Horses and Hailstorms

     Mrs. White greatly enjoyed pets, and she also was fond of horses, common around many homes during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. One Sabbath in early February, 1895, she and several friends drove home from the church services at Prospect, New South Wales, Australia, to Granville. Jessie, the young horse pulling the carriage, trotted along peacefully, occasionally flicking her tail at some insect that annoyed her.

     Glancing at the horizon, Mrs. White noticed a storm beginning to loom across the Blue Mountains. The clouds, however, seemed to be moving in a direction that would miss them. To be safe, the driver flicked the reins and urged the horse on a little faster. The carriage rattled, and the dust cloud that trailed it rose slightly higher. Gradually the sky darkened more menacingly. Mrs. White watched the clouds with increasing concern.

     As they neared home, they passed the bridge on the Granville-Parramatta road. Suddenly strong gusts of wind whipped the dust higher into the sky. Thunder boomed, and lightning flickered and shimmered among the clouds. The carriage came to the turnoff leading to where Mrs. White lived, whipped around the corner, and rattled down the side road. With a clatter on the carriage roof, egg-sized hailstones pelted the earth. Gleaming white and flecked with iridescence, the hail bounced about Jessie's hooves. The ground soon disappeared beneath a white icy carpet.

    The road sloped down to a gate. Stumbling on the hailstones, twice the horse slipped and fell backward on its haunches. “Byron,” Mrs. White said to her nephew, “get out at once, stand by Jessie's head, and talk to her.” Shielding his head with his arm, Byron jumped out of the carriage and seized the reins near the frightened mare's head. Two women remained with Mrs. White in the scanty security of the carriage. Turning to Sara McEnterfer, her traveling companion and secretary, and May Lacey, who later married Willie White, Mrs. White said, “Get out as quickly as possible. The hail is getting even larger and heavier. The horse may get out of control at any moment.”

     Violent gusts of wind lashed the canvas carriage top, rocking the vehicle back and forth. Rain now mixed with the hail. As the two women helped Mrs. White down from the carriage, a blast of air snatched the seat cushions, sending them spinning through the darkened sky. Mrs. White's cushion hurtled out of the carriage, skipped across the fields, and disappeared with a splash in a nearby stream. Supporting Mrs. White, Miss McEnterfer and Miss Lacey helped her across the yard and into the house. The wind slammed the door behind them. Drenched, May Lacey and Mrs. White went upstairs to change clothes. Her heavier clothing had kept Mrs. White from becoming as wet as Miss Lacey.

     Grabbing a shawl, Sara McEnterfer hurried back outside to help Byron with the mare. The hail pounded the ground with even greater force than before. Byron squatted beside the horse, sheltering his hatless head under the animal's neck. Sara struggled blindly toward the carriage, but the fury of the hail kept her and Byron from trying to unhitch the horse. A hailstone struck the young man on the forehead, nearly knocking him to the ground.

     Desperately Sara tried to unloose the tugs and slip off the harness while the ice stones smashed her wrists and hands. Unable to free the tugs, she stumbled back beside Byron and took the reins from him. The sound of the hail and the rumble of thunder threatened to deafen them. Frightened by the cold rain and ice continually striking her body, the horse tried to buck and struggle free. Motioning for Sara to hold the reins, Bryon went to the carriage and fumbled at the tugs. Moments later he had the horse free and led her for a few feet, but the mare tried harder to break loose and run for some kind of shelter. Byron held onto her reins, trying to calm her. When the storm slackened slightly, he reharnessed Jessie, gathered up the scattered cushions and other objects blown from the carriage, and drove into the yard near the house.

     Mrs. White had watched Byron and the storm from an upper story window. As the carriage came close to the house, she could see even at that distance that large swellings covered the horse's body. Soaked, Byron's and Sara's clothes clung to their bodies. When Sara entered the house, she glanced down at her wrists and found them heavily bruised and discolored.

     Sheets of rain splashed against the sides of the house, pouring in beneath the door and flooding the halls and the dining room. Dripping water drenched the stair carpet, and the kitchen and scullery floors disappeared beneath puddles. Examining the house, Mrs. White found hail had smashed the windows on the south side, hurling shattered glass halfway across the hall. The upper and lower veranda windows lay in fragments on the floor.

     On Sunday morning the sun rose in a clear sky above the muddy landscape. Deciding to see what further damage the storm had done, Mrs. White and her friends walked out to the orchard. Leaves and broken branches lay everywhere. The wind had blown off almost all the peaches on one tree near the house, leaving only a little badly bruised fruit. In the garden the hail slashed the rhubarb plants to pieces and punctured the pumpkins. The corn lay in tumbled confusion.
 

     Although she felt sad over the damage, she did not let it discourage her. Instead, she found in the storm things to be thankful about. For one thing, Jessie, the mare, had not kicked once during the storm despite the painful blows of the hail. Now Mrs. White had greater confidence in the horse and knew that she could be trusted in an emergency. Also God had spared her life and that of her friends. Ellen White's life had always been close to God, and her mind immediately responded with praise whenever she saw an example of His protection of her. She knew that the violent hailstorm could have easily killed her, her friends, and the horse.

The Disarming Dog

     Following Christ's example of using commonplace things to represent important principles of life and Christianity, Mrs. White watched for daily events she could use to illustrate ideas in her writing and speaking. Many of them she recorded in her diary, where they would be available when needed. The entry for Friday, April 1, 1859, contains an example of the little incidents she looked for.

    

     Traveling in a buggy between Battle Creek and Jackson, Michigan, Ellen White watched the landscape putting on its first spring garments. The weather was cool, and a soft breeze created by the vehicle's movement bathed her face. After a while she noticed a small short-haired mongrel dog trotting beside the carriage. Smiling to herself at the dog's decision to accompany her, she returned her gaze to the road ahead.

     Several minutes later they approached a bridge across a creek. Waiting near it, a large savage-looking dog loomed up out of the dust of the road, apparently prepared to pounce upon the smaller animal. Seeing the huge black creature, the dog beside Mrs. White's

buggy slowed. Although he could sense danger, he did not turn and dash away, but

crouched close to the ground, his tail and head held lower than the rest of his body.

     Cautiously, he crawled slowly toward the bigger animal.

     Mrs. White halted her buggy to watch the dog's unusual behavior. When he passed within a certain distance of the black dog, the larger one leaped astride him, snarling, his teeth bared. The little dog seemed to know that he could not defeat his tormentor in a fight. Instead, he rolled upon the ground, his unprotected stomach exposed to the teeth of the larger dog. Had he tried to defend himself, his action would have caused his enemy to instinctively attack. By timidly rolling on his back, the mongrel dog avoided triggering the bigger creature's fighting instinct. The mongrel's act of trust left the huge dog confused. It could not fight another animal unless it responded with equally threatening gestures. The little dog refused to return the threats. Unable to fight someone who would not fight back, the larger dog walked away, leaving his intended victim on the ground.

     Slowly, carefully, the mongrel rolled on his stomach and stood. His body tensed briefly, as if he wanted to flee, but fear prevented him. Keeping his eyes on his former attacker, he slunk in the opposite direction until he thought he had put a safe distance between them. Then he burst into a run, still watching over his shoulder to see if the bullying dog followed. Seconds later the little dog disappeared around a curve of the road, and Mrs. White resumed her journey.

     The dog's behavior greatly impressed Mrs. White. Instead of condemning it for cowardice, in her diary she commented, “If human beings would manifest such humility under injustice as this . . . creature, how many unhappy quarrels might be saved.”

     Wolves and many other animals besides dogs will not fight each other if one refuses to respond to signs of aggression or belligerence, such as growling, bared teeth, or the display of a bright color patch such as some birds have. When this happens, the attacking animal always gives up and goes away. It is a part of their normal behavior pattern.

    Human beings act in a similar way. Some people seem determined to quarrel, but they cannot quarrel by themselves. It takes two people. When one person refuses to argue or fight back, the other has to give up and go away. Mrs. White knew the principle, and when she saw the little dog act it out, she instantly decided to record the incident so that others could understand it and see how it worked. The use of such illustrations and examples has helped make her writing practical and appealing.

A Wild Colt Tamed

     A wild colt was feeding in the pasture of one of the Adventist men who lived near Topsham, Maine. This colt belonged to a man who lived many miles away, and he wanted him brought home. He didn't have time to come after the horse, so he suggested that someone coming up that way drive the colt home.

      No one wanted to drive the young animal, for he had been mistreated by the men who were trying to train him, and had become badly frightened, until it was almost impossible to manage him. Once when the men were trying to drive him, the colt had become so frightened that he had run against the rocky cliff at the side of the road and crushed one of the men to death.

     If someone did hitch up the colt to a buggy, the reins had to be held tightly and not allowed to touch the flanks of the colt, for if anything touched him, he at once began to kick furiously.

     Shortly after the meeting at Topsham, Maine, in which Mr. Bates was so happy because he felt that God had sent the vision of the stars especially for him, Mr. and Mrs. White decided to go to the town where the owner of the colt lived.

     “Mr. White, why don't you drive that colt back to its owner, since you're going there now?” suggested someone.

     “Oh, no, you had better not take him,” said another. “He isn't safe. He'll hurt someone.”

“I think I can manage him,” answered James White. “I've broken in several colts to drive, and I think we'll get along all right.”

     Someone offered Mr. White the use of a market wagon, which had a front and a back seat. It was without a dashboard, and to enter, one had to step up onto an iron step on the shafts and then onto a step that went across the front of the wagon. The colt was brought and hitched to the wagon, and Mr. White got in, holding the reins tight and straight. While someone held the horse's head, Mrs. White sat down beside her husband, and Captain Bates and another brother climbed into the back seat. When all were ready, the colt was let loose, and the party started off. Mr. White had his hands full, but he managed the colt, and they went on their way without any real difficulty.

     As they followed the road through the beautiful hills that were aflame with the colors of the late autumn, Mrs. White spoke of the beauties of the new earth and of the joy that will come to all followers of Christ.

     While she was talking, the power of God came upon her and she was given a vision. In a beautiful voice she called, “Glory! Glory! Glory!” as she saw the glories of heaven opened before her. As soon as she began to speak, the colt suddenly stopped perfectly still and stood with his head drooped. At the same time, Mrs. White stood up, and with her eyes looking upward, stepped over the front of the wagon, and laying her hand on the haunches of the colt, stepped down onto the shafts.

     “That colt will kick her to death!” called out Mr. Bates.

     “The Lord has the colt in charge now; I do not wish to interfere,” quietly answered Mr. White.

     The colt stood as gently as an old horse, as Mrs. White, with her hand on his back, stepped down onto the ground. Mrs. White went up the bank onto a grassy plot beside the road, and walked back and forth while she described the beauties of the new earth.

     While Mrs. White was out of the wagon, Mr. White thought he would test the horse to see what was making him so tame. First, he touched the colt with the whip, and it did not move; then Mr. White struck the horse harder and harder, but it remained quiet, just as though it had not even felt the touch of the whip.

     “This is a solemn place,” said Mr. Bates. “Surely the power that gives the vision, also has subdued the wild nature of this colt.”

     Then Mrs. White walked slowly down the bank, and again putting her hand on the colt's haunches, stepped back up onto the shafts and into the wagon. When she took her seat, the vision was ended. The colt at once started, and the travelers continued on their journey and reached their destination in safety.

     Mr. and Mrs. White went on from church to church, bringing good courage to the believers. Many times meetings were held in a barn, since there were no houses large enough to hold all the people who came together. At times the meetings lasted several days, and the neighbors opened their homes to the visitors, who brought their own bedding and food.

     After one meeting had closed, the workers would hurry on to the next place, for they had no time to lose, with so many waiting to hear their message.

     The meeting in Port Gibson, New York, lasted longer than they had expected, and Mr. and Mrs. White, accompanied by Captain Bates and another worker, hurried to catch the boat that was to take them on to New York City for a Sabbath meeting. They reached the landing at the river too late. The boat for New York City had gone. There was another smaller boat going down the river a short distance, and they went on it, expecting to change and take the next boat for the city when it should overtake them.

     As the larger boat came near, they called, but the captain would not stop. There was nothing for the travelers to do but to jump from the small boat to the deck of the larger, as the boats were floating near together down the stream. Mr. White jumped onto the low deck of the large boat and then helped Mrs. White to follow him. Captain Bates had the money for their fare in his hand as he jumped to the deck, but the boats had separated a little, and he could not quite make the wide jump. He fell into the dirty water of the river, but immediately he started swimming after the big boat, with the money for their fare in one hand and his pocketbook in the other. His hat came off, and in rescuing it, he lost the fare money. At last the captain of the river boat ordered it to be slowed up, and the dignified Captain Bates was taken aboard, dripping wet, but with his pocketbook held tightly.

     It was then impossible to go and fill the appointment in New York, so Mr. White asked the boat captain to let them off at the next village. This he did, and Mr. and Mrs. White, and Captain Bates, who was still drenched, left the boat. At this town lived a few Adventist families, and the travelers went to the home of one of them.

     These good people opened up their home to the visitors, and Captain Bates was soon comfortable in dry clothes, while his wet ones were being made fit to wear again.

     This unplanned visit proved a great blessing to this family. The mother had been sick for many years, but the workers talked with her and prayed that God would heal her. She was restored to health. Others in the village came in and also received blessing and encouragement from the ministers.

     Mr. White felt that as soon as they could they should go on and try to reach their appointment in New York. But when they realized they could not reach the city before the Sabbath, they decided to spend the day with a family of Adventists who lived not far away.

     “Here we are,” said Captain Bates, when they stopped at the gate in front of the house.

     “Let just one of us go to the door first,” said Mr. White, “and see if they can keep us; if they can't, we will drive on and spend the Sabbath at a hotel.”

     When the woman of the house answered his knock, he said, “I am a Sabbath keeper.”

     “I am glad to see you. Come in,” she said.

     “But there are three more in the carriage with me. I thought if we came in together we might frighten you.”

     “I am never frightened at Christians,” was the woman's gentle reply.

     The good sister heartily welcomed the travelers. When she was introduced to Captain Bates, she said, “Can this be Brother Bates who wrote that book on the Sabbath question? And come to see us? I am unworthy to have you come under my roof. But the Lord has sent you to us, for we are all starving for the truth.”

      

     The next day was a wonderful Sabbath for this family as they gathered in their neighbors to hear the words of truth. The travelers were sure that God had led them in this way, for here were people hungry to hear their message.