The herald., 1897-03-15
Stirring Times With the Saliva
ti0n Army Yesterday
BOOTH.TUCKER'S ELOQUENcE
Heard at Three Largely Attended
Meetings
The commissioner's Psrvid Exhortations tc
Ills Comrades-A Score Of Satan's
Prisoners Captured

Commissioner Frederick st. george
De Latour Tucker held his first service
at Peniel hall yesterday at II a. m. The
commander was too fatigued to be pres
ent at the a. m knee drill, of which
Lieut. Col. Keppel and staff and Capt
Davis took charge.
It was an earnest body of soldiers
who met at this early hour. and with
song and prayer opened the days cam
paign. The familiar hymns rang
through the hall, with the cornet ac-
compartment, and the spontaneous
prayers that poured from earnest lips
were interspersed with volleys of
amens.
At II o'clock Peniel hall was filled with
a vast multitude. a sea Of faces rising to
the roof. Salvationists were present
from Pomona, Redlands, Whittier,
Santa Monica, Pasadena. Ontario,
Santa Barbara. They occupied the
tiers of seats that face the audience and
the rows and ranks of uniformed SOL
diers with the red shirts and the Sal
walton army bonnet made picture both
impressive and picturesque.
Above their heads the quotation Tine
Blood of Jesus, His Blood Cleansetn
from Sin," was emblazoned on a red
background, .and-th words were the
theme of hymn and prayer.
Commander Booths appearance was
the signal for an enthusiastic wave of
welcome that surged through the hall,
filed the galleries and died away on the
army seats in cries of affection ana
welcome.
One listening to Commander Booth
can easily understand his power. His
personality is pronounced. his magne-
tism is strong. his tall spare figure, his
earnest speaking. face. his UNAFFECTED
and simple manners, all are attractive,
and there Is a light in his eye and a
touch of power in his voice that drive
what he says to the hearts OF the peo-
pie.
His talk yesterday in Peniel hall was
based upon the first chapter OF the
Acts of the Apostles, and consisted OF
alternate readings and running hre or
comment: Peter and John went up
into the temple about the ninth hour; It
was a busy time. perhaps the busiest
hour of the day. and the taking or the
busy time for prayer Is, alas! alas! go
ing out of fashion, and indeed the habit
of prayer IL, alas! alas! going out
of fashion too"
And then Commander Booth told a lit
tie StOry OF NOW COTuOn louHu tiihS even
at Khartoum, when shot and shell were
flying, for his daily prayer, and when
white signal before his tent kept out
all at this sacred hour.
Then, returning to his book. the speak
| er read of the lame man who was car
ried daily to the door of the temple
which is called Beautiful, to ask aims
On this the speaker oommented-on the
| lameness of the worlds people, their In
ability to get beyond the gate, their
capacity to simply hobble through life,
who, like the man who was born lame,
are willing to throw the blame of their
lameness on their inheritance. They
must be carried through life, must be
always asking aims, must ever stop at
the gate and never enter the temple
Beautiful.
And thus the speaker ran through the
story with the healing of the lame man
by Peter. and drew the parallel of the
healing of sin by Christ.
The sermon was followed by fervent
exhortation for those who were in sin
to come to Christ. The hymns rose and
fell through the building. the prayers
were earnest, deep and the amens OF
the soldiers were heard on all sides.
Seven individuals came forward to the
penitent form With a closing
hymn and a collection the morning sci :
vice ended.
THE ARMY'S WORK.
with military precision the Salvation
Army, headed by their band, escorted
Commander Booth-TUcker into the First
Congregational church yesterday after
neon at sharp o'clock. The auditorium
was crowded to its utmost seating
capacity and hundreds were standing
besides.
The services opened with a hymn,
- t1xr NHx,-
STAFF Captain Durham and Lieutenant
Colonel Keppel, commander of the Pa
c:fic Coast division. Colonel Keppel
then introduced Commander Booth
| Tucker with a few remarks concerning
his achievements in India and his more
recent work in America, and announced
that the subject for the afternoon would
be the spiritual side of the Salvation
Army work, as the social side would be
| dealt with him at another time.
Commander Booth-Tucker took the
stand, and reading from the ninth
chapter of Ecclesiastes, commencing
with the thirteenth verse, explained, as
/ he proceeded. the significance of the text
as applied to the Salvation Army With
simple directness he told his hearers OF
the beginning of the army thirtytwo
years ago in the slums of London; of Its
gradual growth up to eighteen years age
when it had thirty corps and 800 officers
until the present, when there are scat
tered over the entire world $500 corps
and 12,200 officers.
The speaker stated that the army
while they respected sincere beliefs OF
| every sect and denomination, believe
| themselves that the rock bottom OF
| success" spiritually means a partner
ship with God. and that 250,000 souls
| were now worshiping in that belief. The
| Salvation Army is ruled not by might
nor by power, but by spirit, and the
| supernatural can accomplish results
| that science fails in. He cited in illus
| tration, various forms of drunkenness
| and dissipation In men of rank and
| prominence who had been saved, and
closed with a brief account of his owr
experience and labors in the work OF
| salvation, during which he said the
| army had put the spiritual key into In
| dias heart while the missionaries and
others had been working on her head.
| A collection was taken, and the COM
mander resumed with another brief al.
| dress, making personal and individual
application from the same text in Ec.
| clesiastes, in which. with homely ar.
| gument and temperate appeal, he sem
many a truth home to the hearts Of hiI
| hearers.
THE EVENING MEETING.
| At the hour OF 1880 o'clock last even.
| ing the large auditorium of the Firs
| Congregational church was completely
| occupied with people, probably 1000 IL
| number. Seated on the platform were
DR.. w. F., Day. pastor OF the church
| Commander Booth Tucker, Lieutenant
| CoIonel and Mrs Kennel Stan Cant aiv