REPORTS by C. W. S.

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Dec 14, 1876

REPORTS

By C. W. S.

Send in your reports, brethren in the field, send them in. Send them every week, so that they will have that newness that is necessary to make them interesting. All other things being equally good, a report lacks interest in proportion to the time it runs back, and to the unfrequency and irregularity of its occurrence. A report that comes in every week is a well-connected, continued, true story; and that report will be looked for with interest and read with gladness; and the moves of the writer being kept constantly before the minds of the readers, he will share a larger place in their thoughts, and be more naturally assured of their prayers.

In writing your reports, allow me to suggest, you should remember that they are being written to be read. Much attention should be paid to the composition. It should be the aim of the writer to adopt an easy, narrative style, avoiding, unless it be for variety's sake in a few sentences, that stereotyped, diary style, which consists of a dry statement of facts with dates, and which too often runs along without any subjects expressed for its verbs. Here is an example: Nov. 3, came to Troy. Held two meetings on Sabbath, and one on first-day. Ordinances were celebrated. Nov. 10-12, met with the friends at Kent.

This would answer for a pocket diary where a bare statement of facts is all that is absolutely demanded; but for publication, it should be made to talk with the reader, to tell the reader in a conversational, narrative manner the history of the writer's labors, giving dates in such a manner as not to produce the impression that the dates are the most important features. Were I to correct a manuscript like the above example, I would have it read thus: I came to Troy Nov. 3. We had two meetings on Sabbath and one on Sunday. The ordinances were celebrated. The following Sabbath and first-day, I met with the friends at Kent.

This example is too brief to cover many cases. The faults with it were these: 1, It began with a date. This is remedied by transposing. 2, The subjects, I and we, and the article the, were omitted. These we supply. 3, To avoid sameness, we change the wording of the date in the last sentence. 4, The whole is wanting in incident. This defect the editor cannot remedy, for he don't know the facts. It is not so important that the reader be told that a meeting was held at Troy as that he be informed of what was accomplished there. The column of appointments quite generally tells where and when meetings are to be held; but the “progress” columns should tell in addition to this what takes place.

I have written this, not so much to say how reports should be made, or furnish rules for their construction, as to call attention to the fact that improvements can be made. A little thought will accomplish much. Make the reports read as smoothly as possible. Cannot the editor mend them a little? Yes; but a new coat would look better made from whole cloth than from patches; and sometimes in mending, it is very difficult to match.

Put in the items of interest, don't forget them. For a good example of this, and of the narrative style of reporting, read the Acts of the Apostles. C. W. S.