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of the main building, were changed to mansards, making them three stories in height. In 1881 a large pressroom was built in the rear on Washington Avenue. Subsequent additions and enlargements provided upwards of 50,000 square feet of floor space, devoted to all the various activities of an up-to-date publishing house, the largest institution of the kind in the State of Michigan.

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The First Colporteur The First Subscription Book The First Purchaser

Meanwhile the idea of reaching the public by means of the printing press was growing in the minds of the leaders of the denomination. Said James White,

"The press is the right arm of our strength. Our field is the world, and as the number of our efficient preachers is small, a large part of the work of giving the last message must of necessity be accomplished by our publications."-" Life Sketches," p. 371.

The rise and development of the tract societies in the early seventies helped to create a growing demand for Adventist literature. Much was done also by the preachers of that day, who carried with them a generous supply of books and tracts, and relied as much upon literature as upon sermons to convince the people of the truth of their message. But the most important step in the history of the denominational publishing work was the adoption of the plan of selling books by subscription. This plan was first proposed by Mrs. E. G. White in a testimony dated 1879.

George A. King, of Canadian birth, was the first among Adventists to make practical use of this method of putting out. literature. He had enjoyed a good measure of success in taking subscriptions for the Health Reformer, and he felt confident that if he could have a fair-sized book, he could take orders for it in the same way. So he set himself to convince the brethren. At the General Conference held in camp in Battle Creek, Mich., in 1880, he could have been seen with two small black books under his arm, going around among the leading delegates and

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urging the printing of a large book to be sold by subscription. The two small books were "Thoughts on Daniel" and "Thoughts on the Revelation," which, he said, taken together, would make one good subscription book. He had his way. The brethren put out the book, and it had a good sale. "The Great Controversy" followed, and by the year 1889, 75,000 copies of that excellent book had been sold. Later, Later, "Bible Readings" appeared, and a number of others.

The colporteur work thus begun was gradually built up all over the country, men known as State agents taking the oversight of it in conferences. For a time the president of the Review and Herald Publishing Association had general supervision of the colporteur work in the East, and the head of the Pacific Press looked after the work in the West. Later a man was appointed who gave his whole time to this work.

In these early years the International Tract Society rendered valuable help toward getting the work on a practical business basis. At its annual session in 1886 the society passed resolutions which were generally adopted, and have been instrumental in keeping the work on a right basis up to the present time. It was provided that the State tract societies should act as sole agents of the publishing houses for all religious subscription books, with the understanding that a competent man was to be kept in the field to superintend the work. No agent was to be allowed to solicit orders for more than one book at a time except by consent of the State agent. The State

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societies were to furnish their local agents with books at one half the retail price. The latter were required to confine their activities strictly to the territory assigned them, and were to furnish prompt reports of all work done.

With system and order thus guaranteed, a high degree of efficiency soon began to be displayed, and many of the most promising men in the denomination devoted themselves to the sale of its literature. The Kansas Conference was the first to enter heartily into the plans outlined by the International Tract Society, but the work there succeeded so well that the other conferences soon swung into line.

The same plans, with slight alterations to meet local needs, were gradually adopted in Europe and Australasia, and there also they proved successful. About 1889 companies of colporteurs were sent into the South, then under the direction of the General Conference; also north into Manitoba. William Arnold made a trip to the West Indies, and during an absence of

nine months sold 1,260 copies of "Daniel and the Revelation." Thus the work went on with steadily increasing interest. The sales advanced rapidly, and the two large publishing houses were at times put to the strain to supply the growing demand for books and other literature. At length, in 1892, there came a decline. The work had gradually been taking on too much the complexion of mere salesmanship. The books sold so readily that the colporteur did not always realize his need of divine

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grace in order to render acceptable service. The immediate cause of the decreasing sales was the influx of hard times. Money was scarce, and people could not afford to buy books at standard prices. The colporteurs urged that prices be reduced, and when the publishing houses did not see their way clear to comply with this demand, the general agents encouraged their men to sell smaller books. Moreover, on the plea of economy the conferences began to try to get along without a State agent, and some of the districts did likewise. The publishing houses, no longer requiring their large facilities to put out a messagefilled literature, began to occupy themselves largely with commercial work.

This situation continued till 1901, when a general strengthening of the denominational organization brought help and

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SOUTHERN PUBLISHING HOUSE, NASHVILLE, TENN., IN 1925

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