Introduction—The Prophetic Gift and Ellen G. White
xxvii
their continued publication. With offices at the world headquarters of
the Seventh-day Adventist Church, this board fosters the continued
issuance of the E. G. White books in English and encourages their
publication in whole or in part in other languages. They have also
issued numerous compilations of periodical articles and manuscripts,
this being in harmony with Mrs. White’s instruction. It is under the
authorization of this board that the present volume is issued.
Mrs. E. G. White as Others Knew Her
Having learned of the unusual experience of Mrs. White in being
the messenger of the Lord, some have asked, what kind of person was
she? Did she have the same problems that we have? Was she wealthy,
or was she poor? Did she ever smile?
Mrs. White was a thoughtful mother. She was a careful housewife.
She was a genial hostess, often entertaining church members in her
home. She was a helpful neighbor. She was a woman of conviction,
pleasant of disposition, gentle in her manner and voice. There was no
[20]
place in her experience for a long-faced, smileless, joyless religion.
One felt at perfect ease in her presence. Perhaps the best way to get
acquainted with Mrs. White is to call at her home in 1859, the first
year she kept a day-by-day diary account.
We find that the Whites lived in the outskirts of Battle Creek, in
a little cottage on a large lot, giving opportunity for a garden, a few
fruit trees, a cow, some chickens, and a place for their sons to work
and play. Mrs. White at the time was thirty-one years of age. James
white was thirty-six. There were at that time three boys in the home,
four, nine, and twelve years of age.
We would find a good Christian young woman in the home em-
ployed to assist with the housework, for Mrs. White often was away
from home and was often busy with her speaking and writing. Yet
Mrs. White carried the responsibilities of the home, the cooking, the
cleaning, the washing, and the sewing. On some days she would go
down to the publishing house, where she had a quiet place to write.
Other days we find her in the garden, planting flowers and vegetables,
and at times exchanging flower plants with the neighbors. She was
determined to make home just as pleasant as she could for her family,