The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-04-10
THE ARMY WORK.
What Salvationists Do in
London.
THE WORK IN WHlTECHAPEL.
The Saving of Fallen Women in Eng
land and America as Told by
Blanche Cox.

The Third Congregational Church was
crowded last evening. fully $50 people be-
ing present to hear Staff Captain Blanche
Cox speak on the rescae work of the Saliva
ton Army among fallen women.
The services were conducted by Major
Keppel, who. after brief service of song
and prayer, introduced Miss Cox.
There are many people, dear friends"
said the staff captain, ''who are inclined to
say that the Salvation Army does more
talking about the good they do than actual
good, and that we are great people for
crocking up our work. We do talk great
deal ABOUT what we do. l acknowledge that.
But we do much more good than we ever
talk about.
Let me give you an instance OF SALIVA
tionist's work-uot live one. hut one that
Is dead. When Mrs. Booth, the wife of
our dear general, was lying dead in Lon
don, for three days great crowds had come
to look upon her dead body. Rich and
poor, good and bad. fallen women and men,
all came to pay slight tribute TO her whom
all loved.
Zone old woman. who seemed more i'm
pressed IMAM the rest when she came TO
the coffin, threw herself upon it and began
to pray. She stayed there for fully fifteen
minutes, ana then one OF our soldiers
touched her on the shoulder and told her
that she was keeping all those behind her
Whiting,
''She looked up. with tears in both her
eyes. and in 4 choking voice said:
have right to be here as long as
want to. Six months ago | was the mother
OF two drunkards, who, when they came
home at night, would strike and curse me.
But she saved them both, and brought
them to the arms of Christ, and now they
are in the army. and she who has saved
Them and me is dead. l have a right TO
kneel here as long as want to- And she
did kneel there for another half hour pray
ing and blessing our army mother.
mere are aces in the Whitechap pei
district OF London, a district that all have
heaTd OF, where respectable people have
never been, and even where a policeman
does not dare go alone. One day two of
the Stun Sisters OF the army went there,
and in an alley, surrounded on all sides by
The most desperate characters, they COM
meneed To sing. Soon they were surrounded
by crowd of fallen women, one of whom
said to the sisters, Your army mother is
dead. We have been TO see her body, for
we know she loved us. VIII you tell us
the story of her life? If you will We will
promise not to interrupt you. for we want
to know the kind of life she lived and
there. Tor an hour and half, those Yomen
listened 10 the life-stOry of one of the
noblest women that ever lived.
when the sisters had finished their
story they knelt and prayed. and before
they had completed their prayer six
OF these fallen women were kneeling by
their side in an agony of repentance. They
were saved then, and have Joined our army
since.
I'VE are great believers in the power of
singing. Once two Stun Sisters wanted to
go into enc of the worst lodging houses in
London. They were warned by policemen
not 10 90. as the place was Infested with
thieves and murdererS. But they prevailed
on the policemen to stand at the top of the
stairs while they went down, SO that II
there WAS any trouble they would be near
at hand.
They went down the stairs and through
the crowd, hardly noticed, as their dress was
the same as other Door girls wore, but
when they stopped and commenced 10 sing
several OF the men advanced toward them
with raised fists, ana they had to beat
hasty retreat.
But they went back the next day and
the next, and at last one of the men, who
seemed to be sort of leader among them,
said, Mates, these ere women keep comm
here day after day. and they don't mean us
no harm. Let's give 'em hearing
This was all the lasses wanted. They
commenced singing Jesus, Lover of Ny
Soul, and when they had reached the third
verse one OF the hardened men had put his
head on his arms and was sobblng.
The girls went up to him and he said :
why did YOU sing that song? sly mother
used to sing mat to me when l was boy
and coed. Now she IS dead and it seems
like her voice coming back TO me-
This man was not saved that night, but
before a week had passed he was wearing
the Salvation Army badge and had stood up
among that crowd of thieves and said that
his mothers God was his God. and lie has
followed him ever since.
'Anoher night we were standing in one
of the stun streets singing. On all sides of
US were houses in which fallen women
lived, and one could hear windows opening
quietly. and knew that many Of them were
listening to us. At last one of the women
opened her door ana asked us IL we would
not come into the house and sing. We did,
and we had not been there ten minutes
before tears were running down their
painted cheeks.
''When we came out we met an old man,
who came up to me and said: Did YOU see
her? Did you see my daughter? We
asked him what he Meant and lie told ms
his story. He said that he, his wife and his
daughter bad formerly been members of
the Salvation Army. He had become care
less ard had backslidden, become morose
ana ugly-tempered. and the daughter ran
away. This killed her mother aud almost
killed him; but he said, i have stood here
every night for weeks waiting for n sight of
her. and | know il you people can see her
you can save her.
1--WE did save her. and sent her to one of
our rescue homes, and both father and
daughter are happy to-day.
None of these women are too bad to be
saved, none have sunk too low to again lead
good lives. / can never think so while l
believe in the power of living God
some one asked me the other day why
we were so successful with our rescue homes
Ii Is because we try 10 make them homes in
every sense Of the word. We do not holt
and bar our doors and keep the girls pris-
oners, but throw them wide open and tell
them that If they want TO go they can; that
we want them to stay, but not against their
wills. The consequence is that the great
majority do stay. Out Of forty girls sent to
the home at Beulah only three have disap-
pointed us. The rest are still there, hut
Will soon go out into the world again to
commence life anew"
Miss Cox is to be in the city but two DAYS
more. Her last meeting will be held at the
headquarters on Market street on Tuesday
evening, when she will speak on General
Booths social scheme.
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