New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1891-07-17
THE SALVATION ARMY.
WITH A PARALLEL, NOT IN THE MANNER OF
PLUTARCH, BETWEEN Mr. BOOTH
AND MR. GODKIN,

|
has been some prevailing note. In that OF the
Salvation Army, vulgarity sounds louder than any
other. 1 use the word reluctantly, for know
shall call formidable champion into the field
in the person Of the Eminent Emgrant, and IL he
once takes up the cause Of the Salvation Army
there is no knowing what may not happen. II
Is enough to say thing is vulgar; Mr.. Godkii be-
comes it's advocate at once, and woe unto that
man who does not agree with him In his liking for
vulgarity.
Mr.. Godtin is as passionate now in his admira~
ton of vulgarity as he once was, and for aught
/ know still is, in his admiration Of ferocity
Perhaps he will write an essay in advocacy of
vulgarity, as he did in advocacy OF ferocity In
political discussion. Or perhaps he thinks ex-
ample better than precept, and that his daily
practice is more convincing proof than any
Argument could be-in which / agree with him;
and the pleasure Of agreeing with my adopted
countryman on any subject is one Of the keenest
known to me; in some measure, no doubt, be-
cause of its rarity. | need hardly add that /
should never have dreamed Of imputing vulgarity
to Mr.. Godkin | have always thought him. In
every particular, a pure and perfect person. /
still think SO; and if he chooses to present him
self to the public as in love with the vulgar. ]
am sure il must be for good reason.
Mr. Godkin, doubted the efficacy of salvation
by brass bands, or even by the simple process Of
blowing your own trumpet In both Mr.. Booth
Is an expert lie prefers, it is said, 70 be called
General" Booth, but the date of his military
commission, and the source Of its issue, remain
a mystery But If Mr. Godkin calls him General
without quotation marks, will then shall know
| am right / think, however, we ought first TO
be told whether the Eminent Emigrant is or is
not member Of the Salvation Army. There are
many presumptions in favor of the theory that
he is; many, that Is, beside the taste for vul-
garty which is common TO both.
But we surely need not deal in Prescriptions
or conjectures on subject so solemn. There are
matters, or there may be, with reference to which
Mr.. Godkins unsupported assertion might carry
conviction to the minds of some persons, and this
may be one of them. The columns of the s~o
papers, the and half, which he edits,
might offer some evidence on one side the other.
| cannot avail myself Of them, or Of either OF
them either the integer or the fraction; nor do
I feel sure which is the integer, or which is the
fraction. do not see them, but dare say some
body does. You may even have reader who
does and who would be willing TO say whether,
from internal evidence, he would consider The
Evening Post" or The Nation" or both TO be
branches Of The War Cry"
II does not seem probable. for Mr. Booth-or
shall say Mr. General Booth p-sets great store
by mere numbers and might not care for an aux
iary SO feeble. He tells us that The War Cry"
has o circulation of more than 100000 copies
weekly Now forget whether it is The Evening
Post" which appears weekly and The Nation
daily or vice versa But the circulation Of the two
is about the same, l believe, and would hardly
amount in a year to more than that of The War
Cry" in week Besides, there is The Childrena
War Cry" with nearly 10000 copies weekly.
These figures are prodgious. If Mr.. Goddn looks
at them in his capacity of rival journalist, they
must fill his bosom with envy. II he looks al
them as a member Of the Salvation Army, not
envy but pride would be his feeling. Nor is this
all. The monthly publications of the Salvation
Army are sold to the number Of $4,000. The
total circulation of their periodicals is 535,s72,
not one less. not single unit to be deducted from
this immense figure; or not If you believe, as do,
Mr. General Booth. More than that there are
twenty-seven War Crys' in twenty-five different
countries in fifteen different languages. The
journalist may well mediate upon such figures as
these and Mr.. Godkin be strengthened in his con-
viction that vulgarity's the thing. Yet he must
reflect sadly that there is vugarity and vulgarty
that the same trait exemplifed BY Mr.. General
Booth secures subscribers by scores of thousands,
and as exemplifed by Mr.. Godkn, only scores or,
shall we say as many hundreds as Mr.. Booth has
tens Of thousands?
All Mr. General Booths anthmetical
exercises are on the same tremendous scale.
He communicates to a more or less credulous world
what he calls statistical abstract Of the progress
Of the year The Salvationists, like the English
speaking race in general have grown faster abroad
than at home. "Out of the British Isles in Mr..
Booths phrase, they number l.7oo
CORDS" and 1,O49 societies" II could. I
would expound TO you the distinction between
CORPS and societies as used In the Salvation diS-
ect. but I cannot. Both have one thing In COM
mon They are led forward by officers, and
the number Of officers is $500 only two officers
and fraction to each corps society; which
does not seem too many. In the British Isles
themselves. there are 1893 corps. no societies.
and 1872 "outposts" These are commanded by
GAO officers. or nearly three officers TO each
corps outpost.
| have looked with interest for the whole num-
Der of prvates in these various organizations but
the number Is not given. 1t were rash TO infer
that the Salvation Army consists entirely OF
acknowledgements. IL is certain it does not.
No four or five thousand men, even with the rank
Of Brigadier, could make as much noise as the
Army makes. What we are allowed to know is
the number Of conversions. OF course they are
not called conversions The military nOmen-
clature is kept up. The operation is called In
our army says Mr. General Booth, with uncon-
scous humor, taking prisoners" 1t is also called
the arousing of anxious inQuirers and we are
assured that the number OF prisoners taken. or
Of anxious inquirers aroused, and not allowed to
20 asleep again, is $4,000 abroad and 100 000-
exactly-at home. | ask myself whether the
Eminent Emgrant be included in the abroad
or the lat home category, and whether he be a
prisoner or an anxious inquirer. | would ask Mr..
General Booth if | could but | have not the honor
Of knowing that great man, except as ! know Mr..
Godkin, by the sound of the big bass drum on
which each of them performs. each in his own
way.
The shrlest Of all Mr.. Booths notes is heard
when he compares himself to John Wesley.
When John Wesley died the movement den-
titled with his name had been in existence about
fftv wears and no left behind him saws our Sal