WELCOMING A COMMANDER.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLVII, Issue 14292, 11 February 1910, Page 6

WELCOMING A COMMANDER.

THE SALVATION ARMY.

NEW AUSTRALASIAN CHIEF. Commissioner. Hat,' the new commander of the Salvation Army in Australasia, arrived in Auckland from the South yesterday, accompanied by Mrs. Hay, and was accorded a civic reception at the City Council Chambers in the afternoon. The Mayor (Mr. C. D. Grey) presided, and there was a good attendance of citizens, including several of the officers and members of the local division of the Salvation Army. Commissioner Hay hue just completed a tour of the Dominion, and he leaves on Monday next for Sydney. The Mayor, in welcoming the visitor, said there was no doubt that the work the Salvation Army was doing demanded civic recognition, and he was proud to be able to welcome the Commissioner to their midst. He instanced tho People's Palace as an institution which had done much during the past winter in Auckland to alleviate suffering. One of the finest things the Salvation Army had done wa6 to galvanise the other denominations into activity.

Mr. C. J. Parr (chairman of the Education Board), in joining with the Mayor in welcoming Commissioner Hay to the city, said the Salvation Army to-day had spread into no less than 60 different countries, colonies, and dependencies, and its papers and periodicals were published in about 30 different languages. The soldiers of . the Army belonged to no mean order, an order which had done mifeh good in the, world, and by God's blessing would do''much more. . Mr. A. J. Entrican (chairman of the Auckland Harbour Board) and Mr. C. H. Poole, M.P., also welcomed the Commissioner on behalf of the citizens. .

Commissioner Hay, in replying on behalf of himself and his wife, said ho regarded the welcome as a very great honour. They had been in New Zealand only for two or three weeks, but the welcome of the people had been most generous and kindly. The Salvation Army had in the past gone on with their work when apparently 99 per cent, of the people did not want them at all. Some of the heaviest trials of the Army had been in London, and soma of the most bitter words that had been written about them had been written by religious people. They had said that the Army were not fit for the work they had undertaken, .and were vulgar to a degree. The charge of vulgarity had now been largely withdrawn, and people had come to see that, although a man might be rough in exterior, he might still be> a very fine man. spiritually, mentally, and morally. Tho Army was now beginning to be better understood, but, whether, they were understood or not by the people in high places, the Army felt that they must go on with their work of res-cuing the people who had for gome reason or other fallen away from religion. It could not now be said that the Army had nothing to do with the people of New Zealand, but from the manner in which the work of the Army was being carried out, he thought that the Army was now part of the warp and woof of New Zealand. Tho proceedings concluded with three cheers for the Commissioner. THE ARMY'S WELCOME. There was not a vacant seat to be seen at the meeting of welcome which was held at the Army Barracks in the evening, and Commissioner and Mrs. Hay must have been very gratified at the hearty reception accorded them. Prior to the meeting a torchlight procession left the bottom of Queenstreet and preceded by the City and Newton Army Bands, marched to Albert-street. The enthusiasm displayed on all sides was a feature of the gathering. Commissioner and Mrs. Hay in a few well-chosen words thanked the members of the Auckland branch for their many kindnesses, and expressed their pleasure at being in a city ! about which they had both heard so much, ; The attending bands provided music during j the evening.