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Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers
Far-Reaching Publishing-House Problems
Unfortunately the step of expediency taken in our publishing
work in early years, which led the publishing houses to take in com-
mercial work, deeply involved these institutions in the mere business
of printing. It reached the point at times when approximately 70
percent of the printing was commercial work and 30 percent denom-
inational printing. Those responsible for the financial interests of
the publishing houses envisioned the work in their hands as that of
printers, and this led them to accept for publication manuscripts of
a character which should never have been printed on the presses
of the church. (See
Testimonies for the Church 7:161-168
, chapter
“Commercial work,” and
Selected Messages 2:350, 351
, “The Perils
of Hypnosis.”)
At the same time, some men in responsible positions in the
publishing work turned from important basic principles which had
governed our institutions in the remuneration of its personnel. It was
reasoned that the work had reached its state of prosperity because of
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the special skills and talents of those who served in managerial lines;
therefore these men should be favored by special remuneration more
in keeping with their positions in management. As a result, certain
men in key positions received remuneration double that of a skilled
factory worker.
The same spirit led the management of the publishing house at
Battle Creek to take every step within its power to gain control of
the literary products it handled, and this resulted in cutting off a
fair royalty income to authors of the books published by the house.
In this way the income of the publishing house was enhanced. It
was argued that those in positions of management in the publishing
house were in a better position to understand the needs of the cause,
and know how to use profits which came from literature, than were
the individual authors. The authors, they felt, might fall short in
proper stewardship of royalty incomes. In several communications,
Ellen White, writing to those in positions of management, pointed
out that selfishness motivated such plans. Counsel in this area is
found in
Testimonies for the Church 7:176-180
.