What were Ellen Whites secretaries and literary assistants permitted to do in regard to her writings?
Ellen White did not always use perfect grammar, spelling, punctuation, or sentence or paragraph construction in her writing. She freely acknowledged her lack of such technical skills. In 1873 she lamented, “I am not a scholar. I cannot prepare my own writings for the press. . . . I am not a grammarian” (Selected Messages, book 3, p. 90). She felt the need of help from others in the preparation of her manuscripts for publication. W. C. White describes the boundaries that his mother set for her workers:”Mother’s copyists are entrusted with the work of correcting grammatical errors, of eliminating unnecessary repetitions, and of grouping paragraphs and sections in their best order. . . . “Mother’s workers of experience, such as Sisters Davis, Burnham, Bolton, Peck, and Hare, who are very familiar with her writings, are authorized to take a sentence, paragraph, or section from one manuscript and incorporate it with another manuscript where the same thought was expressed but not so clearly.
Related Questions
- I’ve heard that Ellen White used other literary sources—sometimes without credit—in her book The Great Hope. Is that true?
- If Ellen Whites writings are inspired, why are her books copyrighted and sold? Shouldn her books be given away?
- What were Ellen Whites secretaries and literary assistants permitted to do in regard to her writings?
