“GOD’S SOLDIER”

Gisborne Times, Volume LXXXII, Issue 12528, 13 April 1935, Page 9

“GOD’S SOLDIER”

WILLIAM! BOOTH AND HIS SALVATION ARMiY,

WAS HE OF JEWISH BLOOD?

'Ninety years ago Wiliam Booth was a penniless, sickly, pawnbroker’s apprentice in whom blazed the fierce fire of evangelism. His daughter, Evangeline Booth, fourth General' of the'Army he founded, has reached Australia on her first'visit. It is timely rhat there should have arrived in Melbourne the most- exhaustive and authoritative history of the Salvation Army ,-ye't written. Mr St. John Irvine has- required ■ two volumes, each about. 600 pages, to paint a- glowing picture of .Booth the man/and of the foundation find growth of the mighty force of Christian soldiers of which he became the General.

Will'am Booth was in all respects the direct oppos'te of his-father Samuel, who was an unsuccessful boriness man,'/‘whose. ambition outran his ability.” It is possible that he had Jewish blood from his mother. In his old age he looked like a handsome rabbi. Although they were not destitute, it was necessary that the members of the family .should begin to earn their living as soon as possible. William became a pawnbroker’s apprentice in Nottingham, ■ in England, alter a brief .schooling at a ‘‘select academy” in Nottingham. It was from behind the counter of the shop that William acquired his first intimacy with the precarious existence of the poor, and with the misery which his Army was, later to do so much to relieve. He resolved Ip's troubles, as bo in later days would •have put it by surrendering himself to God. He was nearly 15. He attended a Wesleyan chapel, and he haunted tfiblo cl a ssen. It was a haij year, in which the spectacle of children crying in the streets lor broad was common. The conversion of the lad. was not accomplished in a night, although ho passionately wished to he “saved.” His contumacy in the presence of Christ puzzled him until suddenly lie realised the cause of it—an almost forgotten sin had held him from salvation. It had to be repented publicIv before he could receive .signs or God’s grace:— “In a boyish trading affair I had managed to make a profit out of my companions while giving them to suppose that what 1 did was all in the way of generous fellowship. As t.esfci.mony of their gratitude they hnj, given me a silver pencil-case.” He could not comfort himself with the counsel of God until he had found the youth whom ho had wronged and had confessed his wickedness. TnE FHI ST SEE MON He was aged about 17 years, * hen, as suddenly as he had surrendered himself ,to God, he found his tongue. Ho preached his first .sermon in a cottage in Kid street, Nottingham, at S o’clock at night. It was' not- long before he began to seek greater congregations in the streets. During one of his open-air sermons he received what was, perhaps-, his first insult. A man who had .stopped to listen shook his fist and shouted, -‘You liar! You liar!” Booth looked at him and said, •in a soft, kindly voice, “Friend, it was for you Ho died; stop and be saved, ill- Irvine adds the following comment: —“He was to be insulted many rimes in his. life, and his followers iwere to be brutally assaulted in eveiy country in which they preached, hut the.' manner in which bo and they received abuse and insult never varied from the way in which his first insult wa-s accepted-” Booth was made to suffer because ef his strict Sabbatarianism. He was willing to begin work a second after the clock had struck at midnight. on. Sunday and to continue to work until it struck at midnight on Saturday, but not one minute would he work -on Sunday. His pawn broking employer jit it him into the street, hut relented Tater’and re-employed him. When his apprenticeship had been served he was 'dismissed, and his mother, now a widow with » large family, was desperately poor. She .sold tapes and toys, while young Booth "wandered foi a vear, in search of work, praying, preaching, succouring the . rick, and studying the writings of evangelists. Ulthnatelv he went to London, where he had neither .home nor friends. He obtained work in a pawnshop in Walworth. He was constantly ill, but he .undertook enormous tasks slaving long hours in the shop and walking miles at night to attend and preach at prove? meetings. The chronic dyswhlc.h afflicted him for most .of his life was the result-, doubtless, of those arduous clays, when, insuffici-ently-fed and clad, he panted homeward through the pawnshop door, only just in time to avoid being locked out.

AIEETTNG WITH CATHERING

During this time the force which govern lives of men and women was bringing William Booth and Catherine Mumford along closely ■converging linos to a meeting place. Unlike Booth, Catherine was a child of a moderately prosperous father, but, like Booth, her health was frail, and, like him, she was a devout Chris'tian. They met first at a meeting of persons who were anxious toi reform the' Methodist Church. Booth had been disappointed in an \ attempt to become a Methodist minister, and, in fcis - despair, he hafl thought for * time of going to Australia as chaplain of a convict ship. Booth’s greatest Jfrihrid and. helper at this time was jEdward Harris" Rabbits, a . leadii*?jay member of the, Reformers, and s svell-to-'do boot manufacturer. ■ ■ suggested that Booth should abandon

pawnbroking for preaching, and he mtaintained him by providing him with 20/- a week. Booth had -suggested only 12/-. At one -of the first meetings at which he preached Booth fell in love with Catherine, who was much impressed by his dramatic- recital of an appalling poem, entitled, “The Grogseller’s Dream.” It was several years, before they wero -able to marry. On June 16, 1555, when they were both aged 26 years thev began and adventure which might have 'daunted them had they known to what distress it was to- lead. After a honeymoon of one week The TfFTde and bridegroom went t° Guernsey to lead a religious revival. ■ The account of the years which followed is filled with stories of their epic courage and unquenchable evangelistic fire. Both were frequently ill, and they were often in need. Catherine, despite -her over-growing family, entered the pulpit, arousing t-bc anger of all the Churches of the day, and together they preached and converted sinners from one end of England to the oilier. They left the Church and contimftvl their work alone, living on the proceeds of meagre collections. They were never in one place for long and they had no home -of their own. AVithout a tremor Catherine, a sick woman, went alono to the shims inhabited by -semi-savages, and began the work among drunkards an<d outcast women which was later to be one of the most important operations of the Salvation Army. Finally they founded a mission in Whitechapel, London which so impressed the .Evangelisation Society that they received a weekly grant, which grew very quickly to £l4. £IO.OOO REFUSED. As an example of Booth’s autocratic courage it is recorded that at this time he refused an offer by Henry Eeefi, a Tasmanian sheepbreeder, of £IO,OOO with which to build a. hall, and of a pension for himself and his wife, because Booth had resolved that he would not he dominated by any human being. He refused financial security for himself, his ailing wife, and hi,si eight sickly children, because he wished to master to be master of his own mission—and of his own destiny. He began to plan his campaign for the establishment of his mighty army, but he was determined not to endanger its success by starving his wife and family. He established soup kitchens under the generic title, “Food-for-tbe-Million-Shops,” in which hot soup could be obtained and a- threecourse meal could be had for sixpence.

In 1872 the manager or these shops was? the boy Bramwell Booth,' who, even then, showed signs of the marked business ability which characterise dhis later life. For several years shops provided the -Booths with the money with which to advance their campaign. The stages by which the Christian Alission became the Salvation Army are not clearly defined, but Air Ervine gives much of the credit for laying the foundations of the disoipJinedoranisation to Bramwell Bcoth arid to the Rev. Launceot Railton, a Methodist who had been disappointed in the hope that he would be able to evangelise Africa. In these two, he says, the general fount! his staff. Recruits were rallied to the banner, and the attack on..the. Evil One was extended to many fronts. One of these was Elijah Cadman who, with his wife, had been a member of a Hallelujah -band, the members, of which had even pelted with offal in the streets, and had been abused because of their habit of appearing in red shirts. Cadman wa& a “hot gospeller/’ A contemporary description of him says that he was like a “jack-in-the-box gone mad; on the platform, off_tho plafbrm, on. a form among ihe people and on the platform rail.” Cadman was a gay and gffme man—an, ex-chimney sweep. Ho was pioneer of many of the methods which made the Salvation Army offensive to. cultured people.

THE HALLELUJAH Alt At Y

The next step in the campaign was the Hallelujah Army, with bands and religious words set to- popular tunes, which aroused the ire of people who complained of religious rowdyism. "Such people,’-’ says Mr Ervinc, “could not understand that these humble men and women were so familiar with the Almighty that He seemcjQ to be continually and personally in their company, with whom they could converse on the most trivial topic and in everyday language.” Prosecutions were launched on various charges, and fines were imposed and paid-, , ■ _ ■ After many vicissitudes and internal struggles, from which William Booth emergad triumphant, as the undisputed head of his organisation, the • Salvation Army received its name, ? Ope morning in William Booth’s

bedroom, he, Bramwell Booth, and Bailton were discussing an article which Bailton had written .for the “Christian Mission Magazine”—the precursor of the “AVar Cry”—in which he referred ‘ to'.“a volunteer army.” Bramwell, observing the sentence, said, “Here, I'm not a volunteer. I’m a. regular or nothing.” William Booth scratched out the word “volunteer” and substituted “Salvation. ” Be became the autocrat of all Salvationists by deed pell, and the world became his parish. The. movement spread throughout Europe to the British Dominions, and to the United States. From everywhere came reports of brands plucked from the burning, persecution and beating of the Salvationists Officers and soldiers were sent to prison. All carried on bravely. Gradually it was re cognised it was useless to talk to men and women about their souls when their .souls were occupied by thoughts of empty stomachs. Booth began relief work among the poor, and extended his work among the unfortunate. Among the first to 'do this work successfully was Major James Barker, who was in command of the Army in Melbourne. In 1884 he established a Woman's Bcscue Home in Melbourne, and he'was the first Salvationist to begin prison gate rescue work .The magistrates of Melbourne were the first to allow delinquents the option of going to the Salvation Army Homo instead of to prison. Booth was delighted to follow this example, .and he established -similar organisations in London. Tho steady growth of the Army throughout, tho world, in .spite of many handicaps and much strife, and of one serious court case in which Bramwell Booth—entirely innocent—was involved; Booth’s emigration plans wore successful; aud the death of Catherine Booth after her magnificent life of courage and devotion are . dealt, with at length by Air Trvine. Booth’s triumph over flifficult : es at last made him a tremendously popular public personage, and vastcrowds went to bear him preach. When hi.s health began to fail his indomitable courage carried him n-n. He was determined to die fighting. When he lay dying, fad, blind, and barely able to speak, his mind was full of thoughts for the future of tho Army which he had raised to evangelise the world. He died on October 20. 1912. Sixty-five thousand people filed past hi, s coffin as ho lay in State, and 3-5,000 attended his memorial service. Millions throughout the world mourned his loss.