Waterbury evening Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1887-1895, 1895-04-29
SALVATION: AT MIDNIGHT.
A Striking Scene In the Heart OF Lon
dom.
Especial Correspondents.


American corncob pipe was IN my mouth,
and 1 was indulging in the choice luxury
of thinking sadly and dreaInily about
nothing when suddenly the street was
filed with q great blaring from brass in
struments The tolling of tho midnight
bells was drowned, and I was Thought to
a full realizing of things and Of where I
was. And then there came the sound of
many voices. People were singing hymn
a simple, moving hymn. You felt their
souls were speaking through it. Strange
and grand was the effect and bizarre for
ut midnight in London all is quiet ESen
tho great droning hum has sunk to u
whisper.
hurried along tho Strand till csnno
up with q largo crowd OF people who wsre
pushing and jostling their way into Exeter
hall. The Salvation Array was h6Sding n
midnight rescue" a nIaetihg Chiefly for
the benefit of the poor unfortunate girls
who fill the Strand each hight, offering
themselves for sale to the mcI.sas they pass.
Come in, every one! Come iRl Drunk
or sober, come in!" n Salvation -6E1ny Off
Ger was shouting at the top of h}s'voice.
The privatcs, some singing, some playing
Instruments, stood along the steps leSlling
into the hall. They were formed into SNo
long rows through which the people were
passing A drunken man recled and fell,
| and private picked him up and helped
him in. Ragged 'doSsers,' or tranps,
half drunken swclls about town, now and
then a closely yelled lady of fashion attract
cd through curiosity and unfortunate girls
| thronged in. Hero were blending filth, ele-
| gancc, degradation and respectability.
There was no sneering glance for either
| "dosscr'' or drab All corners were on the
Same footing. Hero was being practiced
the glorious ideal democracy which the
sublime Galiloan had advocated-that
democracy which the cultured, refined
| church has dishonored.
l went in myself, and this was the scene
that met my eyes: On great high plat
| form ut least 500 men and women clad In
| tho uniform OF the Salvation Army were
singing. playing instruments, clapping
| their hands, cXhorting, stamping and cry
| ing out to God to save the souls Of the au-
dicncc. 1t WAS a carnival, frenzy OF ex-
| hortation. The rUwS OF seats upon the
| platform went up one above tho other Ike
| those in tho gallery Of II thCater, so that
the eye WAS able TO take in oil the move
mcnts mt once I felt no sense of discord-
ancc through 1t all. Tho unition OF their
| wills upon the one idosB gave balance, hhr-
muniuuSnCSS Ia the ensemble. The power
| of this will force WIS tremendous. IL
| caused trembling Of the lips and u feel
ing of choking sensation. l felt this
| myself, IL cool analyst-1nd 1 looked
around me and saw that tho audioncc,
which must have numbered between 1900
and 1000, were feeling it too. Those of
them that had como in either to scott or
out of curiosity or to look critically
wcrr influenced and made serious Ivy the
| great wave of religious fcrVOr that C=Ernc
| from the platform. 1t WAS the most ctfect-
i've religious ceremonial l ever witnessed
Its lack Of splcndor of tone and colOring
and magic of high art was morn than
atoncd for by its carncStneSS. Working
man was appealing to workingman; out
cast was cXhorting outcaSt. Hero was no
refined, we'll grI0mcd minister talking of
u Christ whom he did not understand. In
tho middle of the platform was great
leather covered chair, in which sat an old
man. His hair and beard were long and
| white; his eyes were large and piercing;
his forehead was broad and high. When
he turned his head, he showed the clear
cut eagle profile which denotes the admin
istrativc faculty. knowledge of men and
power of concentration.
1t was General Booth.
| As l looked at him thought of pictures
had seen OF the simple grand old Jewish
lpatriap'hs. Here WAS ono of them who had
sprung to the present life Ia work amid
the miro and misery and filth and slough
of the inferno of our civilizationl Hero Mt
the dead of night, in this Titan Babylon,
was an old man, Jewish of face holding
forth the hand of help and brotherhood to
the Magdalencs, the poor lost souls that
wander! He was doing as did the glorious
Master the divine jew!
Soon rough looking bearded man was
speaking. He was a collier from the north
of England, strong and vigorous Of frame.
His voice was hoarsc, his delivery I'M
couth, but he had something to tell and
, was telling 1t. Nice hairSplitting. bewil-
dcring suhtlctics wcrc not in his line And
he was in dead earnest. He wasn't think
ing how not to offend his audience or of
: the fact that he was only getting $4,000
a year when he ought to be getting $40, 500,
/ thought OF the rough simple fishermen,
, tho disciples of the Master 1t was the
, first time in my life that the fact was fully
| brought homo to mo that q man might
know absolutely nothing of the art of ora
, | tory and still be most telling and effective
, in the addressing of an audience. Here
was a man, whom 1 learned afterward
} could neither read nor write, holding PEG
| pie spcllbound.
Now II woman was Speaking-a woman
who had been an OutCastl She too, WIZ
| effective hut in II different way Her man
ner of delivery was graceful and tendcr-
thoroughly, beautifully womanly. shown:
. | telling her sisters-''my sisters THAI
Jesus would save them: TINT he had mo-
forgotten them; that ut this midnight houl
| he sorrowcd and wept for them; that III
had given his blood to wash them till they
= were winter than snow" Beautiful
{ | words
1 thought to myself that no one, how
f ever cold and cynical, could afford to lool
snceringly upon these people. No would
be thinker or know all could say that thci
mission was a foolish and useless one
u They were the poor appealing to the poo
end helping them in Christlikc spirit O
d | samaraderie BART KENNEDY.
II nr.,,.0,,,. g.. v,oAo~,a. In italy.