Morning journal and courier., 1883-12-17
The Salvation Army.

To the Editor of the JOURNAL AND CoURrER: --.-a
 The Salvation Army is intended to reach
 classes not reached by the churches. Other
 agencies have ths same end, and do much
 good; but the Army exists because muItitudes
 are still in awful degradation and wretohed
 ness-unsaved. Its results prove 1t to be 8
 success. It breaches to millions. it has hut
 dreds and thousands of converts, it has
 trained nearly three hundred converts who
 have been engaged as evangelists, mission
 aries and SO on, by other religious organiza,
 tious; while the Church of England has been
 led to organize church Army. Every
 where it is spreading the gladness of the go!
 pei, giving joy for sorrow and hope in place
 of despair.
 It's teaching is the teaching Of the New
 Testament; the same gospel which has been
 preached for eighteen hundred years-the
 ruined state of mao; salvation through the
 atonemeHt of Christ alone; judgment which
 opens the gates of an eternal heaven and an
 eternal hell. These are its great doctrines,
 and they are substantially the same with
 evangelical teaching everywhere.
 Being an army, it's organization is military.
 The general has absolute control. The off
 cers agree to 20 anywhere in the world and
 to do anything Their devotion is wonder
 fuI They live from bend to mouth with
 many hardships, and subject to many sneers.
 Some requirements may bs too exaeting,
 
 ty and to consult the wishes of their superiors
 about marrying; but, however that may be,
 it must yet be remembered that an Army in
 time of war, az this is, must be well disci-
 plined to be effective. Perhaps the best
 feature in the organization is that it makes
 everybody work, and this is one great secret of it's sscoess. It may be added that experi-
 ence has shown no good reason for diseon- tinuiug the employment of women as officers. Plenty of dangers are apparent in such an or ganizatioa, with it's control, absolute and sometimes secret. and with it's way of doing
 that work of God of which so much IS done in quiet ways; but a5 the early church after the great revival of Psntecost had all things common, and yet went through the danger of comuunism without harm. so believe th1s to be work of God whose genuinepess will save it from many evils. Many of the Ia tier come from what seems to me mistaken re- ouirement, that it's officers leave their own churches and enter for life. Many officers do not stay in the ranks nevertheless; and tals is one indication that the Army, however ex- cellent for winning converts, is not adapted to supply church life.
 This brings up the relation of the Army to the churches, which might be closer than it is and I think ought to bs. The Army should stand between the churches and the people and to some extent it does. former officer in Brooklyn told me that many con- verts under his work were now in churches and in Kingston, Canada, large numbers have come through the Army into the Methodist church and also into the Church of England. Even if the Army had no connection with the churches, however, it might still have place, because there are enough people still unconverted to fill half dozen new churches. The methods employed all depend on what the Army declares to be it's first necessity, namely, to attract attention. They want posters for example, which will be read; which will be read by the class they want drunkards thieves, gamblers and so on; and which will attract this class So with the oth- CT methods Hence tho militery organization, a very taking thing in itself, and the term captain for minister, barracks for church, soldier for member, etc. Hence also the banners uniform, drums, tambourines and singing. All this is simply matter of taste and expedienoy, and Is perfectly justiGable,
 within certain limits It will not appeal to many of the cultivated, perhaps, but it is not expected to. If man on the track Is too deaf to. hear the approaching train, fire cannon, anything, to let him know his danger. Now the Army deals with people who are perfectly insensi-
 ble to most good motives. It is great point to get an audience in the first place. A New Haven evangelist said that he and au- other gentleman once sang, preached and prayed with all their energy on the State House steps and got an audience of one small boy. The Army comes along with music and flags, and behold there is your audience, seven nights in the week, rain or shine, cold or hot, and many of them hear there faithfully preached the gospel which they never would hear anywhere else.
 But an army which always stays in it's tents is no army, and the whole spirit, aim and method of this Army require that it be aggressive. It's very object is to go after those who will not come to it. Hence the Army never can yield this point of open-air meetings and processions. They must have them, and they want as much freedom in car rying them on as will be consistent with pub ! lie peace and good order.
 That the Army have made soma mistake ! is probably the case; but so has every body. Considering the class among whom they work the wonder is that they have not made more. h New Haven they have probably confined l their open air work too closely to enc place,