Does the Third Angel’s Message Influence the Press? by Frederick C. Gilbert

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Sep 16, 1915

Does the Third Angel’s Message Influence the Press?

By Frederick C. Gilbert

When I came to Buffalo to hold a series of special meetings, I felt that something ought to be done to get our message into the newspapers. I had previously learned that this is difficult in Buffalo, on account of the size of the city, and the non-Protestant influences which are at work. It should be remembered that Buffalo is one of the strong Catholic centers of this country. It has a cathedral which cost two million dollars; and the property of the church in this city amounts to many millions. Several of the newspapers are wholly Catholic, some of the others are partisan, and some of the rest are subsidized.

I called on one of the city editors and told him that I had come to conduct a series of evangelistic services, but entirely different from what such services usually are. This editor is on the staff of one of the strong Protestant papers of the city. He wanted to know if it was to be along the line of the “Sunday” movement, and I assured him to the contrary. He evidently had made up his mind that he did not want anything of that kind in his paper.

I told him that we planned to give the citizens much up-to-date information from the Bible, and that we would present him with copy that the people of Buffalo would want to read. He accepted an article, and promised to give us space if he could. After a day or two we noticed the first article in the paper, and the write-up was very fair and frank. I then visited several of the city editors, and was promised space.

First two papers gave us space, then three papers, and part of the time four papers a day accepted the sermons, and gave us very fair reports of the meetings. We placed in the hands of these editors from three to five articles a week, mostly on prophecy. The papers gave us splendid reports of my four Monday night lectures on the war. One of the papers published an article on the “Return of the Jews,” with a picture of the writer.

The city editor of one of the leading papers in whose hands a number of these prophetic articles had been placed wrote an editorial, the first three paragraphs of which we quote:—

“The Day’s News

“The day’s news has become a record to ponder, to wonder at and then file away as past human understanding.

“From a world of peace-loving people, charged with industry and dominated by a spirit of good will, we have become a world of slayers, charged with blood lust and ruled by a spirit of hate.

“People do not have to be religiously fanatical to see in all the terrible things that are happening about us the fulfillment of Biblical prophecies. Few individuals indeed, however practical and well poised they may be, who do not, when they are alone with their own thoughts, wonder if all this is not a visitation of Providence.”

We believe that with the blessing of God and discretion, we can get much of present truth in the newspapers, and as a result there will be a molding influence even upon the newspaper editors. In this way many persons will not only be warned of present and coming dangers, but will also be led to accept the truth.

F. C. GILBERT.