The record-union., 1896-03-21

! Eyword in some college communities
in which members of the faculty occa-
| sionally fill a local pulpit. And some of
our best scholars are men who are not
conspicuous for clear ideas, balance OF
mind and the spiritual insight which
are necessary for the minister. The
education of a minister is a very COM
plex thing. No one will suspect us OF
Understanding the worth of high
scholastic training, but that is not
everything. Home influences, early as
siciations, natural vigor of mind, the
faculty of expressing ideas with clear
ness and force and beauty, enter very
largely into the equipment of a we'll
furnished minister, and. above all, the
saving gift of common sense, which
scholarship does not inpart, and, II
limited to a single department, often
weakens by disturbing the sense OF
proportion and the mental perspective.
.Much needless sympathy has been
/ expended upon the American leaders
OF the Salvation Army" observes the
New York "Chuychman" (P. Ed. "The
difficulties which have recently arisen
are evidently a family quarrel, and
nothing more. But there is mutiny
And mutiny and insubordination are
as unseemly among those who play at
+ soldiers as in a real army Of blue or
| red coats. Ballngton Booth took COM
mand of the army in the United States
with q, very full understanding that he
must obey the orders of bis General
And just as Francis Xavier was sent
first to India, then to Japan and lastly
to China at the command of his Gen
eraI, so it would have been consistent
with the law of obedience if Ballington
Booth had obeyed the commands of his
General when called upon to resign
his work in America. 1t was his duty
to submit to the command of his su
perior officer without question or dis
pute; and to hesitate and demur, and
still more to resist, strikes at the very
root of one of the fundamental princi
pies of the organization to which he
belongs. 1t is difficult to understand
how so many excellent citizens have
found it consistent with their sense of
right and wrong to support Ballington
Booth and his wife in their determina-
ton to call in question the judgment
and authority Of one who occupies to-
ward his subordinates the position of
Pope, and in the present instance
stands in the relationship of father to
the individuals who question his au-
thority.'
mo man is compelled to join the Sal
vation Army" remarks the New York
Christian Advocate" (Meth.); "all who
belong to it Joined it voluntarily; every
intelligent person who gave dollar to
il gave it with the knowledge that Gen
7 Ion, bo
whole concern according to his own
will. The Salvation Army will go to
pieces the moment it loses its auto
cratic head 1t win go to pieces grad
ually or rapidly when General Booth
dies. unless he has provided for the
emergency. Being an institution with
cut sacraments and therefore not
church, it is simply and solely a mill
tary organization devoted to getting
people to become Christians and, as far
as possible, workers in the army 1t is
on the principle of Ignatius Loyola,
and it owes its glory to autocracy and
obedience. We have never attached as
much Importance to the work of the
army as many persons in this country
who know nothing about the work done
by the Baptists, Methodists and similar
denominations, but we have felt suffi-
GENTLY interested in it to recognize all
the good it actually does, have made a
study of its organization, and are salts
fled that a failure to remove BaIlington
Booth-who has remained here longer
than any other commander of his grade |
has remained in any place, except his
sister, the Marshal. who stayed longer
in France, because she could speak
Erench-Would in the end have de-
stroyed the morale of the army"
1--WE are not quite prepared says
the Northwestern Christian Advo-
cate" (Ieth) of Chicago, ito indorse
the proposition made by one of our es-
teemed' correspondents that our Bishops
should wear robes on public occasions.
1t is true that uniformly gowned long
row of Bishops sitting in general con-
ference would be a sight to please the
artists eye, and that the spectacular
effect might be quite better than the
vision of everyday garments, differing
in color, cut and fit. Moreover. the
gowns would cover some coats which
did not emerge from the tailor shop last
week or last month. Yet gowns get
rusty, as coats do, and while we can
easily conceive that some of our COM
manding Episcopal physical forms
would thus appear very impressive, yet
it is none the less true that gowns
sometimes make a little man appear
more like a perplexed and nervous old
lady than a sturdy masculine Bishop.
An excellent illustration of that point
is the fact that our discriminating
brother Of the Western Advocate once
p7iSfoOlx the SnecfacIed and haoourpad