THE SALVATION ARMY.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXI, Issue 18706, 12 May 1924, Page 13

THE SALVATION ARMY.

ITS GENESIS AND PROGRESS.

FINE TRIBUTE TO FOUNDER.

LECTURE BY GEN. BOOTH.

A gospel meeting held in 1865 in a tentY at the East End of London, ;in a neighbourhood sordid to a degree, was the* genesis of that world-wide organisation, the } : Salvation Army. Yesterday the ; full; story of the growth of this uplifting body was told by General W. Bramwell Booth, to a crowded audience in His Majesty's Theatre. The Minister for Education, the Hon. C. J. Parr, presided. Throughout the lecture there were many points of humour, which in no way detracted from :, ft the Serious side of the general's discourse.

Mr. Parr, in a • short opening speech, paid a high tribute to the work carried on by the Army; . He had, he said, nothing but praise for the schools of the Salvation Army. Recently he visited an Army home in Wellington, where about 40 girls, some orphans, and some abandoned by their parents, were being tramed and made into fine young women. On behalf of the Government he was pleased to say, " General, you are welcome once more; we are glad you have come to urge us on to further work in the great cause." ■< ' : • •

General Booth, who received an enthusiastic reception, said that in wandering about the world he found in every country a place for the Army. As indicating its wide scope, he said they had raised their flag in 79 different countries and states, and work was going on in about 14,000 places. That .work was under the control of between 24,000 and 25,000 officers. They carried on in some 55 languages and that number would be considerably augmented, if they included those smaller African nations whose language had not yet been reduced to writing. The Army now had about 100 newspapers and periodicals. They had established about 36 hospitals, and they had 91 training homes, in which they cared for 5000 children. There were 287 homes • for women, . and altogether 2500 social institutions.

" Army of the Helping Hands." Having unburdened himself of these telling figures, the general, gave his audience a few: of the titles which from time to time had been applied to the army. It had, he said, been called the "Church of the Poor," the "Home for the Lost," the "deep-sea dredge of . the spiritual world," and had been spoken of as "Christianity with its head screwed on right." Also it had been called the "Army of the Helping Hands," and that was the'' title he most liked. This great movement was a reflection of "that grand man, my splendid old father." (Loud applause.) His father, he proceeded, left his own church, because he felt his work was with those • who were outside Christian influence. Then his father began a wandering life around the country to find a way to reach the multitude who had no home and no God. Then came the tent meeting in East London, at an old burial ground, and his father determined to devote h«* life to the poor people. Gradually he gathered round him a company of converts. At that time there was no thought of forming an independent society, the idea being to place their converts with one of the. churches. : But it was found that the converts came back. One factor which had helped the army was that among its converts were certain notorious rascals. Ho would not like to say that had happened in New Zealand, but all the same he thought it had. (Laughter.) That little organisation his father called the East London Mission, but later it became the Christian Mission. The lecturer . here paid a ■ splendid tribute to the part played by his mother in furthering the work among women, to whose influence was due much of the social work of the society. • v The Pounder's. Character. "\ '; The way in which the society became known as the Salvation Army is of singular interest. One of the commissioners of the society, said the lecturer, had drafted a report of the work done. This was read to the founder, and contained the phrase "volunteer army of . working people united together to bless and save their fellows." To the word "volunteer" the lecturer objected, and kia father struck out the word, writing "Salvation" in its stead. The organisation progress**!: on military lines, 'and so the uniform came into ; being, the officers had their , army titles, and the red and golden flag of the Army, with its blue border, was evolved. "This . sounds pretentious; can't you make it simpler That, said the General, was his father's remark when it was first suggested he should take . the title of "General." "Some people," proceeded the lecturer," seemed to think my father was a kind of showman, a sort of religious Barnum. But he was nothing of the kind. He was a most retiring and bashful man by nature, and, as you see, I have inherited that quality. (Laughter.) Any way, he did not object to his name appearing in print as 'William Booth, General,' and he became widely known as 'General Booth.' And he was a real general." (Cheers.) 'In dealing with the Army's rescue work, General Booth emphasised the fact that among the men and women they had helped were some splendid characters who had been, brought back to their positions in life. : '