Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1898-11-10
LECTURE AT NEW-CENTURY CLUB.

.. NlthNA I1iilhbtph loOhi va ibp
Volunteers of America" on Monday
at tho New Century Club. In intro
ducing her, the president, Mrs. How
land said; During our late war
fare, our volunteers, after many heroic
struggles, have found peace. Tonight
we are TO hear of the volunteers of a
great army who are engaged in war
fare Of which wo cannot see the end,
but of whose final victorious outcome
we can have no doubt"
Mrs. Booth said: II | had to speak
tonight on o subject had just studied,
or superadded TO my life, II would be u
wearying task, but it is my life itself,
| it is what my heart feels that my lips
speak, and it is an easy matter.
wish it were as easy TO make my
hearers see as we do, who come close
to those Of whom | shall speak. 1t is
a wide theme and / can only hope to
| give glimpses OF our volunteer warfare,
| 1t is not an old one; you remember the
days when we used to be pelted in the
streets with sticks and stones; when
we were despised and unknown.
have been in this country for nine
years and l love ii moro than those
can who have never known any other
country; il is dcarer to ono who is
| NlbiAOil ny tliplCt, thS W. tTttFtIt1l
eud to end of the land and our work
grew from little dcspiscd beginning
to great movement and we had OPP
portunity for reaching so many of the
outcasts of society the work became
very dear to us. When the time came
to choose between principle and this
work we had q stern struggle to come
| out Almost every new movement Is
born OF storm and comes only after an
upheaval and heartache. But when
one steps out into the darkness with
God to guide He will lead through
storm and trouble TO the sphere He
would have us enter. Nature has
taught me forcible lessons. When
travelling from New York to San Fran
cisco we saw the queen of the Sierras,
Shasta, in her SHOWS against the bril-
liant blue sky, then came the crimson
sunset and the afterglow with its deli
cate, tender tints, then the clear, white
moonlight shining on the snow. AS
the train went down into the dark
canyon a fellow-passenge said: Look
at that tiny stream; Just little ripple
of water; we will cross il % times, it
is the Sacramento. As the train
crossed and recrossed it that night over
the rumbling bridges saw that each
| lliht ~ Nts luTStT, uubil DtAb
in the brilliant sunshine l saw great
deep, broad peaceful river, on which
ships sailed maiestically down to the
Golden Gate. So may it be with our
movement of which the world asks
'tWhere is it?" what is its strength?n
For God and Country" is its motto.
just name and handful of people,
but it came from the hills of God S
love, and like the little stream shall
yet carry frail barks safely to harbor.
With His help we hope to bear the
sinful, the unloved ones from their
dark and narrow lot into q wider one,
where they may know something of the
joy Of living instead of only the pain
of existing.
There are always dark, perplexing
days in new movement; we stepped
from prosperity into dependence. We
, had Just built a beautiful building
where everything was working with
, the order and precision of big move
ment. When my husband and | tool,
hold of this plan there were five of us
with Just 800 and that borrowed. Our
kind American friends wished us well
, and encouraged our scheme, but were
i impatient to see il grow. Reporter;
said: NOW tell us about your new
, movement" till at last my husband
| said, "Just go away and lot US have
time 20 mako movement, and well
tell you all about it." Our namt
came as an inspiration. We were vol
unteers, not pressed to serve. England
has her paid army, Franco her con
o scripts, Germany her forced militar,
service. This country trusts to loya
Y volunteers, men willing to suffer, I,
y sacrifice, and, if need be, to die, TO
o their country, so we felt there was n,
i better name than "The Volunteers o
t America. We adopted uniform be
!, cause when we go into saloons, tn,
r people recognize what we are; and ",
o must go to them; We cannot say {,
n the prodigal, Come here and b
IF saved. "
$ We do not antagonize any church
9 we only go as an advance guard t,
It fight the great battle; as an outsid
force to help the church. Today W
IS have nearly GOO officers. Our work i
IS among the wrecked lives; we are toll,
70 it would be more hopeful to worl
n among the children, but the messag
it to us is to go out among the highway
n and hedges, and / grant there is no
much that is beautiful to be found
There are plenty of thorns and stingin
nellleS-Dl HeHflS SpOULeu ana stained
n, There was one great work / wante
!. to so into, that of prison reform. Tw
and a half years ago l visited Sin
Ia Sing | cannot tell how l felt as
n looked in the faces of those 800 mer
= If 1 had gone with sermon write
! out l could not have preached it.
!, knew preaching was not needed, the
In could preach to themselves; what the
m needed was loving. The faces WEI
NJ hardened, hopeless, Respondent. Whe
,e | got to my feet the only thing | coul
do was to cry over them, then the
Az began to cry over themselves. Aftt
ne we had cried and sympathized bon
10 was formed between us, so strong tn,
iii belong to them. and | am alway
n sorry to come out. ! did not go with
Il, cut and dried plan, but learned fro
h. them and one thing was that they ca
n only be reached by some one from the
nt own level.
"ex-convicts. " What is a crimina
A man detected in crime. Yet the
.,u are as many criminals at large
~. behind walls. | could not step
~ tween crime and its punishment. L
w flict the sentence if it is Just on
rs but | believe in an indetermina
' ~, sentence, such as the laws of lllino
~ provide. II man has been punish,
"a enough to learn his lesson why for
~, him to stay 10 or IL years longer
Ky prison? Ii he falls let him go ba,
h again, but this he is not apt to do if
~ ~ can get work. But there is no one
81 trust, none to shelter him; he oft