The San Antonio light. (San Antonio, Tex.) 1883-1886, 1886-12-20
his efforts.

The above likeness of Gen. Booth
shows him to be of much force of char
acter, a man of positive. determined,
resolute will. He has great executive
ability, as proven by his success as an
organizer, and n sincerity of conviction
which made him proof against all kinds
of ridiculc.
The salvation army has only been in
existence since 1873. yet last year Gen.
Booth reported seventeen countries oc-
cnpied by his disciples. 1850 paid officers,
twenty-five publications. of which nine
teen are newspapers, and Queen Victoria
formally expressed to him her satisfac-
ton that he had won so many of her
subjects to temperance, virtue, and re-
ligion. 1t Is an established fact that
through the efforts of Gen. Booth some
of the most degraded and vicious char
acters in all London have experienced q
change of heart and life. The difficulty
of the work he had in hand may be I'M
derstood when, rs an English writer put
1t, the people who crowded to hear him
were made up of ''outcasts of mankind
navics, sailors, gypsies. drunkards,
thieves, dog-fanciers-the toughest,
widest. most brutal, most ignorant, and
degraded of the population of London"
their drinking, thieves try to live honest
ly, and the rough, degraded inhabitants
of London have shown unmistakable
signs of submission to the laws of civili-
cation. Some of these converts became
very quickly effective. though rough
public speakers, and by their homely
way of describing the change wrought
in themselves persuaded many of their
companions to 20 with them"
1t is much the same in this country.
In the ranks of the salvation army are
reformed burglars, thieves, robbers,
gamblers, and drunkards, and the sue
cess of the movement cannot he question
ed. Rough men are appealed to in a
way best calculated to reach them.
Meetings are held out of doors. The
rules given by Mr.. Booth to his helpers
were that they should march through the
streets singing; saloons and the low re-
sorts should be visited and the frequent
ers talked with; that popular song tunes
should he used, and the plainest speech,
and finally, that every convert should be
set TO work forthwith.
Majors, captains, lieutenants, and SER
geants are appointed to carry on this
labor. The meeting places of the
army" are called BARRACKS" their
praying is known as the knee drill"
Absolute obedience is demanded; the ser
geant looks after the converts, captains
hold the public service. and the majors,
whose office resembles that of the metho-
dist presiding elder, have charge Of
district. On Sundays they hold pray.
er-meeting in the morning about Z. A
"holiness-meeting" at II, at 3 in the aft
noon 1t is called Christians free-and.
easy meeting" and the last services Of
the day at 8 o'clock in the evening, Is
called "the salvation meeting" They
sing hymns to the tune of "Baby Nine"
1.-The Babies ON Our Block" and 1.-THE
Mulligan Guards" accompanied by the
melody Of tin whistles, tambourines,
banjos, and bass drums. The perform
ance Is grotesque, even ludicrous, but II
reaches case-hardened lot that would
be insensible to more decorous method.
The theology of the methodism Is the
one taught, and as an expounder Of this
doctrine Gen. Booth has been greatly
aided by his wife. OF that woman he
recently said:
There may be unions as thorough
and perfect as ours has been, but not
very many, so far as my observation has
gone. l had formed an idea of what
wanted in wife and resolved to wait
until found woman who, in some
measure, would answer it. could never
have expected to find being who SO
nearly answered to it as did in the wO.
man who linked her fate to mine and
who has ever since been my comrade in
the fight. How she has helped me as q
companion. friend, counselor, and, not
least, as the mother of our children
pause not here to attempt to describe.
may say, however. that II personally