The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1885-06-06 00:00:00

THE BLLVATION ARMY.

The annual meeting Of the Salvation Army Me
held on Monday evening in Exeter Hall, when
General Bc call delivered an address on "The Rise and
Progress of the Salvation Army." It was just three
yeaise he saida since they opened Sheir Congress Hall,
and they had made a steady and remarkaaleadvance.
During those three years they had beer: tested and
tried in almost every way. They had been tried by
persecutien, and their trials continued. One of the
captains had been sentenced to one montlills-imprisen-
ment in Yeark for singing in the market place, two
officers were just out of gaol in Leeds, and in. Maid-
ford a captain had been sentenced to eight °lye' im-
prisonment for carrying on the operations cr the.
army. In Switzerland thirty of their soldiena were
in prison, and, to show the virulence and hatred or
some towards the army, a policeman threatened.
to summon a captain for praying for him. They,
had just commenced in German Switzerland, and,
were doing very well. In the United States and'
Canada no fewer than 600 Salvationists were suffer-
ing imprisonment. They had been tried by persecu-
tions, by lawsuits, and by deep and abject poverty,
but out of their trials the Salvation Army had come
victorious. As to the results, so far as the outside
world was concerned, they had not been able to please
the devil. He believed the devil hated them more
than he did last year. Ile was sure they had not
pleased the world, but they had not tried to do so.
They had maintained, and did maintain, sound
orthodox doctrine. If the rank and file of the army
were tested, he believed they would be found the
most orthodox Chrisbian organisation on the face
of the earth. During these three years they had gone
steadily forward in the track of holy self-sacrifice
and labour, for the salvation of the worki, and
they had justified all the reasonable expecte-
tations that had been raised concerning them.
Seven years ago the colours of the Army were flying
in two different countries, now they were flying in
seventeen. Seven years ago they had 81 corps, now
they had 1050. Seven years ago they had 127 officers
and paid assistants to carry on this war as leaders,
now they had 2650. Seven years ago they had just
one newspaper, a small monthly magazine; now they .
had 22 separate publications, 19 of which were news-
papers, with a united circulation of something like
half a million per week. If he lived' till 1900 the
Salvation Army would have its great international
world centre temple, in which by telephones and
different plans they should be able to make 50,000
people hear the glorious announcement that the
Salvation Army had at least two million soldiers who
were willing to die for the Lord Jesus Christ. They had
falsified all the fears entertained concerning them, and
amply repaid all the prayers, sympathy, and money in-
vested. The Prime Minister of the Colony of Victoria
had promised to try to induce his Parliament to grant
£lOOO towards the home for the rescue or fallen
woman started by the Salvation Army in that colony.
They were going forward, and had started a column
to go through the villages of England. They were to
have caravans in every county, and they were now
seriously contemplating extending their operations to
China. If war had broken out between England and
Russia they should have been able to offer the Govern-
ment two hundred nurses, on condition that they
should be permitted to nurse English and Russians.
alike. A Salvation navy was about to be started, and a
gentleman had given them a steam yacht one hundred
feet long, by which they would be enabled to go up and
down the coast among the fishermen, sailing into all
the different ports, and making a Salvation sensation
wherever she went. A collection was taken to defray
the cost of prosecuting the work, and a considerable.
sum was contributed.