The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1895-10-21
THE COMMANDER OF THE SALIVA
TION ARMY DOES A GOOD
DAYS WORK.
IN CHURCH, sLUM AND PRISON.
WORDS OF FAREWELL AT THE FIRST
CONGREGATIONAL ARMY's
AUXILIARY.

puDlC duOlCoS III IlllS WY dt VIC IL Se
Congregational Church last night.
She laid stress upon the religious belief
of the army and explained the general
character of its work among those of the
lowest classes, whose reform is not so per-
sistently attempted by others.
Long before the hour for the lecture the
church, on the corner of Post and Mason
streets, was crowded far beyond its seating
capacity of 1900, and when Mrs. Booth ap-
peared on the platform and gently ex-
tended her hands in gesture of silence to
the applause that suddenly broke forth as
she was introduced there were fully 200
people in the great throng.
Mrs Ballington Booth is the daughter
in-law of General Booth of London, the
he ad of the Salvation Army, and she lives
in New Jersey, although her headquarters
are in New York City. This is her third
visit to the coast as lecturer, an organ
izer and now, with the army itself, as
general.
She is young, pretty, little woman
with genial, happy expression and very
agreeable voice and easy conversational
style of delivery. That she is tirelesS
worker is evident from her activity yester-
day alone after nearly week of daily ad-
dresses. She did not reach San Quentin
until about 1 o'clock Sunday morning, yet
she was busy at o'clock addressing the
prisoners. At II o'clock she was conduct
ing a conservation service at the Calvary
Presbyterian Church in this City. At 8
O'Clock in the afternoon she was lecturing
at the same church on the "Slum and
Rescue Work Of the Salvation Army" and
last night she led in the singing, deliv-
cred long address and took most active
part in meeting that began at half-past
and continued for over two hours.
To-day Mis-. Booth will continue in her
busy work on the coast She will inspect
the Salvation Army's Orphan Home on
Bryant street, where some thirty little
rescued children are being cared for; the
army's Refuge on Jackson street, where
about $50 men congregate every night, and
the lunchroom, where meals are served 20
the very poor for cents. In addition to
| this inspecting and advisory work she will
deliver an address before the Charming
Auxiliary.
| 1t is probable that Mrs. Booth will re-
! turn to San Franciico after she has lee
| tured in the towns of Southern California,
| as she wishes to address the Salvation
Army auxiliaries that have become inter-
|
rival on the coast for the purpose of ex-
| tending the auxiliary idea.
! The auxiliary is as far as public identi-
fication and work in the cause goes en-
tirely independent of the army. Three
things only are required OF the members I:
To speak a good word for the Salvation
Army, to pray for the Salvation Army. and
to pay IS year TO it and receive its publ.
cations.
Already Mrs Booth has enrolled 5000
mem bers in the United States, and at last
nights meeting ffty-one more members
were added to the auxiliary.
A colored trio, consisting of Private
Beck, his wife and youthful daughter put
everybody in good humor before Mrs.
Booths arrival by singing some Salvation
songs in true plantation style. In re-
Spouse to repeated encores the jolly pair
nearly convulsed the audience with their
facial expressions and swaying bodies as
they lost themselves in the chorus, Didn't
cid Pharo get lost, get lost, in the red Red
Sea?"
The Charioteer band played several
pieces and accompanied the songs, in
which the great body of the audience was
able to join by the aid Of army songbooks
distributed throughout the house.
Mrs. Booth said that she would talk rap
dly, as she sympathiZed with the hun
dreds who were compelled to stand. After
mentioning the pleasure she felt in re-
turning to this City and in the prospects
that she found here, she traced the devel.
opment of the army from the time when
people used to laugh at it as the erratic
undertaking of a few on new paths until
the present time, when people have begun
see some of the great work it is doing
am ong the lower classes, in the Sums and
with the degraded and abandoned.
Continuing Mrs. Booth said 'Those
who simply saw the Salvation Army as
they marched on the street used to think
| it was a short-lived burlesque on Chris
reforms that it has taken up.
For every one in the fold there are
ninety nine out in the cold, and it is those
that the Salvation Army would bring to
Christianity. Those who have looked on
the inside have seen that the Salvation
Army is great force in touching class
that others cannot. They have read 'In
Darkest England how we have cared for
little babies, for drunkards, and fed thou
sands of the needy.
"The Salvation Army has not found its
vocation in social reforms alone, as many
of the doubling ones think. If my stay in
this City should accomplish nothing else
but emphasize one thing, [ would wish
this to be noted: Now l am here to say
that the Salvation Army is religious or
ganization, an extremely religious organ
ization; it is through and through re-
! liglous organization.
There was a frontispiece to the War
Cry once of a life boat, in the stern OF
which sat General Booth, while all round
in the water were struggling humanity.
The general was extending his hand to
one of the poor creatures. My little boy
looked at the picture curiously and then
asked: Is grandpa trying to help that
man out or is he only shaking hands with
him? That characterizes certain methods
of reform work. The Salvation Army tries
not only to shake hands, but to get strong
grip and to pull the man up.
whether our people be educated or un-
educated-and we have many of both
they are all educated in the love of God.
SIN order to deal with people deep in
vice we must 20 to them clothed in purity
that they may be made not to look up to
us, but to realize that what God has done
for US he will do for them. If we are to
teach the drunkard and the moral leper of
to-day we must go to them with purity,
and this is one OF the bowers OF the Saliva
ton Army.
cit avails little to give those who know
no love the simple text God is love- some
of the human love must go along with it.
The Salvation Army tries to have the indi-
vidual become Christian without chang