The record-union., 1896-11-21
GLOBE TRO1lrER" HIGGINS.
His Address at the Salvation Army
Citadel Last Night.
now the Army Work Was First
Conceived and Carried Out by
General Booth.


on the oldest Salvation Army officers,
addressed a good-sized audience at the
citadel on Seventh street last night.
he Is very entertaining speaker, and
ms description of the Army and Its
working was lucid in the extreme.
commissioner Higgins kept his audi
ence in a good humor throughout his
aoreSs. He had, he said, been staff
officer in the Salvation Army for m ore
than sixteen years, and had been con-
nected with the organization for thirty
years.
He had seen something of the Army
IN his time, but as he grew older he
was nervous for fear what he should
say would not be what his Master de-
sired. The vastness of the work of
the Army left him uncertain as to just
what points he should touch upon.
He took advantage of the occasion
to speak of General Booth In enthusi-
astic terms. He knew him, not only as
a commander and a man, but also as
comrade in this battle fought for the
saving of souls. He was as much
worthy a divine guidance as was Moses,
and as worthy a leader, and the sue
cess which had come to the organiZa-
tion was largely due to his efforts.
AS for the speaker himself, he said
he was blood and fire soldier, and had
been for the last eighteen years, and
he was glad he was in a Salvation
Army barracks. He contended that no
Christian organization, since the day
of Pentecost, had made such rapid
strides during a like period as the Sal
walton Army.
Tl1irty-two years ago William Booth
was minister, and while the chapel
he occupied was crowded he recognized
that the crowd upon the outside was
larger and more in need of his min
istrations. He recognized that there
was an element which the Christian or
ganizations could not reach, and con-
ceived that it was the wish of the
Master that he go out into the high
ways and preach the word of God.
William Booth began his labors alone
in what is known as the East End in
London, preaching his first sermon from
a broken chair. He stood alone in the
work, and the seed he planted that day
had borne fruit.
Sixteen years ago there was in the
Army $50 corps, with 600 officers, and
was confined absolutely to England
To-day there are 5000 corps, and thEse
are distributed throughout nearly fifty
countries and colonies in the world.
To-day the officers of the Army number
over $4,000 persons Of all nationalities
and oolors. With this showing, he felt
safe IN saying that no Christian or
ganization in the world was parallel
10 the Salvationist movement
The speaker next took up the social
operations of the army, and contended
that III had not by any means super
ceded the spiritual operations of the
the society. The social opera tion, he
said was merely the life buoy held out
to the outcast, and was organized into
three departments-city, farm and gen.
eral.
In the battle Of life when the boy ON
the farm became discouraged or dissat-
lsfied. he made his way TO the large city
as surely as the moth found the candle
1t was small use to tell him that there
We're thousands there before him, his re-
ply being, "An roads lead to Rome"
The first item needed by these social
outcasts was food. and to supply that
item The army had furnished food de-
pots, not to feed everybody who came.
but to help and lift up the needy, and at
one of these depots the social outcast
may get a good, substantial meal for the
smallest coin that circulates in Calffor-
MIA.
The next thing the social outcast
needs is shelter, and seventy such shelf
ers have been formed. Then, too, the
army set UP its workshop-elevator, the
speaker called it-where work of all
kinds was offered the outcast, so that he
might follow his trade or occupation.
provided it was not 'flolding people up"
or burglary or robbery.
Rescue homes had also been formed
all over the world for the reclamation OF
fallen women, and since that depart
ment was formed over 10000 women
had been, not only reclaimed, but con-
verted. Where was there a Christian
denomination which could make as good
showing?
At this point Commissioner Higgins
gave way for a few moments for DR..
Nice, editor Of the German War Cry"
who rendered several selections upon
the violin. To say that Dr. Nice is a
wonderful performer upon his favorite
instrument would be drawing it mild,
and many who heard his efforts were
convinced that he could give one-half of
the professionals on the stage to-day
several points and win out handiIy.
Then Commissioner Higgins once
more took up the thread of his descrip-
ton and told Of the farm colonies OF the
army. There We're now thirteen such
farms some Of them containing as much
as 1000 acres, and giving employment
to four or five hundred men. On the
large farm near. London all kinds OF
cereals are cultivated and all manner
of fruit grown known to the climate. It
IS a well regulated farm throughout.
and has been the means Of reclaiming
thousands Of men who had lost all self
respect, and started them out anew
with fresh vigor TO fight the battle of
life.
II was not claimed that the social
plan had cleared all the prisons nor re-
leved all the poorhouses, but it had
done its share in ameliorating the cir