WELCOMED.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 733, 4 February 1910, Page 6

WELCOMED.

COMMISSIONER AND MRS. HAY,

SPEECH BY -DE. FINDLAT. , .A public reception to the new beads of the Salvation Army in Australasia, Commissioner and Mrs. Hay,' was: given in tho . Vivian Street Citadel yesterday, evening, Colonel Knight, officer in;charge of the North Island, presiding':over a 'gathering which: tilled the citadel to overflowing. Amongst those present were: the Hon. Dr. I'indlay'; ana v Mrs.-. ' Findlay; Messrs. E.- A; Wright, MJ., and Ji r. Luke, M.P. i - ■ : The Commissioner and Mrs. Hay wero welcomed with characteristic heartiness, ch'eering.'rising above-the rally .from: the band. .- ■' i . ;'Golonel:Knight welcomed..the. two new; leaders, and .called on. Brigadier Bray, as representing the men's social work-in New' Zealand. The Brigadier.. said that he had accompanied the. Commissioner and ilrs. Hay from Dune'din, and..ever since, he. been going about with extra spring in his. step: He believed; the new leaders would worthily.Uphold the high standard , set -'in the past. .As to the officers :he 'could./assure new beads of.their devotion and loyalty. • .' Dr. Findlay's Address.

The Hon. Dr. Findlay, in the' course of "his address, ■ stated that he had. seldom felt greater pleasure than' he did then in welcoming - Commissioner -and Mrs. Hay, ..who , had done such;- great social reform 'work at Home. ;,, An enormous ' burden ■ had descended on the . shoulders of the Commissioner,' who' had under him no fewer than 432 corps, 950 outposts, and il(iso officers.-;-: Further, than this; the work .of •' the ; - Commissioner : : necessitated • • the ; dealing . with .72 great orgraisatioiis .of 'social reform, comprising the refuges and homes. Tho perplexing question of finance had also, to .be met , and .the thousand and one responsibilities in the way of those who endeavoured'; to : lift the great-fariiily-of our fallen brothers. Dr. Findlay paid a tribute to tho work of Brigadier Bray. He (the: speaker) had .'gone as-far as. to. offer :the brigadier a lucrative '■ position, but. he .had preferred to stay with . the' Army.?; As long as officers of the Army" were prepared to sacrifice their own interest in this way, there tt'as a glorious future before the' Army. The commissioner: was doubly welcome, in that he -brought with, him 1 his wife. (Applause.) ' Mrs. ~Hay had perfoi-med .some great' refuge' work;in the slums': of 'the great metropolis, and her husband camo to .New: Zealand jifter' an apprenticeship of:27'years'. service'in a .cause, which-was' dear to him (the speaker).; He ; came accrcditcd.' by General Booth,, one ; of the kindrat, the. strenge^,. 'arid-:the",most- picturesque' ' figures: that "had . adorned >inodern- times. ; ; -;:, 1 ':

. - In Now Zealand and in other, countries we; were beginning to believe that: true progress lay- in lifting and 'bettering',our men/and women, and not:in" the:accumu : la ting. of millions of pounds '. sterling. There was no nobler agent of social reform of late years than that controlled by. the. Army,.-which- was teaohing the State to, do. its. duty. Too long-the State had stood with arms folded and witnessed human' suffering and its'. evils, ■ but today in-New- Zealand and' elsewhere .the State; was taking lessons from the Army. I-Major .\'Tonng, , representative';of the. women's "social; work, extended a 'loving and loyal.'welcome",'to the Commissioner and ;Mrs.'. Hay, nnd':.assured them of loyal arid 'faithful :siipport in the/.task :bf to tbe word; of sinners.

: .■. Speech' by Mr 0 , R, ; A.* Wright. Mr. 11. A. Wright, M.P.', in"'welcoming the 1 Commissioner, remarked ,• that, nowa- . days, the Army bad come to-bo regarded as quite. respectable :in . Wellington,'; but he remembered the .time when it was not considered .so, . but was ridiculed: and shifted from 1 pillar to post by the polico as /a'nuisance;,in the streets. - Was it. hot a poetic, justice, he asked, that that .evening they had' with'' them -.the, head of the whole police -force of New Zealand, who spoke ;so freely' of the/great reform work of the Army ?. What .w'ould : those ordinary policemen who had shifted, the 'Array say' if they heard .their ,captain,'the Minister for' Justice /V 'say..'the'Army^was,,';,doing : a glorious' w,rirki? v ,' l 'Jt»,was. '.'triumph for : . the Army., "(Applause.)■ • Mr, Wrignt went on ; to deal with 1 : the; gTeat spiritual work done' .bj 'the Army. Looking back initiation!' of o'the'r- Army jn-'-New ■Zealand, ho could say he'. had never 1 seen a,.more - devoted and unselfish band 6f men. and ; women /in; any; organisation in New Zealand:. They taught ;the churches many things—that, the, r ordinary , people off . -the , streets- were worth saving ; that the. men lowest , down, the women of the gutter ,were, capable of being made, good citizens.: Thousands of .'.people ,in .- New Zealand to-day -were . thankful ifor .-'the spiritual: work, of the great : organisation. The -Army taught a high standard of living and a high' moral code, ; to' which men . arid women must subscribe before tliev could bccome soldiers. ■ ■ Mr. J. P., -Luke, -.3^., in a short speech: of welcome,• remarked that'' his heart-was with the Army. As a. ) city councillor, of over twelve years' standing, he' could bear,testimony : toi the., great work the organisation had done in Wellington, ' and .is. still''doing, . socially. and spiritually. .

• Jho Commissioner. ; •( . The .Commissioner -6aid that le' -had been warmly ' and generously; received by the. New Zealand people: Prom his nrrival, - right along,': he - had received , a warm, welcome. , No .doubt people had some curiosity -as • to. who these - people, .'Commissioner and Mrs. Hay, were. He was an-ordinary man. : He-was no angel, although .-his-wife'.was nearly one,,but■ he had' badVabout 28 ' years in the- Army since' - the". v day' ,he was '- touched; by :, the Divine Spirit. '. He was ia Scotsman, and could trace his descent back 700 years, and: conld' remember- that; he had been brought - up: on' porridge, cateohisji, and lickings! '■ ' (Laughter.) i. During the 27 years ho boped liis soul had become* mora sympathetic to those ' who' needed ; sympathy. • Jlis experience had largely been in the Old Country. He had travelled over 22,000 .miles a-year, .-for some years, and, could say he knew-.something-.of ■Army work in the- Old 'Country.' He' had seen:.the''Army under all'conditions in: all parts of England, Scotland, and Ireland. ' He., knew, something' of .what .it was -to''mingle '.with the -great; mass, of; the people who - had been-smitten : and stricken by -.the Devil.V- He , knfew some-: thing,.of:'the' blessing,'■which* came, from' helping to save the Bonis.: of - the .poor, ana he thanked God for the v>'or£he had been: able' to do. The -'speaker 'went on: to speak of-;the inspiring, touch'-of, General Booth.'' Pepple spoke. of what the General, had done, but it would probably. take 50 years to - prdperly estimate' the chai-acter of t'nis groat man. Wo were • too, near .the; mountain at but. let tho mountain bo removed,andw® would recognise■]more -fully what its -size was. This night ■; was ; an, Army .-'gala nightj bnt'the grandest work of the Army was not done on the platform or on tho streets, but amongst the broken creatures without a future and without 'hopei The contact ;with individuals,: .the contact; of soul to soul,'; and trying' .to bring' hope into : these poor people was ' the v great work. . As'.to. the. future, .the Army proposed ...to; ; go.-, on ■;applying .Christianity. It'was ho- good spending time explaining the wounds on • society when they , had no euro to heal them. Tho Army must apply Christianity. ; Though the wound Vas: frightful, tliis oure was; great. 'They would still preach and. teach, go on with their children's homes, ; their.' rescue homes, and inebriates' homes.. He intended to . give his best. attention to these latter. -He' had seen' the homes, for inebriates throughout the;world: It was frightful to-thins when a man had.hopelessly gone. It was a calamity when. a a'. woman was completely gone before this , drink curse. ; He had no plan 'at present to . raise the . salaries of officers; but-'he had no : fear on this score. The spirit of the Army throughout the world excluded the'hireling. : The love of man kept the work going. New Zealand had something ' to' congratulate itself, on in .having •. in. many districts . shaken ,'itself free from the bondage of Btrong drink. They must beep .the. rescue 1 work going, 'and try to help' the lapsed. . The policy of the Army throughout .. Australasia would be to get down to the help of :the sinner, associate- inth .-him, and try to bring him up! . lira, Hay also delivered a short address.