The Salamanca Vision ^{3This statement was dictated by O. A. Olsen on August 19, 1914. He was president of the General Conference from 1888 to 1897}

by O. A. Olsen [1845-1915]

At the General Conference in 1891, at Battle Creek, Sister White had been attending our early morning ministers’ meeting for a number of days in succession. Each time I had gone to her the day before to ascertain whether she would be present or not. On this occasion I called on her in the afternoon. She then stated to me that, having attended a number of meetings in succession, she thought that she would not come tomorrow, but that I should arrange for the meeting to be conducted without her presence. In consultation with the pastoral committee, it was arranged for Professor Prescott and myself to have charge of the meeting the next morning.SVD 76.1

We met as usual in the south vestry of the Tabernacle. The meeting had been opened by singing, and we were engaged in the first season of prayer. While we were engaged in prayer, Sister White walked in with a bundle of manuscript under her arm. Her coming was entirely unexpected, and of course we all received the impression that she would have something special for us. At the close of the prayer season and singing a verse, we gave her the time. She arose and stated that she had not expected to attend this meeting; that she had told Elder Olsen the day before that, having attended a number of meetings in succession, she would not come today; but that, at four o’clock she was awakened, someone taking hold of her arm waking her up; and she then arose immediately, got ready, and gathered up her matter, and came to the meeting. She was impressed that she should present some things that had been shown her in October the year before, while she was at Salamanca.SVD 76.2

She then began to read, describing a meeting that was shown her that was held in one of the rooms in the Review office, where a number of brethren were together. She described their attitude and their earnestness, and the position which they had taken; for there was a heated discussion, as they could not agree on certain questions at issue.SVD 76.3

Personally, I sat there in blank bewilderment. I did not know what she referred to. I had neither heard of nor had any knowledge of the things that she presented, nor of such a meeting as she described. Indeed, I was so surprised, and the things she presented as having taken place in that meeting seemed so unreasonable, that I was quite nonplused in my mind as to what this meant. She spoke at considerable length, and placed the matter very definitely before us, and showed up the wrong spirit that was manifested, and the erroneousness of the position that had been taken by certain ones in their discussion.SVD 76.4

When Sister White closed her remarks and sat down, Captain Eldridge, if I remember correctly, was the first one to arise, and his first statement was, “I was in that meeting.” Then he went on to say that, “Last night, after the close of the Conference, some of us met in my room in the Review office, where we locked ourselves in, and there took up and discussed the questions and the matter that has been presented to us this morning.” I will not say that this is word-for-word what he stated, but it is the import that he gave in his talk. [Eldridge continued:] “And we remained in that room till three o’clock this morning.” He stated further, “If I should have begun to give a description of what took place, and the personal attitude of those in the room, I could not have given it as exactly and correctly as it has been given by Sister White.” He further stated: “I now see that I was in error; that the position that I took was not correct; and from the light that has been given this morning, I acknowledge that I was wrong.” He said more to the same effect, but this is the import of his testimony.SVD 77.1

When Brother Eldridge took his seat, the next one to arise, I think, was C. H. Jones. He also stated that he had been in the meeting, and that the description that Sister White had given was true and correct in every particular, and that he was very thankful for the light that had come to them, for it had become a serious situation. “While we were all honest and sincere, and wanted to do the right thing, still our views were at variance, and we could not agree.” So he expressed his great thankfulness for the fact that the Lord had given light and set them right.SVD 77.2

Then others spoke, but I do not remember so definitely what they stated; but all agreed to the points brought out in the acknowledgments of Brother Eldridge and Brother Jones; and it seemed so wonderful to our brethren when they learned that this had been shown Sister White months before, while she was down in New York attending meetings at Salamanca, and that she had then and there written this; and now, just at the time when the thing happened, without any plan from any human being, she was brought in there before the brethren to present what the Lord had shown her.SVD 77.3

As before stated, the meeting in the Review office room closed at three o’clock, and at four o’clock Sister White was awakened from her sleep and bidden to go to the meeting and bear her testimony, so that Sister White had had no opportunity to have any knowledge of what had gone on in that room during the night in the Review office; but that the Lord had shown it to her before the thing took place; and now, the very morning in which it took place, she had been, in a special manner, called by the Lord to present what had been shown her. It is needless to say that it brought not only relief to many minds, but gave cause for great thankfulness that at such a critical moment the Lord stepped in and saved us from the perplexity and confusion that seemed to be coming up on important questions. This question at issue was our relation to the religious liberty work, and the matter or the attitude that the American Sentinel should contain and the position it should hold.SVD 78.1

This is all that I can call to remembrance on this subject. To me, personally, this became a very valuable experience, and gave me increased confidence in the Lord’s leading, and the Spirit of Prophecy and its helpfulness in the church and the work of the Lord.—White Estate Document File 107b.SVD 78.2