AN ADVANCE MOVEMENT by Stephen Nelson Haskell

Seventh-day Adventist Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Mar 25, 1880

AN ADVANCE MOVEMENT.

By Stephen Nelson Haskell

Our brethren have done nobly in the past in taking clubs of the SIGNS, and remailing them to individuals in different parts of the world. There are believers at the present time in every portion of the civilized world rejoicing in the truth, as the result of the method so generally adopted by our vigilant missionary societies, of taking the SIGNS in clubs and remailing them. The final result of this labor will only be revealed when Christ, the Captain of our salvation, places on the heads of the patient, sacrificing laborers crowns bedecked with stars, representing souls saved for his kingdom.

A faithful record has been kept of the prayers for the blessing of God to attend the SIGNS, as they have been carried by the mail to different portions of the globe, accompanied with letters which breathed the spirit of true devotion to the work. God has bottled the tears shed by some, because they could do no more in this direction. He has accepted their feeble efforts put forth for the salvation of precious souls.

FRUIT OF THE LABOR.

One year ago last January, the SIGNS commenced with a list of about 8,000 subscribers. Upon a careful examination near the close of the volume, it was found that the permanent subscribers were increasing at the rate of nearly 1,000 per year. These subscribers were from every civilized nation on the globe. Even Japan and China were represented on the list. But this was not all. Many of our vigilant societies who were taking from one to two hundred copies at the commencement of 1879 added during the year to their number from 50 to 100 more. New vigilant missionary societies were organized, and additional clubs taken, until at the close of the year an edition of 10,000 was printed and sent to our friends everywhere.

Those becoming permanent subscribers were mostly persons who had received the paper from some missionary worker, and instead of responding to them had sent their address with their subscription price direct to the SIGNS Office. In view of these facts, and the beneficial results of this kind of labor upon those engaged in it, a preamble and resolution was passed at the time of the General Conference, by the General Tract and Missionary Society, recommending the same course to be pursued with the SIGNS OF THE TIMES, until some other pioneer sheet should be prepared to take its place.

In view of the above the present issue is "For the S. D. A. Tract and Missionary Societies" throughout this country and the world wherever the English language is spoken. No pains will be spared by its publishers to make it just the paper that is needed by the missionary workers. The neat heading of the paper, the variety of the matter, the different departments, including the Home Circle, General News, Miscellany, etc., can not fail to interest any who would be interested in the truths it contains. It will also give a general idea of the work we are trying to carry forward.

It has been proposed to issue a sixteen and an eight-page edition of the SIGNS the size of the Review. But to this there are serious objections. 1. With the sixteen-page nothing whatever, not even a small four-page tract, or the weekly Instructor, or College Record could be remailed with it for one cent, and this at times is very desirable. 2. The eight-page edition is too small for a good missionary paper, and cannot contain that amount and variety of matter which should be found in a missionary paper. Therefore, feeling assured our brethren would want a larger paper than the eight-page, we adopt the twelve-page edition. With it can be mailed a copy of the weekly Instructor, the College Record, or a sixteen-page tract, without increasing the postage above one cent. The only difficulty we have to meet is the expense. A twelve-page paper costs more in proportion to its size than an eight-page, on account of the stitching and trimming. It therefore cannot be afforded with its present number of subscribers at less than $1.50 per year.

Notwithstanding this, and in order that nothing may stand in the way of all adopting the best paper, the Publishing Association now makes the following

VERY LIBERAL OFFER.

Those Societies and individuals who are taking clubs of the eight-page edition, who wish to change to the twelve-page edition, can do so by adding to what they have paid or agreed to pay, one-half of the additional cost for the remainder of their subscription. The Association will give the other half.

Thus, if the Madison V. M. Society has paid for twelve copies till Jan. 1881, the extra expense from April 1st (9 months) would be thirty-seven and one-half cents per copy or $4.50 on the club. The Association will give half of this so that the change will cost the Society but $2.25.

Those individuals who have taken the eight-page paper at $1.25 can change to the larger edition by paying at the rate of fifty cents a year additional.

The Association also makes the following offer, to stand for a few months, hoping to increase its circulation to 20,000 which will pay expenses at the above figures, providing it can have in addition to the above a list of 3,000 full-paying subscribers.

To new clubs of ten copies to one address, at $1.50 per copy, we will give two copies extra; if they subscribe for twenty copies at $1.50 each, four copies extra will be sent as a premium, and in the same ratio. For every additional ten copies, two extra. For one hundred copies they will receive twenty extra. This will give our missionary workers the privilege of taking the twelve-page edition at a very low price.

But we shall trust to our Tract Societies to help the Association in this matter. As many as are able should subscribe for one copy for themselves at $2.00. The clubs should be increased wherever it is consistent, and wherever they are not already organized, organize them. The SIGNS Office needs the patronage of the friends of the cause, and our tract societies need the paper. It will contain that matter which is adapted to the missionary work. We hope the interest taken in this pioneer sheet will be greater than ever before, and instead of an edition of 10,000, we expect ere the close of the present volume that it will be 20,000.

We cannot afford to slacken our hand now. We are too near the Judgment. It is not an untried experiment to remail the SIGNS OF THE TIMES. Every mission in Europe except Switzerland was commenced in this manner. It should, with the Good Health, be placed in every respectable reading-room in the country, and on board of hundreds of steamers which traverse our rivers and lakes, and thus be read by hundreds of thousands of people during the present year.

S. N. HASKELL, President Gen. S. D. A. Missionary Society.