The herald., 1896-10-08
SLOW BUT SURE PROGRESS
An American Institution Without Foreign
Censors
The Defenders League as an Auxiliary Or.
ganization
A Sincere Believer in the Reclamation
Of State Prisoners-Her Con-
victs' Home in New
York

The audience that greeted Mrs. Maud
Ballington Booth last evening almost
filed Music hail. Mrs. Booth, as leader
of the Volunteers of America, the new
movement which has undertaken work
similar to that of the Salvation Army,
already has a large following and, as
shown by the audience at her lecture
last evening, possesses great drawing
power. After the customary opening
exercises of song and prayer, conducted
by Major Blackhurst and Capt. Ma
comber, the speaker of the evening was
introduced. Major Blackhurst did this
in a few we'll chosen words, taking occa-
sion to refer to his previous visit, when
he first explained the aims and objects
of the new movement.
Mrs. Booth was received with great
applause. She is an attractive little
woman, with a smooth, flowing speech,
and won her way into the hearts of her
hearers, and her first words were of
praise Of the city, which she has visited
three times before.
She opened her discourse by saying
|
ed some people expected it to grow to
great dimensions Immediately, and that
in a day there would be uniformed forces
In every city. This is not mushroom
growth" said she; I'VE do not wish 1t
to grow too rapidly, but to gradually
take its place as God may lead the way"
She referred with pathos to the unfor-
tunate Misunderstanding with the old
army, which brought about this move
ment The inception of this movement
was not the work of days impulse or
any fit of jealousy or resentment, but
came after days and weeks of prayer and
anguish. The movement had its birth
not in any i'll feeling, but as result of
the treatment of the older organization.
I'VE were really cut out" said Mrs.
Booth, land severing the connections
tore our hearts; but my husband says
l am brave woman and we went to
work under the guidance of God and
started this new movement"
Her description OF the trouble which
brought about the split in the army was
quite pathetic, especially that part al
luding to domestic incidents connected
Herewith. Her love of God and coun-
try" was the incentive Of the rebellion
against the foreign control of the army
I'VE believed that our work should be
confined to America and free OF foreign
control" s..'
THE world for Christ is a good mot
to-" said she; "but when you say it must
b. under one organization alone 1t Is a
different thing. We do not object to ar
mics going to Asia, Africa or the north
pole, and we would perhaps even con-
tribute toward the expense, hut the
Volunteers of America are for America
alone" Mrs. Booth told at length how
she became estranged from her parents
he Cn1r +;~v, d..
England, when she felt impelled by
heaven to join that movemerA Z though
she lost thereby her. fathers love and
was separated from nome and latives
without reconciliation for twelve years.
Even as she left her home and hearth to
follow the promptings of her heart and
conscience, so she later left the parent
stem of the great religious army.
In burning words Of eloquence the
| plquant little woman described how the
movement attained headway and has
| finally grown to formidable proportions;
| and some of her allegorical illustrations
were prose poems. The movement was
not born in wealth but in an extremely
modest way, and Mrs. Booth gave the
| newspaper reporters q great amount Of
credit for their share in the success it
| has achieved
| This movement is governed in this
country. It is military and in it's organ
ization is modelled after tire army of the
United States. We will conduct this
movement in q military way, regardless
| OF foreign censors, no matter how wise
and good those censors may be. The
| headquarters are in New York, and
there the financial matters as well as the
| military will be controlled. One thing
| that is not generally known is that the
ccommander, Ballington Booth, is an
| ordained minister. not of any regularly
established church, but a minister at
large of the church of God.
Another thing" said Mrs. Booth,
with a burst of indignant eloquence, ''is
the report that we have become respect
able; that we have grown above the
slums, and will not stoop to work in the
| cutters. This is absolutely untrue. Our
hardest work will always be among
those people who seem furthest away
| from Christ, and our special efforts Will
be made in the state prisons"
She described the work that she has
done and is doing in the prisons, espe-
cially Sing Sing, where prisoners look
for her regular appearance.
| Mrs. Booth described the banner adopt
| ed by the volunteers, and uttered many
patriotic sentiments to show her devo-
tion to the work and to her adopted
country where lies her field Of labor.
| The speaker also gave some particu-
|
the Defenders league, which already
numbers 1000 members. The league in
cludes people of all stations irslife, from
| richest to the poor, and serves as a
moral and financial support of the vol
| unteers.
When we gave up our quarters in New
York we left everything to the other
army. We did not have even o chair OF
all the property we had accumulated at
the headquarters. Without rooms, fur
niture or money the new movement
could not plunge at once into work of the
slums, for we could not then establish
rescue homes. The only thing for us to
do at fret was to take up a work that
had been before neglected. We went tc
work in the state prisons and we fee
that we have done much to soften the
hearts of the convicts and brought them
nearer to religious life. +
To show how extensive has been her
own missionary work In the prisons
Mrs. Booth eayA that she has now Al
personal correspondents 100 ptisoneyl