The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-04-11
WILL STAND BY ITSELF.
A New Set of Orders Issued for
the Benefit of the Saliva
ton Army.
A BIG SURPRISE TO ALL.
The Members Must Not Affiliate
With Churches or Secret
Societies.

Some weeks ago General Booth, who con-
ceived the idea of the Salvation Army,
spent several days in San Francisco, and
during that time he delivered a series of
lectures on what the army had done and
what they proposed to do.
In lecture delivered at Metropolitan
Hall, General Booth among other things
said: 1.-THE Salvation Army is in no sense
church, nor will it ever be merged into a
UNCONVENTIONAL body SO long as 1 have
anything to do with it. The army has its
mission to perform and can do it without
conflicting with the church"
General Booth has either turned front or
his lieutenants, Ensign Wood of the Oak
land Training School and Captain McFee
of the local social wing, are advocating re-
forms and promulgating rules not laid
down in the order-book. Ensign Wood is
credited with saying that it has always
been rule of the army that soldier could
not join a secret society and retain his
membership with a church, though the
rule until recently had never been en-
forced.
General Booth has now issued a new
order, says Ensign Wood, calling upon all
the officers to rigidly enforce the law.
Captain McFee says that he has never
heard of such a rule, neither has General
Booth instructed him to draw the line on
soldiers retaining their membership with
churches on joining secret orders. What
Captain McFee says about the matter,
however, is equally as interesting as
Ensign Woods talk about the Generals
sweeping order. Captain McFee said
yesterday:
7 n; IL &c y tod fNu
1 know of no such rule in the order
book, neither has General Booth written me on
the subject. want TO say, however, that do
not think q man can serve two masters-that is
the church and Salvation Army. When man
joins our ranks he pledges his word to devote
all OF his time and money 10 us. We are a
church just as much as the Methodist, Baptist
or any other denomination. A man cannot be-
long TO Methodist and Baptist church at the
same time, can he? Then l claim that soldier
cannot combine church with his army obliga-
tions. When g man comes to US he signs a
declaration, portion of which reads as fol-
lows;
believing solemnly that the Salvation Army
has been created by God, and is sustained and
directed by him, do hereby declare my full
determination by Gods help to be true SOL
dier of the army till die. I do hereby declare
that viii spend all the time, strength, money
and influence can in supporting and carrying
on this war"
Now, as regards secret societies am opposed
to them, because claim that o man cannot be
q
Something in the oath he takes is bound to
conflict with his Salvation Army duties, and
therefore he is compelled to do violence to his
conscience for the benefit of one of these nsti-
tutions. was Mason once, but l found that
l could not be a SalvatiOnist and keep that up
too, so I let good fellowship go.
You may put me down saying that secret
societies and the church on one side and the
Salvation Army on the other don't go. OF course
there thousands of Christian people in
churches and secret societies, and don't want
hon arSf
walton Army is church, starting out practi-
cally on the lines followed by the Methodists
years ago.
Mrs. McFee, the wife of the captain, was
not so sure about the rule in the order
book relating to churches and secret orders
She thought that such q rule existed, but
did not know just where to find it.
Editor Millsaps of the War Cry was
equally at sea concerning tie correctness
of the statement made by Ensign Wood of
Oakland, though he had vague recollec-
ton that rule of some kind on that sub
iect was to be found in General Booth
book of instructions. He would not be
surprised at anything, he said, for the
army had spread itself throughout the
civilized world, and had gained footing
which nothing could now shake.
OF course, all this talk about the churches
and secret societies has created more or
less comment among the different de-
nominations, though until General Booth
announces that the course outlined by En-
sign Wood is to be the future policy of the
Salvation Army, criticism, either for or
against the plan, will hardly be INDUCED in
In a general way Rev. DR.. Mackenzie
comes very near outlining the popular
feeling. In speaking of the matter yester-
day he said:
So far as 1 understand matters the churches
have been glad to give of their members and
money for the work OF the Salvation Army
The army as such reached class in our COM
munities and helped them in a moral way
which could not be reached by the churches
The army has now apparently drawn enough
of our members and money to feel and declare
their independence. This is their unques-
toned prerogative, for which none will say
them nay. 1t is also human nature illustrated
in every such movement and was to be ex-
pected.
They have discovered their field and now
seek to direct their forces more definitely
They probably know what they are doing and
we would not question their judgment or mo-
tive. Personally, however, I think they will
make a mistake when they draw the line of
division between their work and that of the
church as sharply as is predicted. This is
day of increasing conveyance on the part of
those working for common cause rather than
of divergence.
Dr. Mackenzie in conclusion admitted
that the church had certainly felt the
benefit of the army's experience and that
the members who worked for both brought
good into both.