SALVATION ARMY.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIII, Issue 10730, 29 June 1906, Page 4

SALVATION ARMY.

The Salvation Army Barracks Avas crowded last night when thc annual meeting m connection with the social work Avas held. His Worship the Mayoi presided over the gathering and Avith him on the platform were Revs. Paterson and Chatterton, Messrs W. A. Barton, S.M., W. L. Clayton, H. Adair, Cis Webb aiid Whinray. The singing of "Onward Christian Soldiers" opened the proceedings, Avhich Avas followed by the Rev. Patterson leading m prayer. Apologies were received from »Rev. Parry, Messrs Darton, W. D. Lysnar, Peckover, T. Adair, Col. Porter, a number of whom showed their sympathy Avith the work by enclosing substantial cheques. The Chairman said it seemed a very short time since they were there at a similar gathering. He proceeded to speak of the Avonderful work the Army Avas accomplishing, the Prison Gate Brigade .and all the other methods the Army had adopted to assist those Avho had fallen into sin and crime. It ay.is indeed a very remarkable institution. They knew many case where people Avho had been confined m gaol, and the Army had taken hold of them and kept them m charge and sent them to other places where work Avas provided for them. It Avas one of the Avorks that they put their Aery heart and soul into. It was not m going up and down thc street with a band, but m going round assisting those who needed assistance that the Army's Avork consisted. It was an excellent institution indeed, and its aim and object was to better their position here and ensure their safety hereafter. The Army deserved all the support that it Avas possible to give them. The Rev. Chatterton dealt Avith the social problems that the Army Avere coping Avith, from Avhich civilisation did not set them free. The time had not yet come for the devil to be chained, and so j long as he went about like a roaring lion | they Avould have those problems m their | midst. The Salvation Army stood for the religious side m dealing Avith the problems of social difficulties. The State could only touch the outside of these and must look to Christianity to meet the need of the inside. The Army was recognised by the State as that body which could do the Avork. The essence of true religion and its work was sympathy and purity m regard to oneself. The Salvation ' Army endeavoured, to carry out those two principles. The social side of their Avork Avas the carrying out of the first of those principles, sympathy. By taking up the social side of the work it was endeavouring to carry out thc great principle Avhich was enunciated over 1800 years ago. Mr Chatterj ton had always admireu the work of the I Army, for the courageous personality of I its officers, and for its pertinacity m that work. The work Avas a most discouraging one, and Avas it not for the patience linked Avith faith he was sure that the work could not be carried out lik;e it was. Those Avho had read the report of the social Avork m Australasia, he Avas sure Avould agree Avith him, that the amount of Avork done by the Army filled them Avith admiration.

The Rev. Paterson . spoke on the subject of social salvation. The president of the Board of Trade, John Burns, had said lately that religion m the future could only keep its. hold on men m so far as it vied with polities and other philanthropic agencies. Mr Paterson said that what a Avorking man needed most of all was Christ. "We Christian ministers," declared the speaker, "miss our mark when we forget ourselves, or let our hearers forget, that after all the greatest evil "of man is not his pains but his sins, and until you save a man's soul you have not permanently changed him." A changeu environment would not produce a changed man, but a changed man would produce a changed environment. The highest Christian philosophy was regeneration. He admired politics m a mild sort of a way and he admired education m not a mild sort of a way, but he was convinced that the Millenium would not be brought m by legislation or education, but by Christian people going m and out helping those who needed assistance. The greatest workers for humanity had been the men' and women who had lived near the Cross. He was convinced that though Christianity never had more foes, it never had more friends. Despite the opposition Christianity was never so powerful as it was to-day." Mr Paterson declared he would sooner stand by one man, with God at his side; though all the world were against him. Speaking on the social work Capt. Slattery said the Salvation Army was justified for its existence by the necessity there was for it, and by the capacity it had shown for dealing with the miseries that existed among mankind. The Army was m existence to save those who may be designated the lost of all classes and grades of society. It was adrag net dragging for the dregs of humanity, taking hold of them, rejuvenating them and converting them into use ful citizens and Christians. The Army was going down and taking a deepei hold, so that it might accomplish a bet ter work. William Booth, thc lover of humanity, was still the Army's founder and head, was still full of vitality and administrative activity, was still a man of boundless energy and almost sleepless industry, was still the indefatigable General, dashing over continents, racing through the country m motor cars, preaching to thousands, and with the stupendous weight of the Army upon him. He was. doing these things at the great age of 78, and he had built up imperishable monuments, to his fame— rescue homes, prison gate homes, shelters, labor and emigration schemes, the reform of thousands of poor outcasts, and their visible transformation into active agents for good. The Army was world-wide; its drum beat circled the earth, therefore it was possessed of extraordinary power of carrying out schemes that would fail under less favorable circumstances. In these lands the Army "had a network of social institutions through which its members were going down and were grappling with. the desperate problems of the submerged. The Prison Gate Brigade could claim that it represented an. honest effort to benefit the prisoner m a practical and permanent manner. During the years of its existence it had been to a large extent experimental, since the officers who have composed the brigades have had to make a study of what to them has been a new system. But the results have been beyond all expectations. To-day they had a well-trained and permanent staff of officers operating a well-tried and successful system, and with a plant that afforded every facility for the accomplishing of the work m hand. They could not measure thc results of the work beincr done through the Prison Gate Homes! The rescue homes and prison gate home 6 for women were adjuncts to the Police Court. Very often Police Magistrates were m a quandary as to know what to do with women who were not bad enough to go to prison, and yet needed some sort of confinement • it was tli-eti that they handed them over to the Army, whose officers were always m attendance at the Police Court. The rescue officers, were a noble band of women who were always ready to goanywhere, at any tme, to tackle the most uncongenial tasks, if they could only divert thc steps of one of their fallen sisters from the path of ruin. The fact that their maternity homes were nearly always full was not. a matter of much gratification.' The homes, however, were an unfortunate necessity. It was some satisfaction to know that every effort was being made to transform and to save the minds and hearts of the inmates from future vice and degradation. Those, who assist distressed women of that character have an unquestionable claim upon the community for -the ways and means to carry on that work. The common claims of humanity demanded that assistance be given to a woman m that, the greatest hour of distress. The children of shame also had some claim upon the commiseration of the community, who came into the world not of tbeir own freewill or volition, and should receive that consideration and attention that is due to tlieir utter helplessness, if these children were to live and become citizens of New Zealand, and the Commonwealth. These were mighty considerations that the Army recognised m their efforts to keep open such institutions.

Mr W. L. Clayton stated it Mas the first time he had been invited to 'such a meeting and he sincerely hoped it Mould not be the last. He always respected the Army, especially that g*eat man, General Booth. At the start Some 32 years ago, he had many difficulties to face, but General Booth worked his way up, and now the influence of the Salvation Army M-as felt m all countries. Thc cause of his great success was not nis ie-. ligious life or his oratory, it was the charity that M-as m the heart of that great man. The Salvation Army Mas a success and doing good work m Gisbprne. If they M'ent to the slums of the gieat cities there they would appreciate M'liat the Army was doing. Iteneral Booth would live m the hearts of the poor, and as he had been honored by the King so he would be honored by the poor section of the community. Mr Whinray m an appropriate speech also dealt Avith the question of chanty. Charity M-as the greatest of all- virtues, and he believed 1 that the Salvation A. my M-as thc greatest means of 'reform that Mas m existence. It was deserving of the support of every right thinking individual. Those unfortunates who lad sunk down into deep degradation and.

crimo Avero taken by tho right hana 1 of fellowship m Christian charity oy the Army. The Lord's work consisted of true charity, and for that thc Army deserved their heartiest sympathy. Company songs by thc Army songsters and music by thc band added greatly to tlie enjoyment of the meeting. Capt. Slattery asked for a hearty vote of thanks to thc Mayor for presiding over tho meeting and those who had spoken, which was carried by acclamation, and the gathering terminated with the Benediction.