SALVATION ARMY’S WORK

Taranaki Daily News, 2 November 1926, Page 4

SALVATION ARMY’S WORK

INFLUENCE IN MANY LANDS PROBLEM OF SOUTH AFRICAWHAT DOES THE FUTURE HOLD? A travelled man with wide experience in many lands, Commissioner Hay, 0.8. E.. the new commandant of the .Salvation Army in New Zealand, delivered an interesting address to the New Plymouth Rotarians yesterday on some aspects of the work of the Army in the British Dominions, and some of the problems facing these Dominions today. In view of the reports recently received regarding conditions in South Africa, the commissioner’s impressions of the future destiny of that country were of particular interest. Forty-four years ago, when only 18 years of age, he started work in the Salvation Army, said the commissioner, and as his hearers probably knew the work had proved to be widespread and of a very complex nature. Some considered that the activities of the army were chiefly centred in street work, but this was only a part of the work. Other branches of its activities were social work and the erection and maintenance of homes and institutions, migratory work, involving the taking of people from the congested parts of the world to the more sparsely populated parts, and work in succouring the needy. In short, the. army was trying by the right processes to destroy the things that might lead to the destruction of people. The extent of this work during the last 60 years had been immense, and though England was the home of the army, the work was not in any way confined to England, but was worldwide.

The Salvation Army in England was to-day a third stronger than when General Booth was alive, continued tho commissioner, which disproved the allegation made by some critics that when the general died the army’s vitality and influence would wane. On the contrary, the army was advancing steadily. In Great Britain alone, the membership of the army was increasing annually by between '6OOO and 7000. There were over 6000 officers in various pars of the world who did nothing else except social work, and their work in this respect made them much in demand- In Australia, at the request of the Government, they were doing splendid service •n women’s prisons and apiongst reformatory girls, • Detailing the activities of the army in the different Dominions of the Empire, the speaker stated that in Canada the social and migration work was wonderful. Over 136,000 people had already been taken from Great Britain to Canada, and not more than a half per cent, had proved failures. This was largely because they were all taken to the country and not to the towns. There had recently been much discussion on the question of Canada’s possible secession from the Empire, but the speaker believed that this was not likely at present. When in Canada on May 23 he had suggested to a Canadian the possibility of Canada going Over to the United States, and the latter had replied: “Wait till to-morrow,” which was Empire Day. “There had been a great demonstration of loyalty on October 24, and the spirit of allegienee to the British Empire seemed unmistakable. MISSIONARY WORK IN INDIA. Turning to India, the Commissioner said that though there were very great problems of government and from an economic point of view, the British nation as a whole had every reason to be thankful for the work done by the missionaries in India. The power of the missionary was marvellous, and his influence for good was very marked. Four years had recently been spent by the speaker in South Africa, and there he found a grea complexity of people and of problems. During the course of travelling from 18,000 to 20,000 miles each year over South African territory, he had been able to get a fairly accurate ineight into the life of the people. Between Cape Town and the Zambesi River there lived over 0,000,000 natives, and there were amongst the white people both British born and Dutch born nationalities. Religion played a big part in the destiny of the people, and the social aspect was an important one, but the question of colour bar was the greatest problem of all. Should the native be developed and educated up to a certain point and then stopped'l “You may drive my motor car, but you may not be a machanic,” was the attitude towards the native adopted by a number of the white menOver 200 schools for black people had been established, and every native was taught his own tongue as well as English. Native children 14 years of age were passing examinations, and some of the white inhabitants with a short vision were thinking: “Where do ray children come in?” Others with longer vision were saying: “We must all fit in some how.” Hertzog, the present Premier and leader of the National Party, the extreme Dutch party, was in favour of a segregation policy that would push the black man back and keep him there. GENERAL SMUTS OPINION. The speaker felt, however, that this could not succeed, for no segregation policy in the world had been successful. General Smuts’ opinion was that South Africa must not take her standard fr.,m America, Australia or New Zealand, but must make her own standard, and''has . South Africa must make the natives ' part of the w T hole community, even it it took 200 years. The General felt. however, that though the two faces must be kept intact they must be kept separate, and the white and black blood should not be mixed. Each race should be developed economically. His hearers might hardly credit it, but Bolshevik influences were at work amongst the natives, said the Commissioner, and the natives were beginning to ask why this and why that with regard to the white man. The Salvation Army officers believed that the white men must guide the native and not repress or choke him. In a book entitled “Hail to the King,” an author named Nicholls had portrayed a dream in which the black men were represented as on strike. Two or three million natives had gone to some spot where grain to keep them alive had carefully been stored, and there they sat down and said to the white men: “Work South Africa for a year without us!” It was only a dream, and improbable of realisation, but it showed how some minds

were working. Some people suggested that. South Africa would sever her connection with the British Empire, but he thought this was an extreme view, and he hoped it would not materialise. The British Empire, in his view, stood for the highest ifieseago that any empire had ever given to collected peoples. AUSTRALIA LACKING RELIGION. With reference to Australia the Commissioner said that he had had considerable experience in that country, and had been there throughout the war years. There were ten Salvation Army social institutions all doing good work, but he feared that Australia was from some standpoints like some other countries of the world—trying to get on without religion. He believed she could not succeed if she did that. Others besides the speaker knew that France had weakened as she paid less and less attention to religion. There were many parts of Australia where seven out of eight people never went to a place of worship, and this was very regrettable. In conclusion the Commissioner expressed his pleasure at finding in New Zealand that the army was established in 240 places, and that there were a largo number of social institutions. Marvellous work was being done, and he was impressed that New Zealand was out to help the army in these matters for the good of the people. The Salvation Army was young—only 62 years old—and when it was further developed there was no doubt that It would be a better influence even than it was to-day.