This Week in Texas Methodist History December 8

Death of A. J. Weeks, Advocate Editor, Creates Crisis in Southwestern Advocate, December 8, 1939

Andrew Jackson Weeks, editor of the Southwestern Advocate since 1930, had a heart attack at his home in Richardson on December 8, 1939.   He died on the 12^th.  His death created a crisis for the denominational newspaper which was already in serious financial difficulty. 

In one of the most remarkable acts of devotion to the cause of religious publishing, the children of A. J. Weeks (Vivian, Agnes, Marvin, and Jack) pitched in to get the December 14 issue of the Advocate produced and distributed. 

Weeks, born in Angelina County and a member of Ryan’s Chapel Methodist Church, had served pastorates in the Texas and West Texas Conferences as well as being a Presiding Elder in Oklahoma.  He had been editor 1919-1922 and was called back to the editorship in 1930. 

Although he was 70 years old in 1939, there was really no succession plan.  The denomination has come into being earlier in 1939, and there were questions about the future of its publication program.  For example, should the range of the Advocate be extended to the newly created South Central Jurisdiction or remain as an organ of Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico? (Colorado had once been included in its constituency.)

The Board of Publication met on December 19, 1939, and cobbled together a temporary solution to the problem created by the demise of A. J. Weeks.

Bishop John M. Moore assumed the role of Editor in Chief.  Harry DeVore became business manager.  Associate Editors from each of the conferences were named.  These associate editors were among the most prominent preachers of their era.  They included John Nelson Russell Score of Fort Worth, Dawson Bryan of Houston, Marshall Steel of Dallas, Edmund Heinsohn of Austin, J. O. Haynes of Big Spring, and Wallace Crutchfield of Oklahoma.  

Moore had retired from the active episcopacy in 1938 and lived iu Dallas. He had been managing editor of the Texas Christian Advocate 1906 and of the Daily Christian Advocate from 1906-1909.  From 186-1898 he had been on the staff of the St. Louis Christian Advocate. 

The new arrangement brought together perhaps the most distinguished editorial board ever to serve on a Methodist newspaper, but did little to ease the financial problems plaguing the Advocate. 

The Advocate was $3,900 in debt with about $1,000 in unpaid subscriptions and $200 in accounts receivable from advertising.   There was no cash on hand, and the $2,700 deficit looked overwhelming.   There were 8,150 subscribers.  Half of them would have their subscription expire on January 1.  Each issue cost $300 top print.  Something needed to be done.

The bishops devised a plan to make the Advocate solvent.  Bishop Moore and Dr. DeVore agreed to forego a salary for six months.  Then a subscription drive would be launched—not for an annual subscription, but for a six month subscription for $.75 for the twenty-six issues from January 1940 to June 1940!   Seventy-five cents for 26 issues would include postage! 

Why six months?  The first session of the South Central Jurisdictional Conference was going to meet May 28, and the assumption was that the Jurisdictional Conference would create a newspaper for the entire jurisdiction.    

The bishops (Holt, Boaz, Moore, Selecman, and Smith) calculated that it would take 20,000 new subscriptions at that reduced price to erase the debt.  Being Methodists, they naturally assigned quotas.  The forty-two districts in Texas would each have a quota of 500 new subscribers.  Oklahoma which then had eastern and western conferences would be assigned 2000 per conference.  New Mexico would be assigned 1000 new subscriptions.   The total would be 25,000 new subscribers, enough to attain solvency.  They hoped to keep the Texas Christian Advocate in business for just six more months and then let a jurisdictional newspaper replace it.  

The South Central Jurisdiction declined to create a weekly newspaper.  The Texas Christian Advocate was forced to adjust.  It eventually was reorganized with the Dallas District Superintendent and two Dallas pastors assuming editorial responsibilities on a rotating basis.  DeVore remained as business manager.