Wide Reading Habits

Ellen White’s wide reading habits helped to fill in her broad conceptual framework with historical background and fresh ways to state her insightful perceptions.MOL 111.5

When the White children were young, their mother read broadly in religious magazines looking for stories with moral lessons that would be suitable especially for Sabbath reading. She clipped the desirable articles and pasted them in scrapbooks. ^{24These scrapbooks are on display at the E. G. White Estate office, Silver Spring, Maryland.}MOL 111.6

In the 1870s many of these articles were sorted out into books for different age groups. The first of these collections, Sabbath Readings, Moral and Religious Lessons for Youth and Children, contained 154 individually-paged stories. ^{25Battle Creek, MI: Steam Press of the Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association, 1863.} Later, Sabbath Readings for the Home Circle, a four-volume set of stories, appeared in numerous editions. ^{26Oakland, CA: The Pacific Press, 1877, 1878, 1881; Nashville, TN: M. A. Vroman, publisher, 1905.} At the turn of the century, Golden Grains, a series of ten pamphlets, each containing 72 pages, was published by the Pacific Press Publishing Association. ^{27Unknown date.} An undated collection of children’s stories, Sunshine Series, was also published; the first had ten pamphlets of 16 pages, and the second had 20 pamphlets of 16 pages each. ^{28In 1881, James White wrote: “Mrs. White has ever been a great reader, and in our extensive travels she has gathered juvenile books and papers in great quantities, from which she selected moral and religious lessons to read to her own dear children. This work commenced about thirty years since. We purchased every series of books for children and youth printed in America and in Europe in the English language, which came to our notice, and bought, borrowed, and begged miscellaneous books of this class, almost without number.... And there we published the Sunshine Series of little books for the little ones, from 5 to 10 years old, the series of Golden Grains, for children from 10 to 15 years, and the volumes for the Sabbath Readings for the Home Circle for still more advanced readers.... Precious books! The compilers have spent years in reading and rejecting, ninety-nine parts, and accepted one. Precious books, indeed, for the precious youth.” The Review and Herald, June 21, 1881.}MOL 111.7

Early in 1900, while in Australia, Ellen White wrote to her son, Edson, asking him to send certain books from her library: “I have sent for four or five large volumes of Barnes’ notes on the Bible. I think they are in Battle Creek in my house now sold, somewhere with my books. I hope you will see that my property, if I have any, is cared for and not scattered as common property everywhere. I may never visit America again, and my best books should come to me when it is convenient.” ^{29Letter 189, 1900, cited in Bio., vol. 4, p. 448.}MOL 111.8

In 1920, E. E. Andross, president of the North American Division, made a plea for clarification on Mrs. White’s use of materials found in her reading. W. C. White responded: “In the early days of her work, Mother was promised wisdom in the selection from the writings of others, that would enable her to select the gems of truth from the rubbish of error. We have all seen this fulfilled, and yet when she told me of this, she admonished me not to tell it to others. Why thus restricted I never knew, but now am inclined to believe that she saw how this might lead some of her brethren to claim too much for her writings as a standard with which to correct historians.” ^{30White Estate Correspondence File, cited by Robert W. Olson, “Ellen G. White’s Use of Historical Sources in The Great Controversy,” Adventist Review, Feb. 23, 1984.}MOL 111.9

W. C. White wrote to the Publication Committee of the Pacific Press in 1911: “It is generally admitted that in Sister White’s discourses, spoken to the people, she uses great freedom and wisdom in the selection of proofs and illustrations, to make plain and forcible her presentation of the truths revealed to her in vision. Also, that she selects such facts and arguments as are adapted to the audience to which she is speaking. This is essential to the attainment of the best results from her discourses. And she has always felt and taught that it was her duty to use the same wisdom in the selection of matter for her books, that she does in the selection of matter for her discourses.” ^{31Selected Messages 3:441.}MOL 112.1

With her mind and heart overflowing with the love of God, Ellen White had been given the big picture of God’s plan for resolving the sin problem; it was her duty to find the best way to convey this picture to others. In the introduction to The Great Teacher (a volume Ellen White valued highly), John Harris wrote: “Suppose, for example, an inspired prophet were now to appear in the church, to add a supplement to the canonical books—what a Babel of opinions would he find existing on almost every theological subject! And how highly probable it is that his ministry would consist, or seem to consist, in a mere selection and ratification of such of these opinions as accorded with the mind of God. Absolute originality would seem to be almost impossible. The inventive mind of man has already bodied forth speculative opinions in almost every conceivable form, forestalling and robbing the future of its fair proportion of novelties and leaving little more, even to a divine messenger, than the office of taking some of these opinions and impressing them with the seal of heaven.” ^{32Pages xxxiii, xxxiv.}MOL 112.2

These words could be applied to Ellen White. Her ability to read voluminously and to select carefully provided her with the tools that her prophetic mission required. Mentally armed with the inspired outline of truth, her extensive reading frequently helped her to fill in the details with pertinent historical background and with literary adaptations that make her writings forceful, delightful, and creative.MOL 112.3