Letter from Bro. Bourdeau.
By D. T. Bourdeau
BRO. WHITE: I reached "Our Home" day before yesterday, having had an agreeable interview with Bro. J. N. Andrews and his family at Rochester, N. Y., and having spent last Sabbath with the brethren in Fairport, N. Y. I have initiated myself in this Institution, and occupy the room that your sons occupied when you were here last summer. I would here express my thanks to you and Sr. White and other true hearted and sacrificing brethren and sisters in Battle Creek, for opening the way for me to come to this health Institution, and showing by this additional act of kind benevolence, a real interest in my temporal and spiritual welfare. God reward you abundantly, dear brethren and sisters, for your token of brotherly love, of which I am unworthy, but for which I would feel truly grateful to the Lord and to you. I verily believe that the Lord put it in your hearts to consider my case, and act with reference to it; for I now see that my case is a critical one. Now that I have thrown off responsibilities, and am not nerved up to, and occupied by the duties of, my sacred calling, I realize the true condition of my health, and am convinced from my symptoms, that a few months would have brought me to a consumptive's grave. For the information of those who are unacquainted with the nature of my illness, I would say that my difficulty is bronchitis of nine years' standing, connected with general exhaustion, caused, in part, by several years of almost incessant mental labor. I need rest, and mean to make the most I possibly can of this opportunity of informing myself on the laws of my being, and living in harmony therewith. I would hereby humbly request those who have already manifested an interest in my well-being, and all those who are interested in the recovery of my health, to remember me at the throne of grace, that God may meet me in my present work in this my time of need, and graciously bless the efforts that I am putting forth for the restoration of health and vigor, that I may live to praise the Lord, and labor in my humble sphere for the spread, success, and final triumph of the last merciful message to fallen man. I promise to pray with you for this object, and try to live in harmony with my prayers. May God help me for his dear Son's sake. I would be happy to receive words of encouragement from any who would feel to write to the point; but would not promise to write an answer to every letter; for this would be incompatible with the principles of this Institution, and my convictions of duty with regard to my health. My P. O. address is "Our Home," Dansville, Livingston Co., N. Y. NOTE.—Bro. Bourdeau is in the hearts of the people wherever he is known. His testimony upon the possibility of overcoming, at the recent yearly Conference in this city, was most melting and refreshing. And but for his poor health we should have urged the matter of his visiting our congregations from State to State. But when it was suggested by Mrs. White that he should spend a few months at "Our Home," at Dansville, N. Y., in less than an hour a few friends donated the sum of one hundred dollars toward meeting his expenses, as follows: James White, Ellen G. White, J. N. Loughborough, I. D. Van Horn, D. M. Canright, P. Strong, Jr., J. P. Kellogg, Ann J. Kellogg, each $10. Review Office hands, $20. We are anxious that Bro. Bourdeau should make a fair trial and thorough effort to recover his health. The one hundred already raised will not go far in the purchase of needed clothing, and meeting the expenses of such an institution. And we ask those friends, who would esteem it a pleasure so to do, to send to us $10 each, till at least $200 more are raised for this good object. The poor are excused, and the stingy are especially requested to take no part in this good work. Those only who would eagerly embrace the opportunity, as did his preaching brethren, who are not burdened with greenbacks, to give $10 each, are invited to help. We have no begging to do for this minister of Jesus. We only present before those who can deeply feel for a young man, naturally strong, who has the word of God within him like fire, yet crippled with chronic bronchitis of near eight years' standing—a chance to take stock.