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Testimonies for the Church Volume 1
in the vicinity and consult with them concerning sending for Sister
More and making her a home until we should return. But the matter
was neglected until navigation closed, and we returned and found that
no one had taken interest to help Sister More to this vicinity, where
she could come to us when we should reach our home. We felt grieved
and distressed, and at a meeting at Orleans the second Sabbath after
we came home, my husband introduced her case to the brethren. A
brief report of what was said and done in relation to Sister More was
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given by my husband in the Review for February 18, 1868, as follows:
“At this meeting we introduced the case of Sister Hannah More,
now sojourning in northwestern Michigan with friends who do not ob-
serve the Bible Sabbath. We stated that this servant of Christ embraced
the Sabbath while performing missionary labor in Central Africa.
When this was known, her services in that direction were no longer
wanted, and she returned to America to seek a home and employment
with those of like faith. We judge, from her present location, that in
this she has been disappointed. No one in particular may be worthy
of blame in her case; but it appears to us that there is either a lack of
suitable provisions connected with our system of organization, for the
encouragement of such persons and to assist them to a field of useful
labor, or that those brethren and sisters who have had the pleasure of
seeing Sister More have not done their duty. A unanimous vote was
then given to invite her to find a home with the brethren in this vicinity
until General Conference, when her case should be presented to our
people. Brother Andrews, being present, fully endorsed the action of
the brethren.”
From what we have since learned of the cold, indifferent treatment
which Sister More met with at Battle Creek, it is evident that in stating
that no one in particular was worthy of censure in her case, my husband
took altogether a too charitable view of the matter. When all the
facts are known, no Christian could but blame all members of that
church who knew her circumstances and did not individually interest
themselves in her behalf. It certainly was the duty of the officers to do
this and report to the church, if others did not take up the matter before
them. But individual members of that or any other church should not
feel excused from taking an interest in such persons. After what has
been said in the Review of this self-sacrificing servant of Christ, every
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reader of the Review in Battle Creek, on learning that she had come to