WORK OF SALVATION ARMY

Evening Post, Volume CII, Issue 5, 6 July 1921, Page 2

WORK OF SALVATION ARMY

, RECEPTION OP IMMIGRANTS . COMPLAINT OF WELLINGTON PRESBYTERY. : ,' (F.'.OM OUB OWN CORRESPONDENT.) LONDON, 22nd April. General Booth, Commissioner D. G. Lamb, and Staff-Captain Smith, oil of whom were with the party of Salvation. Army officers who toured New Zealand,' have just returned from a trip to the .United States and 'Canada, . The Presidential election prevented the completion of the tour in these countries last year, and on this occasion they covered the ground previously omitted. They went through the South and far Western States, of the United States and cm through the- North-Western and Central Provinces of Canada, \ The tour lasted eight weeks, during which time theytravelled 16,000 miles and spent forty nights in steamers or trains. The importance of travel, the sup-' planting of correspondence by conversation has mad.c a strong appeal to the officials of the Salvation Army.. "If I were running the Empire I would get people ■ travelling," said Commissioner Lamb, in the course of an interview. "I would not let a man be a Cabinet Minister until he had been round the world, and no man ought to take tys seat,in a Colonial Cabinet until he has been to> Londpn. Contact and conversation are the watchword of the future." The tourists had a remarkable recep-i tion during their journey. Thirty years ago, said Commissioner Lamb, nobody wanted the Salvation Arn\y; now everybody wanted it. General Booth frequently addressed audiences of three: or four thousand. In the Western States,!. however, they had found hundreds of small communities without any spiritual ministration at Some special effort would have £6 be made to meet that need. DESIRE FOR BRITISH IMMIGRANTS. There was a growing disposition in tht> United States to encourage the settlement of the British, in that country, said the Commissioner. They would do a great deal to get the British, rather than other European visitors, to settle there, because of their colonising abilities. That was a new phase. They wanted British .women, too. True, the anti-British element was organised and fairly vigorous, bnt it was a little exag- , gerated in. certain, .quarters. He ; did not see or feel much of-it;--In the United States they realised that the Salvation Army .was international. Jt had in the past been regarded as an English institution, but that was not so now. It would help the, American public"mind to., a world vision: that would be invaluable. .; : •' •■■ ■■■. A PRESBYTERIAN COMPLAINT. Questioned on the' subject of immi-, gration, and especially with regard to the recent discussion, in tSe Wellington Presbytery when the methods adopt-. Ed for the reception of immigrants was designated "an outrage on religious equality," Commissioner Lamb said he was under the impression that it was generally known that the Salvation Army in all its social operations was thoroughly iindenominatipnai, and thus any privilege given to carry out its social service could riot rightly be spoken of as an outrage on' religious' equality. The Salvation ' Army, he said, was the pioneer of conducted emigrant, parties, and when it commenced operations no religious oragnisation so far as he knew was represented at any port of. disembarkation. "Now," continued the Commissioner, "there seems a general desire to participate, and in Canada there . are at least half-a-dozen denominations with offices on the wharves, their business being to link up with' the members of their respective bodies. ', So far, results have not been very satisfactory. There is the usual anxious hustle on landing, . difficulty of identification, etc., and the machinery won't work, or breaks down. To meet this the Presbyterian and the Methodists have particularly studied the methods of the Salvation Army on the home side and have made efforts to link up their members, but somehow the pre-war efforts .lacked cohesion. , The home minister did not want to lose his members, and he look-: ed upon the Canadian, not exaotly""as a sheep stealer, but something akin. The Church 'Committee accepted the principle of co-operation and agreed to recognise the overseas man, but when it came to the actual business it failed. The Salvation Army has every -sympathy with its Presbyterian friends, and will do anything possible to y help irt this matter. The Church is not likely tp lose actual, members, as undoubtedly' these will brine; some credentials from their minister in the Homo Country. DENOMINATION A SECONDARYMATTER. "The *Army is interested in the emigrant first as an individual, the particular section of the Church to which he belongs is a secondary matter.. Its emigrants represent all churches —as a matter of fact, only a small percentago are Salvationists. From a pre-war analysis of ten thousand * Salvation • Army emigrants of whom eight thousand declared their religion, it was found " that 40 per cent, belonged, to the Church of England, 20 per cent, were Presbyterians, 16 per cent, belonged to the Wesleyan, Congregational, and Baptist bodies, 15 per cent, wore Salvationists, 5 per cent. Quakers, and Plymouth Brethren, and 4 per cent; were Roman Catholics. "The Salvation Army," concluded Commissioner Lamb, "h»s no desire tp proselytise, although its officera have often acted as chaplains to ' the ships. Tile method in Canada has been to notify ministers of the various denominations in the town to which the emigrants were going to settle, and thispolicy will be continued in conducting parties to New Zealand,"