p. 19 | The Foreign Press by J. R. Ferren

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

The Foreign Press

By J. R. Ferren

With reference to the influence of the foreign press of this country, a recent editorial in one of Chicago's leading daily papers makes the following comment:—

“At no other time in the history of the country has been so manifest the very considerable influence of the foreign language press in the United States as since the war began. The foreign language newspaper goes into the recesses of the city and country where the currents of American thought expressed in English are seldom felt. It is almost wholly relied upon for information of events.”

Mr. Casson, for years secretary of the American Advertising Association, after a thorough study of how to reach the foreigners in this country, said:—

“There are at least twenty million persons in this country who read foreign languages, and more than six millions of these can read foreign languages and nothing else. Out of every fifteen families in the United States there is one family that cannot read the English language. Fully seven per cent of the American nation is not yet American. There are enough people in the United States, in fact, to make three Chicagos, who cannot be reached by any of the advertising in our English-speaking newspapers and magazines.” Mr. Casson urges the use of foreign newspapers.

These facts, given for consideration of advertisers, are not less interesting nor significant to an organization commissioned to reach all nations with the gospel. The giving of the last message to these peoples is of vastly more importance than reaching them with the news or ordinary information. And in this work it seems that we shall have to depend largely upon our literature. It can go, as does the foreign newspaper, into the recesses of our cities and country where thoughts as expressed in English are unknown. Think what this means in the distribution of the foreign periodicals we now have, and others likely to be issued, as well as tracts, pamphlets, and books.

The foreign press of this country is studying its opportunities. Yesterday, upon invitation from the Nebraska State Manufacturers' Association, I met with representatives of the foreign press of Nebraska in a meeting at Lincoln. I was much impressed with the earnestness of these publishers, and how they regard their fields of endeavor. For example, one gentleman was there who began publishing in the Bohemian language, in Omaha, in 1871. He now operates eight weekly Bohemian papers in Nebraska, Kansas, South Dakota, Iowa, and Minnesota. Their combined circulation of 40,000 copies an issue is largely in the Middle West and the West. A representative of a two-dollar-a-year weekly Italian paper published in Omaha, told me that it has a circulation of 9,000 copies a week. These go to subscribers located in the Middle and Western States. Another Italian publisher has recently established a weekly with a circulation of about 4,000 copies. He said that he is sure that seventy-five per cent of the Italians in this country can read. His subscribers are for the most part in the Middle States, but some are as far west as Minnesota, the Dakotas, and Wyoming. I also had opportunity of becoming acquainted with the manager of the Danish-Norwegian publishing house which furnishes literature to the Lutheran Church in this part of the United States. It is located in Blair, Nebr. Washington County, in which Blair is located, is almost wholly settled by Danes and Norwegians.

This is only a slight indication of the way in which we are surrounded by foreign-reading people. And the parts of the United States here mentioned have a smaller per cent of foreigners than some others.

What must be the condition in many States, when Nebraska, which is not regarded as having more than an ordinary proportion of foreigners, according to the 1910 census, has 228,000 Germans, 50,000 Bohemians, 59,000 Swedes, 35,000 Danes, 13,000 Poles, and 12,000 Italians?

Truly, our leaders and churches should be studying how best to reach our great foreign home field. I believe our people will welcome every advance suggestion given, and unite in a mighty forward movement in behalf of those who must receive a knowledge of the third angel's message in their own languages.

J. R. FERREN.