p. 9 | Our Press Bureau by Arthur Grosvenor Daniells

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Dec 14, 1911

Our Press Bureau

By Arthur Grosvenor Daniells

THIRTY years ago Elder James White felt a great burden pressing upon his heart to make use of the public press in giving publicity to our message and our movement. Just before his death he made a great effort to awaken our conference leaders to the importance of training persons to prepare suitable reports for the press.

For a time there was considerable activity in this line; but the effort was not carried far, and for years we have done but little efficient work in getting our message before the public through the newspapers. However, during the last three or four years the importance of this kind of work has been pressed upon the hearts of many of our ministers.

The General Conference Committee has made a number of efforts to establish a Press Bureau, and has at last succeeded. This was taken up at the recent fall council, and the officers of the committee were requested to secure an experienced newspaper man to take charge of this work. Accordingly, arrangements have been made with Brother W. L. Burgan, of Baltimore, to engage in this line of work. During the last twelve years Brother Burgan has been connected with the Baltimore American and the Baltimore Sun. He is an experienced reporter, and now severs his connection with the American to become secretary of our Press Bureau.

During the coming winter he will conduct classes in newspaper reporting at as many of our union conferences as he can attend. This, we feel sure, will be of great value to our ministers and workers who are engaged in public work.

While Brother Burgan is conducting classes in the union conferences in the North, Elder C. B. Haynes will do the same kind of work in the union conferences in the South. Brother Haynes has been under Brother Burgan’s training in Baltimore for two or three years, and has had excellent success in getting a large amount of valuable information into the public papers.

We believe that our present bureau will prove to be of inestimable value to our cause, and it is the desire of the General Conference Committee that all our ministers and workers who can profitably do so will take advantage of the instruction to be given this winter in

the union conferences. We are hoping that this will enable us to report our tent-, hall-, and camp-meetings another year through the public press so that people in all the States, from the Atlantic to the Pacific, will have their attention frequently directed to both our message and our work.

Brother Burgan will enter upon his duties as secretary of the bureau the first of January. Any information desired from him may be obtained by addressing him at the General Conference Office, Takoma Park, Washington, D. C.

A. G. DANIELLS.