The herald., 1896-02-23
General Booths Strong Hold
on the Army
HIS POWERS ARE ABSOLUTE
Like the Centurion He Says to One
$50" and Another "Come"
Controls All Of the Property and Could Not
Be Deposed-A Strange Financial
System

mander-in-chief of the Salvation army,
who has torn up the United States
branch Of the order by his arbitrary
recall of Commander Ballington Booth
and Mrs. Booth, is a remarkable man.
The whole family is remarkable for
that matter, but he ranks supreme.
He is an old man now, and his tenn
per is not as smooth as it once was. At
the present time he is in India BOOM
ing along the affairs OF the army. Next
year he may be in Australia, or in the
he rt of Africa, or in Siberia. He jumps
from one continent to another with
the Indifference of the ordinary man
making fifty mile journey. He has
been in every big and little city the
world over, but if he were asked TO
name any of their famous sights
he would remain silent, because
he has never seen them. But if
he we're asked about the slums of any OF
the cities, he could picture them as
faithfully as the native policeman who
patrols them daily. Criminals and
social outcasts are pretty much the
same the world over, whether they are
found In Londcn, Toxic, Constantine
pie, Cape Town or New York. But
there are differences in environment
which he studies, and he turns the
knowledge to the advantage of the
army.
General Booth will be 81 years old ON
the 10th of April next. He was born
in Nottingham, England, where he first
hon h So1r
soldier, and was stoned by an angry
mob IN return. They called him
blasphemer and a religious buffoon.
That happened on July 5, 1865. Less
than thirty-one years ago the Saliva
tion army numbered one man. IL was
called the Christian Mission then.
Now it numbers 100000 men, women
and children. In 1878 the name was
changed to the Salvation Army.
General Booth is king. He is more
than the average king, for he not only
controls the bodies Of his subjects but
he is master of their souls. They are
firmly bound to him, and sometimes
they feel the tether which holds them.
General Booth spends much of his
time intrench1ng himself in his posi-
ton. He does not want to be ousted
from the monarchy which he has build
ed with SO much palms. And he has
made such a task, should it ever be at
tempted, we'll nigh impossible.
He is religious enthusiast, but he
| is also shrewd man. He has made
| many enemies in his unusual life, and
wires are constantly being operated to
cause his downfall. His enemies claim
that he is more despotic than the Czar
| of Russia; that he uses the Salvation
Army, first, for the benefit of William
| Booth, and, second, for the benefit of
the Booth family. That ends the list.
They claim that evely possession of
the Salvation Army the world over is
| the property of William Booth. 1t owns
! real estate in nearly every country in
the world. It is established today in
thirty-eight countries and is spreading
all the time. The value of the assets of
the army are not published in any of its
numerous papers. What they are it is
difficult to estimate, but their head
quarters in the various large cities of
the world are imposing structures.
The army may be worth $5,000000
and it may be worth $10,000,000. Every
cent of it is absolutely Under the con-
troll of General Booth. Its real estate
alone is worth $4,000.000. One of the
OmcerS or the army SAID recently on
this subject: "All is made over to the
general; indeed, so absolutely that 1
! much question if a friend left me
| legacy of $1,000 whether / could legally
retain it for myself or family"
This is the way General Booth has
intrenched himself and it can be read
lily seen that he has fortified his king
dom in no insecure manner. More
over, he is bound to perpetuate the
name of Booth. When one of his
daughters marries, the son-in-law as
sumes the patronymic of his father-in-
law.
He places certain amount of con-
fidence in his thousands of officers, but
he prefers to trust as much as he can
to his sons and daughters. This is the
way he has distributed them:
Ballington Booth, United States
commander.
'Bramwell Booth, English COM
mander.
Maraeschael Booth, commander in
France and Switzerland.
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