The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1896-12-26
GOSPEL ARMY
AND THEIR DINNER
Accused of Money-Collec
ing by False Pre-
lenses.
Editor Powers Explains Why
Meal. Tickets Were Sold and
Collected.
Brigadier Ksppsl Tells About What
He Saw in the He dquarters
on Third Street.

There is to be friction between the Sal
walton Army of the General Booth wing
and the Gospel Army, new organization,
born in San Francisco last April. The
Gospel Army people have adopted the
methods of the Salvation Army and uni
form somewhat like that of the Salvation.
| lists.
| Both organizations gave a Christmas
| dinner to the poor yesterday, the Saliva
rionists at the corner of New Montgomery
and Howard streets, and the Gospel Army
| at their headquarters, the basement OF
| 2715 Third street. 1t is about this last
mentioned dinner that the latest chatting
has arisen.
Brigadier Keppel. Major Mcintyre, Ad-
jutant Reid and Sergeant Day, on the
way from the turkey feast at the corner of
New Montgomery and Howard streets,
dropped into the Gospel Army basement
to make friendly Christian call. What
happened there was told to CALL re-
porter by the brigadier, as follows:
II stepped down into the basement and
/ asked boy whom l saw standing there,
Can't you get dinner?' He said, No,
1t costs Is cents to get in here There
were some men there, and there was a
general grumble of complaint that the
dinner was charged for, when money was
collected for the purpose OF giving the
meal free to the poor. There were about
seventy-five people in the room, and not
more than a dozen at the tables, which
could seat twenty-four persons at time.
We did not stay more than five minutes
altogether"
The brigadier proceeded to say that his
organization had been at considerable ex-
pense in getting up neat card to accom-
pany the collection-boxes held by mem
bers of the army for the reception of do
nations of money for free Christmas din
ner for the poor. This card, the brigadier
! said, had been copied by the other organi-
cation and read as follows:
GOSPEL ARMY.
B. McKinstry, Commander; Headquarters 2711
Third street.
Please assist us in getting up free Christ
mas dinner for the poor of the City.
God loves cheerful giyer.
Help wanted
For Mems Food and Shelter Home, WOman's
| Rescue Home. Children's
Christmas free.
| The brigadier added that the similarity
| of uniforms on both men and women and
| the similarity in the style of the cards
were calculated to, and did, deceive many
people who donated money, etc., under
| the impression that they were giving to
! the Salvation Army. Merchants had told
| his collectors that they had given provis-
ions and goods to Gospel Army collectors
under the belief that they were Salvation
| lists.
The Gospel people had no rescue home s
or children's homes. he said, and yet they
made that statement on their cards.
/ While the brigadier and his companions
were IN the basement one of General Nc
/ rub re q Y n hal
who had bought tickets got the preference
at the first tables and that whatever was
| lett was given away to the rest of the
crowd. He explained further that there
were some free meals at the first table.
1.-The people of San Francisco have in
trusted our organization with SC. much
| money" continued Brigadier Keppel,
that we feel it to be our duty to protect
the public from any such burlesque as the
/ Gospel Army. OF course we do not as
sumo to be monopoly. The field for do
ing good is open to every one, but money
should not be extracted from the public
by false pretenses."
General McKinstry had just finished a
! fervent prayer in the basement of 271I
| the street with his band. Several officers
is new uniforms and bewitching, black
! eyed lassie were on the platform with
| him. The officers displayed on the front
of their caps in gold embroidered letters
an inch tall the words, Gospel Army"
The general did not appear to be at all
| Hurried when asked whether he had sold
tickets or had charged any one Is cents
or any other sum for admission to the
dinner.
| ASK any of those people here" he
said, waving his hand over the congrega-
tion, whether they had to pay cent.
We adver ised the dinner to begin at 8
P. NJ. and end at 6 P. NJ, but we started it
al 2:30 p NJ. and kept it up till Z. Nobody
was allowed to go away hungry"
The general had To sally forth at that
moment, and he turned the reporter over
to Captain J. w. Powers, editor OF the
Warrior, the official organ of the Gospel
Army. The captain possesses a brogue,
rich, rare and redolent of the Barney
/ stone. and he heaved sad sigh when told