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Contributed
THE BOOK PUBLISHING POLICY OF
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OF PUBLICATION.
R. E. Magill, Secretary.
A recent number of The Presbyterian
of the South contained an article by the
Rev. W. L. Lingle, D. D., of Atlanta, Ga.,
concerning the policy of the Publication
Committee in the matter of publishing
books and making special inquiry about
a volume of sermons by the Rev. G. B.
Strickler, D. D., now in course of preparation.
The article was in fine spirit
and voiced a query in the minds of many
who do not understand the restrictions
placed upon the publication of books by
the General Assembly. Space is therefore
asked for a brief statement as to
Dr. Strlckler's book and the limitations
under which we are working. First, as
to the volume of sermons it should be
said that Dr. Strickler has never sought
publicity through the printed page, or
any other medium, and that the manuscript
for the forthcoming volume was
prepared at the earnest solicitation of
some of his friends who felt that his
great doctrinal sermons should be preserved
in permanent form. A former pupil
initiated the movement and agreed to
look after publishing details, and with
this phase of the work Dr, Strickler has
had no connection. With the hope of se
curing a circulation for the book Norm
as well as South, arrangements were
made with a New York publisher to issue
the book. A cash deposit was required
and made before the matter was
put in type. The work was never offered
to our committee and It is proper to say
had it come to us it would have received
favorable consideration. We shall assist
in the sale of the book and will furnish
it at $1 postpaid, the price fixed by the
publisher. Dr. Strickler is an honored
and efficient member of the Publication
Committee and the valuable contribution
he has made, and is making to the life
of our Church as a theologian, teacher
and preacher is fully appreciated by our
body.
A word as to why the Assembly placed
such rigid restrictions around the fun
ther publication of books by our committee.
When an inventory of the assets of the
committee was taken after the death of
the honored Dr. Hazen it was found that
about $75,000 was invested in plates and
bound and unbound volumes issued during
the forty years of the committee's existence.
The original editions had never had a
large sale and it was apparent the plates
would never be required for re-print editions.
The present secretary reported to the
Assembly that the plate stock would be
reduced from the book value (or cost
price) to Its market value and that an effort
would be made to dispose of the
accumulation of some 50,000 volumes of
books at greatly reduced prices. A pert
PRESBYTERIAN OF THE SOUT
sistent and expensive advertising campaign
was conducted to induce the people
to buy these books which represented
the best efforts of the greatest men
our Church has produced and prices
were reaucea irom iu to lb per cent. The
sales showed no material improvement
and a large part of the bound volumes
were Anally offered for the mere cost of
postage or in other words, a $3 book was
offered for about 18 cents. This extraordinary
offer only moved the stock of
bound volumes, but no sort of a proposition
since has aroused sufficient interest
to warrant having more of the stock
bound and it lies today in our basement
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The plates from which the books were
printed were reduced from $32,000 to
$2,000, which represents the present value
of the stock, based chiefly on the
price they would bring as old lead. The
inventory value of the printed sheets has
been reduced to less than one-sixth of
th original cost and will soon be eliminated
entirely and the Assembly has
been advised of all the facts.
In view of the fact that the publication
of books has entailed a loss of from forty
to fifty thousand dollars the Assembly
very wisely ordered that in future the
Publication Committee should endeavor
to protect the Church from loss before
undertaking the publication of a book.
Under this order of the Assembly we now
require that the cost of printing a book
shall be practically assured by the owner
of the manuscript either by a guarantee
of the sale of a fixed number of
copies, or the payment outright of the
printing and binding cost.
While the restriction has greatly re
duced the output of books, it is interesting
to note that the publications of our
committee for the past seven years have
greatly enriched the world's store of religious
literature. The following notable
books have been issued during this period:
Apologetics?Rev. F. R. Beattie, D. D.
The Flag of the Covenant?Rev. R. P.
Kerr, D. D.
Pioneering in Africa?Rev. S. P. Verner.
Life and Letters of R. L. Dabney?T.
C. Johnson, D. D.
DiSCUSSion8 of Theoloeical GnaaHnna? .!
L. Girardeau, D. D.
Selected Sermons of Moses D. Hoge,
D. D.
A Year in Europe (3,000 copies)?W.
W. Moore, D. D.
Modern Mysticism?J. B. Shearer,
D. D.
The Creed of Christ?Rev. R. V. Lancaster.
Life and Letters of B. M. Palmer, D. D.
?T. C. Johnson, D. D.
The Sermon on the Mount?J. B.
Shearer, D. D.'
Handbook of Prophecy?James Stacey,
D. D.
The Call of the Home Land?A. L.
Phillips, D. D.
Virginia Presbyterianism?T. C. Johnson,
D. D. .
Studies in the Life of Christ?J. B.
Shearer, D. D.
H. December 22, 1909.
The Scriptures?Fundamental Facts?
J. B. Shearer, D. D.
Westminster Teacher Training Course
(11,500 copies).
Selected Sermons?W. G. Neville, J). D.
Studies in the Old Testament?J. B.
Shearer, D. D.
Calvin Memorial Addresses at Savannah
Assembly.
The last named book is probably the
most notable contribution yet made to
the literature about the great reformer,
and yet our church has taken less than
500 copies of the edition of one thousand.
We have also used four editions
or over 4,000 copies of Dr. E. W. Smith's
"Creed of Presbyterians," and have distributed
a large number of Dr. R. C.
Reed's historical work, "The History of
the Presbyterians."
During the same period tracts and leaflets
running into hundreds of thousands
have been issued and our annual output
of printed matter, including Sunday
school periodicals, now exceeds one hundred
million pages.
We have in press a hook by Rev. S. R.
Gammon, D. D., entitled, "The Evangelical
Invasion of Brazil," which will be one
of the great missionary books of 1910.
It is worthy of note, by way of comparison,
that the Publication Board of the
Presbyterian Church, U. S. A., with a
membership of one and a quarter million
and over six thousand ministers, has issued
only ten theological and five missionary
books during the past five years.
Had the publishing boards of the four
smaller Presbyterian bodies combined
their issues of theological books for the
past five years they would hardly have
equaled our list.
ii is a matter ot regret that the Church
does not show a proper appreciation of
the meritorious literary work of her
sons, but we face a "condition, not a
theory," and the Assembly has met the
situation with a rule which is based on
sound business principle.
We have published books the people
ought to read, but they insist on buying
what they want to read.
Our membership is possessed of a high
order of intelligence and a discriminating
taste in the selection of reading matter
and when we Inform them from time to
time about books of current interest and
merit we are following the letter and
spirit of the Assembly's orders that we
shall conduct a general book business in
connection with our publication work-.
"DECLINE OF CHURCH ATTENDANCE."
Leslie's Weekly has been investigating
the church attendance, and as a result
of such investigation has reached the
conclusion that the least change has taken
place In the South. It attributes the
prime cause to the present distractions
- 4n the style of living. At one time church
services were the chief intellectual and
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more going on in the way of picture
shows, lectures, dominoes, auto riding
and other wordly amusements. Some
lay much blame upon the higher criticisms,
and the unsettling of men's faith;