The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-02-27
SALVATION ARMY.
The History of General Booths Or
ganizatiOn.
Has Branches in Forty Countries and 40,-
10000 Religious Meetings Annually.

order from London commanding Com
mander Ballington Booth and Mrs. Booth
TO leave the country, the question has
be asked great many times, "What Is
the Salativon Army, any way, and where
do the wer come from that can
command a man TO leave a country of
which he is a citizen, and in which hs,
largely by pers nal eff ri, has built up
powerful orgaDizati n that admittedly Is
3 doing great amount OF good?" While
everybody knows In general way about
the Salvation Army and its work, very
Few even OF the people who contribut TO
It's supper know any hing about !
government, its actual work, how the
membership Is recruited, and how tho
members, VINO devote all heir time to the
work, live A sun reporter visited the
national beadquatrers, in Fourteenth
street, yesterday, and asked about all
these [ ings
4 he Army was ganized by William
Boo in 1866, and h has been since its
fou dation tn general Of the Army. lie
WIS born in Nottingham, England, end
Is now 90 years old. His own story Of how
he came / organize the army is this !
He was converted wEen he was 10 years
old. Shor ly afterward he Rev. James
Caughey an American minister maxim
an evangelist tic tour through England,
stopped at the town where Booth lived
~
Booth was impressed with the manner OF
the American. He saw that straight
forward, converse onal way OF putting
truth, and a common-sense method OF
pushing people TO make a dec sion, was
responsible largely for the results. After
the revival, when he had recovered from
ft OF illness hich followed At, Booth
and some of his companions went into
TIE poorer parts OF the town and held
meetings. He says:
"Our plan OF operation was simplicity
itself. Ne obtained the loan of cottages,
and in these held meetings every night,
always commencing with an open-air adj
dress, fine weather or foul, all the year
round inviting the people indoors for
another meeting. Here again we had
lively songs, short and sharp exhorta-
tions, insisting upon decision for Christ
upon the spot, which was to be signiied
by coming out and kneeling at the round
table that stood in the middle of the
room. These efforts were accompanie led
by visitation of the sick and of the con-
verts, whose names and addresses were
always recorded, together with process
sion to the big chapel on the Sunday,
which the respectable authorities OF the
society soon compelled us TO take In at
the back door, where the free seats were.
When our converts died we had salvation
funerals, placing the coffin in the street,
singing around it, and holding another
had done. In short, we had a miniature
Salvation Army
From Nottingham Booth went to other
towns, and finally to London, where he
studied for the ministry and was sent out
as an evangelist by the Methodist Church.
In some towns the people could not be
got at, and that was the reason for the
organization OF the bands known as HAL
lelujah bands" with the drums and cor
nets and singing. This was to attract the
attention OF the people and make them
think OF religion whether they wanted
TO or not. IL did what IL was intended,
and people were got at who could never
have been reached in any other way.
The work grew and became unwieldy.
1t spread above England, and into the
provinces. There was need of organiza-
tion and leadership, and so the Army
was organized.
The general impr ssion has been that
the Army, having started in Englaud and
having its headquarters in Enlgand, is
an English organization. 1t is not. in
America Ii is Americana; in France ii is
French; in Canada it is Canadian; in
India 1t is Indian; and so on in every
country where there is army it is the
army OF that country. The headquarters
is in London simply because London Is
the most central point and nearer to all
the countries than any other city in the
world. This statement was made by the
-
OBJECT OF the army rs to save souls" The
book OF orders and regulations issued by
the neral says: ''iThe salvation sol
dier's religion may be divided into three
parts: A-Getting saved himself from
sin and its consequences, he new birth
INTO the favor and family of God, and al
tbs delightful consequences that follow.
B-keeping saved. C-Getting Others
saved; that is, living the life OF Christ
over again, following Him, being a saviour
of men. I"
The Salvation Army gets its recruits
from the converts 1t makes. Anybody
can be soldier in the Army without its
interfering with his or her occupation
by enlisting and signing the "Articles of
War. 80 Here are the articles:
Having received with all my heart
the salvation offered me by the tender
mercy OF Jehovah, l do here and now
publicly acknowledge God to be nv
Father and King, Jesus Christ TO be nv
saviour, and the Holy Spirit TO be my
guide comforter and strength; and that
VIII, py HIS help, love servo, worship
and obey this glorIous God through ali
time and and through all eternity.
Believing solemnly that the Salvation
Army has be n raised by God and is sus-
tanned and directed by Him. / do hereby
declare my fulndetermination, by Gods
help, to be true soldier of the army till
j die.
| am thoroughly convinced OF the
Army's achings.
a. b. lieve that repentance toward God,
faith i'm our Lord Jesus Christ, and con-
version by the Holy Spirit are necessary
TO salvation, and that all men may be
saved.
b. i believe that we are saved by grace
through faith in our Lord j sus Christ,
and that he that lieveth bath the wit
ness OF 1t in himself. 1 have got it.
Thank God
8. believe that the Scriptures were
given by inspiration OF God, and that
they teach that not only does continuance
In the favor of God depend upon con-
tin1ed faith ia aud obedience To Christ,
but that 1t is possible for those who have
been truly converted to fall away and
be eternally lost.
q believ that Ii is the privilege OF
all Gods people to be "wholly sanctifedn
and that "the whole spirit ana soul and
b dy" may be preserved blameless unit
th G. ming Of our Lord Jesus Christ.
That is to say, / believe that a tier conver-
sion there remain in the heart OF the be-
lever inclination TO evil, or roots OF Bit