The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1896-03-12
WOMAN OF THE HOUR.
A Character Sketch of Commissioner
Eva c. Booth,
PRESENT HEAD OF SALVATION ARMY
In America-Her Four Great Con
6Icts.

She has been in this country Tor less
than ten days. In that time she has &C
complished an amount of work which de-
serves the thoughtful attention of Ameri-
can citizens. She has helped to depose her
brother, Ballington Booth, from his proud
position as commander of the American
Salvation Army. She has made a large
number of enthusiastic enemies by this
course. In almost every case she has sub
sequently disarmed these enemies and won
their loyal support. She has personally
and privately interviewed several hundred
Army officers. She has written and dictated
thousands of letters. She has reorganized
the work at the Army headquarters. She
has apparently nipped in the bud a strong
movement of the Army toward secession,
and she has preserved her pink and white
English complexion through it all.
The personality of a woman who can do
this should be interesting. Eva Booth
does not disappoint ones expectations.
She Is no less interesting and very little
loss charming than the late lamented
leader, Maud Ballington Booth. If she
were to be permanently established in New
York, it would be safe to predict that she
would win the same position Mrs. Booth
has won and through many of the Same
qualities.
This woman warrior, whose motto is
"Blood and Fire. has had considerable
experience with both. Her present active
engagement IN the SO Ca1leO nO1y war Is ny
no means her first. Although she is not
yet 80 years old, she has taken part in four
great conflicts. She has conquered every
time, and she has emerged from the smoke
of battle calm and unruf1ed and with
large following of citizens who had been
very enthusiastically opposed to her in the
beginning
She knows the business of the Salvation
Army from the first step to the last. Be-
fore she was 1 8 she was selling War Crys
in the streets of London, and since that
time she has filed every grade and rank
in the Army from cadet to commissioner.
a very brief review of her life up to this
point may interest the thousands of per-
sons who are waiting eagerly to see what
she will DO next.
Following her early and humble expert
ence in the selling of War Crys, Miss Booth
settled down in the Training home, in
London, and helped her sister to turn out
large numbers of women warriors from
that institution 1t was not easy work to
transform earnest but ignorant young
persons from the streets into well inform
ed, thoroughly trained and persuasive
women officers. Eva Booth did it, and
her pupils made fine regulations for them
selves and did her great credit.
About this time, and when she was con-
siderably less than 20, the famous Pail
Mall Gazette revelations convulsed Lon
don, and tho Salvation Army took prom
inent part in the trouble. Indignant citi-
zens OF the lower classes who objected to
being exposed or saved according to the
Army's methods spent great deal Of tine
bombarding it's headquarters and making
things unpleasant for officers and privates.
The greatest trouble was connected with
an Army building in the very heart Of
London's slums. Eva Booth was sent
there to restore peace. She did it, and in
cidentaIly had her first baptism of blood
fra nd hor in the
line of physical as well as spiritual war
fare. Day after day she and her little
band of women marched out as target
for sticks and stones, and day after day
they marched back very much bruised, but
still full of cheerful enthusiasm. 1t was
on one of these occasions that Eva Booths
powers of diplomacy first revealed them
selves.
The attack was particularly bitter one.
The toughs with whom the Salvationists
were struggling were bad specimens OF
their kind. The leader was a particularly
depraved ruffian who had q leaning toward
broken bottles and loaded sticks as mis-
siles. 1t was during the heat of the con-
lict and when the women warriors of the
Salvation Army were getting decidedly the
worst of 1t that Captain Eva Booth turned
confldingly to this youth aud assured him
that he must take care OIL her. She ex-
planned to him that he was stronger than
him call off his followers and escort her
and her companions safely home. Subse-
quently when she lay at deaths door this
youth pawned his vest and bought bunch
of white grapes, which he brought to the
door of her sickroou in the most Chester
fleldian manner. Little things like this
happen frequently in Books, but it is a
pleasure and a novelty to meet one in real
life The truth of this incident is vouch-
ed for
Her second active engagement took
place soon after in Torquay, health re-
sort in the south of England. The COM
mon council of Torquay deprived the Sal
walton Army of its precious privilege of
parading tho streets on Sunday with
braas band. The procession moved right
along by its commanders orders Soldiers
were arrested and cast into prison, but
those who remained kept in line, and the
band played on. There was great excite
ment in the town, and COMMISSIONS Eva
Booth was sent to Torquay to investigate
the trouble. She took her place in tho
parades and personally interviewed and
won over the common council She had
the matter taken up by parliament, and
eventually she won the right for her Army
to parade all day if it chose to do so with
its brass band in loud and close attendance.
Conflict number three took place at
Whitohurch. The issue there was the
Armys right to hold open air meetings.
Commissioner Eva came, saw and con-
quered. The Army held open air meetings
and is probably holding them yet.
Recently Miss Booth has been in COM
mand of the London province, which con-
tains 81 900 soldiers and $50 field officers.
Three weeks ago she received from Gener-
al Booth her orders ''to farewell that is,
to get ready to resign her command and
await further orders from headquarters.
She is here, as we know, temporarily.
She has 10 idea where she will be sent aft
er she has turned over the affairs of the
Army to Ballington Booths successor. In
the meantime she is working day and