Document: W. C. White, July 9, 1893 letter to O. A. Olsen. HTML, PDF. Courtesy of the Ellen G. White Estate, Inc.
Contents: W. C. White’s request to O. A. Olsen for division and union conferences.
Highlighted text is W. C. White’s request.
July 9, 1893
Eld. O. A. Olsen,
International Tract Society,
451 Holloway Rd. London N. England.
My Dear Brother:—
Your very welcome letter of May, written from the Oakland Campground, came to hand about a week age, after having been delayed about ten days in Wellington N. Z. where mother read it. We had not anticipated that you would attend that meeting, and so all our letters, and there were a lot of them, went right by you, to Battle Creek. I am sorry for this, for we are anxious to hear your opinions, and decisions regarding some of the matters treated in those letters as soon as possible.
And now it seems so strange, after reading your letter from Oakland, to write the answer to you in London, knowing that meantime, you have held an important council in Battle Creek, visited points in the Eastern States, called at London, attended several Conferences on the Continent, and are new settling down to the reorganizing of the International Publishing Work, and the organization of the European District Conference.
We are very much interested in all that you have told us about the work in California, and the work in general, and are much cheered by the good reports regarding the Pacific Press, and the Conf. It does seem a little queer that Eld. Haskell should be chosen Pres. of the Conf. and then immediately go to Europe, but if he has good and willing helpers, it is better for the Conf. than other plans that might have been adopted. It is a large Conf. and needs an experienced leader.
With this I send you a number of enclosures, that will show you how my mind is running on many matters, and some that will show you what our Conf. Com. and our School Board are thinking of, and propose as outlines for future work. One of the chief objects of this letter is to call your attention to the many reasons there are for our asking you to visit Australasia, before you return to the United States, and to point out some of the advantages of your visiting South Africa, on your way out here. I have been thinking of this for some time, but have hesitated to say anything about it till I had given it deliberate consideration, and until other brethren here had thought the matter over, and had expressed their minds as to whether our case was sufficiently urgent, to warrant our asking you sacrifice other and very important plans, that this might be carried into effect. We have thought of it much, and are unanimous clear that it is our duty to urge you to come.
[p. 2]
It may look at first as though we were taking a narrow view of the work, and asking too much for Australasia, forgetting the urgent demands of other parts of the great field, but I think it is not so. In all our consideration of this question, we have remembered that the Gen. Conf. has been, and is at large expense to maintain the work in this field, and it is largely with view to the future economy to the cause in general, that we urge that you make this trip, which will be very expensive to the cause in many ways, but principally, in that it will take your time, when it [is] wanted elsewhere.
We have read with deepest interest what has been said about district conferences, and we see that we should have one organized here and when we consider the importance of such an organization, we think that the Pres. of the Gen. Conf. should be here to organize it. We do not wish to hastily arrange for something which will flourish for a few years, like our European Council, and then die without ceremony or burial. Nor do we want to arrange something that will require constant Constitutional Doctoring. We want to see it started right, and see it live. Another matter of equal importance, is the holding of our first Campmeeting, and a Ministerial Institute in connection, in which the Religious Liberty work, and our relation to Foreign Missions, shall be prominent features. In this we need your help, and in it you could get a personal acquaintance with our work, and our workers, that would enable you in after years to give helpful counsels as to the grouping of laborers, and work assigned, It would also show you what needed elements are lacking, and of what talents we have a surplus. You would be able to measure our resources as a field for recruiting workers for adjacent fields, and would see what men were needed from abroad to associate with our present force of laborers.
Another, and perhaps the most important reason why you should come, is to help us in settling aright, the many perplexing questions regarding our School location and Organization, and Finance. In this latter matter alone, I believe there is sufficient reason for our urging you to come here, and I believe that your coming may save us from mistakes, and will facilitate our adoption of right and economical plans, that will be worth to the cause, many times the cost of the trip.
From here you could visit New Zealand, and then return via S.F. I am sure that such a visit would not only encourage the Brn. in both conferences, and tend to strengthen their union and support of the general work, but it would give you an understanding of the field that it is impossible to convey by letters, and that would enable you to plan wisely for the work in future years.
You have expressed anxiety about the work in So. Africa, and the desire that mother and I shall go there at an early date, and we would be glad to do so, but we see no prospect of being able to go there as soon as you suggest. The financial crisis, the scattered, and disjointed condition of our work, the absence of a spirit of Federation, and the lack of financial success at the Echo Office, all work strongly against our progress in the matter of raising funds for the necessary land, and School Buildings. It looks as if it would take time to overcome the influence of past failures, and to establish confidence that will secure concerted action. It also looks as if it would respire miracles to enable the Brn. to raise the necessary funds: but we do not faint at this, for we have often seen miracles performed in those lines. Mother and I feel that we ought not to plan to leave here, till we see [p. 3] the School located, organized, the buildings planned, and well underway. It seems to us that So. Africa ought to have a visit from you or from us much sooner than this is likely to be brought about, and therefore, we believe that it would be best for you to go there as soon as you can leave England, and after spending a time with them, come on to Australia, in time for our Campmeeting, after which will come the organization of the Dist. Conf. and the framing of our School Organization, and the fixing of location, etc. etc.
If you chose, you could go direct from Auckland to Tahiti, on the Richmond, which sails monthly just after the American Str. leaves, and from there you could visit Hawaii, or go direct to S. F.
Several times I have mentioned the matter of locating, and planning our School so that it could be used as a training school for native teachers and missionaries for the Polynesian Islands. It has been in my mind from the first, that if we knew that the Mission Board wished it that this School could be located with that in view. But so far, I think there has been no response at all to this suggestion. We are now doing serious work in the matter of looking for land, and shall soon begin to make decisions, and plans that cannot be properly formed unless we know the mind of our Mission Board on these matters.
Another reason why you should visit us soon, is to help us form a policy for the future of our publishing work. We are now in great perplexity, and shall try to move very cautiously, until we get clear light as to duty, and till our brethren at home have time to consider our plans, and are prepared to approve of them. I feel that much has been lost to the cause, since I came as well as before, by our feeling that time was so precious that we had no time to lay all our plans before the Mission Board, and than wait their response.
I can say, that after a repeated, and careful review of the whole subject, that I can see no logical, or promising outlet for the business, from its present situation, or in fact from the situation in which it was when I came here, but to develop it into a first class, but small, Publishing House. This has been my aim from the start, and I think that after a few more months of study of the situation, that Bro. Salisbury will be as earnest as I am in this purpose. But I can assure you, I am not going to take upon myself the burden of urging this, forward against the wishes of the Mission Board, or the Judgment of our Brn. here. There have been in out last years experience, many unforeseen difficulties in the work, arising chiefly from the undisciplined condition of our working force, which have set us back, and occasioned losses and delays. The lessons thus learned will not be lost, on workmen or managers, and all are trying to improve. The letter of warning and protest, written by Brn. Salisbury and Miller, were written in a time of special perplexity, to both of them, and were largely colored by the fact that one viewed the work from the standpoint of a successful experience in a small job office, and the other from the standpoint of the way things are run in London; and in the case of Bro. S. at least, there was a grave misapprehension regarding my plans for work. I am confident that they both regret having written as they did, and that in a year or two they will both hold very different views, regarding the matters referred to.
I am confident, that if you will visit us, after organizing the work in London, that you will see many ways in which to help us out of our “Slough of Despond.” The Echo Board has asked Salisbury to make [p. 4] continued and careful study of the Publishing work in Victoria, and to place before them from time to time such information as would aid them in deciding what was duty regarding the future policy of the Company.
At our next Board Meeting, I think that I shall propose that our Vice Pres. Capt. Muckersey, act as manager during the remainder of 1893; that he be requested to put in half time, 24 hours a week, and receive half pay; and that his duties shall be to give general supervision to the workings of the institution, look after the collections, and open the Companies letters, supervising the correspondence, etc. and that he shall assist the workers in the shipping department, when they are overcrowded with work.
From the first of my visit to this country, mother has cautioned me against allowing myself to be too much occupied with the work at the Echo Office, and I now regret that I did not pay more heed to this. As I go from place to place, I see great need of continued effort to unite, and bind the work in the various colonies together, and this can not be done by my settling down to office work.
There is certainly no use in trying to run the office on a policy that is not appreciated by its principle supporters, and therefore, I deem it of grave importance that as many of the directors as possible get an intimate knowledge of its inside workings. If Bro. Muckersey takes this work, and Freddie Yeller takes the work on the mailing lists Brn. Salisbury and Smith will have more time to build up their departments. Salisbury can do some soliciting, and Bro. Smith can give more time and energy to the Book Dep. both Sub. and Trade.
As regards the future plans for a paper: We are convinced that what the people want, and need, is plenty of evangelical literature, all full of Present Truth, in a form that is inexpensive, and yet attractive. The efforts that have been made to provide cheap literature, in the Messenger, has met with excellent success. There are scores of persons at work with it in Melbourne, that were completely discouraged in their work, when they only had the Echo. But the Messenger is too little. What we think we want, is a penny paper, weekly. And whatever view of the subject we take, it seems to demand this.
When you look at it from the standpoint of our own people, we see that they need a weekly paper. A weekly will be read more regularly and thus will have more influence. And to those isolated, it serves as a Sabbath Preacher. If you look at it from the standpoint of selling single copies, there are the strongest reasons for wishing a weekly paper, at a penny. Almost all the reasons urged for this in England, will hold here. In times past people would freely pay three pence for a nice looking paper, but in everything, prices are going down. One of the leading Melb. dailies, that has formerly sold for 2 d. has just reduced its price to 1 d. This is the Argus. The papers of the Salvation Army sell for 1 d. Then when you look at this matter tram the standpoint of the individuals and societies that wish to use a large number gratuitously, the argument is all in favor of a cheap paper. We hope soon to open up an extensive work, in the way of sending out literature to the people in the interior, who are largely deprived of religious privileges, something on the same plans as you send to the West India Islands, and for this, of course, we want an inexpensive paper.
After studying the matter carefully, we do not see any way to get a sixteen page weekly, except to take the Present Truth from London, or to print an Australasian Edition of it here. At first we saw no way, except to take the paper as it is printed in London, and add to [p. 5] it a supplement, and in their extremity, feeling intensely the pressure upon our feeble institution of the large and increasing losses on account of the Echo, the Directors were willing to accept the Present Truth in this form; but we have lately heard that you are putting in a stereotype plant, and this awakens in our minds the hope that we may receive from London, stereotype plates for the first fourteen pages of the paper, or the papier-machee matrixes from which to cast these plates, so that we may print an Australasian edition here, containing two pages of local matter; and it is with a view of perfecting some arrangement by which we may receive these plates, that the Directors have consented to continue the Echo in its present form, until the close of the present volume.
I have requested Bro. Salisbury to correspond with the managers of the International Tract Society regarding the details of this enterprise, but it is my duty to correspond with you regarding several features of the case, which must be decided by members of the Mission Board. I refer to a request which I am authorized to submit to the Board, that the General Conference shall take the same interest, both in the circulation and the financial success of the Bible Echo, that it has taken in the Signs of the Times, and in Present Truth. We shall not request that you invest such a large amount in the Australasian paper, as you have found it necessary to do in order to place the Present Truth and the Signs of the Times at such popular prices as would greatly increase their circulation. Our field is not so large, therefore we cannot consistently ask for so much, there[fore] we esteem it proper to take a humble, if not humiliating position of substituting an Australian edition of a London paper, for our own paper, of which we have been so justly proud. What we are prepared to request of the Mission Board is this, that they give us weekly a set of plates of the Present Truth delivered in Melbourne, so that in all our plans for the circulation of the Journal, we shall need to count in the cost of production, only the paper, presswork, binding, mailing, and the type work on the last two pages containing local matter. This we think will bring the cost of manufacturing the paper, so near to the cost of the London edition, that by securing a small subsidy from the Conferences or Tract Societies to be served by the Journal, that we can place it upon the market, at the same prices as are adopted for the London edition. This will make it a missionary document, which can be circulated very freely, and which we believe will have a mighty influence for good.
We are much pleased with the contents of the Present Truth, it is what the name implies, and this is what the people need, and it is what some of our subscribers have been calling for. They admire the Echo, they are proud of it, but they feel that it lacks much of the power, which is to be found in the Signs of the Times or the Present Truth. I cannot say that a large number feel that way, because there are not a large number of our subscribers who have these other papers, but those who do have them, sometimes criticise the Echo on this score. It is my opinion that what Salisbury meant when he said that there was a strong sentiment in favour of receiving the London paper, was this, that if we must choose between having the Echo as it is, or the Present Truth as it is, that they would prefer the Present Truth. It would be quite inconsistent to think that our brethren have lost their ambition to have an Australian paper, but [p. 6] those who are closely connected with the Office, and feel the responsibility of its financial condition, and who have been readers of the Signs of the Times and Present Truth, they are the ones who feel it would be better fur us to subscribe for the Present Truth, than to continue the Bible Echo as at present. You say it would be unnatural at least, if our people preferred a paper that way edited in another country, and you call our attention to the unsatisfactory trial and the abandonment to the plan in the case of the Scandinavian paper, admitting to a large extent, the force of this experience. I will call your attention to several points wherein our case is different, and wherein we may expect I think quite different results. The Scandinavian paper edited in America, naturally dealt with a large number of matters with which the people at home in Scandinavia were not familiar and it was but natural that they should become dissatisfied. If we were to edit and print the Present Truth here, and the London people were to take plates from us, I should have but little hope of success and this case would be more similar to the experience and the failure which you have referred to.
The people of these Colonies are very largely English, Scotch and Irish, they are thoroughly British, and their tastes, their habits and their manners of thought. They all speak of Great Britain as home, and while they have but very little of a spirit of loyalty toward the Royal family or the British parliament, because they are continually educated by their own mismanagement and shifting parliament, to have but little respect for the government, yet there is a loyalty which expresses itself in a preference for British manufacture, a preference for British literature, and an adherence to British customs.
You would be surprised to see the large proportion of the literature in circulation in this country which is published in London, not only in the form of books, pamphlets and magazines, but also in the religious weekly journals. If you should read even the daily papers published in Melbourne and Sydney, you would soon be impressed with the thought that the best deeds and the best thoughts of Colonials, is counted of but little esteem until it has been mentioned in some of the London papers. You would find that the news columns of the Colonial daily, instead of being filled up with good readable matter collected from the doings of the Colonies, are largely filled with London telegrams, the prominent part of which is what the London people say about Colonial matters. I do not believe that any such similar sentiments has ever existed between those countries where we have carried forward our experiments of sending over plates, that editorial and type expenses might be reduced; therefore I cannot believe that the failures in this experiment are conclusive evidence that what we propose would also be a failure. On the other hand I will call your attention to the fact that the Australasian edition of the Review of Reviews is very popular here. This paper is partly printed from plates of the London edition, and partly from additional matter worked up here. The point aimed at and attained, is the same as we aim at; the production of the London paper with all its literary merits, with some additional Colonial matter, at a price that is popular.
In his correspondence regarding this matter, Brother Salisbury has asked for an estimate on a 5000 edition. I have no thought that we can use so many at first. My expectation is that our discontinuance of the Echo and introduction of Present Truth, will result [p. 7] in the loss of a large proportion of our single subscribers who are not members of our church, and that many of our own people will be dissatisfied, and will make this change an excuse for cutting down their clubs, and curtailing their missionary operations. I do not expect that we will need to print more than 2500 at first, and I look for a considerable loss on this enterprise during the first year. Every change is expensive, and this one will be no exception. To get this new paper fairly before the people, we will need to send out many copies gratuitously, and this will cost us something.
On the other hand I am satisfied that some of our Societies will be greatly encouraged, when they see for the same amount of money they will receive twice as many papers, and as soon as the matter can be worked up, we shall secure from some of the Societies an increase of their clubs. Our Tract Societies are not so active as they ought to be, and we are planning in various ways to educate librarians and working members. Through February and March we hope to hold a missionary institute, in connection with a Bible-reading institute here in Melbourne. We also aim to have instruction given to librarians and to members during the camp-meeting, and we also plan that the Tract Societies through its secretaries shall begin work for the people in the interior, which will demand a large number of papers; and we think that for this work, a paper of the size of Present Truth costing 1d. will do just as much as a larger paper costing twice as much.
As regards the proposition made by the Mission Board that we continue to publish the Echo twice a month, in smaller size and plain style, I will say this, if this had peen proposed two years ago while Elder Tenney was here as editor, and had been put into effect January 1892, it might have worked well; but during the last eighteen months we have been educating the people in an opposite direction, and for us now to drop illustrations, cut down the size, introduce cheaper paper, and ask them to pay the same price for the journal, would bring I fear, a howl of disgust, which would be followed by a dissatisfaction a lack to patronize, and persistent and continuous criticisms, which would be much harder to meet, than criticisms which will come because of our adopting the Present Truth edited in London. In fact it looks to us as though it would be very much easier for us to bear complacently criticisms which may be brought against the London paper, than to endure the criticisms upon our own feeble sheet, which to all appearances would be a great letting down.
A very serious difficulty which we would have to encounter would be that of securing and maintaining an editor, and we really think that our Present Truth edited in London, may do more for the people, than one edited by another talent which we are likely to secure for a local paper. Please think of these things, and if you still think that it is unwise for us to attempt to use the London paper, suggest to us what you consider is the best way to meet the difficulties that will stare us in the face if we attempt to go on with the local paper.
Both you and Elder Tenney have expressed much anxiety regarding our financial condition during this crisis. Our half-yearly balance sheet has been delayed, so that I cannot give you in this letter the information which you desire, and which I hoped to send at this time. You have no doubt learned before this, that we had but little money in the banks, therefore have not suffered much directly [p. 8] by the closing down, but of course we suffer indirectly as does everybody else. The most serious effect which the hard times are likely to have upon our business in its present economical organizations, is the fact that people will be slow to give orders for subscription books, while they have so little money to spend. Heretofore we have not felt so severely the depression which was bearing heavily upon the people in the large cities, because the crops have been good, the farmers had considerable courage. But now the bank failures have crippled many of the farmers, and the unprecedented low prices for grain, brings a general discouragement upon the agricultural community which will make our work more difficult.
What we propose to do to meet this difficulty, is to increase our efforts, to give our canvassers a thorough training and equipment for their work, so that their increased skill will be able to overcome increasing difficulties.
We have quite a large stock of subscription books on hand, and we are making efforts to reduce this stock by furnishing the New Zealand and the Australian Tract Societies without profit. For some time I have been studying this matter, and after repeated efforts have met with some success in persuading the members of the Echo Board and the managers of the Tract Societies, that it is a serious injustice to the G.C.A. which has been so liberal with us, for each society to store away, and hold for a year or two, books which may have been injudiciously ordered, and which might be worked off by one of the other book agencies, if the party getting the overstock, would be willing to sacrifice something in the matter of unloading. I will illustrate the condition of affairs. You know that in every society which is far removed from the office of publication, there is necessity of anticipating the demands of our agents, and of keeping a liberal supply of books which are being ordered, and it often occurs when agents who have been doing excellent work, stop suddenly, and leave on our hands, a large quantity of books which we have ordered for them. Sometimes they quit the work, sometimes they up another book, but whatever is the occasion of the change, the results to us are the same. Now it frequently occurs that the very book which is thus left as a burdensome load upon the hands of one Society, is selling rapidly in a neighbouring field, and could be readily worked off and the capital released, providing the society having the overstock was willing to suffer a slight loss. In talking the matter up with the Societies, I have proposed that the business be managed and the loss be divided as follows:—That once in six months, each house shall send to the other two, a list of all surplus stock. We will count all subscription books as surplus stock for which there is no prospect of selling within the next six months; and all imported trade books for which there is no prospect of selling in the next twelve months, will be added to the list. These books to be sold to the other Australian book agencies at invoice price f.o.b. By this plan, the house purchasing the books will lose the freight, and the house selling the books will lose the expenses of entering, cartage to and from the office, unpacking and packing, and the expenses of shipping.
The following was presented by a committee appointed to consider the above subject:—
June 28, 1893
“Your committee appointed to consider the surplus stock, [p. 9] and the best means of working it off, would submit the following:
On all subscription books which we see no prospects of selling for six months, after each inventory we would recommend offering to the other societies f.o.b. in Melbourne, at the invoice prices.
On imported trade books where there is not a probability of their being worked off in twelve months, we offer them at present invoice, prices delivered f.o.b. in Melbourne.
There are some books in stock which it may be well to offer at special discounts, and your committee ask for time to prepare a list of such books, for your consideration.”
| H. Muckersy | ||
| (signed) | James Smith | Committee. |
| W. D. Salisbury. |
The two Tract Societies agreed to this quite readily, but the managers of the Echo, objected for quite a time. There has always been a feeling that the Echo should be considered a wholesale house, from which the others obtain their books, but neither one of the Tract Societies see any light in this; they prefer to import direct from London, and to be considered as on an equal footing, as far as subscription books are concerned. Finally Brethren Smith and Michaels figured up the average expense of receiving and shipping books, and found that it amounted to a little less than 2% whereas the interest on our surplus and idle stock comes to 2½% for six months, and when they fairly saw that the Office would lose more to hold the books six months, than to reship them without a profit, and when I presented the injustice which is being done to the G.C.A. by our holding on to these large stocks of books, they heartily consented to the plan.
As matters are at present, the Echo Co. is much more affected by this proposition than anyone else, because much of the Victorian territory had been worked. Brother Michaels found it necessary to let some agents work with one book, and some with another, so that we had to keep a large stock of everything. Then being over hopeful about the success of the agents, and over-fearing as to the results of a shortage, he has kept us overstocked with many lines, and then when we turned a large number of our agents on to Patriarchs & Prophets our large supply of other books has proved quite a detriment to us. I think with this above proposal for working off our surplus stock, will help us just as much as at present, with a reduction of stock in our three depositories amounting to $5000 or $6000. It has taken me so long to work up this matter, the opposition and procrastination has been so persistent, that I now fear that the plan will not be effective unless something is said by you or the Mission Board, showing your views of the matter, and establishing it or something similar as a law.
There are many other matters that I would like to write about, but I fear to weary you, and will reserve some till next week.
Hoping to hear from you often,
I am,
Yours truly,