Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1894-10-13

now numbering more than three thousand
members of all religious denomina tons, in
Guiding many prominent cleryymen, unless
u be the almost complete change In the at
utude or the newspapers, which, indeed, led
the way for the church people in recognizing
the value OF the army and it's work. The
army Is sttll attacked In some places, but 1t
mas passed through its general persecution
and Is now endangered by its popularity
zen. Booth Is stu In the prime Of NE
Tor ne was only sixty five in April last. He
is tall. thin. active. eloquent and impressive
The fact that he and his followers and
friends celebrated his Jubilee" of Chris
tan work In twelve days of monster meet
ihgs and demonstrations in and about Lon
don last July has naturally made many
people think that he is an old man and
wonder how he can stand the strain of his
responsibilities. Those who know what
those responsibilities are. and who know
with what hery zeal he works the year
round. wonder as 1t is, for 1t would seem as
though his burdens would break down a
lar stronger frame. The general Is careful
about his diet and about the little sleep he
takes, and is as methodicaI as the demands
upon him permit, but with all that It Is
amazing that he is able to do what he does
People are always saying this to him, and
he replies as he did in his great farewell
London meeting, just before he left for this
country: Il have no conception how 1 am
enabled to do 1t save by the Intervention
ana special blessing Of Almighty God, and
by leaning on the arm of my Lord. In this
work lie alone sustainS me, and believe
he VIII be with me even unto the end"
The general was able to have Jubilee
this year because he began his Christian
work In the year he was converted at the
age Of fifteen. Mounting a chair at the
door of a house In Nottingham, his birth
place, he conducted what was really the
itrst Salvation Army open air." although
II was twenty years before he started the
Christian Mission. and more than thirty
years before the Salvation Army grew out
of that
A sketch of His Career.
| HIS father was a merchant in Nottingham,
who had made a small fortune. which he
afterward lost in an unfortunate specuIa-
| ton. dying prematurely while William was
boy. His mother was of so amiabi a
disposition and SANITY a character that he
regarded her as the nearest approach 10
human perfection with which he was &C
Quainted." His parents were members of
the Church of England, but William the
sole surviving son, already put to business
| before he was fifteen, was converted in
wesleyan chapel From that time on he
showed that he had the gift of an evange-
list. Young as he WAS, he soon became the
leader or a band of jealous young men, who
took all their time out of business hours for
evangelistic work. He worked from early
morning until o'clock at night for his en-
pioyers developing his fathers enterprise
and skill. and then he would work until
late In the night, as he did all day Sunday,
trying to save other men and women His
business abilities gave him promotion when
he was twenty from Nottingham to Lon
don. where he continued to prosper. both In
his business and In his mission work. 1t Is
interesting to see the foreshadowing Of the
Salvation Army In his oldest extant letter
written from London on the 18th Of Oeto-
Der. 1S49. to a fellow worker In Noting
ham. Grasp still firmer the standard" he
writes; unfold still further the battle Nag
Press still closer on the ranks OF the enc
my. and mark your pathway stin more dis
hnctly with glorious trophies OF Imman-
uefs grace and with enduring monuments
OF Jesus power! The trumpet has given the
I signal for the conflict! Your General as