THE POWER OF THE PRESS by James White

The Seventh-Day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · December 18, 1879

FromThe Review and Herald, Vol. 54, No. 25

THE POWER OF THE PRESS.

By James White

The men of this world understand the great power of the printing-press. The politician seizes this lever to lift himself into office. Political campaigns are run principally through the press. Advertisements of this, that, and the other, posted and scattered everywhere, are evidences that the man of business understands the influence of the press.

This is a reading age. Active minds must be employed. The people will read. The masses prefer fiction to fact. The writers, publishers, and sellers of fictitious works fully comprehend the situation, and for gain flood the world with light literature. Thus the devil seizes the press to turn the minds of the people from the real facts and duties of this life, and a preparation for the life to come. The minds of the young are fevered with fiction to that degree that they lose relish for solid reading. They are so completely filled with trash that there is but little room in their minds and hearts for that which is substantial and real.

“Ye are the light of the world,” said Christ in his memorable sermon on the mount. “A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in Heaven.” Matt. 5: 14–16.

Christians should be as wise in their generation as the men of this world. They should seize upon every means, and every opportunity, to let their light shine. They should let it shine from the hill-top. The press, which in the hands of the children of darkness is a power for evil, may, in the hands of the children of light, be a mighty power for good. All our preachers in the lecturing field should not only act as pastors in visiting and praying with the people, but as colporters to circulate our publications wherever they go. The reasons why, follow.

1. It has been said upon good authority that our ministers add nine-tenths to their usefulness in the active circulation of our publications in connection with their public labors as speakers, and experience proves it. Time is short, and is very precious to the true servant of Jesus Christ, in whose heart the love of souls has been planted by the Holy Spirit. He keenly feels the importance of laboring to the best advantage, and if he is wise, he will seize upon the plan by which one man can do the work of ten.

2. The changes of his three-fold work, as preacher, pastor, and colporter, will be conducive to physical and spiritual health. This course will equalize the labor and wear, and strengthen the physical, mental, and spiritual. It will give the preacher time for reading and that study necessary for the preparation of his subjects, and will also give him opportunities for physical exercise, and the cultivation of those qualifications for pastoral labors which are as important for his success as are his labors in the speaker’s stand. While thus laboring in public and from house to house, his opportunities for circulating our publications will be neither few nor small.

3. Some of our preachers are rusting from inaction, and can never rise from second or third rate preachers and become men of usefulness unless they adopt more active habits of life. There is no better exercise than walking from house to house, with a light satchel well filled with publications. Exercise increases the circulation of the blood and stimulates thought. Coming in contact with different minds under these circumstances conduces to mental growth.

4. Others of our preachers of more studious habits read many volumes hastily, think, reason, and write carelessly and loosely, under the mistaken idea that they are accomplishing much for the Lord. These are making great mistakes. In their haste to cover so much literary ground, they cannot find time to act the pastor in visiting the people, and to cultivate those social qualities so necessary for a minister and true laborer in the Lord’s vineyard. Neither can they find time to act the colporter, and thus add nine-tenths to their usefulness. And besides these evils, they read more than they can properly digest and incorporate into their labors and work. They become literary dyspeptics. Men of this stamp are wearing out too fast in accomplishing but little real good.

As writers, their productions are wordy and lean, and their reasoning loose, to the annoyance of the editor and the weariness of the reader. If these brethren would read less, exercise more in visiting and in urging our publications upon the people, think more, reason more closely, and write less, they would do ten men’s work where they now poorly do that of only one. We already have too many books, tons of which are lying idle on the shelves at our offices. Before more are written and published, let these be put into the field.

God has given us in the tract and missionary societies the best system for the circulation of reading matter known to the Christian world. This may be made more efficient and receive a new impetus by the hearty co-operation of all our ministers. They should set an example to the tract and missionary workers. This system makes all the members efficient laborers in the cause of God. A good, earnest, devoted lay-worker in this field can accomplish more than two preachers who shut themselves up to the work of preaching.

Our preachers should and can have a good support, without feeling that they must depend in part upon the profits of the publications they sell. And it is in their power to bring about the state of things which will give them better support than they now have. If the farmer would have his farm give him better support, he improves it. And if the miller desires more water upon his wheel, instead of closing the main channel, he opens new ones. The place for our ministers to take hold in working up a better state of things is at the great lever of the press, in the wider and more thorough circulation of our periodicals and publications.

Our offices of publication are theirs. All our ministers should work to the point to free them from embarrassment, and to build them up. In the products of our presses is light for the people. The tract and missionary societies, with the active support of all our preachers, can bring numbers and financial support to our cause, and thus replenish our empty treasuries. The action, or inaction, of our preachers, in withholding their support from our publishing houses would be cutting off the main channel that moves the machinery. The REVIEW, Signs, Good Health, Instructor, and periodicals in other languages, should have the active support of all our preachers.

The REVIEW now has a circulation of only 5,365. Our ministers, by personal effort, and by influencing others to work, can increase its circulation to 10,000.

Good Health, the ablest and best journal of its kind in the world, has a circulation of only 3,748. This must be raised to 10,000. The prosperity of the Sanitarium, and the health reformation among our people, depends very much upon Good Health being in every respect what it should be, and having a very wide circulation. Mrs. White and the writer are taking hold of this work in earnest. We design to give articles in the twelve numbers for 1880.

The weekly Instructor has a circulation of only 8,335. This can be raised to 15,000 during the next three months by the active co-operation of all its friends, fully sustained by our ministers.

The Danish and Swedish periodicals are owing the REVIEW Office the sum of $7,000. The Tidende has a circulation of only 1,431. This should be raised to 2,000 full paying subscribers. The Harold has a circulation of only 623. The Danish and Swedish brethren must not let the REVIEW Office suffer at this rate. These papers can be made self-sustaining by proper efforts by our Scandinavian brethren. The circulation of the German paper can be increased greatly.

But the financial benefit of a united effort to circulate our reading matter, led off by the ministry, is of small consequence compared with the great good such action would accomplish in the salvation of souls. Here is the principal ground of our appeal. The people are perishing for lack of knowledge. We do the work God has given us to do in educating people in the truth of God, and not by flashy revivals. Our preachers are few in number, and cannot do a tithe of this work in preaching only. In the accomplishment of this last great work, in the brief time left for it, we must seize the great lever, the press, and avail ourselves of all its advantages.

J. W.