p. 103 | Sketches of Sabbath-School History: The Youth's Instructor Struggles

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Tuesday, February 17, 1885

FromThe Advent Review and Sabbath Herald, Vol. 62, No. 7

Sketches of Sabbath-School History: The Youth's Instructor Struggles

By C. C. L.

SKETCHES OF SABBATH-SCHOOL HISTORY.—NO. 2.

Whoever will take the pains to scan closely the field of Sabbath-school history among S. D. Adventists, will see three movements rising prominently above other events which cluster about them. These are (1) the beginning of the work in 1852, as described in “No. 1” of this series of sketches; (2) the introduction of a better system of organization in 1869; and (3) a general revival of interest in the Sabbath-school work in 1877-8, and the extension of the system of organization to State and General Associations.

Intimately connected with the history of the first period thus marked off,—that covering the seventeen years from 1852 to 1869,—is the story of the struggles of our Sabbath-school paper, the Youth’s Instructor. We have already seen how the paper began, and have learned something of the motive of its founder in beginning its publication. At first it was issued monthly; and the subscription price was placed at 25 cents a year, the announcement being made that those children who could not get means to pay for the paper should have it free of charge. The receipts for the first volume were $155.30, barely enough to pay the cost of printing, and leaving nothing for the editor, who remarked in announcing the result, “We do not complain. We have been doubly paid in seeing much good accomplished by the Instructor.” The receipts for the second volume were $167, a slight advance over the preceding year, but falling $37 behind the sum paid for printing on account of an advance in the cost of such work. In addition, $50 had been expended for the preparation of Sabbath-school lessons, so that the receipts lacked about $100 of meeting the expenses. Still the faith of the publisher did not falter; but he suggested ways whereby the deficiency might be made up, and wrote as follows: “Young friends, we shall still serve you faithfully, and we know you will be prompt to act your part. Perhaps no little paper has been sustained so cheerfully as the Instructor. For this you have our grateful thanks.”

The neglect of friends to manifest a proper interest in the enterprise, however, and a lack of promptness in the payment of subscriptions, together with the many cares and anxieties of his other work, of which this would seem to have been scarcely a hundredth part—all combined, despite his usually hopeful spirit, to produce a feeling of discouragement in the heart of the publisher, and drew from him in February, 1855, the following language: “We have already too many cares without this [the Instructor], and will give it to any suitable person who will take it off our hands. Unless some one will take the Instructor, or our friends manifest interest and promptness to aid us in the work, our duty will be clear to discontinue it.” When the foregoing language was written, the paper had 800 subscribers, while needing 1,000 to pay the cost of publication.

Although strong appeals for help were again necessary in 1856, yet matters had so far begun to improve that near the close of 1857 Eld. White was able to announce that the subscription list had increased one-third during the year, and receipts had been equal to expenditures. With this announcement the paper was turned over to the “Publishing Committee” with the following appropriate remarks: “I have endeavored to stand by this little teacher in all its poverty and weakness until it has gained friends and helps to sustain itself; and now I wish to add it to the publishing department as the property of the church. . . . With many thanks, dear brethren and sisters, for your timely aid, I now commit the Instructor, which I trust has blessed your children, to the care of our Publishing Committee, who now hold in charge all the property of the Office.”

Perhaps the following list of those who have served as editors of the Instructor will be of interest to the reader: From August, 1852, to January, 1854, Eld. James White was editor. In January, 1854, Miss Anna White, sister of Eld. White, began the duties of editor; but she was stricken down with consumption, and had to close her labors before the end of the year. After this Eld. White again acted as editor, assisted principally by Bro. G. W. Amadon, then a young man, who had begun work in the Office at Rochester, N. Y., in the fall of 1853. In 1858 Bro. Amadon’s initials begin to appear more frequently on the editorial page, and he seems really to have been the editor, though no mention is made of the fact until June, 1861, when for the first time his name is seen as editor at the beginning of the editorial columns. He continued in this office until succeeded in July, 1864, by Miss A. P. Patten, now the wife of Eld. I. D. Van Horn. In 1867 Sr. Van Horn closed her work on the Instructor, and Bro. Amadon again became editor, continuing until July, 1869, when Prof. G. H. Bell was chosen by the General Conference to take charge of the paper. From the beginning of 1870 the Instructor was issued semi-monthly, Bro. Bell continuing to be its editor until Feb. 15, 1871, after which it was conducted by Misses J. R. Trembley and E. R. Fairfield until the death of the latter, Feb. 1, 1872. From the beginning of 1872 to the close of 1878, the Instructor was again published monthly, its size, however, being doubled. After the death of Sr. Fairfield, Sr. Trembley conducted the paper alone until April, 1873. Miss V. A. Merriam then became editor, and continued until August, 1875. She was succeeded by Mrs. M. J. Chapman, who edited the paper alone until November, 1878, when Miss Mary A. Davis became assistant editor. The publication of the weekly Instructor began Jan. 1, 1879, the editors last named being retained until Dec. 3, 1879. Mrs. M. K. White assisted by Miss V. A. Merriam, then conducted the paper until Nov. 17, 1880. From that time until the present the editors have been Miss V. A. Merriam, Nov. 24, 1880, to Feb. 9, 1881; Eva Bell Giles, Feb. 16, 1881, to Feb. 21, 1883; editorial committee, consisting of Eva Bell Giles, A. B. Oyen, and Winnie E. Loughborough, Feb. 28, 1883, to Dec. 26, 1883; Mrs. M. J. Chapman and Winnie E. Loughborough, Jan. 9, 1884, to the present time. C. C. L.