Newspapers Played Important Part at Camp-Meetings and Tent Efforts
By W. L. Burgan
THE past summer will stand out as an unusual one in our newspaper publicity campaign. Presidents of many of the local conferences cooperated with the Press Bureau in a most encouraging way in appointing local workers to prepare daily accounts of the camp-meetings for the newspapers of the towns and cities where these meetings were held, while scores of evangelists engaged in tent efforts furnished daily extracts of their sermons for the newspapers. One of the pleasing results from the newspaper campaign carried on in connection with the tent effort in Albany was that a man and three women accepted the truth through having been attracted to the meetings by the newspaper reports. Our cause has been advertised through the newspapers this past summer over an area which cannot be measured. Practically all our camp-meetings held on the Pacific Coast were advertised, considerable space being given to those held in the large cities. Reports were furnished the newspapers about the camp-meetings held in the Lake, Columbia, and Atlantic Union Conferences, where we have the large centers of population. Practically all the State conferences in the Lake Union had their camp-meetings advertised on an extensive scale. Elder J. A. Applegate had charge of advertising the Northern Illinois Conference camp-meeting, which was held at Ottawa, and he says the papers there were very friendly. The Republican-Times sent a reporter to the grounds each day for the write-up. It published ninety-one inches of matter during the meeting, four of these articles being on the first page. Two other papers there also gave the camp-meeting notices, one publishing seventy-three inches of matter, and the other fifty inches. Some of the Chicago papers also published reports. Brother E. E. Franklin did excellent work in connection with the Indiana camp-meeting for the Hartford City papers. Reports of this meeting were also published in papers of other cities in that great State. Brother H. M. Kelley had charge of the newspaper reporting at the Southern Illinois camp-meeting, while Brother Howard Bayley gave the West Michigan camp-meeting wide publicity. The newspaper work was also advanced in the Northern and Central Unions, while a special worker visited all the camp-meetings in the Southeastern Union Conference for the purpose of furnishing reports to the newspapers. It is quite probable that the larger majority of the camp-meetings held in the United States this year, if not all, were advertised through the secular press. At some of the camp-meetings photographs were taken, and large display notices, illustrated by these photographs, were given in the papers. Many editors appreciate the character of our movement, and send reporters and photographers to the camp-grounds. Elder H. M. J. Richards, president of the Eastern Pennsylvania Conference, in writing about the newspaper work in connection with the tent effort at Hanover, Pa., says: “The newspaper of the town has printed reports of all the sermons; so that in this way it is being given to about ten thousand people.” Brother Richard F. Farley, writing in a recent issue of the Columbia Union Visitor, tells of a young woman who accepted the truth after reading in the newspapers of the tent-meetings that he and Brother Harter have been holding in Hanover, Pa.: “A young woman had read our newspaper reports. She was stirred, but feared to attend the services. She stayed away until this past week, when she came and heard three sermons. One Sabbath morning she went to work as usual in the factory, but the Holy Spirit impressed her so strongly that she had to stop. She came to the tent, and after a short talk with Brother Harter, surrendered completely to the Lord. Opportunity presented itself to give her many points of the truth. She accepted God’s word as it came to her.” Elder V. B. Watts, president of the New Mexico Conference, sends an encouraging word concerning his newspaper efforts in connection with a tent effort in Albuquerque, the capital of the State. He says: “We have been getting good reports published. The editors have been very liberal, and seem glad to get the articles. The people here in the city are reading the articles, which are creating quite an interest. I am so thankful that God has given us this opportunity for giving this last message to the world. I can see now that that is why the papers have been brought into existence.” Not only is the press work advancing in the United States, but our foreign workers are also using this medium. From Elder A. N. Allen, who until recently had charge of the work in Peru, comes this word from that darkened country in South America: “I am glad to say that between our friends and our enemies something concerning our work is constantly being published in the dailies, not only in the capital but in many smaller towns.” This shows that even though articles derogatory to our work are printed in these lands, the editors also print items that tell the truth about us. It is to be hoped that the brethren who are planning to hold hall efforts this fall and winter will keep up their activity in giving extracts of their sermons to the newspapers. W. L. BURGAN.