Review and Herald Publishing Association
By I. A. Ford
The annual meeting of the Review and Herald Publishing Association was held at Battle Creek, Mich., in connection with the biennial meeting of the Lake Union Conference. The first meeting convened Tuesday, February 8. The meeting was called to order by the vice-president, S. N. Curtiss. In the absence of the president and the secretary, W. W. Prescott was elected chairman, and I. A. Ford secretary. After the appointment of the committees on nominations and on plans, the meeting adjourned to February 11, in order that a larger number of the constituency might be present. At the second meeting reports were given by the manager and treasurer, the managers of the book and periodical departments, and the managers of the two branch houses, all of which showed a very encouraging volume of business done during the year. The manager's report was as follows:— “We take pleasure in presenting this, the seventh annual report of the Review and Herald Publishing Association of Washington, D. C. For more than two-score years the members of the Battle Creek church listened to reports of the Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association (familiarly known as Review and Herald Publishing Company) while its plant was located in this city. But this is the first opportunity the church has had to listen, within the walls of this Tabernacle, to the report of the Review and Herald Publishing Association of Washington. We are sure that the members of this church, as well as people everywhere, have watched with great interest the progress of the publishing work since this association was incorporated in the summer of 1903. “This new association, organized for religious and philanthropic work, and not for gain, is a non-stock corporation. It must necessarily have a definite legal constituency; but its real constituency is the membership of the Seventh-day Adventist denomination throughout the world, and it is the loyal support, the faithful work and earnest prayers, of these people that has made possible, under the blessing of God, whatever success has been attained. “Early in the year 1909 it was necessary for us to purchase another cylinder press, making five in all, and one linotype. These machines were put into use as soon as received, and have been in constant service ever since. In fact, it seems that we could not have gotten along without this additional equipment. We were also obliged to purchase another power paper-cutter, and an addressing machine for printing the addresses on our periodical wrappers. “Additional fire protection has been provided in our building during the last year by installing water-pipes inside the building, at the front and rear, with two hose reels on each floor. A system of fire-alarm stations was also put in. By special arrangement with the town of Takoma Park the hose cart belonging to the town is stored in an annex alongside our main building. “During the last General Conference we printed eleven thousand copies each of twenty-one numbers of the General Conference Bulletin, averaging more than sixteen pages each day, of the size of the REVIEW. “In April, 1909, we issued the first number of the Protestant Magazine. This new quarterly periodical has been received most favorably, and has built up a fine list of over twelve thousand subscribers, the average number circulated for each issue being nearly twenty-five thousand copies. The special efforts now being put forth by the Roman Catholic Church to win America, and the failure of nominal Protestantism to maintain its principles, make necessary a publication which shall be devoted to the pure and true principles of Protestantism, and this is the field which the Protestant Magazine is intended to fill. “At the last General Conference it was voted that a new educational journal be started. The Review and Herald Publishing Association was asked to publish the magazine, and the first issue of Christian Education appeared in September. The editorial work is done by the Educational Department of the General Conference, and we have heard nothing but words of praise for the journal. The circulation will, of course, be limited, but the contents of the journal are such as to make it useful in every home where there are children, and helpful to every educator in the land. The present subscription list ought to be doubled. “In March a special Temperance number of the Youth's Instructor was published, and over one hundred twenty-five thousand copies were circulated. This was a most excellent and powerful temperance document, and has received unusual and flattering indorsement from temperance workers everywhere. We now have in preparation a still better Temperance number, which will be ready in March, and a quarter of a million copies ought to be sold. “Our facilities were again taxed this fall to produce the necessary number of copies of the special Harvest Ingathering number of the REVIEW. For weeks our pressroom ran night and day, and our bindery force was often obliged to work far into the night. The number of copies printed was seven hundred five thousand. “At the last annual meeting it was voted that the prices to agents on our ten-cent magazines should be increased one half a cent or more a copy, according to the quantity ordered. Later this matter was more carefully canvassed by the representatives of our various publishing houses at a meeting held in College View, last October, and a rate of five cents a copy on five to forty copies and four cents a copy on fifty or more copies was recommended. “At the same time it was decided that in view of the increase in cost of material and labor the subscription price of the REVIEW should be changed from $1.50 to $1.75, that the club price on the Instructor should be increased to seventy-five cents, and on the Worker to thirty cents. These new prices were approved by the General Conference Council in its October meeting, and were put into effect the first of January, 1910. “It was also recommended at our last annual meeting that our tract societies should properly ‘represent and handle our various publications,’ and the matter of more thorough organization of the periodical work was fully canvassed at the General Conference then in session. To this end we have encouraged our periodical agents everywhere to send their orders to, and arrange for their territory through, the conference in which they were at work. This has brought increased work to the tract society offices, and has made necessary some provision for meeting the additional expense thus entailed. The publishing-houses have therefore agreed to allow a discount of ten per cent to the tract societies on all periodical business which passes through their hands; and are also asking that more attention be given to building up and maintaining an extended circulation of all our periodicals in every conference. “The treasurer's report will show that every periodical has more than paid its way during 1909, and the home office and its branches show quite a satisfactory gain. Detailed reports will be presented by the managers of our book and periodical departments, and branch offices. “No serious accident has come to any of the workers, and death has not entered our office family, since we began operating in Washington. “There has been a marked improvement in the spiritual atmosphere of the office since the last week of prayer, and there is an earnest spirit of consecration and active work in behalf of others, which promises great things for the future. The entire office family is divided into six bands, or groups, each with a leader. These bands meet weekly, their object being prayer, study, and service. Some are holding Bible readings, visiting the sick, and relieving the poor, while others are conducting Sunday night meetings in which they are ably assisted by their collaborators. “We praise the Lord for the prosperity which has attended our work in Washington from its very beginning, and we request your prayers, your suggestions, and your co-operation, that it may always be carried forward in a way that will make it a blessing to the cause of God.” The report from the book department revealed the fact that during the year 140,450 copies of our standard books have been printed, the larger part of which were our regular subscription books, among which we might mention 7,000 “Bible Readings,” 5,000 “Home and Health,” 10,000 “Great Controversy,” 5,000 “Daniel and the Revelation,” 6,250 “Patriarchs and Prophets,” etc. It also called attention to the fact that 370,000 copies of our tracts and pamphlets had been issued during the year.16 The report from the periodical department gave us the encouraging information that 3,411,298 copies of our seven periodicals and magazines had been actually circulated during the year. The treasurer reported the net gain of the association for the year to be $19,691.13; this is after paying to the General Conference a tithe on our net earnings amounting to $2,129.52. After the reading of this report, the following resolutions were adopted by the association:— “1. Resolved, That we express our gratitude to God for his constant care over the association and its workers in preserving from calamity and accidents, and for the general health of the workers, and for the prosperity that has attended the work during the year. “Whereas, This association is carrying a large interest-bearing debt upon which it pays between four thousand and five thousand dollars interest annually, and,— “Whereas, The deferred payment of outstanding accounts increases the amount of interest thus paid, therefore,— “2. We recommend, That the trustees consider the advisability of charging interest on accounts which are not paid within sixty days from date of invoice. “3. We recommend, That Article V, Sections 1 and 2, of the By-laws, be amended to read as follows:— “SECTION 1. The affairs of this corporation shall be directed by a board of nine trustees elected by the members of this corporation, and said trustees shall hold their offices until their successors are duly elected and appear to enter upon their duties. “SEC. 2. At the annual meeting of this corporation held each even year commencing with 1910, five persons shall be chosen to act as trustees for a term of two years. At the annual meeting of this corporation held each odd year commencing with 1911, four persons shall be chosen to act as trustees for a term of two years.” At this meeting there were five trustees elected for two years, as follows: F. M. Willcox, W. W. Prescott, S. N. Curtiss, D. W. Reavis, and I. A. Ford. These meetings were largely attended by members of the association and others, many of whom expressed themselves as much encouraged over the present condition of the institution.