What Was Accomplished Through the Newspapers in Connection With the General Conference
By Walter L. Burgan
CLIPPINGS of reports about the General Conference published in newspapers have thus far been received from cities and towns in forty-two States of this country and several of the provinces in both eastern and western Canada. Among the large cities heard from were: New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, Baltimore, Los Angeles, Nashville, San Francisco, Albany, St. Louis, New Orleans, Montreal, Providence, Detroit, Indianapolis, Des Moines, Grand Rapids, Atlanta, Rochester, and Spokane. These reports dealt with various subjects. The announcement of the meeting, treating on the importance of the session and making prominent the fact that representatives would be present from every State in the Union, the various provinces of Canada, the different countries of Europe, Asia, and Africa, and the islands of the sea, has been published in practically all the States we have heard from, and articles dealing with numerous other subjects were printed. Excellent reports were published in all four of the Washington papers every day with two exceptions, when accounts failed to appear in the Post. The press associations—Associated Press, International News Service, New York Sun Service, and United Press—were also furnished with daily accounts, and the returns show that these organizations distributed the news of the Conference over the telegraph-wires to all parts of the continent. Several of the reports published in the Washington papers, which were of greater length than the reports sent out by the press associations, were reproduced in papers in other cities; so important did the editors consider them. Special articles giving extracts of the reports by the twelve union conference presidents in North America were sent to the newspapers in the territory of each respective union, there being several thousand in the entire list. A request to the readers of the Bulletin to send clippings to the Press Bureau of accounts about the Conference published in their home newspapers, has brought quite a number of clippings of these reports, the majority of which were published in full. Special articles dealing with the progress of the Sabbath School Department and the growth of the denomination during the last fifty years were sent to every Seventh-day Adventist elder in the United States and Canada, with instructions to have them printed as reports furnished him by the statistical secretary, thus making it more certain of their publicity. Returns show that these articles were printed quite readily by the different editors. Our ministers in the United States were furnished with special articles treating on the Balkan States, Japan, and India, as prepared by the leading brethren present at the Conference from these countries, with the request that these articles be offered to their home papers for publication. A moving-picture concern appreciated the importance of the meeting so much that a man was sent to the grounds to take various views. This man announced that these views would be included in the “Interesting Events of the Week,” and shown among other films in moving-picture parlors in different cities of the country. The fact that a moving-picture concern was interested enough in the General Conference to have films made may seem strange; but has the thought occurred to you that our denomination will be very extensively advertised? We are in this work to announce to the world that Jesus is coming soon, and we are to use the means that have been placed here for the spreading of this message. Thousands upon thousands of people frequent moving-picture parlors who never attend church, and then there are many who attend who also go to the popular church but are not acquainted with the purpose of Seventh-day Adventists. The showing of this large encampment in connection with the General Conference, the large pavilion well filled, the dining-tent and the small tents, will, no doubt, awaken an inquiry in the minds of the honest in heart who see these films, and may eventually be the means of leading such to the Saviour. It was interesting to receive a letter toward the close of the General Conference from one of the brethren in the Oakland, Cal., church, in which he stated that three of the San Francisco papers published accounts of Elder Irwin’s death. These reports appeared on Sabbath morning, the day after Elder Irwin’s death, and announcements of the same were made to the Berkeley and Oakland churches that morning. Notwithstanding the fact that these two churches were thirty-five hundred miles away, the members knew of Elder Irwin’s death in less than twenty-four hours after it occurred. This announcement was sent to all parts of the United States by the Associated Press, and as a result, hundreds of newspapers, no doubt, printed a report simultaneously with the reports which appeared in the Washington papers. In every mail come clippings of reports dealing with events in connection with the General Conference. Reporters and editors on some of the Washington papers gave us encouragement by saying that many of the papers that came to their desks from different sections of the country contained reports of the meetings. Scores of brethren and sisters on the camp-ground announced that their home papers had published accounts. It is impossible to state just how many newspapers published reports, but enough have been heard from to greatly encourage us all to continue to write for this medium.