ARRIVAL OF GENERAL BOOTH.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 11395, 12 April 1899, Page 6

ARRIVAL OF GENERAL BOOTH.

ENTIJUFj-ASTIC RECEPTION.

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INVKRCJAKGILL, Murcli 20. Tho Wnikare, with Gcuevat Hooth, Otimmaniiiint Uoo'th, iirtd skit, and (lie : Fulcrtil. Band on board, arrived at,'the I Uhiil" .at 6 o'clock to-uiglii. after.' a very pleasant passage. , General' Booth, who. after the recent ■ severe attack of (lyyv-ntery was yreritly- t.rieil by tlie intense li'oiit of, Adelaide'and Melbourne, bus been much restored" by the,-cooler, breezes off t'ho New Zealand coast, and.be is sanguine of a successful series of meetings. General 1500t.1i addressed a considerable crowd j»iithcred mi the wharf prior to leaving for ir.MU'cnr^ill. He was received at tlie InvcrcargiU railway station by the Mayor (Mr John Stead), who, on 'buliAlf of the town of Invoi'cargill and the colony of New Zealand, 'welcomed him. The General '■briefly addressed tile great crowd in reply. T/ic Theatre Royal was thronged with an , enthusiastic audience,, who accorded.General j Uooth a warm welcdme. Tlie Mayor presided. TJie General spoke for over an hour, eloquently, lecturing.on "Lessons From My Life," amidst much appiause. ,Thc Federal Bapd played selections at intervals. The General 'afterwards assembled . the Salvationists, /-who bad-come in from all parts lof SouthJ-.tml, and addressed them oiutheir duties and privileges. The General leaves by.tiie express for Dnnedin in the morning.

RECEPTION AT THE RAILWAY STATION.

General Booth arrived by the express from the south on the 21st, and was accorded !> public reception. He was met at the station by his Worship the Mayor (Mr W.. Swan), Cts 'nenniston, Chisholm, .and Clinistojihcr. Messrs' Seobio Mackenzie, M.H.R., w. Brown, W. 8,. Taylor (town clerk). R- Wat'son '(Mayor of Koslyn), and the followins officers of the Army located, in Diinralin :■— Captain Beets, Lieutenant Bessler, Captain. Bloomfield, and Lieuteniint Jaryis. As ?oon as tlie General aliglited fromllie ti-ainlie wan conducted to a carriage in waitiiijr, near the entrance to the western platform. .'Prior to this a very large crowd had collected-on the ovcrliridgo aad in the vicinity of th'e station, all' classes, in the community being \yc}l^represented/ ' ! ',; ■'.i/. i;'1 •■'.-; ■"'.'■■■•."'''>/ ■ V- 11' His AVorsliip the Mayor, spSifcing frorrJ the General's carriage, said: —Sir,—We nrehoro to-day as Mayor and Councillors of Xhmedin to bid you welcome to our lair city, and in doing so we feel that we. are' doing -honour to ourselves and to the citizens o£ Duncdin, and wo are proud of the opportunity that has happened to us of extending to ■you, our greeting and heartiest good wishes. AVe hope that your noble work may continue to.jjvosperj'and that you yourself may be spared to contimio your unselfish, efforts in tho cause of suffering and fallen humanity, an.d to assist and direct the work-of tho Sojlvatiori Army. When we consider the grand and useful'object of the . organisation of.'which you'were'the originator, and yet remain the head—namely, the rnora!. and spiritual lifting-iip »of tho masses—that vast crowd who had .previously pursued their dreary and almost hopeless way largely untended and'tincaretl for—when we consider, the marvellous growth of tho Army, the spirit of self-denial that psrvades ,it, and the vast works accomplished, wo cannot but feel that a higher aid is bciujr • vouchsafed to it than is afforded by mere. humiul* agencies. I understand that the movement was' Originated by yourself in London in 1865, in the face of,, as we all remember, determined and active hostility, and one may say. contempt; but tho good deeds have conquered, and now in 1899 I am told that the operations of the Army are carried on in 47 distinct countries of the wqrld—("Amen V); in fact, one may ,say from one end oi the world to the other. . In each of these countries tho huoßry. are fed, the naked clothed,rand every effort is, made to raise the,fallen ones from th,e rjijrc—-to the number of 26,000. a day.T-("■Hdllolnjah;.") I need not dwell, on this further than to say; that such wqrk must be, and is, God's,work. It is beyond all creed, and party,':and dogma, and peemß to me the fulfilment-of-tho-groat Commandment, "Thou shalt'love thy neighbour as thyself."—("Amen "■). ,1 will only further say that I greet you and welcome you to our city. I trust Hhat. your time, here; may be profitably and pleasantly spent, and result'in the furtherance of.your goodwork, 'and'in increased health and strength to yourself. I wish you long life and prosperity.—("Amen " and " Hallelujah ■"J." ' . ,; " '.' ""'

'General Bpoth, wh6 on rifeing to speak was received with cheers, replied' at Bomo length. Lin the evening General Booth .addressed a very largely attended meeting, at which there were present clergymen of various denominations and representative citizens. '

" Throughout the colony General Booth was accorded a hearty reception.; ~. ■' -■- ■