Chapter 24—Illustrating Our Literature
Purpose of Pictures—The Lord desires His people to move un-
derstandingly and intelligently. They are not to create large expenses;
yet everything is to be done in perfect order. Our books should be
bound with good, durable covers. The sewing should be firm and
strong. This should always be. But care should be exercised in the
matter of illustrating. Much money should not be invested in this line.
When there are lessons in the pictures which lead to a study of the
book itself, it is well; but when the pictures draw the attention from
the truth contained in the book to themselves, the effort to help the
book by illustrations is a failure.—
Letter 75, 1900
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Good Taste in Their Choice—Pictures to represent Bible scenes
must be no cheap designs. True science of all kinds is distinction and
power. He who by painstaking effort ascends step by step the ladder
of human progress, must fix his eyes on the One above the ladder. The
knowledge which God imparts is not of a character to belittle our ideas
of sacred things. The glory of God must be kept before the mind’s
eye, not the cheap, earthly representations that imprint in the memory
scenes which give a false conception of Christ and heavenly things. A
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proper illustration of Bible scenes requires talent of a superior quality.
With these cheap, common productions, the sacred lessons of the Bible
disdain comparison.... God forbid that we should please the devil by
lowering the standard of eternal truth by using illustrations that men,
women, and children will make sport of.—
Manuscript 23, 1896
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A Temptation to Over-illustrate—I am much burdened in regard
to some things urged upon my mind. I have written something in
regard to the matter of picture making, especially for our books. The
large investment of means for this purpose has been decidedly wrong.
It is not pictures that we should feel a burden to present to the people; it
is the truth, the subject matter, that they need. The work of illustrating
is a constant temptation to tie up money. The very ones who need the
books and would appreciate them, cannot obtain them because of their
high price....
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