USA > Ohio > History of Ohio Methodism : a study in social science > Part 15
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NE of the reasons why our people should take one or more of the Advocates has to do with the benevolent work of the Church. I heard the late Dr. Durbin once say that after years of study given to the missionary enterprise, he had found out that the circulation of the Advocates was one of the chief factors in that great benevolence. The people who read find out what is going on ; they are prepared to understand the appeals that are made ; they give intelligently. All other things being equal, the best collections come from those charges which take the largest num- ber of Church papers."-Bishop Thomas Bowman.
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T HE Church of Wesley has never forgotten its origin. Born and nurtured in a college, it has from the first given attention to education. The ear- liest leaders of the .Methodists were soldiers well versed in literature and philosophy, and, in establish- ing societies of their own, they took steps to train their members in the common and higher branches of learning. In England, Mr. Wesley founded sev- eral institutions for the education of children and youth; and after Methodism was transplanted in America, Bishops Coke and Asbury founded a school at Abingdon, in Maryland.
The first itinerants in this country, though men not trained in colleges or theological schools, were masters of the Arminian system of theology, and they knew how to preach it. Yet some of them were scholars equal to the best. Bishop Asbury carried with him on his journeys his Greek Testament and Hebrew Bible; John Dickins, the founder of the Methodist Book Concern in Philadelphia, had been a pupil at Eton; James B. Finley was familiar with the Latin classics, and could repeat whole pages of Virgil and Horace; Francis' Poythress was at the head of an academy of high grade, and John P. Durbin and Henry B. Bascom, who began their min- istry in the backwoods of Ohio, rose to become, the one the president of a college, and the other the president of a university, and to command the respect of the
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finest thinkers of America for their published writ- ings. So of many others.
While our itinerant preachers, thrust into the work by the call of the Divine Spirit and the order of the Church, had few opportunities and less time for a collegiate or even a high-school training, they were fair English scholars. They studied their theology in the sermons and doctrinal tracts of John Wesley and the hymns of his brother Charles; they carried with them in their saddlebags their pocket Bible, the Discipline, and the Hymn-book; and if perchance these volumes constituted their entire library, from them they obtained their spiritual weapons of warfare which, through God, were mighty to the pulling down of strongholds.
Knowledge and piety are necessary adjuncts; and though unlettered men have often been instruments in the hands of God of converting souls, no Church has ever been permanently edified by an ignorant priesthood. Ignorance is not the mother of devo- tion, nor are revivals of religion confined to the un- educated. It is the glory of Christianity that it is . so simple that a child can understand it, and yet so profound that a philosopher can not fathom its depths. It compasses the entire race of mankind, and adapts itself equally to the palace and the hovel, to the loftiest and the humblest. But its teachers should have a correct judgment in Divine things, a proper conception of salvation by faith, and a clear under- standing of the meaning of God's Word, else they can not rightly instruct those who sit under their min- istry. From the first our Methodist preachers have
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niade diligent inquiry at their Conferences concern- ing those who felt themselves called by the Holy Spirit, and sought admission into their ranks, as to their gifts as well as to their graces; and for many years courses of study have been laid down which all licentiates must complete before they are admitted to ordination. Thus, though the Church requires certain qualifications in those who would enter into its ministry, it is not open to the imputation of having a man-made priesthood.
Throughout all the ages the complaint of God against his ancient Church has proved true: "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge." The influence of clergy and laity has been mutual, and we may convert the Scripture proverb, "Like people, like priest," and it will be equally true, "Like priest, like people." Where the leaders of the Church walk, the members of the Church follow. This is the order of Divine providence. The apostles counseled the elders to be "ensamples to the flock," not only in things spiritual, but in other matters; and no man in mod- ern times has better obeyed this injunction than did Mr. Wesley. For the purpose of more fully instruct- ing his societies in the things of God, he subsidized the press. He was the first to publish small religious works at a price which put them within the reach of all. Most of his own writings were thus issued. Many were in the form of penny tracts, so that the poorest could purchase them. In 1771 to 1774 he published an edition of his own works in weekly parts of seventy-two pages, stitched in paper covers, and sold at sixpence each. They were afterward issued
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in thirty-two small volumes. The example thus set by Mr. Wesley was followed a few years ago with great success by the "Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge," which distributed their own pub- lications in serial parts, ranging in price from a penny upward. It is this price which gives name to the "Penny Cyclopedia," one of the best cyclopedias of general information ever issued.
Mr. Wesley's first ventures were not financially successful. Speaking of his own edition of his works just referred to, he says: "I have labored as much as many writers; and all my labor has gained me in sev- enty years a debt of five or six hundred pounds." In later years, however, he found that his cheap publi- cations brought him in a large income. He created an appetite for reading among his people, and as his societies grew, the demand for his books became enormous.
But not only were Mr. Wesley's own writings printed in this cheap form, but he undertook the pub- lication of other standard works in other departments of literature. He compiled a History of England and an Ecclesiastical History, each in four volumes; a Natural Philosophy, in five volumes; a work on medi- cal practice ("Primitive Physic") which received the commendation of several eminent surgeons; and a series entitled "A Christian Library, Consisting of Ex- tracts from and Abridgements of the Choicest Pieces of Practical Divinity Which Have Been Published in the English Tongue," in fifty volumes. These were all sold at a comparatively low price. In a list, printed about 1780, of two hundred and sixty separate publi-
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cations, including single sermons, tracts, narratives, and sketches, he does not include more than thirty which are charged above one shilling; and some of them are as low as a half-penny.
The plan devised by Mr. Wesley, of issuing cheap pamphlets on religious subjects, is the real origin of the great British and American Tract Societies. He was the first to engage in this enterprise; and in pur- suance of his plan he undertook the publication of a monthly magazine, the first number of which was published in January, 1778. It was entitled The Ar- minian Magazine, as being the exponent of the system of theology embraced by him, and it has been con- tinued without interruption ever since. It is now known as The Wesleyan-Methodist Magazine. In order to secure the proper distribution of Methodist litera- ture, and indoctrinate the people in Methodist senti- ments, he charged his preachers to "take care that every society is supplied with books." To Richard Rodda, one of his early helpers, he wrote: "You are found to be remarkably diligent in spreading the books. Let no one rob you of this glory. If you spread the Magazine, it will do good; the letters therein are the marrow of the gospel."
After the organization of the Methodist Episcopal Church in America, Bishops Coke and Asbury fore- saw the value of a literature exclusively Methodistic in its character, and commenced the publication of an Arminian Magasinc, so named, which was mainly a reprint of the one established in England, with some original matter of their own. All of the Churches then existing in this country were unfriendly to Method-
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ism; but the rapid progress of the latter compelled it to publish not only apologetic tracts, but works in confutation of erroneous doctrine. At the Conference held in May, 1789, at Philadelphia, two book-stewards, as they were then styled-to-wit: John Dickins and Philip Cox-were appointed to superintend the pub- lication of Methodist books. Mr. Dickins was to at- tend to the business of the office in Philadelphia, and Mr. Cox was to travel at large among the societies, and distribute the books that might be printed. In this work the latter continued for three years or more, until his death, and in the meanwhile circulated many hundreds of volumes. This was the beginning of our Book Concern, to which no capital had been sub- scribed or paid by the preachers, and to which Mr. Dickins loaned six hundred dollars of his own money. The first book which he issued was Mr. Wesley's edition of "The Imitation of Christ," by Thomas à Kempis, a work widely known and highly esteemed among all denominations of Christians. This was fol- lowed by the "Methodist Discipline," Baxter's "Saints' Everlasting Rest," "Preachers' Experience," "Min- utes of Conferences," "Doctrinal Tracts," "Hymn- book," and others, so that when the earliest catalogue was published, in 1793, it contained the titles of twenty-six separate works. In 1893, one century later, the catalogue contained fully twenty-five hundred titles, exclusive of the Sunday-school publications, which number probably as many more. And in this array of more than five thousand books nearly every department of human thought is represented, except
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the technical sciences and some of the learned pro- fessions.
Of the many and varied books published by the Methodist Book Concern, some have been of only temporary interest; but there are others of permanent value. Our history will always command attention; and there is nothing in secular literature more charm- ing than the simple story of our early itinerants and their labors. All history is of value; but Church his- tory, more than anything else, is the record of the world's civilization and progress. Biography consti- tutes no small part of history; and in works of this kind our Church excels. We have perhaps three hundred separate lives of men and women. Many of them have been unknown to fame, but "their works do follow them," and in widening circles their in- fluence has extended to the ends of the earth. Mul- titudes arise up, and bless the name of Elizabeth Wallbridge, "The Dairyman's Daughter." And she stands not alone.
To works on theology the Church has paid special attention; but no less to those on experimental piety and devotion. As a mental stimulus there is nothing superior; and in the higher domain of thought, the clear region of pure dialectics, the reader will here find exercise for all his faculties. The world's great intellectual controversies have been theological, and the Church has learned through them to be "first pure, then peaceable." Some of the best literature in the English language is in the form of sermons, and in them may be found as many strains of eloquence, 18
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as genuine oratory, as racy wit, as striking sentiments, and as rich a style as in the finest efforts of the study, the forum, or the bar. In addition, they have the merit of appealing to the consciences and hearts of the people in respect of their spiritual and eternal interests. Nor are they lacking in a practical application to things of the present life. Methodist preaching is intended to save men not only for the next world, but for this.
In poetry, except in its hymnology, which is rich beyond parallel, the Church has very little to show; and in fiction, outside of its Sunday-school libraries, scarcely none at all. The principal purpose of this species of literature is to impart pleasure, not to supply information. Still, fiction is often made the vehicle of valuable truth. More than any one book, Mrs. Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin" stirred the hearts of the American people upon the subject of slavery. Even John Wesley edited and published for his so- cieties a two-volumed novel which he thought con- veyed useful lessons.
But the species of literature which is most in de- mand, and which is now the most widely read, is that which issues from the periodical press. The modern newspaper is the organ of parties, professions, and trades. Nearly every kind of business and enterprise has its representative; and these journals are often read to the exclusion of everything else. It is no uncommon thing to see ordinary laboring men and mechanics reading these papers during their respite from work at meal-times, or when riding on the cars. The fact is, we are a reading people; but men engaged
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in the rush of business find little time to spare for anything beyond this class of reading matter.
When the Hon. Richard Rust established a public library in the city of Philadelphia, and gave to it his large collection of books, he expressly excluded from it all newspapers-those "organs of disjointed thought," as he aptly named them; for he knew that no man who devotes his leisure time to them will be well disposed to carry on a close and consecutive train
of thinking. Woe to him whose intellectual life is nourished solely by the daily newspapers! Yet one must read them if he seeks for general news, and de- sires to know the current history of events; but if, be- sides, he is avid of a higher culture, an enlarged view of men and things, a finer appreciation of the arts, both æsthetic and industrial, and a greater ability to grasp the leading questions of morals and of govern- ment, he must needs tread the broader paths of literature.
In the monthly magazines and reviews there is a better class of articles, and many of them are equal in style and value to anything printed in books. On topics of permanent interest there is also a greater variety. The same thing may be said of the larger secular weeklies, some of which print a magazine supplement. But these articles are hints at knowledge, rather than knowledge itself-an index, not a cyclo- pædia.
All of the leading Churches of America have de- nominational papers, and all of them have been estab- lished in the present century. For eighteen hundred years the Christian religion had its heralds in the pul-
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pits, and its teachers in the cloisters and the schools, with such helps as occasional books and pamphlets could give it, as its only propagandists. The idea of tracts and weekly papers in its service is a modern one; but when society was ripe to avail itself of it, the idea was adopted. After the failure of the Ar- minian Magazine in this country-only two volumes were published-there were sporadic efforts to circu- late other monthly magazines of a similar character among our people; but no successful attempt was made until 1818, when the Methodist Magazine was under- taken by the New York Book Concern. This has been published consecutively ever since, though sub- sequently changed into the Methodist Quarterly Re- view, and later into the Methodist Review, which is now issued bi-monthly. After a few years of experiment- ing with this magazine, it was deemed important that a weekly paper should be issued, so as to reach a greater number of readers, and to be of a more varied char- acter. Accordingly the Church established in the city of New York its first Christian Advocate, in the year 1826. The Zion's Herald had already been begun in the city of Boston, but was for a time merged into the new enterprise.
As the population became more settled, and the number of Church members continued to increase in the South and West, there was a demand for more denominational papers in those sections of the coun- try; and accordingly the Western Christian Advocate at Cincinnati was commenced in 1834; and in 1836 arrangements were made to publish papers in Rich- mond, Charleston, and Nashville. Within fifty years
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from that time, the weekly papers of Methodism in the North, not including those published for the Sun- day-schools, have increased to about thirty, and in the South to fifteen. A few of these are not official; that is, they are either private ventures, or are under the control and patronage of some of the Conferences. The total weekly issue of these papers amounts to about three hundred and fifty thousand copies, and counting four readers for each subscriber, the reading population of our Church is one million four hundred thousand persons. This is perhaps be- low rather than above the exact number, but it still leaves three millions of our Methodist people with- out any Church paper.
Our papers are worthy of a larger circulation, because they are, first, religious. To promote the spiritual growth of their readers is the prin- cipal reason for their existence. Next, they are doctrinal. To instruct the members in the doc- trines held by their Church is not a small thing, though it was once more important than it is now, as our Bible helps are at present more abundant, and diffused through the agency of the Sunday-schools. Besides, nearly all the evangelical Churches are at agreement in matters of faith. Third, our papers are loyal, not only to our theological stand- ards, but to our polity and institutions. But loyalty is consistent with freedom; and all the changes in our ecclesiastical economy and modes of action have first been discussed in the papers. The great question of lay representation was thus settled before its final ratification by the General Conference. Lastly, our
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Church papers are the messengers of news. Whatever is said or done in Church circles or in the world is here told; and the reader has a more intelligent ap- preciation of the work accomplished by Christian evangelists for the salvation of men. St. Paul was greatly encouraged when he heard of the faith of the Ephesians, the Colossians, the Romans, and the Thes- salonians; and such news may provoke others to re- newed diligence in love and good works. Revival flames are often kindled by telling of revivals. In busi- ness speculations, when a man lays out money, he al- ways wants to follow it up to know what returns it makes. Is it any less wise, when he becomes a partner in the Church, to desire to know how the partnership is succeeding? We are members one of another; what interests one, interests all. The weekly Church paper is like a letter from every other member of the firm.
Up to the year 1820 all our Methodist books were printed in the East; at first in Philadelphia, and after the beginning of this century in New York. But the growing importance of the West, the rapid increase of its population, and the lack of means for easy transportation, led the General Conference of that year to establish a branch of the Methodist Book Concern in Cincinnati. Martin Ruter was appointed its first agent. All books needed by him for the supply of the Western market were packed in New York, and sent by wagons, or on shipboard, to Philadelphia, thence by wagons to Pittsburg, and from that point floated down the Ohio in steamboats or barges. These books were sold only to the preachers at whole- sale rates. There was no retail trade, except as the
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preachers became the distributers of the books to the people.
Mr. Ruter occupied a small building on the south- east corner of Fifth and Elm Streets. The front room he used as his office, packing department, and store- house. He conducted the entire business himself, carrying on the correspondence, keeping accounts, filling orders, and superintending the drayage. While engaged in this work, he prepared a spelling-book, which had a large circulation among the schools in the West and South, and the outlines of a Hebrew grammar. He also reprinted for the use of the Church, as stereotype plates were not then employed, "A Vin- dication of Methodist Episcopacy," by Nathan Bangs, for which there was a greater demand than he could supply by obtaining copies from New York. It is a small duodecimo volume of 166 pages, and the print- ing was done in Cincinnati in 1821 by Looker, Palmer and Reynolds, printers. Dr. Bangs afterward en- larged this book, and re-issued it under the title of "An Original Church of Christ." Both these vol- umes are now out of print. This was the precursor of a long array of publications in the West, and was followed during Dr. Ruter's term (1820-1828) by the "Minutes of Conferences," Sherlock on "Divine Prov- idence," and perhaps others.
In 1828, Charles Holliday was elected agent, and rented a small house on George Street, between Elm and Race. This he occupied only a short time, when he removed his office to Walnut Street, between Third and Fourth. Here the Book Concern remained until after 1832, in which year John F. Wright was elected
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assistant agent. The gains of the house had greatly increased during the preceding quadrennium, and, in view of a still greater prospective increase, two agents were deemed necessary to conduct the business. Nor was the expectation an idle one. In 1834 the Western Christian Advocate was commenced. There was then the need of larger accommodations, and the business was removed to Main Street, above Sixth. In 1839 the Christliche Apologete (Christian Apologist), a German paper, was established; and in 1841 The Ladies' Repository was undertaken. A book-bindery in connection with the printing-office was introduced: and the agents were now prepared not only to sell, but to manufacture, books themselves. The earliest books bound in the Concern were probably the Meth- odist Hymn-books, printed on a handpress from duplicate plates sent from New York.
The first books wholly manufactured in the Con- cern were "Strictures on Campbellism," by William Phillips, issued in 1837, and "History of the Wyan- dott Mission," by James B. Finley, in 1840. Since that time there has been an increasing activity in its general publishing interests.
In 1839 the Book Concern in Cincinnati obtained an act of incorporation from the State of Ohio; and about the same time the agents purchased lots on the corner of Main and Eighth Streets, including the old mansion built and formerly occupied by General Arthur St. Clair, one of the first brick houses erected in the city, and elegantly finished. The bricks in the wall were laid after the Flemish bond. Here the agents put up a substantial four-story brick building
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in front for their business and bindery, and a printing- office on an alley in the rear. The St. Clair mansion was at first rented out, but was afterward, with a few alterations, utilized for editorial rooms and as a res- idence for the janitor. In these premises, on which new buildings were erected as needed, and two stories added to the front building, all the business of the house was carried on until 1870. In that year the agents, Luke Hitchcock and John M. Walden, pur- chased lots on Home Street, running through to Plum on the West, and bought a business house, four stories high, with a basement, not yet completed, on Fourth Street, adjoining and extending back to their lots on Home Street. On this latter street they erected a large five-story building, afterwards enlarged to six stories, for their printing department and bindery, and finished the front building for their bookstore, count- ing-room, editorial and Church society offices, chapel, and bishop's room.
In process of time even these accommodations, superior as they were, became insufficient for the in- creased business; and a lot was purchased on the corner of Fourth and Home Streets, adjoining the lots already owned by the agents on both these streets. In 1893, a two-story structure on this lot was torn down, and in its place a stately and convenient build- ing, eight stories in height above the pavement, has been erected. It is practically fireproof, and into it all the business of the house was removed. The book-sales department occupies the first floor; the Bible and stock-rooms are on the second floor; the counting-room and agents' offices on the fifth; edi-
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torial rooms on the sixth; Freedmen's Aid and South- ern Education Society on the seventh; and chapel, committee-rooms, and bishop's office on the eighth. The other floors are rented out for offices. When the old building was thus vacated, it was replaced with a new one, constructed in the same style as the one now occupied, so that the entire block is one of the finest and best appointed in the city of Cincinnati. There is thus room for any prospective increase of the business for years to come.
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