Tract Societies
549
Our ministers have not had suitable encouragement. They must
have means in order to live. There has been a sad lack of foresight
in placing the low prices upon our publications, and still another
in turning the profits largely into the tract and missionary societies.
These matters have been carried to extremes, and there will be a
reaction. In order for the tract and missionary societies to flourish, the
instrumentalities to make and print books must flourish. Cripple these
instrumentalities, burden the publishing houses with debt, and the tract
and missionary societies will not prove a success.
There has been wrong management, not designedly, but in zeal
and ardor to carry forward the missionary work. In the distribution and
wide circulation of papers, tracts, and pamphlets, the instrumentalities
to produce these publications have been crippled and embarrassed.
There is ever danger of carrying any good work to extremes. Respon-
sible men are in danger of becoming men of one idea, of concentrating
their thoughts upon one branch of the work to the neglect of other parts
of the great field.
[598]
As a people we need to be guarded on every point. There is not
the least safety for any unless we seek wisdom of God daily and dare
not move in our own strength. Danger is always surrounding us, and
great caution should be used that no one branch of the work be made a
specialty while other interests are left to suffer.
Mistakes have been made in putting down prices of publications to
meet certain difficulties. These efforts must change. Those who made
this move were sincere. They thought their liberality would provoke
ministers and people to labor to greatly increase the demand for the
publications.
Ministers and people should act nobly and liberally in dealing with
our publishing houses. Instead of studying and contriving how they
can obtain periodicals, tracts, and books at the lowest figure, they
should seek to bring the minds of the people to see the true value of the
publications. All these pennies taken from thousands of publications
have caused a loss of thousands of dollars to our offices, when a few
pennies more from each individual would scarcely have been felt.
The Review and Herald and the Signs of the Times are cheap
papers at the full price. The Review is a valuable paper; it contains
matters of great interest to the church and should be placed in every
family of believers. If any are too poor to take it, the church should,