The Dorset County Express and Agricultural Gazette.
Dorchester, Dorset, England, 1882-12-19 00:00:00

POOLS.

OPZEING OF THZ New " BARRACK:3" 01, THE SAL-
VATION A nut. —On Sunday the first of a week's
prise, e lin.is to connection with the opening of a new
Assembly-room or '' Ba,racks." as the ' soldiers "
prefer to call it, took place at the hall. It is a large
'darn building 4:st:table of accommodating more PriiiP e
than any other public room in the town, end it has a
somewhat imp .sing front with the trade-meik, or
whatever it can hi, called, of the Army painted over
the principal entraniee. Toe day was commenced
with a knee-drill, atter which there was " tiring of
artillery" -0 tile tj toy, one p ,rtion of the proararime
being the mart:Wog of the army rouud and round in a
ring, very much atm the style of children playing
" Here we go round the Mulberry tree." A prows.
,ion was then forme I to the bairacke, minty...ion to
which Rai by ticket; but, as there wore, after the
arrival of thoee with their pa...as, plenty of vacant
seat., the dots were thrown . peo tr thorn) " fishing
fellows," as " Coiumismoner" itaxtuo de.ignated
them, from the Quay, and before the c 'usu.
went of the provnettin.is the hall may be soil
to have been comfortably Idle I. At one en
of the room is a gallery, and at the other a
platform, behind which rise tiers of seat., devoted
to the accommorietlon of the saved. We should think
about :100 " soldiera " occupied these seats, most of
them w,aring some distinguishing badge or eccentric
ciaturne. Many of the females were adorned with
regulation bonnets, about as ugly a structure as can be
imagined, slack, perfectly plain, and an admixture
the Dully-Vardeu and the old Coal-Scuttle abmies ;
with regulation jackets and drmsem equally Puritan-
ically fret from worldliness in cut or colour. Among
the men were to be sewn individuals, dotted here and
there, wearing rod worsted Gueruneys of true "blood'
Colour, and with the words "Salvation Army" worked
in "fiery " yellow across the chest. Others wore more
military and leas bufforuish uniforms, in fact, they
ware Many different ones, fur the General, who hal a
remit: kable aptitude for tradiug, is continually
danguing new fashions ; iu fact, with his
generalahip he coulloiues the functions of a
Salvation Worth. Even those who could out
boast any elaborate uniform, for the MUst
part wore round their necks the Army handkerchief.
On the platform, seate 1 at the Wale, were hire.
General Booth, "Commissioner" Railtou, ant Alder-
man Norton, • great supporter of the movement, and
who, we believe, has advanced most of the money for
the erection of the building. For in spite oh the
enormous sums, which yearly flow into the c dere of
the Gencral, these halls have to be erected by local
efforts. Tne awoke, if it may be designated such,
°period with one of the Salvation hymns sung to a
catehing tune to the accompaniment of a number id
tambouriues (alao to be obtained of the Gen-ral),
fiddles, and flutes, and given with an ear splitting
gusto that must have satisfied 'the Commissioner,"
who requested his hearers to " open their mouths at
it." This was followed by one or two short prayers,
from male and female soldiers, and then Mrs.
"General" Booth preached a very feeling and
practical Evangelical discourse. Al ter a prayer
imtead of singing, she made a few allusions to the
Army, remarking that when she began that work
24 years ago she fever thought she would final herself
at the heal of a great national movement. Sbeadvissd
the Church to thr it, exclusiveness, and to turn
their attention to the work which they had neglected,
but which the Army made it, object., draggiug people
out of the gutter, and thou it might aubieve incalcule
able blessiug• People might laugh at their (Jonah
pruc iediugs—if they liked t term them so—but as lung
al they answered their legititn.ty purpose and were
lawful, they were determined to Um them, and fur.her
they were inventing fresh ones every day. Mrs,
Itioth is • fluent awl a luairable speaker, and iu the
Army phraseology drew forth " miles" of me/sitting
utterances. It is, perhaps, needless to say the usual
collection ("Bowe/ the sersices were cootiuued
during the afternoon aril evening.