Remarks of Elder I. H. Evans.
By I. H. Evans
We are glad so many are present to-day, but sorry that more of our friends in the city are not here. The object of this meeting is to have our leading men give us a talk in regard to the design of the institution, and the object and the work which we should continually have before us. This is a large plant. We have invested here over half a million dollars, and our turn-over is nearly three million dollars a year. The earnings of the institution are something that should be used for the advancement of the work of God. The intent of the institution in the beginning, as I understand it, was to advance the Third Angel's Message. The people who believed in the message felt the need of a printing house. They started out on a small scale. The printing house gradually grew until it has assumed its present size. It was not intended in the beginning that this house should be a commercial house. Our brethren who planted this institution never had any idea that we would ever do commercial work to any extent. Their object in its building was for the sole purpose of advancing the Third Angel's Message, and the commercial idea was purely incidental, and not the leading object of its existence. The members of the present Board during the last year have been anxious that this house should fulfill the mission upon which it started in the beginning. They have endeavored to shape the policy of the Board as far as possible to accomplish that end. We have been slow in getting at matters, not simply because we were not convinced that it ought to be done, but because of our inability to secure competent help to carry out the plans which we desired to see carried out. We have already started a night school for our apprentices, giving the employees of the institution an opportunity to attend school five nights in the week. We have made the tuition free, and conduct ten different studies in the school. We are carrying the common branches of reading, spelling, arithmetic, writing, bookkeeping, composition, drawing, and some others that do not come to my mind, thus giving each student an opportunity to take three or four of these studies. Besides these studies in the branches, we are carrying two Bible studies. Professor Prescott has started in with a series of Bible studies, covering the whole phase of the Third Angel's Message, with all its leading principles. He is occupying two nights a week, Sunday night and Tuesday night, and will carry these studies on as long as he remains in the city. We are opening up a dormitory for our boys. A year ago the trustees voted that we should do this. We have been very dilatory in this work, but our slowness was owing somewhat to our inability to secure the services of one who we felt would make us a good head for the home. Brother G. W. Morse and wife have been engaged to take charge of this, and we are now planning to open up the home this week if possible. When our home is opened, we can accommodate about twelve or fifteen boys. The trustees have endeavored to assume a friendly attitude toward the different branches of the Lord's work. We are trying to advance all parts of the work, and put the institution in sympathy with the cause of God in the world. Wherein we have failed, it has been not in our intention, but from a lack of knowledge, and perhaps from a lack of appreciation of our duties and privileges. In the disposition of the Atlanta Branch in the South, you will remember, last spring we made a donation to the Southern field which aggregated in the neighborhood of $9,000, more or less. We have also given a few thousand dollars to “Christ's Object Lessons,” so that our donations to the mission work in the different fields have exceeded $13,000 during the year, cutting down our net gain so that we have left for the institutions only a little over $18,000 for this year. Since the beginning of the year we have also made a change in the Toronto Branch. We have joined the Mission Board in making a donation to the Canadian field. The Mission Board shared half the expenses, and the Review and Herald an equal amount. We have made a donation to the Canadian field of all the invested interests of the Review and Herald in the Toronto Branch. This will aggregate, perhaps, in the neighborhood of about $4,500 on our part, the Mission Board turning over to us, I think, about $3,700 in cash as an equal amount of this donation. We have been requested by the Mission Board to start a printing plant in the West Indies, in Brazil, and in Argentina, S. A.107We shall be glad for an expression in regard to this matter. There are many other things, doubtless, the stockholders would like to bring out in their discussions on plans and resolutions, and we are glad to have our friends here, and especially our employees. But this hour was not to be given to myself, but to Elder Daniels and to Professor Prescott. They were to make some remarks to us, to inspire us with the right spirit, and to put us upon right lines, and bring this institution, as it ought to be, into perfect harmony with the different movements of the Third Angel's Message. I trust the majority of us who are in the Office have but one idea, one plan, one object,—to advance the Third Angel's Message. If we can do it best here in the Review and Herald, we are willing to stay; if we can do it better in some other part of the field, there is where we want to be. One idea, one motive, one principle, should inspire us,—we should devote our whole strength, our whole energy, and give our whole lives to the advancement of this great work. I believe that the great majority of our help are actuated by this motive, and that they are working to this end. I do not believe there can be found in this world an equal number of men and women who are more loyal to this cause, or give more in proportion to their income to advance this work, and who are more worthy of our confidence, than the employees of the Review and Herald. That we make mistakes and failures is apparent to the stockholders, and apparent to ourselves, but I trust that our institution may have the prayers of all these friends and stockholders, and that we may see God leading, that we may fulfill the great mission with which we started out, and that this great institution may accomplish the work that God has set it to; and with the co-operation and sympathy of the denomination, with the friendly attitude which the General Conference has assumed toward this institution, and with the support of all of us, I believe there are brighter days for the Review and Herald than we have been passing through the last few years. Elder Daniels will favor us with some remarks this morning, and Professor Prescott will follow.