The San Francisco call., 1906-10-07
By Franklin Hichborn

M HILE certain churches OF San
AL Jose relied-not with the most
w encouraging success, certainly
without sensation-upon SER
mon and song service. with an occa-
sionai church social thrown in for luck
and good measure. to draw worshipers.
the Second Presbyterian Church OF that
city pinned-or rather. not to mix meta
phors stuck-its faith to printers ink,
filled its pews and astonished-not to
say paralyzed-the community.
Many rundown business house has
hitched the establishment-not to q
star. as Emerson advised-but TO the
au-powerful display "ad." and has
been dragged out OF the rut and threat
ened bankruptcy at the same time But
II remained for the Second Presbyterian
Church TO escape the ordinary church
rut and empty pews through the
straight. direct and not at all narrow
path that leads through the advertising
columns OF the daily newspaper to the
realms OF success. be the advertiser the
seller Of shoes or the preacher of the
gospel.
The Second Presbyterian Church ad-
vertised; the advertising columns Of
the San Jose papers testify to that
The Second Presbyterian Church of San
Jose found that IL pays to advertise;
the church packed 20 the doors each
Sunday night where formerly there
-gere empty pews establishes that II
further proof were necessary the fact
that all the other Protestant churches
OF San Jose have gone to advertising in
Eelf-defense. lest the Second Presby-
terian draw their congregations away
from them, drives in the proof that
printers ink is most eficacious even in
church work. And II all this fails to
satisfy the doubter We have the state
nent OF the pastor OF the original ad-
vertising church, the Rev. Thornton A
Mills, who testihes enthusiastically that
church money invested in printers ink
is money well invested.
We have the best thing in the
world" said the minister of the church
that sdvertises when approached on the
subject, meaning salvation, Of course.
why not get II before the public in the
most practical way; buy space in the
newspapers and advertise what we have
10 oner2 Our church has tried II for
four years. IT pays. with the help OF
printers ink we have made our church
g success.
Preached to Empty Pews.
Up to four years ago the San Jose
Second Presbyterian Church was noted
more for the social standing and solid
citizenship OF its members than for the
size OF its congregation. Situated rath-
er out OF the beaten path OF Sunday
night travel. the Sunday evening at
tendance was discouragingly small The
pastor saw other churches more con-
veniently located filed to the doors
every Sunday night while he preached
20 empty pews. The people OF his
congregation were devoted, earnest
workers, were on hand at morning SER
vice and were never slow on the con-
tributfon question, but they wouldn't
or couldn't show UP at evening service.
and didn't: and that 10 most ministers
would have been an end ont. But not
10 the Rev. Thornton A Mills. His
church was comfortable, his people cor
dial, the music good, the sermons
modesty prevented him passing on the
sermons But leaving the sermons en-
tirely out OF the question, the combina-
ton was one well calculated TO draw
hearers. The problem was to draw
them The idea occurred to him to
employ cleverly written church notices.
But before he could DO very much
drawing along this line he ran slam
5amb up against the newspaper busi-
ness manager.
have two versions OF what hap
pened when Rev. Mr.. Mills and the
then business manager Of the morning
paper at San Jose. I. Z. Bontz, met on
the question OF advertising-that of
Rev. Mr. Mills and that OF Mr.. Bontz.
Nontz. each agrees. had evolved a
sEheme to save space in the Saturday
Baper by running all church notices in
the Sunday magazine OF his publication.
Mr.. Mills had gone TO see him about it.
Il told Mr.. Bontz." said Mr.. Mills
that did not want to have my church
notice printed on Sunday; that I didn't
want my church made an excuse for
anybody TO buy a Sunday paper. He