Wisdom of the Ages

An article from The Pentecostal Herald written by Dr. Henry Clay Morrison:

In the late 19th century, newspapers were the newest social networking tool. The Rev. Henry Clay Morrison, through the prompting and provisions of God, started The Pentecostal Herald, a religious paper.  The following is an article written by Rev. Morrison in 1898, ten years after starting the paper. He reflects on the difficulties he encountered while trying to break into the new form of social networking.  May it be an encouragement to you to persevere through the tough times of new beginnings.

Some things I did not think about

It has been almost ten years since I determined to begin the publication of a religious paper. I felt strongly impressed that it was my duty to begin such an enterprise. Since the night that my mind was fully made up that under God it was to be a part of my life work to help to establish a paper to fill the place now occupied by The Pentecostal Herald, although the opposition has sometimes been intense, and the financial outlook has often been as gloomy as could well be imagined, my conviction that I was doing my duty and my faith in the ultimate success of this enterprise has never wavered. For my paper was to be a strong advocate of perfect love and a strong opposer of all sorts of worldliness in the church.

It was impossible that I could anticipate that one-half of those who did subscribe would be slow about paying the subscriptions, thus taking up valuable time and stationary and stamps to collect money from them, and, worst of all, that a goodly number would never pay at all.

I had not studied some phases of human nature then that I have had occasion to observe since, or I would have known that those who were my superiors would have said, “What can this man teach us,” and they would treat my efforts with contempt. My equals would say, “If he succeeds, he will pass on beyond and above us, and we will not help him.” My inferiors, if such exist, would look on with envy, rendering no help, and hindering all they could. My very best friends would wait a while to see if the enterprise promised success before I could expect material assistance from them. Yet all this I found to be exactly true and more.

I found again there was little sympathy for one if he failed, for the whole land was flooded with religious newspapers, and one’s friends would say, “He ought not to have started the enterprise,” but on the other hand if one succeeds, others would say, “Why may we not succeed on the same line,” and rival papers would spring up, and raise the cry that you were getting rich, and while they could not draw away enough of your support to make a success for themselves, they could fully cripple you in your efforts to establish a paper that would command the respect of all intelligent men! Neither did I dream of the sensitiveness of contributors, or the petulance of subscribers, or the difficulty of securing reliable and diligent workmen.

The incessant labor, night and day, year in and year out, never once occurred to me, and the constant demand for money, money, money, I did not think of at all. Money for rent, money for type setters, money for paper to print on, money for stationary, money for clerks, money for contributors, money for agents, money for mailing, money to collect money that was owed to us, money for one’s own personal wants, money to buy type and keep the press going, and money to keep the sheriff off of you. All of this was to be learned as the days went by. But the lessons followed each other in rapid succession and were of a nature that must be met and mastered at once. But somehow the ten years have passed and here we are toiling away.

We have a few suggestions to offer those contemplating engaging in the publication of religious newspapers. First, is there a demand for such a paper as you propose? Are you quite sure some other paper does not occupy the field you would enter? Second, have you resources, and are they large? Is there a large supply of money and brains and enterprise at your command? Third, if you have the three great essentials, might it not be best for you to offer them to some old and well-established paper. Almost all of the old papers will be glad to have an accession of money, brains and enterprise. I am aware, however, that suggestions are of little value to enthusiasts who have not been initiated.

There is one very comforting thought, that far more than over-balances all the toil and hardship through which we have passed. I do not believe a large meal bag would hold the letters that have come to us, telling of spiritual help obtained from the paper.

I ought not to close this rambling talk with our readers without saying God has been with us in a peculiar manner and has raised up for us many faithful friends. It was my purpose in the beginning to get the paper under headway and put it entirely into other hands, but it has been hard to let go, and the truth is the union between The Pentecostal Herald and myself has become very close.