Part 3. INSTITUTIONS

3. Publishing House and Denominational Headquarters

EFORE there was a Free Methodist Publishing House Rev. T. B. Arnold was deeply interested in the dissemination of good literature. For a time he owned and published the Free Methodist, which was conducted in the interest of the Free Methodist Church. Also Mr. Arnold began to issue a series of Sunday-school supplies which has been developed into the Light and Life Press publications. Arnold’s Commentary, which has a large circulation both inside and outside the Free Methodist Church, was founded by him and has been continued during the years under his name, with various editors.

     In 1886 the General Conference purchased of T. B. Arnold his publishing business for the sum of $8,000. This included the Free Methodist and the Sunday-school publications. B. T. Roberts was elected editor of the Free Methodist and T. B. Arnold was elected publishing agent. The business was conducted at 104-106 North Franklin Street, Chicago.

     In 1888 Mr. Arnold resigned as publishing agent. His successor was Rev. S. K. J. Chesbrough, who held the office for nineteen years and was responsible for the excellent early development of the business. The high respect in which Mr. Chesbrough was held by the church was shown by the fact that at one General Conference he received seventy-five out of seventy-six votes cast for publishing agent.

     The growth of the business made necessary larger quarters. The move to 14-16 North May Street, Chicago, was made in 1895. Again the growth made a move imperative. At the General Conference of 1907, after much debate, it was decided that a Publishing House when built should be located in Chicago. The purchase of a site and erection of a proper building were handled by the Executive Committee. The fine property at Washington Boulevard and May Street, one hundred by one hundred feet, was secured and a good building was erected on that corner in 1909.

     An editorial in the Free Methodist of October 14, 1909, states, “To W. T. Hogue, more than to any other person, belongs the credit for the church having such a fine Publishing House.” In this commodious building the business was conducted and expanded for more than twenty-five years. The publishing agents during the period were W. B. Rose, 1907-1926; N. W. Fink, 19261933; and B. H. Gaddis, elected in 1932 and taking office in April, 1933.

     For years there had been agitation in favor of moving the Publishing House out of Chicago, but the opposition had usually been too great. However, in March, 1933, Mr. Gaddis and others, passing near Winona Lake, stopped to see the “Mount Memorial Building,” which had been built as the administration building for a college and which was the property of the Winona Lake Institutions, now Winona Lake Christian Assembly. An examination of the building revealed its possibilities, and the conversations with those in charge disclosed the desire to sell the property. A report of this unofficial investigation was made to the Board of Directors of the Publishing House in the spring of that year. A committee consisting of Bishop William Pearce, C. A. Watson and J. M. Daniels was appointed to consider the possibilities of an early removal from Chicago. Working with the committee were Mr. Gaddis and others, who investigated various possibilities in Illinois, Michigan and Indiana.

     In October of that year a move was ordered by the General Board, to take effect whenever the right property and location could be obtained. In April, 1934, by a vote of twenty-nine to one, the board, after a consideration of four other sites, decided to purchase the Winona Lake property, provided it could be bought for a price, the limit of which was fixed by that body. In May Mr. James Heaton, representing the Institutions, and Mr. Gaddis, representing the church, acting under their instructions, reached an agreement for the transfer of the property for the sum of $22,500.

     The purchase included fifteen acres of land and the building which stood near the corner of the plot. The building itself was in a bad state of repair, having been little used and neglected for several years. However, the original cost of $130,000 had produced a structure of great durability and permanent beauty.

     Mr. Gaddis and a committee (J. M. Daniels, G. A. Lees and Harlow Hoyt), working with him, were instructed to purchase the additional presses and other equipment which would be necessary in the new plant and to proceed to recondition and make the necessary additions to the purchased building. The larger part of the work and responsibility fell to the publishing agent. Besides handling the usual work pertaining to his office, he purchased $35,000 worth of equipment at a minor fraction of that cost because the depression had thrown upon the market an abundance of such machinery, and he supervised and made the decisions (with the help of his committee) concerning the entire remodeling and reconditioning of the building. He also had the responsibility of making the move of the business from Chicago to Winona Lake, which took place in February, 1935.

     The building is of cream-colored brick and Bedford stone. The extreme dimensions are 66X180 feet, with a pressroom 34x50 feet additional in the rear. In the pressroom are two fifty-six-inch and two smaller presses. Besides the pressroom on the basement floor there are an excellently-equipped composing room, 25x63 feet (containing job presses, linotypes, etc.), three large, well-equipped bindery rooms, also book, shipping and storage rooms, etc., etc. Although the output from the Washington Boulevard Publishing House was so much less than from the present one, there the cost for press work paid to outside companies was more than $15,000 per year. At Winona Lake all this work is done in our own plant at a greatly reduced cost. The Publishing House is equipped to issue everything from a leaflet to an elegantly-bound book.

     At the south end of the main floor of the building is the main office, 25X63 feet. Next in front to the north are the offices of the Free Methodist, then the offices of the Sunday-school literature. North of the main entrance is the office of the Church and Parsonage Aid Society and assistant to the treasurer. Next is the large parlor. North of this the bishops’ office, used also by the secretary of evangelism. In the northwest corner are the offices of the missionary secretary. In the northeast corner the office and reception room of the Woman’s Missionary Society. Between these are the offices of the Sunday-school secretary. The top floor contains a chapel and committee rooms, used for various purposes as occasion requires.

     About 70,000,000 pages of literature are issued from this Publishing House annually. This consists of the Free Methodist (weekly), the Missionary Tidings (monthly), the Sunday School Worker (monthly), the Sunday-school literature—quarterlies, lesson leaves, papers, commentaries, etc., etc. Besides these, many books and pamphlets are published here, and a considerable business is enjoyed from books published by others. In this building are the headquarters of every department of the church.

     The publishing interests of the Free Methodist Church enjoy a degree of prosperity rarely found in any denomination. The Free Methodist, which is the official organ of the church, has steadily increased in circulation during the “depression” and “recession” until the circulation is about 20,500 and is equal to forty-five per cent of the adult members of the denomination, and is published without deficit. The Missionary Tidings, owned by the Woman’s Missionary Society, but published here, has trebled its circulation during the last eight years. The Sunday-school literature is used by nearly all of the 1,365 Sunday schools of the denomination, and to some extent by 1,500 schools of other denominations.

     Though the Publishing House is maintained not for financial profit but to disseminate good literature, it is most gratifying to note that few secular business establishments have in recent years made so good a financial showing.

     The fact that the property in Chicago, from which the Publishing House was moved, which the church still owns and which is free from incumbrance, is now under favorable lease is a source of general satisfaction to the board. Our present Publishing House as reconditioned and equipped, worth about $175,000, on which the church owes not a dollar to any outside party, and only a few thousand dollars to its own funds, is a cause of even greater satisfaction.

     In the present condition of its publishing interests and in the prospect the Free Methodist Church has great reason to rejoice. The good hand and gracious dealings of the Lord are recognized, and most sincere gratitude is constantly rendered to Him.