The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-01-02
Unless They stop Fighting Each 9th
satan Disaster May Come.
STORY OF A FAMILY QUARREL
WHAT OFFICERS ON both SIDES OF
THE CONTROVERSY SAY.
Cause of Rev. DIR. Duncan j. McMil-
neutrality-suspicious. Religious News.


worlds peace. Two armies, usually en-
gagged in a crusade against the devil. are
now occupied with a wordy warfare that
threatens to enguIf them both. The Trib-
une says: From combating Satan and sin
to fighting among themselves is the record
made last year by the Salvation Army and
Volunteers of America. The banner of the
lowly Nazarene seems to have fallen from
the hands of these nineteenth century cru
sadeTs. and in it's place they are parading
q standard on which is not inscribed any
thing which bears the slightest resemblance
to the divine command to love ones enemies
The spirit of charity has been ousted by
that OF recrimination. Peace has fled and
diseord prevails. The noble work performed
IN the slums seems to have imbued the la
borers with the manners and ways Of the
jewellers therein. The War Cry has become
entirely too realistic.
Just what particular difference it makes
what Ballington Booth promised his dying
mother or what was the cause of his wife's
illness does not appear to the average citi-
zen, and when it comes to affect the return
he is getting for his charity offerings it be-
comes a nuisance and an outrage. 1t is one
thing to pay out money for rescue missions
and the spreading of the gospel in the dark
and narrow places and another to pay for
issuing Of pamphlets of invective and tours
OF denunciation when the cause of 1t all is
family row and the object kindred or
ganization-an association for the spread of
the gospel and peace and good win. The
business man has stopped to think, and he
IS wondering why he should be called upon
TO support this campaign, which is directed,
not against the devil, but really against
whatever good has been accomplished by
those who wage it.
1t is charming to see portraits of Booth
Tucker arrayed in the picturesque costume
of the Hindoo and listen to good tales of
him and the consul as they overturned the
''builded on the rock mysteries of Brahmin
philosophy and religion, supplanting the
magic of the Yogi with the tambourine of
the Salvationist and the peculiarly civilized
dread of grease for the army rations. 1t
may recall to the profane mind the disso-
lutte and Christianized Hindoo of Kipling's
story, ION the City Wall" who idled in
Lalun's parlor and talked of all the creeds
to which he had been converted and of
which he had retained none, but it is none
the less praiseworthy from a missionary
standpoint. But the ordinary mortal is
constrained to forget all this he sees the
picturesque Booth-Tucker. wearing the
warlike red OF his army uniform. ligura-
lively. at least, wiping up the mud of his
pet Sums with the metaphorical body of
his brother-in-law
BAl4l4iNGION AND MRS. BOOTH.
On the other hand Ballington Booth is a
magnetic, powerful figure of forceful mod
ern Christianity as he stands on the plat
form before some vast audience appealing
for money for the poor that they may be
comforted, and for the sinners that they
may be saved. 1t is a pleasing sight to
see his demure and pretty wife, as she sits
beside him on those conspicuous and
worthy platforms or adds her sweet voice
to his resonant tones, in a joint supplica-
ton for help in worthy cause. But the
picture loses its beauty and the idea its
significant purity when its figures seek to
saddle an unwilling world with their private
affairs and revive unpleasant family
quarrel for the purposes of attacking a
like organization which is surely to be COM
mended in the same words.
"A plague on both your houses" is the
thought of bewidered and Disguised pub
lie And on this rock of discord viii both
SaNatonists and Volunteers be wrecked
just SO surely as the fight continues. The Sal
walton Army has worked long and we'll for
the good OF the world without more noise
than the sound of open air meetings and in
a quiet way which has caused them to be
universally admired and respected. The sol
diers have worked hard amid a multitude
of discouTag1mentS and inconvenience.
The good of their work has been meal
culable. Their reward has been small ana
their self-sacrhice great a world. too busy
10 look after its own duties toward CHRIS
Ifauity ana Ch3fltN IN the submerged
tenth" has been glad TO help them. 1t has
given them praise and money. it has set
them up on a pedestal, and it is from this
pedestal they are hanging our their dirty
The history of the Volunteers has been
similar. It was formed by, people, whose
lives had been devoted to the good which
the army had accomplished. II was an Off
shoot of the older body, with its avowed
principles, such that a patriotic American
people welcomed and accepted them Bal
hncton Booth justly popular; his wife
even more acclaimed. The movement was
prospects for the darker half Of the word
seemed bright indeed, with two organza-
tons to look after 1t. From business
standpoint ii was wrong. 1t cost money to
support two corps of general officers. but
there were reasons for 1t. and the pubic
poured its money into the newly-made cot
fers and signided its praise and encourage
ment. The days of that division Of the Sal
walton Army began the line of persecution,
lighting and accusation which the public
now is beginning TO disaVow.
COMES TO DENOUNCE A BROTHER
Maud Booth sped from England 10 THIS
country, her passage paid with money that
had been contributed by poor but generous
people at street corner meetings. TO weep
upon public platforms and denounce a broth
er in the name of her dead mother Bad
faith. treason. and betrayal were openly
charged against Ballington Booth. Through
those trying times. when the whole work
was dlAiloSi AoAHt&tti al tie ioOu VI iANHN-
tive and effort to hold together the fast
melting army Of the old organization. and
the work of forming the new. Ballington
Booth was modest in his defense and adni-
rable in his silence C0Cernlng private mat
ter. The world app!auded and respected him
for il. Now. with the illness of his wife
as an excuse. he has broken forth with de-
nunciatiOn OF the army and a stream Of ,,c-
cusatiors which have revived the old bitter
ness anew widened the breach which was
even reported in the process of closing.
Booth-Tucker has replied with counter
charges even more bitter and serious. and
has accused his bFother-in-law of what, in
plain language amounts to failing to tel
the truth. The result is the public is sick
of It all 1t asks when this viii all cease
ard the work for which these two organiza-
tions have been supported and made power
ful so on
There is another grievance. The general
officers OF these armies all Well enough.
They have been received in high places end
listened TO by the best people the rep
resent .tives of a movement which inter-
They have posed as workers in the slums
strongly and foTcibIy. but what excuse is
there for sending bands OF these noisy mis-
sionaries. with their sium tactics and their
stun adapted theology and exhortations. in
10 the residence districts OF Evanston and
Och Parg2
The avowed policy of these people was a
wise and worthy one. They adopted noise
and sensation as the means of attracting
stae ff