TO BUILD UP MEN.

Evening Post, Volume LXXIX, Issue 74, 30 March 1910, Page 2

TO BUILD UP MEN.

WORKING FOR HUMANITY. SALVATION ARMY'S MISSION. INTERVIEW WITH COLONEL BRENGLE. A man with a mission is Colonel S. L. Brengle, of the Salvation Army, who has come all the way from New York across the American Continent and the Pacific Ocean to carry on evangelistii. work in Australasia. He has just concluded a tour of the South Island, and is opening to-night a week's campaign in Wellington, preparatory to visiting different parts of the North Island. He will sail from Auckland for Sydney and continue his mission in Australia. The Colonel has been for many years associated with the Salvation Army. Educated in Boston, a student of theology at the Boston University, he is an example of the b.est type of cultured New Englander. Before he joined the Army he was pastor of a Boston Church in the days when the new movement was exposed to all manner of insult, contumely, ridicule. Every man's -hand was against them then. The legislatures legislated against them, the press attacked them, the churches preached a crusade against them, the police clapped them in gaol, and the "toughs" of the towns offered them personal violence. The Colonel himself was nearly killed by a brickbat, and lingered for some time in danger. "Things have changed since then," said Colonel Brengle, with a smile. "Now/ we have the express approval of the President himself and most of the people." A VAST ORGANISATION. Though connected more intimately with the spiritual than the social work of tho Salvation Army, Colonel Breitgle was able to give some indication of the vast organisation of the institution in tho States. He mentioned the Rescue Homes, the Prison-gate Homes, the "Elevators," the People's Palaces, found in nearly ail the large cities. Of roost of the institutions there are examples here, only on a much smaller scale. Generally, the work of the Army in the States has proceeded along the lines of General Booth's "Darkest England" scheme. Though poverty was not so prevalent in the States as in England, there were still many dark spots in the great cities like New York and Chicago. A feature of the work was "The Industrial Homes Company," a branch of the Army, floated into a company in characteristic American manner. Throughout the States were Army stores established in fifty or sixty towns for the Bale of provisions and clothing to the very poor at the lowest possible rate. Theru was nothing like pauperisation in this, as the stores were run on a businesslike basis. The vastnees of tho territory and the immonsity of tho population that the Army officers had to administer had, said the Colonel, developed men of extraordinary executive ability. This svas recognised by great corpoiations, who had offered the Army admi listralors, in several instances, large sums "to come over and help them." The Mayor of Cleveland, fqr example, the chief magistrate of a city of over half a million inhabitants, made a proposition to ona Aimy officer to undertake the administration of the Police Department of the city at a salary of over £1500 a year. Needless to say, the offer was refused. "We nro not working for 'graft,'" said Colonel Brongle. Speaking on the same topic, the Colonel attributed much of the marvellous success of General Booth to his capacity for "discovering" men. In this respect he was like Andrew Carnegie : he gathered round him a band of young cntijusiabts and brought out the best in them by his own magnetic influence. He gave them positions of responsibility to hold, and kept- them always in good heart by his own example. It was in the courage and ability of these men that the future of the Salvation Army lay when the great General passed away from his life work. Tho organisation was now complete and in the hands of men who could carry it on successfully. The chief of staff, Mr. Bramwell Booth, was himself a man of great energy and administrative capacity, with a large knowledge of detail EMIGRATION SCHEMES. On tho question of the Salvation Army's emigration nrhemes, Colonel | Brengle had something to say. Interested I parties had, he said, attacked the schemes, but had been able to prove nothing against them. People spoke of the dumping of paupers, undesirables, and unemployable*, but what were the fact*? Under the auspices of the Army some 60,000 emigrants had gone to Canada, and it was shown on investigation that lew than one per cent, of these were failures. The men were very carefully selected in the first place at the Immigration Department in London. On the steamer an officer of the Army travelled with tho emigrants, finding out their different capacities, with a view to establishing them in proper places. Only | healthy people were sent out at all. So lon the emigrant trains across the J Prairies thero were other officers, who , saw that their chargea were suitably placed. Thus the emigrants knew ju.st I where to go. Colonel Brengle thought lh« Kchemo might be given a trial in Australasia. An an evangelist for the Army Colonel Brenglo has travelled far and wide. He \vai« in the English Training Home in 1887, but it was not till 1904 that he j left his work in America to visit Europe • agnin. He was present at the International Army Congress held in Paris that year, and General Booth was so ! much impressed with the Colonel's ad- I dresses there that he commissioned him to travel over the different countries of Europe on an evangelistic mission. In this caparity the Colonel wont through Northern Europe, preaching the gospel [of humanity. He wns ningulnrly successful, especially in Finland nnd Scandi- , navia. In Finland the cause was first taken up by a nobleman of Helgingfors, who throw himself heart and soul into the vork. Finland is now a stronghold of the Army, which is thoroughly reI preeentattve of all classes of society — of the arintocrncy n» well an the commonalty. So ih Bwcdcn and Norway, the people recognised the universal appeal of the mission, and joined as helpers in | great numbers. The Colonel has a j great admiration for the Norwegians, j whom he styled a noble-hoarted people, i "Get thorn for your colonists, and you ■ onn't do better, he added with local ' allurion. Other' forms of' the Army's work were patted under review — tho great farms in I America, so highly commanded by English investigators like Mr. Rider. Haggard ; the Children's Home*, tho Prisongate, and Indiißtrinl Homes. Ho was mirpriaod to hear of any opposition to the establishment of such institutions. He knew of no Fuch experience! in the States or oh the .Continent of Europe. The social work of the Army was very great, but he considered the spiritual influence still greater. He referred in particular to the impartial testimony of Harold Begbie's recent book. "TwiceBorn Men," giving examples of a ceries of converiions among tho very worst

classes in the- slums of London. "After all," said he, "we are here not so much to build up an institution as to build up men."