Works in Other Languages

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Oct 4, 1870

Works in Other Languages.

THE General Conference Committee, who are also the Publishing Association’s Committee on Publications the present year, decide to prepare works, as soon as possible, in English suited to the wants of men of other tongues; to be translated into the German, the French, the Danish, &c. And when they have done what they can to secure a good translation, they design to print largely, to be held, and sold, or

given. It is their object to sell, at reasonable rates, all the books, of whatever language, they possibly can. Then they will make provisions to give where, and only where, they should be given.

Bro. Matteson was too fast in his statement in the REVIEW that the Danish tracts were free to all. He should have waited for those whose duty it was to state the case properly. Our Danish people are more liberal than our American people, and if any have special claims on this Office for tracts to circulate gratuitously, it is our Danish brethren. The Committee would say to them that they have found it best to sell our publications where they could, and to give them cheerfully where they could not sell them. And they recommend the same course to them. They want the truth spread abroad, and will print largely. And they will respect the judgment of such Danish and Norwegian brethren as Matteson Hansen, and Olson, very highly, as to the circulation of works among their people. They will also respect very highly the opinions of Bro. Ertzenberger, the Bourdeaux, and our German and French brethren generally as to the circulation of works in these languages, while at the same time they must be allowed to have the general oversight of the whole affair. Otherwise their office is null and void.

However, if brethren obtain translations, and publish at their own expense, the committee, while they do not by any means recommend such a course, will not interfere, unless they should see the cause of truth being injured. But all publications issued by the S. D. A. P. Association must be regarded as under the supervision of the COMMITTEE.