The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-02-27

OF souls. There is another object that Is
of more interes, to purely worldly people,
that is the alleviation OF human suffering
and the elevation OF the masses by teach
ing proper rules for living. The slum
corps DOS most OF this work. Officers
and soldiers are asigned to work In
siums. but seldom unless they request II.
The work In the slums fas been told
about many times. In brief, II consists
in going down into the poorest quarters,
renting rooms in the dirtiest tenements
and teaching cleanliness first OF all. The
women go from apartment TO apartment
helping the overworked women, washing
babies, scrubbing floors, nursing the
sick, teaching bow To cook, giving food
when IL was necessary, aud in every other
way Tossible lending hand to brighten
the dis rict In addition the the slum
work lodging houses are maintained
where unfortunates are d and lodged,
provided they work at woodcuttin2 or the
othe work provided. Wood yards are
maintained where mel who have no work
can earn DO cents or so day, enough To
furnish the necessary food for their fam
lilies. Employment bureaus are also or
gsnized aud men and women out OF work
get places through them. That Is what
the General calls practical Christianity"
The Salvation army soldier IL soldier Tor
life, and when he dies he must not be
nnourned. Here are the rules on his
point:
I. All our soldiers should refuse to fol-
low the ordinary fashion of wearing black
dress, Grape, or any such other things
in order TO Sc. forth their grief on &C
count OF the loss they have suffered VIII ch
Is known as "mourning."
2. This also appl es TO the use OF
hearses, mourning coaches, hired under
takers m n to take part in ceremonial
with which they have no sympathy De-
yond that OF getting paid for II.
3. The funeral usages should be re-
jected on the following grounds:
(a). 1t Is a worldly fashion. 10 dress
up IN black clothes on the occasion OF
death Is as much following the fashion OF
the world as the wearing OF artihciai
flowers and feathers and other gay apparel
would be Ut a wedding.
Obi. 1t IL a melancholy custom. What
can be more gloomy and calculated TO de-
press the feelings of the here we'd than the
drawn blinds and unhealthy dresses, and
all the usual mourning usages or ordinary
funerals.
(c). 1t has the appearance of bein a re-
Election upon the prov dence OF God.
AS we have before seen, there IS nothing
that happens to u that does not come
either by the appointment or permission
OF God, and every soldier can reckon
when death has visited his dwelling,
however painful the visitation may have
been, that II l. intended to work for his
good, and for him to go u the expense OF
RAINING into debt, as is often the case, to
p ovide black clothes to walk about IN
the world in, seems like saying, "God
has made great mistake and been very
hard on me.p
(d). 1t is false impression OF the
feeling of the Salvation soldier and OF
the feeling of the Army with respect to
death.
(e). To wear Grape and wourning on
the occasion of the death of a salvation
soldier seems to contradict all that the
departed brother, or sister, has been
saying for years or months, gone by, all
that was Id on their q ath bed, all that
is being said at the grave and on the plat
form, and all that will be aid of him for
years TO come, viz. that God took him In
love away from the evil to come to gio-
rious land OF rest and pleasure and com.
munion, nav, to the very society OF
angels and OF God.
(f). They are needless expense. such
a visitation a. that of which we are
speaking is usually an expensive one,
and the is no money TO spare 10 waste
upon custom tnat is in itself useless
and unprofitable.
A. 70 indicate the respect and fec
II ion for ths departed, soldiers may wear,
instead OF mourning after the funeral. a
blacked band with red "S" or an d.
nary black band around the right arm.
The trimming OF an army bonnet or nat
should not be altered u on such an oc-
casion, nor the red band be left off; other
wise it is like saying, "Now, i will not
LET the salvation of God, but my own sor-
row, be the most prominent object in my
dressing"
The Army rs organized in forty nations.
The rules and regulations are the same
in all. The nature of the work is the
5 me in all. The one absolute ruler is
General William Booth. He has advisers,
but they have no power at all. He can
remove them. Every man woman md
slild in the army is under his rule. He
can lift them p or put them down as he
chooses There is no appeal from any
order he cares to make. Under his
a. spices more than 70 r million religious
meetings are held every year. There have
been very few revolts against his author
ity. There has been one in this country,
but il was not anything like the one now
threatened. That was in 1883. 1t was
led by Thomas n. Moore. who. was com
mander and was dismissed because he
would not obey orde S. 1t was not sue