p. 16 | Twenty-Second Meeting

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Washington, D. C. · Jun 1, 1905

Twenty-Second Meeting

By William C. White; William A. Spicer

THE twenty-second meeting was called at 2:30 P. M., May 24; W. C. White, being chairman of the publication committee, in the chair.

Prayer by P. F. Bicknell.

The secretary's report of the publication committee was further considered, and representatives from Mexico, China, and India spoke of work with literature, and Brethren R. C. Porter and A. T. Robinson gave an account of the influence of work with literature in various individual cases coming within their observation.

E. W. Farnsworth spoke of the work of the minister in selling literature. The minister who gets the people to read most while listening to the truth from the pulpit, will establish most people in the truth. This will require effort. The speaker said he had found best success in selling books by taking one at a time for special mention in public. It is well to have a small assortment on a table in the meeting place. In visiting among the people the laborer may take a few small pamphlets and dispose of them. A good plan is to make up a package of tracts, and urge the people to take the package for personal study in their homes. No others have such advantage in getting people to read as has the minister. There is need of a revival of this selling of our literature in public effort.

Hearty responses were made to this plea for a revival of book selling in the ministry.

J. N. Loughborough stated that he was the first preacher among us to sell books in public effort. Then all our books or pamphlets could be sold for thirty-five cents. When at a public meeting in the midst of a busy harvest season, they sold fifty-three dollars' worth of these pamphlets, it greatly encouraged the brethren. Brother Loughborough told also of pioneer experiences in California, in later days, in which book selling was a prominent feature; and where people read themselves into the truth, as they listened to the preaching, the results were substantial Sabbath-keepers.

G. I. Butler recounted the methods in the old days, of spreading out the literature in a tent-meeting, and making it a point every day to get the people to buy reading-matter. He proposed to do the same thing this coming season, when he expects to hold a series of tent-meetings.

W. J. Boynton, of Alberta, testified to the success he had had in selling literature as he went from place to place, taking subscriptions for the various papers. The people want this literature. In traveling by carriage the long distances in the Canadian Northwest he takes a quantity of papers and tracts, made up just ready to hand out, tossing a packet into a passing wagon, or leaving a packet at each farmhouse.

Following a brief recess, the program of the publishing department was continued.

E. R. Palmer spoke of the practise in Australia of accompanying tent effort by selling literature day by day on the topic presented in the tent the night before.

The publishing work is not a department in the sense that the Sabbath-school or religious liberty work is a department of the work of the message. It is the message itself in all its departments, set in type and scattered among the people. It is the means by which all departments must work.

The importance of circulating the literature was shown by figures gathered by Brother A. J. Bourdeau, missionary secretary of Northern California. He heard from five hundred and thirty-nine persons who gave the manner in which they were led to accept the truth. The report, in part, is as follows:— Tent-meetings and lectures ........164 Reading publications only ........123 Bible or mission work ............87 Reading Bible only ...............26 By birth or home influence ......101

A few interesting cases:—

1. Reading the Signs of the Times at the bedside of his brother.

2. A sick lady in a Catholic hospital. A nurse loaned her a copy of “Great Controversy.” Result, a conversion to present truth, much to the dismay and

anger of the nurse who brought the book. The nurse was not aware of the nature of the work.

3. Inviting a Seventh-day Adventist to ride with him in his wagon fifteen miles. The Seventh-day Adventist talked the Sabbath all the way, and the man became a Seventh-day Adventist soon after.

4. A tract sent from Colorado to Canada. Result, a convert.

5. His wife's godly life—an experience of fifteen years—led him to accept the same belief.

6. A sick boy, overhearing, from his bed, a Bible reading being given to his parents by a Seventh-day Adventist minister.

7. The reading of one tract only—“Elihu on the Sabbath.”

A work which yields such large returns for so small an investment should be pushed with energy. The publishing work should be carried on so that every Seventh-day Adventist can be doing something. Better all doing something, men, women, and children, even though doing a little, than a few doing much. It will mean an active living church, and a wide-spread influence. There can be no strong work with literature in a conference except as the evangelical workers in the conference take the burden of encouraging its development.

The book work has prospered as greatly during times of adversity as in good times financially. It is only when the hard times get into the heart of the laborer that there is failure.

The story of the methods by which the book work was made strong some years ago was told. It was strong because every one worked to build it up; conference leaders and all labored to lead the people into the book work. It is to be done again. It is not to be left to a department or to a few men. Our publishing houses have unloaded from commercial work so that they may give all their energies to developing the literature of the third angel's message.

Lewis Johnson felt that the ministry of the message could never be separated from the work of preaching the truth by literature. It is one united work.

W. D. Salisbury, of the Echo Publishing Company, Australia: The Australasian Union Conference, according to the publication secretary's report, has sold the largest number of books of any union. The beginning of that success was in the times when the laborers in the ministry talked this work from place to place, and rallied the people to it. The fruitfulness of this work with literature in bringing people into the truth has been most encouraging in Australia.

A. T. Robinson told of good results following the effort to get Bible workers to handle books and literature as they labored among the people.

C. Santee told of large sales by workers during tent-meetings in southern California, as the workers made systematic efforts with literature.

W. C. White: The publishing houses have made strong efforts to get clear from commercial work. It is not primarily because of coming labor difficulties. It is to enable all their energies to be devoted to the work of the message. And this cutting off of commercial work brings a clearer atmosphere into our offices. The workers can feel that all their work is preaching the message by the literature they are working on. All this is a call to the people to use the literature, and to keep our presses busy printing the truth.

Further remarks were made as to the handling of the literature, the division of profits on the books so that canvassers and publishing house shall be able to derive a living income.

The order of the meeting changed, and the committee on nominations presented a further partial report, which was adopted, as follows:—

On Nominations

Members General Conference Committee: Frederick Griggs, W. A. George, G. B. Thompson, K. C. Russell.

Electoral Constituency of Emmanuel Missionary College (Berrien Springs): A. Moon, Wm. Covert, W. J. Stone, J. M. Rees, A. G. Haughey, H. H. Burkholder, E. K. Slade, L. H. Christian, S. E. Wight, R. R. Kennedy, W. A. Young, A. R. Sanborn, W. D. Curtis, W. D. Parkhurst, J. B. Blosser, F. F. Peterson, M. N. Campbell, Arthur Spaulding, A. T. Jones, J. G. Lamson, N. W. Lawrence, S. P. S. Edwards, R. T. Dowsett, J. O. Miller, N. P. Nielson, N. W. Kauble, J. H. Haughey, B. F. Machlan, Arthur Hallock, W. H. Edwards.

Adjourned.

W. C. WHITE, Chairman, pro tem, W. A. SPICER, Secretary.