10
The Publishing Ministry
came to some difficult passage, we would unite in prayer to God for
an understanding of the true meaning of His word.
The Present Truth—One day in July, my husband brought home
from Middletown a thousand copies of the first number of his paper.
Several times, while the matter was being set, he had walked to Mid-
dletown, eight miles, and back, but this day he had borrowed Brother
[17]
Belden’s [
The Whites were living at this time in several rooms on
the second floor of Albert Belden’s home in Rocky Hill. In a letter to
Stephen Belden, son of Albert, Ellen White later recalled: “I remember
that my husband wrote his editorials while sitting in a splint-bottomed
chair.... When the papers came from the press, they were folded on a
table in a room in Colonel Chamberlain’s house. Then we put them on
the floor, and bowed before God in prayer, asking His special blessing
upon them.”—
Letter 293, 1904
.] horse and buggy with which to bring
home the papers.
The precious printed sheets were brought into the house and laid
upon the floor, and then a little group of interested ones were gathered
in, and we knelt around the papers, and with humble hearts and many
tears besought the Lord to let His blessing rest upon these printed
messengers of truth.
When we had folded the papers, and my husband had wrapped and
addressed copies to all those who he thought would read them, he put
them into a carpetbag, and carried them on foot to the Middletown
post office.
During July, August, and September, four numbers of the paper
were printed at Middletown. Each number contained eight pages.
Always before the papers were mailed, they were spread before the
Lord, and earnest prayers, mingled with tears, were offered to God
that His blessing would attend the silent messengers. Soon after the
sending out of the first number, we received letters bringing means
with which to continue publishing the paper, and also the good news
of many souls embracing the truth.
With the beginning of this work of publishing, we did not cease
our labors in preaching the truth, but traveled from place to place,
proclaiming the doctrines which had brought so great light and joy to
us, encouraging the believers, correcting errors, and setting things in
order in the church. In order to carry forward the publishing enterprise,