TEMPERANCE WAS AFAVORITE THEME OF MRS. ELLEN G. WHITE, BOTH IN HER WRITINGS AND IN PUBLICDISCOURSE. IN MANY OF HER ARTICLES WHICH APPEARED IN DENOMINATIONAL JOURNALSTHROUGH THE YEARS, AND IN MANUSCRIPTS AND LETTERS OF COUNSEL ADDRESSED TO BOTHWORKERS AND LAITY, SHE URGED SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS TO PRACTICE TEMPERANCE ANDTO PROMOTE VIGOROUSLY THE TEMPERANCE CAUSE. IN RESPONSE TO EARNEST REQUESTSTHAT THIS WEALTH OF MATERIAL AND INSTRUCTION SHOULD BE MADE AVAILABLE IN ASINGLE VOLUME, THIS HANDBOOK HAS BEEN PREPARED BY AUTHORIZATION OF THE ELLEN G.WHITE PUBLICATIONS, TO WHOM MRS. WHITE COMMITTED THE CUSTODY OF HER BOOKS ANDMANUSCRIPTS.

THESE SELECTIONSHAVE BEEN DRAWN FROM THE WHOLE RANGE OF MRS. WHITE'S WRITINGS ON THIS SUBJECT,INCLUDING SOME NOW OUT OF PRINT, SUCH AS THE FOLLOWING: HEALTH, OR HOW TO LIVE(1865); CHRISTIAN TEMPERANCE AND BIBLE HYGIENE (1890); SPECIAL TESTIMONIES(1892-1912); AND DRUNKENNESS AND CRIME (1907).

BOTH IN THEOUTLINE AND IN THE CONTENT OF SUBJECT MATTER, THE COMPILERS HAVE EARNESTLYSOUGHT TO REFLECT THE EMPHASIS WHICH THE AUTHOR PLACED ON THE VARIOUS PHASES OFTEMPERANCE.

THE EFFORT TOGATHER SUCH SELECTIONS AS WOULD SET FORTH HER FULL CONTRIBUTION ON THIS SUBJECT,AND THE DESIRE TO MAKE QUITE COMPLETE THE VARIOUS SECTIONS ON THE DIFFERENTPHASES OF THE TEMPERANCE QUESTION HAVE NATURALLY RESULTED IN SOME REPETITION OFTHOUGHT. IN THE ENDEAVOR TO PRESENT THE SUBJECT MATTER IN AN ORDERLY WAY SO ASTO BE OF GREATEST SERVICE TO THE READER, AND AT THE SAME TIME TO AVOID UNDUEREPETITION, RATHER BRIEF SELECTIONS HAVE SOMETIMES BEEN MADE. HOWEVER, INOMITTING THE CONTEXT, GREAT CARE HAS BEEN EXERCISED TO ALTER IN NO WAY THETHOUGHT OR THE EMPHASIS OF THE AUTHOR. IN EACH CASE FULL SOURCE CREDIT IS GIVENTO THE BOOK, PERIODICAL, PAMPHLET, OR MANUSCRIPT FROM WHICH THE EXCERPT ISTAKEN.

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THE READERS WILLRECOGNIZE THAT ELLEN G. WHITE, HAVING DIED IN 1915, DID HER WRITING IN A PERIODWHEN SOME TERMINOLOGY WAS QUITE DIFFERENT FROM THAT COMMONLY EMPLOYED TODAY,AND WHEN DETAILED DESCRIPTIONS OF CONDITIONS MIGHT VARY FROM THAT WITH WHICH WEARE NOW FAMILIAR. FOR INSTANCE, REFERENCE IS MADE TO THE SALOON. WHILE THELIQUOR DISPENSARY OF TODAY MAY DIFFER FROM THE SALOON OF FIFTY YEARS AGO,EVERYONE KNOWS THAT THE SAME TYPES OF BEVERAGES ARE DISPENSED THAT WERE USED ATTHE TIME IN WHICH MRS. WHITE WROTE, AND THAT THEIR EFFECTS UPON THE BODY, MIND,AND SOUL ARE THE SAME. THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN THE USE OF ALCOHOL ANDAUTOMOBILE ACCIDENTS WAS NOT STRESSED AS IT SHOULD BE TODAY, FOR THE SIMPLEREASON THAT AUTOMOBILES WERE NOT THEN IN COMMON USE. HOWEVER, THE READER WILLFIND SET FORTH IN STATEMENTS CONCERNING THE USE OF ALCOHOL AND ACCIDENTS ADESCRIPTION OF CAUSES AND EFFECTS WHICH ARE FULLY APPLICABLE TO PRESENT-DAYCONDITIONS. THE POWER OF ALCOHOL TO UNDERMINE THE HOME, TO WRECK THE HEALTH, TORUIN THE MORALS, AND TO DESTROY THE SOUL IS AS POTENT NOW AS IT WAS A HALFCENTURY AGO.

THE READER WILLQUICKLY DISCERN THE SIGNIFICANCE OF TEMPERANCE AS IT WAS PRESENTED TO MRS.WHITE THROUGH THE LONG YEARS OF HER RICH MINISTRY. IN THIS RESPECT THIS VOLUMEMAKES AN INVALUABLE CONTRIBUTION TO TEMPERANCE LITERATURE. THE TEMPERANCESERMONS FOUND IN THE APPENDIX TYPIFY MRS. WHITE'S INTENSE BURDEN TO SAVEHUMANITY FROM THE SOUL-DESTROYING CURSE OF INTEMPERANCE.

THAT THIS VOLUMEMAY, UNDER GOD'S BLESSINGS, ACCOMPLISH A WORK OF REVITALIZING THE INTERESTS OFSEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS IN TEMPERANCE AND THE TEMPERANCE WORK AND LEAD US TO OURHEAVEN-ASSIGNED POSITION IN THE FOREFRONT OF TEMPERANCE FORCES IS THE SINCEREWISH OF THE PUBLISHERS.

THE TRUSTEES OFTHE

ELLEN G. WHITEPUBLICATIONS.