366
Counsels on Diet and Foods
treated them for their illness, and fed them with this broth. They soon
recovered.
Now this is the course we pursued. We did not say to the people,
You must not eat meat. Although we did not use flesh foods ourselves,
when we thought it essential for that family in their time of sickness,
we gave them what we felt they needed. There are occasions when we
must meet the people where they are.
The father of this family was an intelligent man. When the family
was well again, we opened to them the Scriptures, and this man was
converted, and accepted the truth. He threw away his pipe and gave
up the use of drink, and from that time, as long as he lived, he neither
smoked nor drank. As soon as it was possible, we took him on our
farm, and gave him work on the land. While we were away attending
meetings in Newcastle, this man died. Thorough treatment was given
him by some of our workers, but the long-abused body could not
respond to their efforts. But he died a Christian and a commandment
keeper.—
Letter 363, 1907
[467]
Meeting Extreme Views—A Historical Statement
[
For a collateral statement by James White, see Appendix 2.
]
803. When we returned from Kansas in the autumn of 1870,
Brother B was at home sick with fever.... His case was critical....
There was no period of rest for us, however much we needed it.
The Review, the Reformer, and the Instructor must be edited. [
Their
editors were all sick at this time.
] ... My husband commenced his labor
and I helped him what I could....
The Reformer was about dead. Brother B had urged the extreme
positions of Doctor Trall. This had influenced the doctor to come
out in the Reformer stronger than he otherwise would have done, in
discarding milk, sugar, and salt. The position to entirely discontinue
the use of these things may be right in its order; but the time had not
come to take a general stand upon these points. And those who do
take their position, and advocate the entire disuse of milk, butter, and
sugar, should have their own tables free from these things. Brother
B, even while taking his stand in the Reformer with Doctor Trall in
regard to the injurious effects of salt, milk, and sugar, did not practice
the things he taught. Upon his own table these things were used daily.