Hearty Holmes

NZ Truth, Issue 1181, 19 July 1928, Page 6

Hearty Holmes

DENEVOLENCE may be, said to 'be O the outstanding characteristic of Staff-Captain Thomas Edward Holmes, of the Salvation Army, stationed at Auckland. During his thirty-five years of S.A. activities, he must have seen crime, poverty, distress and penitence m all its phases, for there is no denying that those who devote their lives to the more indigent social' stratas come up against the really hard facts of life — without any of Its pretty

trimmings or more flowery ideals, such as are incubated by the well-fed and warmly- clad. In spite of this, Captain Holmes has contrived to preserve his optimistic outlook on life and still carries, written m his features by the hand of time, the cheering message that there is always hope around the corner, with the possibility of reform m the most debased or unfortunate. . This cheering outlook on life it is that gives

him the courage to carry on, meeting all ' men with a smile, a joke or some helpful words of advice and encouragement. : He dispenses smiles, deals with men as men, and not as brands from the burning; can be smooth or rough, as occasion requires, and can be said to be perfectly convinced that his efforts towards the betterment of his fellows will, however indirectly, bear some fruit.