By Rev. D. BEATON.
THERE is nothing very special to report this year. The circulation of the Magazine is still maintained but I think, now that things are looking a little brighter financially that an effort should be made to bring the circulation of the Magazine up to 4000 copies per month. If 50 congregations and mission stations would find 9 new subscribers each this end would be attained. I leave the matter with my brethren to bring this before their congregations and hope that the report next year will show, if not the attainment of the 4000 goal, at least, a considerable increase in new subscriptions. When the Magazine was taken over in 1921 the circulation was 2850. It is now 3550. The Magazine costs less than a penny a week. We have compared its price with quite a number of religious monthly magazines that we get in exchange with a limited circulation like our own and I think I am not overstating the case when I say we give more matter for the money than most of them. All interested in the Free Presbyterian Church should become subscribers for in addition to the usual historical, doctrinal, religious and experimental articles which appear in its pages there are the monthly church notes which inform the readers what is going on in the Church. The work of editing a Magazine like our’s is extremely interesting. Apart from letters, warmly appreciative of the material provided
in the Magazine, received from different parts of the world, and often from people who have no connection with our Church, the editor gets letters of all kinds—some asking advice about spiritual matters; others in distant lands asking where books on certain subjects may be obtained; while others send him books asking his opinion as to whether they are sound or not. Such correspondence is interesting and though replying to it takes up a considerable amount of time it is a phase of editorial work which has its own special pleasure and delight.
We are greatly indebted to many kind friends who send us newspaper cuttings and extracts from books they are reading. Many of these we cannot use owing to the limitations of space but we trust that the senders will not come to the conclusion that the editor despises the efforts of these friends in giving him a helping hand. Far from it; and to each of them he says: Be not weary in well-doing. May I here state also that the editor is, in a way, in the hands of the printers at times as to whether certain articles appear in an issue or not. They have only a certain space and if the article is beyond that it has to be held over to another issue. Our relations with our printers are all that could be desired. They turn out splendid work and meet our wishes in a way that makes it pleasant for us to work with them.
In the material presented in the Magazine we try to meet so far the wishes of two classes of readers—(1) those who find pleasure in the good, sound, scriptural theology of other days; (2) those who like sound, scriptural teaching, but prefer it from modern (we use this term in its good sense) sources. For instance some greatly relish the sermons of the great and good who have gone to heaven, while others would prefer sermons from our own ministers. Take for instance a recent experience. A friendly critic approached the editor in a kindly tone that disarmed all hostility, saying that he would like more of the sermons of our own ministers appearing in the Magazine, as for the sermons of the old divines, he said, they could easily
get them in books. The reply he received was that we thoroughly agreed with his first point and, as we had failed notwithstanding many requests, to get sermons from our ministers, if he would suggest how it could be done we would make another attempt. In regard to the other point he mentioned we wished to point out to him that the sermons usually appearing in the Magazine from ministers of other days were from books and periodicals that are rarely found in small household libraries though the names of the preachers may be familiar enough.
I have again to acknowledge my indebtedness to Rev. James MacLeod for his Gaelic contributions; by his diligence and interest more than the half of the Gaelic for last year was contributed by him. It is to be hoped his example will be emulated by others of our Gaelic-speaking brethren. Short notes and translations in typescript would be highly acceptable.
Financially the Magazine is in a fairly sound position; strictly speaking, however, the balance would require to be increased and we are endeavouring to keep this in view. The General Treasurer reports that the balance on hand is slightly better than last year. While the total subscriptions are less that is more than made good by the increase in contributions to the Free Distribution Fund. It may be stated in connection with this Fund that 50 copies are sent to Mr. Brider for distribution among soldiers and sailors; copies are also sent to public libraries and to some missionaries in the foreign field, among them the well-known African traveller and missionary, Mr. Dugald Campbell, who has written appreciatively of the gift. All our lay missionaries at home get free copies.
Accounts due by agents at this date (3rd May) amount to £48 9s. 7d. and with a fair number of subscriptions yet to come in, the state of the Fund may be considered quite good. The drop in the value of the dollar is felt; 90 cents only amount to 3s 5d.; it takes 97 cents or nearly a dollar to cover the amount 3s 9d. Yet it is satisfactory that we are able
to give away so many free copies which is much appreciated. The contributions to the Free Distribution Fund this year amounted to £41 15s. 4d. as compared with £28 17s. 2d. last year; an increase of £12 18s. 2d. The balance at the end of the Magazine financial year was £34 12s. 10d. as compared with £32 4s. 4d. last year; an increase of £2 8s. 6d. The Magazine Financial Statement is presented annually to the Church auditors by Mr. Grant, Treasurer, and after being audited is submitted to the Magazine Committee for their inspection.