VI. “Text Books” Disclose Amazing Accomplishments

Two little Text Books, or diaries, covering his preaching tours, speak volumes. Recording date, place, sometimes the meeting place, and always the texts used, they tell of amazing personal perseverance and accomplishment. The mere physical travel feature in itself, achieved by the slow stage, steamer, train, and horse and buggy accommodations of the time, is phenomenal-4,560 miles of it in the second book, just between October 1, 1839 and October 1, 1840. ^{34See “Text Book,” under April 15, 1841.} And Miller’s amazing speaking program-comprehending some four thousand sermons in nine years ^{35Wm. Miller’s Apology and Defence, p. 22.} -is likewise a remarkable achievement, for many of these were given in the largest auditoriums, churches, halls, tents, and tabernacles available. And they included immense outdoor audiences of eight to ten thousand people-and all without benefit of public-address systems or augmenting amplifiers. ^{36In order for one to obtain an accurate over-all picture of Miller’s activities and achievements, a comprehensive tabular chart was worked out for guidance here in Part II. The first notation begins with Miller’s first sermon, or sermon-series, August 14-21, 1831, at Dresden, New York. The entries continue, based on whatever records are available from letters, Memoirs, manuscripts, and historical notes. “Text Book” No. 1 runs from October 1, 1834, onward to September 14, 1839. There were 318 separate series of lectures in all,_ usually continuing from four days to two weeks each, and often with two or three speaking appointments a day. “Text Book” No. 2 opens with the entry for “Westford, Vt., June 16, 1839,” and closes with “Sept. 20, 1844,” as the last notation. This tabular chart was, for convenience, labeled “Miller’s Preaching Appointments, Emphasis, and Results.” Reading from left to right, the sections are: Serial Number (1 to 318), Date (month, day, year), State, Town or City, Population (where pertinent). Returns (where Miller preached two, three, four, or up to seven series in a given locality), Meeting Place (church, hall, tent, tabernacle), Denomination, Minister’s Name (when in his church), Texts Used, Theme Developed, Outstanding Features, Results, Publications Issued, Side Lights From Correspondence, Participation in Conferences, Opposition, Press Comments, Invitations for Meetings—and of course the Reference. The entries follow consecutively in vertical columns. Only in this way could an accurate composite picture be assembled with its multiple factors, as one point checks against another. Otherwise, generalizations could easily produce a distorted picture. The data drawn from this scientific procedure are drafted upon constantly throughout Part II. It may be observed that one of the chief reasons for distorted emphasis and erroneous conclusions is often due to failure to pursue such an obviously essential procedure in research technique.}PFF4 496.2

Picture 3: SAMPLE ENTRIES IN MILLER’S FIRST TEXT BOOK
In addition to the tabulation of his increasing appointments, with place, date, and texts, there are periodic entries summarizing his travels, the results of his meetings, and related interesting data
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These Text Books become eloquent with meaning when the circumstances and details are filled in from other sources, such as contemporary correspondence, public press, and periodical reports. Meetings in many of the towns cited were, of course, without any unusual incident or feature. Others were highly significant. Both Text Books are dotted with human interest items, and are a throb with dramatic episodes, when we can get to the attendant circumstances. Some of these places are shrouded with hallowed memories. Some were the scene of crisis hours in the lives of ministers faced with vital and sometimes fatal choices. Others were scenes of bitter opposition and even persecution. Still others record triumphant advances.PFF4 498.1

Most impressive of all, perhaps, is the definite progression revealed in Miller’s preaching emphasis—the steady growth in effective presentation of his special message and the intensification of that message as the time of expectancy drew nearer. Analysis of the texts used with increasing frequency in his speaking appointments, as the movement progressed, likewise reveals the focal point of emphasis almost as well as if we could turn back the pages of time and distance and hear Miller in person. Miller’s first Text Book closes with the appointment of June 9, 1839. As his tour of Massachusetts ends at Lynn, these simple words appear: “Making 800 lectures from Oct. 1, 1834-June 9, 1839, 4 year 6 mon 9 day.” And the second Text Book closes with the simple sentence, “Now I have given, since 1832, 3200 lectures.” What a record!PFF4 498.2