New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-03-27
CATHARINE BOOTH.
THE MOTHER OF THE SALVATION ARMY.
TILE LIFE OF CATHARINE BOOTH. THE MOTHER
or TIE SALVATION ARMY. Royal octave
Two Volumes; PIP. Xxv. 663. and MI. Oo.
Fleming H. Revell Company.


Two Volumes PIP. xiv. G63. and NIL Oo2
Fleming II. Revell Company.
These two bulky volumes tell the story OF Catharine
Booths life and career simply. clearly ana with no
greater exaggeration than might be expected uhoer
the circumstances. for the writer Is soninlaw OF
General Booth and prominent officer In the saiVa'
ton Army Mrs. Booth deeply religious from
her earliest childhood Before she was twelve she
had read the Bible from cover 10 cover eight um"S'
not skipping any Of those passages which are usually
REGARDED as better unread by children. AT the same
age she had mastered the temperance question ana
wrote articles total abstinence for The religious
papers At sixteen she had read Buffers Analogy
win eager delight and wrote abstract OF It, rae
smile OF which Is given. AT an even earlier age she
would follow with absorbing attention and pleasure
the sermons Of the Wesleyan preachers OF BOSTON,
England where she lived. the robust quality oil which
may be inferred from sentence quoted from one
OF them: Now, which OF you have made up your
minds TO walk over that book (the Bible, to bell y
She used to watch with profound pity the members
Of other denominations who passed the house on the
way TO their various houses Of worship She wished
from the depths OF her heart that they coud ENJOY
the happy experiences as those OF Me'hoolsts'
Her mother who also strongly religious uisi'ncu
schools q feeling which Mrs. Booth afterward shared.
She thought they often turned out educated hends
aWhat are you going 10 do with your eoucauoh
she would ask her children. "lf you mean 10 serve
cha devil with 1t you had better let me know one
language Is quite enough for him." Her Dehei III
the devil by the way. was quite as reaiisuc as her
belief In God and often In her life she had ahihaeu
conversations with that neither parsonage Sometimes
indeed she believed that God and Satan talked Win
Asr at once each interrupng the other. and 1t may
A. mentioned here that many evangelical words ana
ohrasss were used By Mrs. Booth which VIII seem
very unfamiliar 10 many Christians 'ooa!' mus
General Booth sometimes had much "hbeitS III
presohing and sometimes very little. ~ the con-
clus,en OF q revival Mr.. and Mrs Booth iare-
velled." asouls." sometimes "precious souls" were
singathered" An unusually successful meeting was
precious meeting" Certain conversions were
q bsautinlr and tie great object in the case OF
csid unresponsve audience 10 produce " break
down." When this took place there was pretty sure
- be melting time and many leases" rcpor'ea'
We do not refer to this phraseology In critical
spirit. but only TO give some indica'ioh OF "'s.
Booths religious atmosphere. She constantly used
such language Just as naturally other people would
speak of the weather: and the experiences when
these phrases describe integral part OF her
religious life
When she was sixteen she received the assurance
Of salvation" "For the next six MONTHS she saiu
afterward, "I was so happy that felt as II was
valking ON air. used to trcmbe and even long 10
Ats Leaf should backsde lose the consciousness
of Gods smile and favor" Naturally she soon began
"a take nm intense interest In the sectaran squaopeS
Of the Methodlsts She sympathzed Win the he
formcrs" who left the Wesleyans because they oe
usved that the Wesleyans had lost their oioume
saeep spirituality and intense passion Tor sour" us.
Abeut the Same time a young enthusiast named VIII
tam Booth also q Methodist. was beginning strug
Gle with deneminatio tradition the final result OF
Witch was TO be his dismissal from his church. Inc
reisous evolution Of william and Catharine BOOM is
not only interesting In itself, but 1t explains 'ne
orie,n OF the salvation Army. Two such eager anu
,n,pertous spirits could not possibly have remained
fhev
"a donom,national red.tape. And the birth OF the
salvation Army was not much the Intentional oe-
s,rn NJ General Booth and his wife as II was uie
necessary outcome OF their life and labors booh Sd"
from the first that their work was 10 DC oohe ""ois
the simple and humble but. most OF all among ,ne
Loaf and deprsved. And he found his vile vi nhe
mind with himself on this point. Even before MS
.--..,. ,he ussd 10 help him in preparation OF his
s.,xaA and realistic discourses. al want sermon
On the Flsod" he wrote to her once, one on Jonah
and one on the Judgment. Send me some oarc
thoushts-some clear starting outline. Nothing moves
people like the terrific. They must have heh-hre
flashed before their faces or they VIII not move
Altar TINT we are not surprised TO read that MIS-
Booth had most intense hatred for novels, ana kept
than, from her children. She began Summing very
aorlv IN her married life. She visited the most
wretched people she could find In the NeSt s'rees'
and the moro she did 1t the more burning peo""i.
her zeal She was q strong believer In the rght %
ureach. and crossed swords with several clergymeh
nm this ouestion In 1889 she wrote long pamphlet
on the subisct As O writer her style was somewhat
formal but very earnest and direct AS might W
expected she had very little sense OF humor anu INC
reader Of these volumes will often be struck ny "e
,n,enss seriousness with which she considered even
the most trivial matters OF lie. Inc |'s'' '" ~
and eternity always before her. -
In 1850 she began to preach. shs was IN on"'.
ustsnlne to her husbands preaching. 1T seemed
shs said, "as II a voice said to me: NOW you
vere TO 20 and testify, you know would oess IL
to your own soul. as we'll as to the pcop'e,
ossued and said Yes, Lord, believe Thou woAoS''
Then the devil put in word fou arc ny
rrsnarcd, be said You will look like fooi'
ana win hive nothing TO say. lie made ms
,,t. He oyerreached himself for once IT was
,b,. word that settled It, 'Ah said. this Is just
the polnt; have never yet been Wiling 70 DC 'oo'
for Christ Now will DE one ! sood-uod oh''
tnovs how-and II any mortal ever did hang on INC
ann OF Omnipotence, did. felt as IL were ',s
IN, IN sons human arm; but 1t divine one WHICH
hen mo up. Il dare say many OF you nave 'ee''
,oor,c, upon me as a very devoted woman ana one
vbo has been living faithfully TO God. But nave
come TO realize that have been disooesihg HUI
have promised tic Lord TO do so no longer ao na's
come 10 tell you that henceforth Will pe opeuc"'
10 the holy vision There was more weephS' ,"e'
said In the chapel that day than ON any previous
occasion" ,,o. t.,
From that evening until her death her laoors ID
tho puplt. on the platform. and In the aDoues VI
misery were mcessant AT the same u ,a que i Irg
FAMILY Of children. she was truly femarhaols
woman, with the gift not only oil 'ea"ers'p' '"' "a
work. ,,. ,,a h,oyrunhcr sin
IN. iig1t of subsequent experience. that win 'ei
earnest longngs 10 reach the masses. they dld ao.
at once commence TO work AMONGST them on sn"l
avn account But the idea OF driving at the peopis
srdependently OF the churches had not yet occurTH
to them They imagined that The only way 10 reaeh
th 9Th he
end 'bv force Of circumstances. new Ideas came 10
them In 1863, at wasall. one evening. n sese:ai
sethsr noted characters had come over from Biimng
ham 70 help us and they went out into te streets
an slna and exhorting the people; One OF thei nnu
= priscighter About twenty protested 10 hha jesus
nj the close Of the meeting" The story OF Inc svo'