J. N. LOUGHBOROUGH by John Norton Loughborough

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Aug 20, 1908

J. N. LOUGHBOROUGH

By John Norton Loughborough

Experiences in the Publishing Work — No. 8

After Sister White came out of the vision of Nov. 18, 1848 (mentioned in a former article), she said to her husband: “I have a message for you. You must begin to print a little paper, small at first; but as you send it out free to the people, those who read it will send you money with which to print it. It will be a success from the first. It was shown to me as the result of that small beginning like streams of light that went clear round the world.”

Here was a plain statement as to duty; but how was that duty to be performed? Elder White had no money with which to print, and those then obeying the truth were all poor. There was with them much praying for the Lord to open the way to print the paper. During that winter Brother White lived in a room in Brother Albert Belden’s house at Rocky Hill, Conn. They kept house with borrowed furniture, not owning anything of that description themselves.

In June, 1849, Mrs. White had another testimony for her husband, that it was his duty to “write, write, write, and walk out by faith.” He began to write, and he found opportunity to mow forty acres of timothy grass with a hand-scythe, at seventy-five cents an acre. Thus he was enabled to obtain means

with which to print. Of this first printing work Sister White said: “My husband then began to publish a small sheet at Middletown, eight miles from Rocky Hill, Conn., and often walked this distance and back again, although he was lame. [In getting out the first number of the paper he walked over this distance eight times.] When he brought the first number from the printing-office, we all bowed around it, asking the Lord, with humbled hearts and many tears, to let his blessing rest upon the feeble efforts of his servant. He then directed the paper to all those he thought would read it, and carried it to the post-office in a carpet-bag. Every number was taken from Middletown to Rocky Hill, and always before preparing them for the post-office, they were spread out before the Lord, and earnest prayers mingled with tears were offered to God that his blessing would attend the silent messengers. Very soon letters came bringing means to publish the paper, and the good news of many souls embracing the truth.”

The name of this paper was Present Truth. The first number was dated July, 1849. Up to November, 1850, there were eleven numbers printed. Nos. 1-4 were printed at Middletown, Conn.; Nos. 5-10 were printed at Oswego, N. Y.; No. 11 was published at Paris, Maine. The paper was an eight-page sheet of two columns each, the reading-matter on the page measuring four and five eighths by eight inches. In the first number Elder White said: “For months I have felt burdened with the duty of writing, and publishing the present truth for the scattered flock; but the way has not been opened for me to commence the work until now. I tremble at the word of the Lord, and the importance of the time. What is done to spread the truth must be done quickly.”

As to how the way opened we have already stated. When I was attending the General Conference at South Lancaster, Mass., in 1899, a daughter of Albert Belden was present, who said to me that when Brother White would come home to his room in their house from his mowing the grass to get money with which to print, he would praise the Lord aloud. “And,” said she to me, “he was as happy a man as you ever saw.”

In the fifth number of the paper Brother White said to the readers, “The money which you have sent in has been more than enough to print the paper, and we have used the rest of it in paying the expenses of Mrs. White and myself from place to place to hold meetings with the brethren and sisters.” Of the success of the work, Elder White himself said: “In the summer of 1849 we issued the first number of a little sheet entitled The Present Truth. We commenced the work under circumstances that were the most unfavorable, being destitute of means, and the very few friends of the Sabbath being generally poor. But soon after sending out the first number, sufficient means came in [to pay for printing], and we were greatly cheered by hearing that several of the dear advent brethren in different States had embraced the Sabbath. About that time Brother Joseph Bates visited the brethren in Jackson, Mich., who received the truth, and have since aided much in the cause with their means.”