THE METHODIST PUBLISHING HOUSE

Of special importance in the early work was the Methodist Publishing House, which was formally opened in October, 1901 as the Thoburn Press.¹⁷ From this enterprising concern poured a vast stream of Christian literature that was to continue until the publishing house was sold in 1937. In January, 1902, the Philippine Christian Advocate was begun, with Homer Stuntz serving as the editor.¹⁸ It began with both English and Spanish sections; later it added dialect editions Tagalog, Ilocano, Pangasinan and Pampango. The Thoburn Press early John Wesley, a history of Protestantism and church school literature.¹⁹ In the Conference Journal of 1903 it was reported that the Advocate was the only Protestant periodical printed in the Philippines; and at that time it had 1,000 subscribers.²⁰ By 1905, a Tagalog and Ilocano hymnal had been printed and these were being used by other Evangelical churches. Smaller hymnals in Pampango and Pangasinan were also started by that time. In 1914, the Tagalog Advocate was discontinued, in order that Mabuting Balita might be published in cooperation with the Presbyterians. Similarly the Ilocano edition was fused with the United Brethren publication, Naimbag a Damag.²² When the Methodist Publishing House was sold, the Methodist Book Room continued some of its endeavors. It would be difficult to overestimate the great good accomplished by the Methodist Publishing House in those early years in both evangelism and nurture of the growing body of adherents to the Protestant movement. Unfortunately much of what remained of that first literature was destroyed or lost "during World War II.

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