Legal Meeting of the Constituency of the Review and Herald Publishing Association
Second Session, May 24, 10:30 A. M.
W. W. Prescott in the chair. Prayer was offered by E. T. Russell, after which it was voted to waive the reading of the minutes of the first session, since these had been printed in full. The chairman called for reports from the committees appointed at the first session, and the Committee on Plans and Resolutions submitted the following report:— Report of Committee on Plans
Whereas, The prospering hand of God has manifestly been over our work during the past year, in preserving the lives of our workers, in delivering us from any serious accident or calamity, and in giving extraordinary success to our field workers, notwithstanding unusual business depression in some parts of the world; therefore,— 1. Resolved, That we render grateful praise and thanksgiving to our God for the rich spiritual and temporal blessings of the past year, and that we renew our consecration to him, and pledge him our heart’s best service. Whereas, The REVIEW AND HERALD is the only international denominational church paper published by the denomination; and,— Whereas, It is essential in bringing to all the people fresh and constant encouragement; keeping them in close, sympathetic touch with the advancement of the message; and serving as a general instructor and a medium of communication between the workers and the laity in all parts of the world; therefore,— 2. Resolved, That we appeal to our people everywhere to assist in placing it in the possession of every Sabbath-keeper in all lands. Whereas, We recognize the efficiency of our ten-cent magazines, Life and Health, Liberty, and The Protestant Magazine, in preparing the way for giving the full message committed to this denomination, and in providing suitable lucrative employment for many; therefore,— 3. We recommend the work of selling these magazines, and soliciting subscriptions, to the favorable consideration of our people as a permanent business. Whereas, The present agents’ rates on our ten-cent magazines are so low that it is not possible for the publishers to make a reasonable profit; therefore,— 4. We recommend, That the following schedule of prices be adopted: 5 to 25 copies, 5 cents; 25 to 500 copies, 4½ cents; 500 to 1,000 copies, 4 cents; 1,000 or more copies, 3½ cents. Whereas, The first number of The Protestant Magazine has been issued, and we recognize in it an important factor in giving the third angel’s message; therefore,— 5. We recommend, That this magazine be given a cordial support and a wide circulation. Whereas, The Instructor has served for more than fifty years as a faithful15teacher and counselor for the youth of all this denomination; and,— Whereas, It is to be made more and more helpful to the young people in and out of the denomination; therefore,— 6. We recommend, That our people provide the Instructor for their own youth and children, and that they give more attention to its circulation among young people generally. Whereas, The Sabbath School Worker is a molding factor in our Sabbath-schools, and is the medium whereby Sabbath-school laborers are kept in touch with progressive methods; therefore,— 7. We recommend, That earnest efforts be made to place this journal in the hands of every officer and teacher in our Sabbath-schools. 8. Resolved, That we approve of the action of the directors in erecting an addition to the Review and Herald main building, and in providing the necessary mechanical facilities for the production of the increasing volume of denominational literature now regularly required by the large corps of book and periodical workers. Whereas, The local conferences in each union are the recognized agencies for the distribution of our literature; therefore,— 9. We recommend, (1) That all our advertising matter shall, as far as consistent, direct orders to the conference tract society; (2) that, since obligations are mutual, our tract societies be asked to properly represent and handle our various publications, and purchase their stock from the publishing house in their territory. Moved by Elder R. A. Underwood, seconded by Elder E. T. Russell, that the report be adopted by considering each resolution separately. Resolution 1 (on gratitude to God) was read. All acquiesced in returning praise to our Heavenly Father for his protecting care and manifold blessings. Resolution 2 (on REVIEW circulation) was called for and read. D. W. Reavis, who was in charge of the circulation of the REVIEW for years, spoke in behalf of those who are not in attendance at this meeting, and do not have the REVIEW. He urged all to become subscribers, and to see that others subscribe, and cited instances where he had personally sent the REVIEW to persons who thought they could not afford to subscribe and who afterward acknowledged that it had been the means of holding them in the love of the truth. Ministers and workers from among the delegates were quick to give their testimony with reference to the importance of the REVIEW and of having it in the home of every Seventh-day Adventist. Elder G. I. Butler supplemented the remarks of D. W. Reavis, stating that he was a constant reader of the REVIEW. I. H. Evans: I do not know how a man can keep in touch with the advancement of our work unless he is a reader of the REVIEW. If you do not take the REVIEW, I do not know how you can keep in touch with our foreign work, or know how we are growing as a people. S. N. Curtiss: From the standpoint of the publishers I want to say that four years ago we were printing over 18,000 copies of the REVIEW; now we are printing a little less than 17,000 copies. In this connection the chairman took occasion to state that while the REVIEW had championed every good cause, and had helped to build up the circulation of all our various denominational periodicals, there being now so many more than in the former days, it had doubtless not received the attention which is really due it in connection with the others. This, in a measure, may account for the reduction of its subscription list. Question was called, and Resolution 3 read. E. R. Palmer: The question of getting our periodicals before the people of the United States has been a serious one, but the proposition is being solved by enlisting a great number of our people in this line of work who could not be utilized in the subscription book work. They are also solving the problem of working our large cities. The rapidity with which this work has increased, even with the very little organization yet effected for handling it, has been very gratifying. The periodical work of the Review and Herald Publishing Association during the year 1907 amounted to about $70,000; during 1908 it amounted to $145,000, the increase being almost entirely due to the ten-cent magazines. We believe a new line of work has in this way been established in the United States, one which has a prospect of a larger sale and larger distribution than we have ever reached in our subscription-book work. The chairman called on the managers of the Pacific Press and the Southern Publishing Association to give their experience with their respective periodicals, and in response C. H. Jones and J. A. Ford stated that they were heartily in favor of the ten-cent magazines, and from the calls from the field they were really forced to issue their periodicals in this form. Elder Wm. Covert: I think it would be well for conference presidents to express themselves in regard to what is possible in this respect. I have been greatly encouraged since this line of work has been started. I have seen how readily our young people, and some of the older ones, have taken hold of this work and met with success. We have succeeded far beyond what I supposed possible when we took it up. One company of ten came from Indianapolis to this Conference, and sold 5,000 copies of these magazines on the way, thus paying their traveling expenses. Elder C. F. McVagh spoke of the possibilities of selling these ten-cent magazines, and called attention to them as a ‘class of clean, pure magazines, commending themselves to the reading public everywhere.’ D. W. Reavis spoke in behalf of the periodical work, and said that he was glad for the evident impetus that was behind it, and in the future promised organization which would carry this branch forward with even greater zeal. C. H. Jones (in response to a request from the chairman), outlined the conditions that led the Pacific Press to publish a Signs of the Times monthly magazine. Formerly, agents attempted to handle the Signs as a five-cent weekly, but found difficulty in making a living on this basis; and so, in response to repeated demands from the field for something that could be sold for ten cents a copy, the monthly magazine was prepared. This resolution was also spoken to by W. C. Sisley, F. M. Dana, Prof. B. G. Wilkinson, A. J. S. Bourdeau, and others. The next resolution (No. 4, on change of price) was then read. C. H. Jones: At first the ten-cent magazine was an innovation and an experiment, and no one knew just how it might turn out. As an inducement to agents to take hold of this line of work, the price was set very low, and it was found that this often led to a loss. An edition of from forty to fifty thousand copies of a monthly magazine such as our publishing houses issue, costs us about three and one-half cents a copy. If we sell these magazines for three and one-half cents, in large quantities, we shall have no profits with which to carry on our work as it must be carried on. This is why we have raised the price of the papers half a cent, making them cost, now, three and one-half cents, four cents, and four and one-half cents, and so on, according to the quantity ordered. Morris Lukens: Will the passing of this resolution affect the scholarship plan? C. H. Jones: We have agreed on a basis of three cents a copy, in connection with the scholarship plan, and we shall have to stick to this, I suppose, during the coming season; but doubtless next year this will have to be adjusted, in order to safeguard the publishing houses against unnecessary loss. Resolution 3 (on Protestant Magazine) was then read. Question was asked as to the field of this magazine and why it was started. Chairman: I will state, briefly, that in view of the very marked developments that have come, especially during the past year or two, to some of which I have briefly referred in talks given here, it seemed to us that there was a call that something should be done in a special way to meet the demands of the situation; that the change, notably, that had come in in the position of the Roman Catholic Church in this country, in which, by decree of Rome, this country was taken out of the field of missionary nations, and was classed by that church as a Christian country—that is, a Roman Catholic Christian country; the tremendous efforts that are now being made in the large congresses held; the publication of a new weekly paper for the special purpose of influencing the public mind; an organization in fact, the strength of which one can not appreciate unless he understands somewhat of the purposes of its leaders, as stated in their own publications,—these conditions, and many more that might be mentioned, led us to the conviction that the hour has come for the establishment of a monthly magazine whose purpose it shall be to speak in behalf of the principles of pure Protestantism. The Roman Catholic Church has a perfect right to plan a great movement to make America Catholic. From their standpoint, they are justified wholly. Protestantism is failing in its field. The failure of Protestantism opens the door in a wonderful manner for a strong effort in favor of the strengthening of Catholic forces in this land; and the hierarchy at Rome has planned, evidently, to make special efforts to win America for the church. In view of these conditions, it seems to us that we are held responsible before God to give to the world every possible opportunity for understanding clearly the fundamental principles underlying Protestantism. The revival of Rome in this country, and the apostasy of Protestantism, constitute in themselves a demand for a publication that shall be devoted16especially and exclusively to that field; so that, by repeated blows, an impression might be made that would be exceedingly difficult, if not impossible, to make by anything that might be published in our other denominational journals. These considerations led the Review and Herald board, in counsel with the brethren located at this headquarters, to decide in favor of the establishment of a new monthly. Resolution 6 (on the Youth’s Instructor) was read, and question called. Resolution 7 (on Sabbath School Worker) was read. G. B. Thompson: I wish this resolution might be broadened so as to include every family in the denomination. We ought to work toward this end. The paper is inexpensive; the notes are profitable. In this connection, I wish to add that, as ministers and workers, we ought to be agitators in every church and family, in favor of the wider circulation of our papers. The chairman: We should be pleased to hear from the secretary of the Sabbath-school Department. L. Flora Plummer: Reports from the secretaries indicate that not more than one half of the English-speaking schools are taking the Sabbath School Worker. We are glad for the subscription list of nearly 8,000 names that we have; but we do feel that we would like to have this resolution not only acted upon, but the spirit of it carried out, in order that our subscription list might be doubled. Resolution 8 (on the addition to the main building) was read. The chairman stated that the best explanation of this resolution would be a visit to the Review and Herald building. Resolution 9 (on manner of ordering) was then read. Question was now called on the report as a whole. At this point a delegate asked that all conference laborers present, whether delegates or not, be permitted to vote on Resolution 2, thereby pledging their hearty support in increasing the circulation of the REVIEW AND HERALD in their field. Vote was therefore taken separately on that resolution. The chairman stated that the fulness of the vote indicated that the desired circulation for the REVIEW was assured. The question on the report as a whole was then put and adopted unanimously. The committee on nominations, appointed to suggest four persons to act as members of the board of directors for the next two years, reported the following names: I. H. Evans, G. B. Thompson, H. R. Salisbury, T. E. Bowen. On motion of E. T. Russell, seconded by W. J. Fitzgerald, these persons were elected. Meeting adjourned sine die.