment, once there Mrs. White found it afforded a fascinating view.
Seventh-day Adventists in Copenhagen worshiped in a little hall on the fourth story of a building not far from the Matteson apartment. Friday evening Ellen White spoke to about 35 who assembled there. A third of these constituted the local church group; the others came in from adjacent churches. Her topic was "The Parable of the Fig Tree." She found the hall to be damp and cold, but Sabbath morning she was back. Although suffering from some teeth that had been improperly treated, a problem accentuated by the cold and dampness of the hall, she spoke to the well-filled room on the topic "The True Vine."
Halls where religious meetings might be held were difficult to secure in Denmark, but one was found, a basement room capable of seating 200 but equipped for only half that number. Meetings were held each evening throughout the week.
Ellen White spoke five times while in Copenhagen, and then the traveling worker group left by ship for Sweden.
A Visit To Sweden
"We left Copenhagen this morning," wrote Ellen in her diary for Thursday, October 15, on the steamer for Malmö, Sweden. A night's trip by train took them to Stockholm, where they were met by a Brother Norlin, who took the worker group to his home. Mrs. White wrote of him as one who, in humble circumstances, was earnestly seeking to spread the knowledge of the truth, laboring as a colporteur:
Shouldering his pack, stocked with our books and papers, he goes on foot from place to place, often traveling many miles a day. His profits have been very small.... On one of the large bound books [imported from America] he received but five cents a copy, on some other books only three cents. On those works published at our office in Christiania he received one-third discount....
Brother Norlin's wife is an industrious worker, doing housecleaning, washing, or any other kind of hard work by which she can help in gaining a livelihood. They live in a very economical manner, occupying one good-sized room on a fourth floor, with the use of a small kitchen with another family (Historical Sketches of the Foreign Missions of the Seventh-day Adventists, 189).
After pointing out that this is a sample of how the work had to be done in Denmark, Sweden, and Norway, she declared:
Those who are thus traveling on foot and carrying the books and papers in their leathern sacks are apparently engaged in a humble work; but they should not feel that it is in any sense degrading. It was in a humble manner that Christ labored when He was on the earth; He went on foot from place to place teaching as He walked. Those who are spreading a knowledge of the truth are scattering precious light that some souls will accept. In the kingdom of God the fruit of their labors will be seen (Ibid.
While in Stockholm she and Sara were entertained in the home of a Sister Johanneson, who had lived in America and could speak English quite well. It was a comfortable home, heated by tall earthen stoves that reached nearly to the ceiling. Ellen much enjoyed and appreciated the comfort provided.
The worker group was in Stockholm from Friday to Wednesday morning, October 21, with meetings Friday evening, Sabbath morning, and then Sunday and Monday evenings. Of the Sabbath morning meeting held in a small public hall, Ellen noted in her diary, "We call this a good day. The Lord strengthened me to speak to His people with clearness and power."
The visit to Sweden included a few days at Grythyttehed, 150 miles (240 kilometers) northwest of Stockholm, and then Örebro, meeting with companies of believers at each place. In imagination she relived the days of the Reformation, and then the preaching of the Advent message in Sweden in 1842 and 1843, when the mouths of those who would herald the message were closed by authorities. In these circumstances the power of God came upon several children, and they heralded the message and called upon the people to get ready.
Christiania, Norway
The last of the northern countries to be visited before it got too late in the season was Norway. It was Friday morning, October 30, when they reached Christiania (Oslo), and were taken to the home of A. B. Oyen, the minister sent from Battle Creek to Norway to translate the Ellen G. White books. It was a relief to Mrs. White to be residing in the home of English-speaking friends. Lest she be misunderstood, she hastened to record in her diary that "although we were welcomed and treated with every attention by our Danish and Swedish brethren and sisters, we felt all the time crippled because we could not converse together, and it was thus made impossible to do them all the good we much desired to do" (Manuscript 27, 1885).
The church had a membership of 120, but 200 attended the Sabbath morning service, and 100 were present for the ordinances Sabbath afternoon (Ibid., 207).
Two full weeks, extending over three Sabbaths, were spent in Norway. Except for meeting a speaking appointment in Drammen, the entire time was devoted to the interests in Christiania, the principal city. Here a new publishing house was under construction, a sizable building that, as in Switzerland, would provide not only space for the publishing interests but a good meeting hall and living quarters for some of the workers.
After Ellen White had been in Christiania a week she had gained a feeling of the overall situation. She realized the need for these brothers and sisters to receive counsel on the high standards that God expects of His people, particularly in regard to the keeping of the Sabbath.
She dwelt on the point of the Sabbath. "It is God's test," she declared.
It is no man-made test. This is to be the separating line to distinguish the loyal and the true--him that serveth God from him that serveth Him not (Manuscript 27, 1885).
She was concerned that professed believers were sending their children to the public school on Sabbath. "They were not compelled to do this, but [they did it] because the schools objected to taking in their children unless they should attend the six days in the week" (Ibid.). If they were unable to negotiate with the school authorities, then there was but one way--"to keep the Sabbath of the fourth commandment strictly," which might call for Seventh-day Adventists to establish schools among themselves.
She had opportunity to discuss some of these things in Christiania with a building contractor by the name of Hansen, a prominent and influential member but with rather lax views of Sabbath observance. Ellen described the visit as pleasant and profitable. They discussed health reform, and she related her experience in the rise and development of the work of the church.
When she came to the last weekend she knew it was a crucial time, for her pointed testimonies through the week had called for soul searching and reform.
During the week she had written a 16-page testimony to the Christiania church. A. B. Oyen had already translated much of it. Sabbath afternoon he read to the church the portion translated.
Ellen White's interest and concern is easily detected in her report to her son:
There was not time for many testimonies to be borne afterward. Brother Hansen made no response, but he sent word that he would be pleased to take me over the city on Sunday forenoon, and I responded that I would be pleased to go.
He showed me every attention and I managed to bring in again the vexed question of the Sabbath. He said he meant to get around to change his position just as soon as he could, and we had a very pleasant social time. He sat in the carriage where Sara generally sits. Annie sat beside him to interpret. He said if I would promise to come next spring he would make extra efforts to learn to talk and to understand English. I told him I thought without doubt I would come (Letter 35, 1885).
Her last meeting in Christiania was held that Sunday afternoon at 3:00 in the Good Templars' hall, where she had met with the church Sabbaths and evenings.
As she closed the service she bade the people farewell, and thought to slip away while the congregation was singing, to the carriage she saw waiting for her:
But I was not to escape so easily. There was a rush for me and one and another took my hand, kissed it, and with tears running down their faces, told me how much good my message had done them. They held my hand so firmly and lovingly I could not withdraw it readily, while others were waiting to shake hands with me. The carriage was surrounded. We just had to wait, and then I was so sorry I had not waited in the house and shaken hands with every one of them....
This last meeting left a good feeling with nearly all, and I am inclined to think that all has been done that could be done on this visit (Ibid.).
At 6:30 the next morning--long before daylight--she left by train. A large number of the believers, including Brother and Sister Hansen, were there to see her off.
Return Trip To Switzerland
They took the southbound train, en route to Gothenburg, Sweden. When it became light, at about 9:00, she enjoyed what she termed "the romantic scenery." The trip on the ferry was tempestuous--six hours to Frederickshaven, Denmark (Historical Sketches of the Foreign Missions of the Seventh-day Adventists, 221); then by train south to Germany and across Germany to Basel.
Back home in Basel she summed up some facts about the tour:
We reached Basel [Thursday] November 19, our homeward journey having occupied four days. We were absent six weeks on this Scandinavian tour, and traveled more than twenty-five hundred miles.... Wherever we went, our people warmly expressed their gratitude for the help which had been sent them and the interest manifested in their behalf by the brethren in America (Ibid., 225).
The Visit To Italy
Ellen White was weary and worn and would have welcomed a few weeks' rest, but she found herself immediately involved in plans for another trip, this time to Italy.
There were some problems in Italy. B. L. Whitney, president of the Central European Mission, suggested that she accompany him to Torre Pellice to bolster the spirits of the few discouraged believers there. "Weary and worn from the arduous labors of our northern trip," she wrote, "I would gladly have rested a few weeks in our home in Basel" (Ibid., 226). But arrangements were made to start out again the next Thursday, less than a week after reaching home.
Thursday morning, November 26, her fifty-eighth birthday, accompanied by Mary White and Whitney, Ellen White boarded the train for Torre Pellice.
A. C. Bourdeau had just located there with his family. Ellen stated that the purpose of the visit was to "encourage the little company there who are striving under great difficulties to obey God" (Ibid., 231). The believers were meeting opposition on the question of the seventh-day Sabbath by one who had a few months before accepted it but was now a bitter opponent. Ellen White presented the picture of the beginning of her work in Torre Pellice:
The next day, Sabbath, I spoke to the brethren and sisters in the hired hall in which they held their regular Sabbath meetings. Owing to a delay in getting out the appointment, few besides our own people were present. But I felt the same interest in speaking to the few that I would have felt in addressing hundreds. Choosing as my text Isaiah 56:1-7, I tried to impress upon them the importance of obeying God and walking in the light, regardless of the opinions or course of the world (Ibid.).
She pointed out that the question might arise in some minds as to why commandment keepers are separated from the world into little companies, and she answered, "It is not because we choose to differ from those around us, but because we see the necessity of obeying all the requirements of God" (Ibid.).
A secondary objective in her visit to Italy was to see the Waldensian valleys. During the week she did some sightseeing, going by carriage to nearby points of special interest. When the carriage could go no farther, several times she climbed the hills to points of historic interest relating to the experience of the Waldenses as they attempted to hide from their persecutors, and where many lost their lives.
They were now in the very heart of the Waldensian hideouts. Ellen White's heart thrilled as she recounted in her mind the history of God's noble, persecuted witnesses. Some of the surroundings had a familiar look to her, for in vision she had been shown the travails and persecutions of the Waldenses.
While she stayed in the Bourdeau home in Torre Pellice, council meetings were held to give study to the best way to conduct the work in Italy. "We keep asking the Lord," she wrote, "to open the way for the truth to find access to hearts in these valleys." Bourdeau spoke on the third Sabbath, giving Ellen a bit of rest, but Sunday afternoon she addressed an attentive audience. She spoke again Sunday night, her last meeting there.
At 4:30 in the morning of Tuesday, December 15, she and her companions were at the depot to catch the train back to Turin.
By the weekend she and Mary were home. She spoke to the believers Sabbath morning in the meeting hall at the publishing house. A large mail was waiting for her, and she picked up her work with no overshadowing of urgent travel plans. She had now made the rounds of visits to the principal countries of Europe where the message was reaching out. If she was to remain in Europe, she hoped to make progress with her literary work.
The length of her stay in Europe had not been determined. Widowed for five years, she missed James and his counsel in making decisions! Her son,
W. C. White, was very helpful, but he was away at this time attending the
General Conference in Battle Creek, Michigan. As to her situation in general, Ellen White wrote to Willie on December 22:
I can tell you, I find abundance of work that keeps coming ready to my hand and I see no place to rest, even in Europe. I think I will purchase a horse and carriage and ride out daily. I do not take pleasure in the rides taken with a coachman and hackman (Letter 38, 1885).
Within a month she had made the purchase, which she described in a letter to J. D. Rise in California:
I am now quite a cripple from the broken ankle. It was injured five years ago in Battle Creek. I cannot walk at times without a cane. I have had to purchase me a horse and carriage; cost something more than $300 for the whole outfit. All deemed it necessary for me as they surely saw I could not get exercise by walking (Letter 18, 1886).
Continuing her December 22 letter to Willie, she wrote:
Well, I am certainly doing more work than at any other period of my life, and I am thankful that the Lord has given me strength to work....
I see our work has but just begun here; I see so much to be done and I am doing too much. I wish I could do the work of ten. I would gladly do it. But I can only do the work of one--poor, frail at that. May God work Himself (Letter 38, 1885).
"In regard to writing in the future," she commented, "I cannot say. I must write." One important literary task that loomed before her was the enlargement of the first of the great controversy books, The Spirit of Prophecy, volume 1--the one dealing with most of the Old Testament history, a volume that was to become Patriarchs and Prophets. She wrote:
I think I can do it as well here in Europe as in America. Make just such arrangements as you please. If Marian is worn and has her plans arranged to stay, I can send writing there, but if you think it advisable for her to come, all right (Ibid.).
The family now occupied five rooms on the third floor of the publishing house. After returning from Scandinavia Ellen had discovered that the unheated publishing house was "cold as a barn" and needed more furniture to make it comfortable. She had admired the stoves she had seen in Sweden, so she went down and selected "one of those earthen stoves" like the "white ones in Sweden, but this one we have purchased is about five feet [two meters] high, brown earthenware. It is a beauty for $20.... So you see we shall be nicely fixed here for the winter" (Letter 37, 1885).
In this same letter she wrote:
Brethren Whitney and Kellogg are true and earnest to do all they can for us. Brother Kellogg boards with us. They seem to think I must have everything I need to make me comfortable.
But very little has been expended for furniture. Things picked up and borrowed have fitted us out with three good bedsteads and mattresses. Both rooms have carpets, not entirely covered, but answer all purposes (Ibid.).
During the winter and spring months of 1886 Ellen devoted her energies to writing, with occasional weekend trips to nearby churches in Switzerland. In addition to her almost-constant letter writing, her first literary work was to carry out the resolution, passed during the closing days of the European Missionary Council, that called for the publication in English of a "report of the European missions, with the report of Sister White's morning talks and a sketch of her visit to the missions" (see Historical Sketches of the Foreign Missions of the Seventh-day Adventists, 118). This would be for the information and encouragement of members in America.
Marian Davis Joins the Force
When W. C. White, in early February, returned from the General Conference session held in Battle Creek, Michigan, he brought with him quite a company of workers. It included Elder and Mrs. L. R. Conradi and Marian Davis. Commented Ellen when she got the word that they would soon be in Basel, "This settles the question that we shall remain in Europe during the best portion of the year 1886. We shall prepare books here and have them published here" (Letter 94, 1886).
As spring came to Switzerland, plans were being laid for the work in Europe. Ellen White wrote in a newsy letter:
We are now contemplating another journey to Italy. We should visit other churches; they are calling for us loudly. They call for us to again visit Denmark, Sweden, and Norway. These places demand much hard work and I dread it, but I may feel that I must go. Jesus lived not to please Himself. I do not know as we will get away from here this winter. May the Lord direct (Letter 11, 1886).
Ten days later, Thursday morning, April 15, Ellen, accompanied by Sara, Willie, and Mary, boarded the train for Italy. On Friday they were in Torre Pellice again at the home of A. C. Bourdeau (Manuscript 62, 1886).
Six weeks intervened between their return to Basel and the time they had to be off for the second round of visits to the Scandinavian countries. These weeks were used by Ellen in literary work and in weekend visits to nearby churches.
Ellen White's Second Missionary Journey
This was no pleasure trip for Ellen. She was not traveling as a tourist. She had work to do. In spite of forbidding circumstances, she determined to go. A few months before this she had stated, "I can, when I have to, do most anything" (Letter 95, 1886). She looked to the Lord, and He gave her help.
Sweden
At the session of the Swedish Conference, which opened on June 23, 1886, about 65 church members were present from the 10 churches. Twenty-three were delegates sent from nine of the churches, representing a combined membership of 250. Leading ministers present were J. G. Matteson, O. A. Olsen, and
W. C. White.
Mrs. White's meetings Sabbath and Sunday were well attended. She brought to the people practical instruction on true sanctification as contrasted with a spurious, no-cross experience in which perfection is claimed but is far from being attained. By the close of the general meeting she had spoken 11 times in 10 days.
"I think that the work here is going well," she wrote to Mary, back in Basel, "and I have felt much better healthwise than for months in the past.... The brethren are much encouraged. It is a good meeting and everything moves harmoniously.... I tell you, things look much different than when we were here last fall. There is a good hall, good seats to accommodate the people, and if Jesus will work with our efforts, we will be encouraged indeed and He will be" (Letter 38b, 1886).
Norway--Christiania
Before leaving America, Ellen White had been shown the low standard of piety in the Christiania church, and since she had been there only eight months before, she was constrained to bear pointed testimonies. The response was positive.
When she and Sara arrived in Christiania a little after 10:00 on Friday morning, July 2, they were met at the depot and driven to the old publishing house building, where two rooms were comfortably fitted up for them with a kitchen. She was pleased that Brother Hansen, the prominent Adventist building contractor, called on her soon after her arrival.
She was invited to take the Sabbath morning church service held in the commodious chapel of the newly constructed publishing house. The room was 41 feet (13 meters) by 55 feet (17 meters), with a 22-foot (7-meter) ceiling. Most of the 175 Seventh-day Adventists in Norway were members of this church, the balance being divided between two much smaller congregations (SDA Yearbook [1887], p. 94).
At some point in the several days Ellen White was there she had opportunity to look over the publishing house, now comfortably located in the new building. When she was shown through the several departments, she expressed great joy over the thought that, with these excellent facilities, periodicals and books suitable for the field could be printed quickly and sent on their mission. When she reached the pressroom, she took special interest and declared that she had seen that room and the presses years before--yes, nearly 12 years before, in the vision of January 3, 1875, in Battle Creek, Michigan (Life Sketches of Ellen G. White, 299).
This was a crisis time for the church in Norway. Ellen continued her work to the close of the session on Tuesday evening, but spoke again to the church on Thursday evening before leaving the next day for Denmark:
I presented before the church the necessity of a thorough change in their characters before God could acknowledge them as His children. I urged upon them the necessity of order in the church. They must have the mind which dwelt in Jesus in order to conduct themselves aright in the church of God. I urged upon them the importance of a correct observing of the Sabbath.... If it continues to go forward, then there will be a hearty repentance.... With this meeting my labors closed in Christiania (Manuscript 66, 1886).
She commented, "The work was but just begun in the church."
Denmark
Because of headwinds the ship bearing Ellen White and her party did not reach Copenhagen until too late for a Sabbath meeting. But on Sunday afternoon the hall was well filled, and many stood as they listened with good attention to her message.
At the Monday morning meeting 24 were present. It was a time of considerable unemployment in the city, and church members with work did not dare risk being away from their jobs. She divided the week in Denmark between the rather poorly attended meetings, her writing, and some sightseeing. On Monday, July 26, with Sara McEnterfer and W. C. White, she hastened back to Basel.
England
After spending about a month at home she was off again to attend the Fourth European Missionary Council, to be held at Great Grimsby in England.
Although the business sessions of the council would not begin until Monday, September 27, tent meetings were being held in Great Grimsby, and Ellen threw herself into the work, with two meetings on Sabbath, September 18, two meetings on Sunday, and early-morning talks to the workers Sunday and Tuesday.
The Sunday night meeting was well attended, with the tent full and an overflow audience of half again as many outside. The congregation was attentive, and she spoke with freedom (Letter 23a, 1886).
Many who came in during the week to attend the council were there for the Sabbath, September 25. Ellen White addressed them at 5:30 a.m. in a poorly ventilated, small room at the mission headquarters. The foul air almost paralyzed her.
The ventilation at the places chosen for the meetings was so poor that she finally became sick. She suffered with inflammation of head, stomach, and lungs.
Sara gave her hydrotherapy treatments, and she began to rally. But, although she attended some of the meetings of the council, she did not speak again, either through the week of the council or the week following, while she remained at Great Grimsby. However, she did labor in personal interviews, writing, and giving counsel.
The business of the Fourth Missionary Council was quite routine, with reports from the different fields of labor, resolutions aimed at improving the evangelistic thrust, and the election of officers.
France
In London for a day or two en route to France, and with improving health, Ellen White wrote several letters for B. L. Whitney to carry with him as he traveled to the General Conference session to begin in Battle Creek November 18. Then she and Sara, her son, and the Ingses were off for Nīmes, France, where tent meetings were being held.
D. T. Bourdeau had rented a home in Nīmes. He pitched an evangelistic tent there and for a few weeks had worked with a reasonable degree of success. He encountered some opposition, and some rowdies had attempted to break up the meetings, but by the time Ellen White joined in the work, matters were quite stable. On Sabbath, October 16, Ings spoke at the early-morning meeting; his message on the restoration of the Sabbath was well received. Mrs. White spoke in the worship service Sabbath morning and again in the evening. Sixteen people were keeping the Sabbath in Nīmes (Manuscript 70, 1886). The meetings that were held through the two weeks Ellen and the Ingses were there were evangelistic--for the church and the general public--with Ellen taking the evening meetings in the tent. She did some sightseeing in this large city, which had a history that predated the life and ministry of Christ on earth.
As this was an evangelistic series, she preached Christ-centered, soul-winning sermons. And from day to day she was able to do a little sightseeing, some shopping, and as ever, write, write, write--100 pages while in Nīmes.
At Valence, France
The travelers stopped at Valence, France, to meet with the few Sabbathkeepers who came together for two services. While at Valence they visited the cathedral and there saw a bust of Pope Pius VI. "This is the pope," Ellen wrote, "specified in prophecy, which received the deadly wound" (Ibid.). She was intensely interested in the visit to the nearby tower where he had been confined and where he died.
Third Visit To Italy
Ellen White expected to spend two weeks in Italy, but when they got to Torre Pellice they discovered that a man named Corcorda was attempting to neutralize the work A. C. Bourdeau had just done with the evangelistic tent; Corcorda got his ammunition from Miles Grant, an Advent Christian. With opposition coming early in Ellen's first visit to Italy and repeated now, it seemed impossible to accomplish much.
She spoke in Torre Pellice on Sabbath and in Villar Pellice on Sunday. After remaining a few days, however, she saw that little could be accomplished. She and the Ingses started home toward Basel, spending two weeks on their journey, visiting churches in Lausanne and Bienne in Switzerland on their way.
She reached Basel Tuesday, November 23. She had been gone for 10 weeks. As she gave a report to G. I. Butler the next day, she wrote:
I have for weeks been exposed to fogs and rains and bad air in halls. I have talked in halls where it was sometimes very hot and the air was impure and then have gone out into a sharp, cutting air from the lakes, and taken cold again and again.... In two days, the twenty-sixth of this month, I shall be 59 years old. I thank my heavenly Father for the strength that He has given me to do more work than I ever expected to do. I thank the Lord with heart and soul and voice. I am thinking we may not feel obliged to remain here in Europe much longer (Letter 115, 1886).