The age-herald., 1897-10-06
Major Edith Marshall, of SaIva-
 ton Army.Fame,
TRAMPLED AND SPIT. UPON
By Mobs in France and Switzerland Despite These and Other Hardships,
 She Succeeded.

| has had experiences that would age the average man long before his tima. She has bsen spit upon and knocked down and kicked and had her big poke bonnst and her tight little army jacket torn off her by a bowling mob. She talks about it as the average girl would discuss summer Irritation, though it all happened to her when she was a mere slip of girl
 Maj. Marshall was seated in her l.ttle office at headquarters the othslr morn ing when Sun reporter called to learn something of her work as a national special. That's what she is, special, and if ever a woman deserved such a significant title she is th+ one. After listening to her for a while the reporter asked:
 How did you join the Salvation Army?"
 If you knew what I have been through since joined the army" she arl- sweiTsd, you would not ask how did you get into it? but how did you ever stay there?' You American people don't know what mobs are. It amuses me when the people and the papers talk about bowling mobs. You don't have thsn here in America. But that comes later in my story. You ask me how came to join the army. My doing so was not an impulse, but the result of years of thought. True, 1t was child's thought, but it was serious, neyerthe- less. Of course, you know am an English girl. Every one knows that as soon as l speak, evsn if have bean a true-blue American in thought, word and deed for over sevn years now. Well, at all came about in this way: My father knew Gsn. Booth when he first started out with a Christian mis- sion. They Ware warm personal friends, for my father was an earnest. active Christian, too Soon the Generals mis- s1on became tha Salvation Army, and when l was about 10 or Il years old my father began to take me to the annual mestings held in Exeter hall, London. Before that had attended several meet ings conducted by the generals wife, and when Il went forward to the penitent form in on+ of these meetings. As far as l could understand the matter, as child, was really converted This meeting happened to be Miss Catherine Booths farewell. She was just start ing for Paris to introduce the Saliva tion Army work thers. She was a most beautiful woman. She had a wonder ful influence over me, and I was at- tached to her. She is now Mrs. Booth- Clibborn.
 After that I continued to attend the annual meetings at Exeter hall, but outsid+ of that saw nothing of the army. The very next year, in fact, my fathers health failed, and he took his four child ren-my mother had died when we we're very young-to the south of France for the winter On our way back to Eng land we stopped for the month of May in Paris, and there I saw the army con- tinuously for the first time. I went to the meetings with Miss Booth and vis- ited her in her plain little rooms, but the only thing that impressed me very deeply was the mobs that psrsecuted the army officers. One day Miss Booth said: My child, I hope some day that you will come and hslp me- The first thought of entering the army came into my mind at that minute.
 The next winter we didn't go abroad, but went instead to Worthing, in the south of England, thinking that tha mild home climate would benefit my father. There entered fashionable high school where all of the girls were opposed to the army. I still loved the organiza- tion but l began to see it from another viewpoint and to wonder if really could give my life to its work. While wa were there the frightful riots took place when the Skeleton Army, regular or gan.zed opposition to the Salvationists,
 
 friends of the army, and our house had ito be put under police protection. Fin ally the militia were called out and the riot suppressed, but not until after blood was shed. Now We have a splendid corps of 300 there.
 "The climate did not help my father, and at Christmas ha died. Then we went to Clapton. only a. quarter of an hours walk from Congress hall, Lon don. Congress hall is the great Salva- ton Army training school; it had been opsn only four years then.
 q entered high school and began to attend the Sunday mornig holiness meetings regularly. There was no neces- sity of my working for money, but I felt that must have something to do in life, that would not be content to spend my girlhood in idleness as so many girls do. I felt a desire to enter the army, but I was very young and not strong, and I didn't quite see my way clear to take this step. Just at that time, with out my knowledge, Miss Catherine Booth called on my aunt, who was also my guardian, and asked her if l could go to Paris to help her in her work, as I knew the French language we'll. She said that she would be responsible for me. My guardian spoke to me about it, and was anxious ito go. She decided to let me try it for six months, and then I was to come home again. So I went. At ffrst I attended only two meetings each week, sold the War Cry on the boulevards and visited the poor. did the regular work of a cadet, except I was not allowed to visit the saloons.
 While there I filled out candidates form, because the more I saw of the real spirit of the army behind the scenes the more wanted to join it. Miss Booth wanted me to do three months duty in field work before returning home, so she arranged for me to go to the open ing of a corps in Calais. I went there with three other young women, and she was to call and take me back to Eng land when my time was up.
 ''The hall that we engaged in Calais had been a very low dance hall, and the rooms that we rented to live in had been occupied by very questionable characters. When we first opened, the people who had been accustomed to pat ronizing the dance hall thought that we were going to have dancing, and when the mob found that wasn't on the pro- gramme there was a riot. This kept up night after night, but finally we four girls, unaided, reduced things to a. state of order. Before the first month had | passed an epidemic of smallpox broke al-~-