SALVATION ARMY.

Press, Volume XL, Issue 5830, 21 May 1884, Page 5

SALVATION ARMY.

On Monday the Salvation Army held an all-night meeting of the kind known aa a Baptism of Fire, in the Oddfellows' Hall, Sydenham. It was begun with a great deal of marching and band playing. First the Sydenham soldiers marched into Christchurch, and then met what may be called the head-quarters corps. Then the two marchedbackto Sydenham, and shortly afterhalf-past ten were in the hall. Profiting by experience of these meetings, which are seldom very interesting at first, to the outsider at any rate, our reporter got down there about twenty minutes past twelve. He found the doors shut, and a small number of young men standing at them, who him they were unable to get in. Some knocking brought out the janitors, three in number, who asked, " Are you a Christian?" and then "Where's your ticket ?" Our reporter had omitted to provide himself with a ticket, and was refused admission with scant courtesy when he said so; neither did his persuasions avail to get his card canied to the officers commanding. After a time, however, a member of the police force very kindly volunteered his assistance, and succeeded in persuading the faithful doorkeepers to carry in the pasteboard. Some further delay was caused by the preoccupation of the officers, who were one after the other wrestling in prayer. Presently Captain Bedingfield's sonorous voice was heard, and shortly afterwards the praying ceased, and that enthusiastic soldier presented himself at the door looking much refreshed by his exertions. If the Jacks in office at the door had perhaps failed slightly in that courtesy which i 3 so generally accorded to representatives of the Press, the Captain made ample amends, and our reporter was speedily admitted among the faithful. These wtre arranged in a fresh order. Between the centre of the room and the platform were two tablea with forms on either side of them, and at these were seated a great number of Army officials. On both sides of these were the chairs and forms for the main body of the Army arranged in the usual way, but a space was left round the tables, and here stood on one side Major Pollard, and on the other the Auckland StaffCaptain, Ted Wright. On the platform was the band. The hall was about three parts full, a large proportion of those present being: women, young girls, and boys. A Baptism of Fire differs from a holiness meeting only in the degree of energy exhibited and blessing supposed to be obtained. Last night there appears to have been an unsually strong muster, and great hopes were entertained. Captains were present from Dunedin, Waimate, Timaru, Asbburton, Lyttelton, Bangiora, Auckland, and numerous other branches, as well as Major Pollard, whose presence may be supposed to have lent distinction to the proceedings, seeing that more than one speaker disclaimed the idea that he had come there to "see the Major." After the hymn aforesaid a great number of testimonies were given. The first decided hit was made by a gentleman, whose voice frequently, to use an expressive vulgarism, went off the handle. P-esently he eaid, I have no voice to pray, for I prayed all my voice away here yesternight, and I'll not only pray my voice away, but my body too, and all that I have." Another assumed tke position of martyr referred to in an acooant of a previous meeting, and said he had the Lord in his heart. The world might say what it liked of him, the reporters might say what they liked of him, but; he cared not. One officer said, "There was a time when I was able , to look upon a man, and cay "yon shall be «aved," a£d he was saved in a, week Friends, I haven't that power now, but rcanhaveit again, for it was bought for mc at Calvlrv " A member of the band confessed Sat'his usefulness had been limited by "the fear of man," for he wag weak xn wW A backslider confessed that he

fault by lack of p, ace, but had recently gone to the penitent form, and was going in for more Holy Ghost power. Major Pollard next gave out a hymn, " I will follow. Jesus," and icstructed those who meant what they gang to hold one arm up. Nearly everyone present did so. Then the Major said, " All those who mean to follow us to the end of the world, to India, to China, anywhere to the ecd of the world, hold up both hands." About half of the band and a fourth of those in the body of the hall did this also. Major Pollard then delivered an address. He is a very young man, twenty-one years old in fact, but he i 3 a very fair speaker. Insisting on the value of tte passing moment, he said " Before I wa3 saved I'd walk into the ball - room or the theatre (here he strutted up and down his open space with a foppish) air, and I'd waste precioue hours in them. Now I see that had time crumbled beneath my feet I should hare been lost, lost, lost, for ever." An odd accompaniment was furnished to the Major's speech by a rusty ventilator in the roof which m its revolution gave out a sound like something batween the wang of a 'cello striiig and the result of a learner's ineffectual a£ tempt to produce music from the bassoon. Some more testimonies, including one from a Primitive Methodist minister, and the excitement began to work up. A tall powerful man seated at the table, who rejoices in the affectionate nickname of the " Woolwich Infant," began to lean back on his seat with arms extended to heaven, till he was \ perfectly horizontal, slowly recovering himself, and leaning his head on the table. A hymn, " I'm waiting for the fire,' was sung with great enthusiasm, and Captain Burfoot, who sat opposite the Infant, began to clap his hands and thump on the table. Excited prayers followed, two or three praying at once, amid much clapping of hands, and the noise was so great that a pale-faced boy, who had peacefully slumbered for the last two hours, woke up. It was now half-past two, and from this on the excitement I was worked up by certain of the officers round the table till it resembled the published accounts of American camp meetings. The Infant would jump on his heels, which were shod with iron plates, half a dozen times, then he would cast himself on his knees and thump the table with both fists with all his force. He presented an extraordinary spectacle during these convulsions—his brows knit, eyes half closed, teeth clenched, lips parted, and his head thrown back, and all the while in violent exertion, and crying out " Glory, Glory ;" " I've got the power 5 " and so on. Major Pollard would sometimes walk forward on the table and lay a hand on his head caressingly or hold the shoulder of his jersey. In one temporary lull of the noise, he said, "We take it differently. We don't understand how David takes it" —David presumably meaning the Infant. But the latter was not the only man present who gave himself up to the excitement of the moment. Captain |Burfoot would at intervals spring to his feet and give a number of jumps into the air, casting hie arms up wildly, and yelling, " Lord, I believe!" Even Captain Bedingfield, at tte close of one short. testimony he gave, essayed the jumping business, but he is a heavier man than the Infant, and had apparently not practised like him, for he nearly lost his balance. At intervals hymns were sung with great waving of handkerchiefs, and a number of different essences were wafted upon the gale, while our reporter lived in dread of losing an eye through some one of the numerous flicks which he received. A woman was assisted out of the hall at the height of the excitement looking very ill, and shortly afterwards her male companion returned at full speed for water. She had indeed fainted, nor was she the only one who did. In one prayer special mention was made of the unrfigenerate who .were in that hall, .and who were doomed to everlasting fire. Many compassionate glances were directed to our reporter, yet he did not go to the penitent form. Three people did, however, and praise was triumphantly offered for them. The table was the penitent form on this occasion, and our reporter was at first struck by the number of officers who were apparently showing penitence. A boy explained to him that they were "havin' another go in," but he afterwarde learnt that they were there for convenience—not penitence. At half-past three the Major sounded his whistle and obtained partial quiet, in which he said that after tbat meeting it would be their fault if the old chariot did not roll along. He then prayed for those present in a sort of descending scale—for the officers, the band, the .Army generally, the backsliders, the sinners, and " O Lord the reporters." The meeting then brokeup,leaving upon our reporter's mind the impression that he had seen in the case of the Infant and Captain Burfoot something of the deliberate self-excitement of the dancing dervish. The Infant had occasionally thrown himself under the table, and Captaiu Burfoot once or twice leaned forward and caught him by the shouldere, shaking him violently. Most of their contortions had excited the laughter of the onlookers.