SALVATION ARMY CHIEF.

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21161, 19 April 1932, Page 9

SALVATION ARMY CHIEF.

GENERAL lIIGGINS LEAVES. TRIBUTE TO DOMINION. A CHERISHED MEMORY. ~ The world commander of the Salvation Army, General E. J. Higgins, concluded a crowded four weeks' tour of New Zealand yesterday, when he sailed with Mrs. Higgins and the members of his personal staff by the Aorangi for Sydney. A rousing send-off was given to the general from Prince's Wharf by officers and members of the various Auckland corps, several hundred of whom lined the balcony of one of the wharf sheds and sang choruses to the accompaniment of a band as the liner left.

Before their departure, General and Mrs. Iliggins forwarded to the Mayor, Mr. G. W. Hutchison, a letter conveying their appreciation of the courtesies shown them during their stay in Auckland. "We can never forget the month we have been privileged to be with the beautiful pcoplo of New Zealand," they wrote. "Mho kindnesses shown to us by all classes of the community from Their Excellencies the Governor-General and the Lady Bledisloe downward will remain as long as time lasts a cherished memory, encouraging us in all our efforts for the spreading of the Kingdom of God and the interests of the sinning and unfortunate everywhere.

"In saying good-bye, be assured of the interest we shall ever take in the welfare and prosperity of New Zealand and the pleasure we shall always feel in rendering any assistance toward her adr vancement and happiness. You may rely upon the Salvation Army in the future as in the past for any service possible of rendering." Rotary Club Addressed. General Higgins received a very warm welcome at the weekly luncheon of the Auckland Rptary Club yesterday. Addressing the members, the general said it always gave him pleasure to attend Rotary gatherings, for Rotary exis.ted to promote good feeling and good causes. Like the Salvation Army, it was an international organisation, helping to bind diverse peoples together and to remove the prejudices and misunderstandings—often very trivial —which stood in the way of human brotherhood. General Higgins said that the gathering was the last of 69 be would have addressed in the course of his four wtiefcs in New Zealand. He had been told by a fellow-passenger on the way from Vancouver that he would meet with great kindness in New Zealand, but he had been warned that its inhabitants would get all they possibly could out of him. This had proved perfectly true. He valued the recognition given to the Salvation Army by business men. The Army specially ministered to "the "down and out," a class which ' New Zealand possessed in much smaller proportion than the crowded cities of Europe and tha United States. Vice and sin produced their own rewards for those responsible, but they also brought misery upon many innocent victims. Science Not Enough. [ '1 he Salvation Army tried to gel at | the cause of the trouble. Much oi its work was merely palliative, but it did not consider any service to be really successful unless the result was the betterment of the individual. That was the Army's real work—to lift the individual into better and higher paths and teach him to look after himself. He had been taken to task for saying that there was a danger that charity might become too technical and scientific, \\hat he had meant was that the task must not he left to sciencn only; the heart must be touched, and science could never do that.

General Higgins spoke of the Army's efforts to bridge the gap between tho criminal, after his punishment, and society. In India, he said, it had charge of 10,000 people who belonged to a definite criminal caste, and the Government had provided . buildings and funds in order that these peonle might live under supervision while they were taught how to earn an honest livelihood. The Salvation Army aimed at doing more preventive work, such as helping underpaid working girls in European cities to live on their earnings arid so avoid falling into a life of degradation. Its anti-suicide work had saved hundreds of lives, and now an experimental bureau or "city of refuge" was being set rap so that people who wished might bring their troubles there and get svmpathetic fidvice and help. New Zealand's Troubles. Speaking briefly of the troubles in New Zealand, General Higgins said he realised that the Dominion was passing through a difficult time, which was made more difficult by her remoteness from the centre of the Empire. He was sure, however, that she had sufficient men of real stamina and moral strength, and that the character of her people would lift her to prosperity and a high place in the British Commonwealth. He would always gladly remember New Zealand and the kindnesses lie had received there. On behalf of the club, Mr. S. J. liarbutt thanked General Higgins for his address.