p. 185 | FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE by George I. Butler

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Mar 21, 1882

FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE.

By George I. Butler

There are various ways in which we may render assistance in advancing the cause. We may do it by our influence, setting such an example as will decidedly work in its favor wherever we are known; also by our labor in canvassing, scattering reading matter, and preaching or writing. And we may effectually advance the cause of God in the use of our means. Money represents labor. Wealth is created by the labor of somebody. Every good cause in the world has need of money, the representative of value in our world. There are many people who cannot write or preach acceptably, or even scatter reading matter with the best of success. But God has given them talent to acquire property with greater success, perhaps, than those who excel in other directions. If these have the love of God and his cause in their hearts, they can labor as effectually in advancing the cause as those who can write or preach in its favor. They can do this by using their means, which represents the garnered fruits of their toil, good calculation, and economy, where it will be effective as the other class of workers. The teacher could not give his whole time to preaching, or the writer to writing, unless partially sustained by others. All the extra amount of time those are enabled to work in consequence of this assistance more than they could if left to their unaided efforts, counts as the time of him who renders the necessary help by his means. The latter is really working through the former. The same principle applies in the work of our institutions. The good these do in the world is really to be divided up, and set to the account, not only of the special workers in them, but to those also who give of their means to establish them. Without this means, they could not have existed, and hence their work would not have been done unless others could have been found to bestow the necessary means. Every soul saved by means of the light emanating from our Publishing Association will be saved, not merely by the instrumentality of those who have clothed the truth in language, but also by the efforts of every donor who gave his hard earnings, and thus assisted in furnishing the means for publishing it. The good that is contained in every tract, book, and issue of our periodicals, is thus shared in common by all who have contributed to bring the publishing institutions into existence. In this way all can be workers for God in saving souls. This fact will be a source of joy to every one who really loves the cause of God. Every believer should desire to do something to advance the cause.

Some say, If I could do the good that some minister or editor can do, how gladly I would labor. It will be seen that they really share with them in all their useful work, by sustaining them in their labor, and furnishing means by which their good thoughts may reach their fellow-men. This consideration ought to make us all ready to help where means are needed.

It has been stated time after time that the Publishing Association needs the assistance of all its friends. It is pecuniarily embarrassed. If this embarrassment should continue to increase, and hard times should set in, as may be the case, the usefulness, if not the existence, of this institution might be jeopardized. We have no idea our people will consent to such a state of things. But now is the time to go to work to place this most important of all our institutions in a position of prosperity. This can be done easily by our people, without any great sacrifice, if they will take hold of it. There is wealth enough among them which could be spared, really to the advantage of the possessor, to place all our institutions above want. But if the rich will not take hold of this, others will. Our people will never consent to see this important arm of our strength left in embarrassment, or jeopardized in any manner. I will mention a few things which should be done, and would be a relief to the Publishing Association.

1. Loans of money without interest.—There are many among us who could just as well make loans without interest as not. That is to say, there are those who could spare thousands of dollars, in sums less or more, according to their ability, and give the interest to the institution for a time, and never feel the loss of it,—never be deprived of a single blessing they now enjoy. But perhaps they will say, I need that money to use in some speculation,—buying more land, or stock, or some patent right, or something else. No doubt they could find uses for it; but in many cases if they would forego that speculation, and put their money in some place where it would be useful, they would be better off even in a pecuniary sense, and much better off in a spiritual sense. How many men have lost their hundreds and thousands in these speculations, to my personal knowledge! How much has gone for patent rights! enough, it seems to me, in some such way, to nearly pay all the indebtedness of our institutions. How will men give an account of their stewardship, knowing, as they do, that the cause is suffering for the need of this very money. The spirit of speculation is ruining many of our people spiritually. It blinds their spiritual senses. It takes the love of the truth from their hearts, and puts out their spiritual eyesight. What will rich Sabbath-keepers say in the day of God, who know the cause needs their help, and instead of giving it will invest their means in worldly speculations? It will be a terrible day for them. It will not be long before such opportunities to do good will all be in the past. Now, such can render real assistance.

Many of our people could better place their money in the Office on deposit than in some worldly bank. For thirty years past this institution has never failed to pay every dollar deposited in it, when called for. Hundreds of saving banks and other worldly institutions have gone under, and their depositors have come to grief. Why will not our people favor their own institutions, a part of their own cause, rather than these worldly banks? A great many have deposited money in this Office; but most of these persons are very urgent for interest. I have been greatly surprised at this. Most of the banks of our country refuse to pay interest on deposits, unless for long time, at a very low per cent. They claim that it is a real advantage to the depositor to have some place of safety in which to deposit his hard earnings, where he can call his money out at any time, rather than to have it where it is liable to be stolen or burned up by fire, etc. This is no doubt the case. If the money our people deposit in banks were in the REVIEW Office, without interest, it would enable this institution to pay off the interest-bearing notes and help us thousands of dollars every year; and it would be just as well, and even safer, for our people than the course they now pursue. The Office could send it to the depositor at any time, on short notice, in draft or money order, and this means would be a real help to the cause all the time.

2. Loaning money at low rates of interest.—On some money the Office has been paying interest as high as seven and eight per cent. This it cannot afford to do. It ought not to do it. The government obtains money at three and a half and four per cent, all it needs. Such notes are at a premium. Religious institutions are the safest of any. This one has stood through crisis after crisis and panic after panic, and never failed its creditors in a single instance. It ought not to pay over five per cent, unless, in extreme cases, to those who are unfortunate or poor. Our wealthy brethren ought to be willing to loan money at five per cent. Some seem to think they are showing considerable love to the cause by putting their money in here and getting for the use of it from six to eight per cent. In this they are showing full as much love for themselves. They could not probably loan it anywhere else safely on any better terms. Here they get it when called for, and know it is safe. There ought to be many of our brethren who would loan money at five per cent, besides those who loan it without interest. Then we could cut down interest, and the Association would be relieved from some of its embarrassment.

3. Money ought to take stock.—Most of the old pioneers have taken stock in the early part of the work, and some at great sacrifice. Many who have come into the truth later have never done so. Our people ought to take $50,000 of stock in the Publishing Association the present year. They could do this, and never feel the loss of it. It would be money put to a noble use. May God help our people to feel the importance of doing their duty by helping in the work by their means. It would be a disgrace to let our institutions be embarrassed and crippled for the lack of means. Soon it will be said to us, “Give an account of thy stewardship.” These words will seem painful to those who have neglected these opportunities for doing good. “Work while it is day; the night cometh, when no man can work.”

GEO. I. BUTLER.