THE MISSIONARY PRESS by E. R. Palmer

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Nov 4, 1909

THE MISSIONARY PRESS

By E. R. Palmer

The Avondale Mission Press

The Avondale Mission Press, located at Cooranbong, New South Wales, Australia, which provides literature for the mission fields in the islands east and north of Australia, affords a good illustration of the work being done by our mission presses in many countries. Therefore we have reproduced as the centerpiece for this page a miniature of a large chart on which was outlined the work of the Avondale Mission Press as reported by the president of the Australasian Union Conference at the recent session of our General Conference, held at Takoma Park, near Washington, D. C.

“Avondale” is the estate where our chief training-school for Australasia is located. This school has an attendance of about two hundred young people who are preparing for the world-wide mission work. Many of the students have but limited means, and must work their way. Therefore the school has provided several industries for this purpose, as printing, the manufacturing of health foods, cabinet-making, plumbing, farming, gardening, etc. During the year 1908 the industrial students earned twenty thousand dollars, which they paid to the school on board and tuition.

Among these industries is the Avondale Mission Press. Of the twenty-four employees in this printing-office, all except the superintendent are students in training for missionary work. The Australasian Union Conference has charge of the missionary work in the islands of which Australia is the natural center, and the Avondale Mission Press does the printing for these island mission fields. It is now printing the gospel message in nine languages. Twelve different publications are issued in the English, three in Maori, four in Rarotongan, six in Tahitian, five in Fijian, six in Tongan, five in Samoan, six in Singapore-Malay, and four in Java-Malay, making fifty-one publications in all.

In addition to the value of the actual output in these nine different languages, the Avondale Mission Press is an important educational feature in the training of young people for the island mission work; for in this little office each student learns the several features in the art of printing necessary for him to know on going to a mission field where responsibility to print literature in the native tongues is likely to fall upon him. Interest in missionary service is also deepened.

E. R. PALMER, Sec. Missionary and Publishing Dept.