Honolulu star-bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu, Hawaii]) 1912-2010, 1916-12-09
NEW BUILDINGOF
METHODIST BOOK
CONCERN Opened
Publishing House DeyoteS Its
Earnings to Aged and Re-
tired Ministers

CINCINNATI. Nov. 2S.-.A redletter
day in american Methodist Episcopal
circles is being celebrated in Gin
cinnati by the dedication by church
Officials and employees OF new six
story, terrO-concIete modern home for
The Methodist Cook Concern The
exercises were participated in by
Representatives OF all departments of
the concern and general church life,
the oldest active employee. VIM. yos-
mer the house carpenter, with 80
years III service, and Bishop Earl s.
Cranston, until May last the senior
active bishop of the church, publish
inc agent here from 1854 To 1896, eX-
emplifyiRg the range of participants.
The formal presentation Of the
building was made hy Edward h.
Shiiley. prominent insurance man,
q member OF the book committee OF
IS ministers and laymen. board Of
active directors, who direct this great
church interest without compensation.
A feature OF the program was the
singing Of a chorus OF 40 employees
from all departments of the plant,
trained and led by an employee, Oscar
Schansen. During the exercises two
American flags were presented by the
employees TO DR.. John II. Race, pub
fishing agent resident at Cincinnati,
one to fly over the building, the 9TH
err TO stand beside the pulpit in the
chapel. Luncheon and inspection OF
the new building followed the form
al program.
Inter-department celebrations were
held by the employees, and the formal
opening OF the chapel Tor Preachers
Meetings. was observed throughout
Monday. The Methodist Book Con-
Germ carries over $1,Q00.000 insurance
of the lives of its employees made out
to beneficiaries named by the in
sured
The Methodist Book Concern was
founded August II, 1889, at 43 Fourth
street, Philadelphia, or a capital OF
$6C0, by John Dickens, when Method
ism had but $4,000 members. For
his services Mr. Dickens was allowed
annually $500 Tor dwelling house and
book room, $50 for a boy, 1888 for
firewood, 1888 10 clothe and feed him
self, his wife and children-the muni-
ficent sum of $G66.33 in all. In 1894
the business was moved to. New York,
where it began business in one room
on Gold street. The first official
Methodist church paper, the Christian
Advocate, now N its 9lst year, was
started in 1926. The Methodist book
room in Cincinnati was started by the
Rev. Martin Renter in room 15x20
feet, at Elm and Fifth streets. Not
even a boy was provided as helper
here.
II Is on such a foundation that the
great business of serving the con-
stituency of Methodism with weekly
Advocates, Sunday school publications
and Christian literature was estab-
Iished At the present time the
Methodist Book Concern has, in adj
dition to it's main houses at New
York and Cincinnati, repositories at
Chicago, Pittsburg, San Francisco,
Kansas City, Mo-; Detroit and Bos-
ton, the real estate value of which
is nearly S2,000,000. And its prof
it's, distributed to the aged and re-
tired ministers of the church, for the
past four years, were over $1,000G00.
Methodism through its book concern
has furnished a literature of sub
stantial and permanent value, SYM
metricaI and we'll balanced. litera-
ture for the people. II has thus rem
dered great service to completeness
of church organization and work, has
aided in giving uniformity to the tone,
spirit, polity and teaching of the
church, has made possible the great
modern advance in the newer meth
DDS and material of modern Sunday
school teaching.