The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1883-06-30
THE sALvAIIoN AnMY.
a Good Word From One Who hRi
watched Its Work.

L
watched Its Work.
To the Editor Of he Iateslioencr.
SiR-In glancing hastily over the col
umns of the INTELLIGENCER this morning
noted an item in reference to meetings
held at Bellaire by the Salvation Army.
am sorry 10 see thespirit it seems to man
ifest towards them. have waited a long
time for some one more able than myself to
speak in their defense, but will attempt,
from the standpoint that 1 occupy to give
you my impressions rs to who these pee
Pile are, and what they are doing. When
| the little company OF officers cameito this
city early in the spring to hold meetings,
determined to go and see and hear tor
myself, as to whether what / had heard
and read OF them was true, shat they
we're the cause of annoyance and disturb
| ance in communities; also OF their coarse
and repulsive ways"
Iwould add just here that have been
to number OF meetings held in this city,
but have never seen anything to cause me
to blush; there was time in my life when
did not enjoy the overflow OF feeling that
1 have seen among them, that used to sc
mark early Methodism, but how gladly TO-
day could we welcome this fervor OF other
days. have since found that it was my
own heart that was at fault. but let me
add, a heart in fullest sympathy with God
will thank Him for these peculiar people.
\ To hear the testimony given from time to
time thrills your heart, and you feel that
God in his Almighty power is among
them. They sing Justify like the Metho-
dists of early days. 1 do not say that they
are perfect people; they are not faultless;
put to me their little imRerfections are OF
little importance as compared with the
great, all absorbing thought that possesses
taem-saying immortal souls.
Now lat rnf3joak anu church rnanhar of
any denomination, where do you find such
earnestness, zeal, and self-sacriicing spirit
as you find among these people? how
many of us, as church members, Woull
go to the Capitol pavement and hold
meetings in rain and snow, heat and cold,
untiring in our efforts to save the people
about us. heard the Captain refer few
evenings ago toa meeting held in one of
the eastern cities in which she was en-
gagged for three months out in the bitter
winter weather without roof to shelter
them. Ii persons who are so prejudiced
against these people will take their Bibles
and search them, they will find these
people bear the true marks of discipleship.
Take this one for example, "You shall be
phated of all men for my name sake, "In
the world We shall shall have tribulation,"
The world ,knoweth you not because it
knowethnot me, sThey rejoiced that they
were counted worthy to suffer for his name
sake" How many more there are that will
apply to them as no other Christian of the
present day.
At Moundsville camp meeting few
years ago heard DR., Thoburn utter these
words in prayer: ooh Lord, if we are
failing to do our duty as church in saying
men about us, and have rendered ourselves
useless in thy hands, remove US out OF the
way and raise up an anointed people; not
the mighty or such as are highly esteemed
by the world, but a peculiar people that
thou can'st use to thy glory. have been
looking for that prayer to be answered day
by day, and believe the people are to be
found in the Salvation Army. Our friends at
Bellaire have nothing to fear from the Sal
walton Army but the destruction of sin
but il they will fall in ranks the results
will be as they have been in Wheeling,
many miserable homes made happy, their
streets more safe and orderly by the absence
of drunkenness and society elevated.
80 A CHURCH MEMBER.
Wheeling, June27.