- Preface to Third Edition
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- A Review of Significant History
- Institutional Development
- The 1880's—A Period of Notable Advance
- The Setting of the 1888 Minneapolis Conference
- The General Conference of 1888
- Differing Attitudes Toward Righteousness by Faith
- Consolidation and Its Attendant Problems
- Far-Reaching Publishing-House Problems
- General Conference President Publishers Testimonies
- The General Conference of 1901
- Battle Creek Institutions Suffer God's Judgments
- “Except as We Shall Forget”
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- Instruction to the Disciples
- A Betrayal of Confidence
- A False Message
- Satan's Accusations
- The World Called to Account
- The Encouraging Word
- Words of Accusation Not of God
- A Work of Deception
- A Living Church
- Judas Given Opportunities
- The Church Not Perfect
- Satan Permitted to Tempt
- The Church the Light of the World
- A Divinely Appointed Ministry
- Beware of False Teachers
- Another Example
- The Letter
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- What Constitutes a Christian
- What Ought we to be?
- Frequent Cause of Failure
- Special Dangers of those in Positions of Responsibility
- A Daily Christian Experience Essential
- The Stewardship of Men
- The Office of Misfortune and Adversity
- Position Powerless to Sanctify
- God the Source of Strength
- The Evil of Self-Serving
- Evils of Unsanctified Consolidation
- Divine Unity Necessary
- The Preeminence of the Work of Saving Souls
- The Fallibility of Human Judgment
- Not to be Conscience for Our Fellowmen
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- Appendix Notes
Far-Reaching Publishing-House Problems
Unfortunately the step of expediency taken in our publishing work in early years, which led the publishing houses to take in commercial work, deeply involved these institutions in the mere business of printing. It reached the point at times when approximately 70 percent of the printing was commercial work and 30 percent denominational printing. Those responsible for the financial interests of the publishing houses envisioned the work in their hands as that of printers, and this led them to accept for publication manuscripts of a character which should never have been printed on the presses of the church. (See Testimonies for the Church 7:161-168, chapter “Commercial work,” and Selected Messages 2:350, 351, “The Perils of Hypnosis.”)TM xxviii.2
At the same time, some men in responsible positions in the publishing work turned from important basic principles which had governed our institutions in the remuneration of its personnel. It was reasoned that the work had reached its state of prosperity because of the special skills and talents of those who served in managerial lines; therefore these men should be favored by special remuneration more in keeping with their positions in management. As a result, certain men in key positions received remuneration double that of a skilled factory worker.TM xxviii.3
The same spirit led the management of the publishing house at Battle Creek to take every step within its power to gain control of the literary products it handled, and this resulted in cutting off a fair royalty income to authors of the books published by the house. In this way the income of the publishing house was enhanced. It was argued that those in positions of management in the publishing house were in a better position to understand the needs of the cause, and know how to use profits which came from literature, than were the individual authors. The authors, they felt, might fall short in proper stewardship of royalty incomes. In several communications, Ellen White, writing to those in positions of management, pointed out that selfishness motivated such plans. Counsel in this area is found in Testimonies for the Church 7:176-180.TM xxix.1