The Power of Literature as a Gospel Agent by Uriah Smith

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Mar 31, 1910

The Power of Literature as a Gospel Agent

By Uriah Smith

WE are all familiar with the importance assigned to the publishing work, in the literary world at large. In any enterprise that is set on foot, in any reform that is being agitated, almost the first inquiry is, What is its literature? What use is it making of the press? Any organization which makes no use of the press is set down at once as something of no consequence or no character; something which seeks to conceal itself from the presence of men, instead of coming to their knowledge; something that seeks darkness rather than light, with the suspicion that always attaches to such a course, in reference to the character of their deeds. Whereas any cause which gives evidence that it courts publicity; that it is willing to avail itself of every means to make itself acquainted with the people, and the people acquainted with it; that spreads before the public a record of its doings, a statement of its purposes and its plans, its means and its

methods, and keeps these things, by means of the publishing facilities of these times, ever before the eyes of the people, in public ways, and in the by-paths of individual life, shows that it has nothing to cover up, to conceal or keep back; and in pursuing such a course, that cause is sure to gain the attention of the people, and to some extent their confidence, and perhaps sympathy, and possibly adherence. . . .

To form some idea of the value of the publishing work, as an instrumentality for the proclamation of the message, we have but to think a moment of what would have been the condition of the work had this agency never been used. But this is too hard a problem to propound for solution; for we can form no conception of it. How many thousands have been made acquainted with the truth who never would have heard it but for the publishing work? The books never tire in their message. They never grow angry. They speak the same truth again and again. They never answer back. How many have they thus won to the truth who would have seen something in the living preacher, in tone, or manner, or expression, to offend, or repel, or weary! This is an instrumentality that can not be dispensed with, or allowed to fall into disuse. The query is, and the problem to be solved is, how to make it more efficient, and work it more successfully.—A statement by Elder Uriah Smith, at the General Conference in 1901.