The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1896-04-21
international Headquarters,
lOl Queen Victoria Street,
ONDON Il. c. March 13, 1895

llJNDgGNR E. VI 44elA AAAA 49, A1tss
NV Dear Balllngton:-I say dear-for
Won are still dear to me. You are my
am and your mothers son, who loved
and tolled for you as you can never
know, and whose aim and ambition was
that you might be faithful man OF
God. and whose dying prayer was that
S.o,, might stand BY mo and the rest
Of her children In fidelity 70 Coo ana
the Salvation Army.
You are, and must be, my son forever.
strange and dividing as have been the
events Of the last few weeks, they nave
moi changed that relationship; far as
Won have gone in the opposite direction,
cannot contemplate eternal separa-
ZION. Sooner or later we must come
together again in heart, cannot en-
dure the contrary thought. Can you9
What I am concerned about at the
moment Is the inquiry as to whether
Won have any just and reasonable
ground for this strange action which
you have adopted?
You cannot be Justified In breaking
the severance OF the American wing
M The Army from the parent body. In
sanarating Yourself from your brothers
and from your sisters, in going back
an the dying counsel OF your mother,
and In stabbing your fathers heart and
Having him to bleed before a'BSofnng
world because you were not consulted
about orders and regulations applying
10 other commands, or because you
thought the social work was unduly
exalted in other countries, or because
/ objected to any difference being made
between our soldiers OF America and
those OF other lands on the question OF
tobacco, MOL All that you could OBJ
feet to rightly or wrongly, on these
matters, has been there for years.
do say that have not done, nor ar
ranged to do, nor allowed to be done
by others, anything 70 the damage OF
your reputation, or your position, or
your happiness, or your highest good.
have peFsIstently sought your welfare,
and done all I could to gratlfy your
wishes, consistently with the interests
Of the kingdom Of God. The causes of
complaint against me which you so
painfully parade IN your letter can only
he OF modern date-they do not go back
very far-for on your visit 70 London
before referred to, and after we had
discussed your change Of command,
and you had assented to 1t, you wrote
me:
you have in me a sleepless and ar
dent admIrer. I can say that am moro
than you son"
Il 10 true that I observed certain
things on my visit OF which / disnp-
proved. and pointed them out TO you.
and knew you were hurt by my doing
so. But on what ground did you ex-
pect TO be made an exception among
my officers? You know that have al
ways said what / have felt when I
have found IN the Army what have
not approved or what wished to be
altered. Everybody expects me to do
80. That cannot be sufficient ground
for your present action.
Neither can you honestly claim to
have any Just excuse for your action
In your change of appointment.
For no one knows better than you
do that changes among our officers Rp-
polntments are regular part OF our
system. You have ordered other peo-
pie about In virtue OF the authority
have devolved upon you, and now you
have no right to object TO render obe-
dence on the same principle.
You took this command, as you took
others before It, knowing full well that
you would be expected to change when
you were asked 10 do 90.
You knew this change was intended
for some time past. You and Maudio
distinctly aSsented 20 II when in Lon
don as far back at 1888.
Judged aS between comrade and
conrade, why should one man remain
in a dark, poverty stricken command,
while the other stays all the time in
q comparatively easy one? This was
not the principle Of the apostle, nor 10
II ours.
The statement that you have been
recalled" is not true. You had simply
received notice Of q change OF appoint
ment The position fixed for you in my
own mind had been chosen with view
TO meet your wishes. so far rs could
consistently do so.
Similarly. the statement that you
have been dismissed Is false. am sat
isficd that every effort dictated by wis
dom and affection 70 avert this calamity
was made.
In fact, you are not dismissed Mt ali.
You are still Salvation Army officer
In the eye Of the army. / have not, as
yet, accepted your resignation.
Even II you succeeded In establishing
another movement and surrounded
yourselves with new friends. this action
will stu be there. The world Will nat
urally and aSsuredly ask: where are
this mans vows and pledges TO his
comrhdes, n he forget them TO his
tatherI What about his promises aB
between man and man?"
All this must deeply affect your own
future. II cannot be otherwise. have
had much opportunity Of Judging. md ]
am sure thnt no good man can be
happy In a course which docs not COM
mend Itself TO his own conscience and
10 the consciences OF other good men
who know the facts. When your friends
point to my action in 1862 as In any way
resembling yours OF to-day they only
display their folly by speaking Of what
they are entirely ignorant. The church
! left had done nothing for me. To II
! had made no pledges OF life service,
J only retired nfter waiting four years
IN order that my wishes might be con
sldered. and when I went out made
no complaints, / wrote to no news
papers, Issued no circulars, mnllgned
no individuals, kept back no property.
carried on no intriEucs, ! listened to
No dissatisfied people.I loved aisd be-
loved everybody, went forth 10 the
cutter. with your mother, and without
any rich mnn's help, / began TO toll
among the poor and pinched myself In
many n dire necessity to get you mn
e1uchtion and provide n home
But leave all that, and come back 10
where begnn-you are my son. / can
never give you up while I ain on this
h'lc of the valley, and once more ask
YOU 10 come and see me. That cannot
D." unreasonable or unkind. II II, you
must admit, according tn common sense
md common honor, and to the first COM
TnCnds Of Jesus Chrigt. Bring Maudio
ana come, md do not listen 20 the lying
tongues of those who would oppose 30
natural & oouENe They only want 70