The San Francisco call., 1898-02-27

and a large crowd of Salvationists,
 both officers and soldiers.
 The general was received in genuine
 Salvation Army style. Hats and hand
 karchiefs waved, while the air was
 filled with shouts of "hallelujahr and
 God bless the general from the as-
 sembed warriors.
 As General Booth stepped into a car Fiase followed by the Mayor, the gen erai said: Here we are, church and
 Mayor Thomas then made the follow ing remarks:
 Commander Booth: As Mayor I come to 1 extend the welcome of this city to you as founder and commander of an organi- Zation, semi-military in character. whose flag Is now flying in forty-five countries Of this world. When you organized your mission at Mile End in 1865 you were building better than you knew. Had some prophet said to you that before one gen eration had passed the results of that movement would show an army of earn est men and women exceeding in number the standing army of the nation, battling day and night for the betterment of their felI0W-men and reaching and saving by their self-sacrifice and love thousands who otherwise would have perished in sin, forsaken and forgotten. you would have said:. Prophet, 1 hope for such results, but fear you have overstated them. Your work was well begun. and the end Is not yet Those results exist. Oakland welcomes you. and 1 greet you as the commander of a great army-an army of deeds, not creeds-
 General Booth made the following reply:
 MT. Mayor: I thank you for these kind words. and I know my comrades do. It is kind of you and of all this multitude to come out here tonight to welcome me: May God bless the Mayor. [Shouts of "Amenr'l May God bless Oakland. More of them.1 May God bless Cali fornia- Tremendous shouts.l May God bless America.
 It seemed that no more noise could be made, but he repeated the last state ment and called for louder response. This was repeated, and he then closed with a prayer for the backslider and sinner present, the audience remain ing perfectly silent
 The general, commander, his wife and secretary rode in one carriage and the rest of the party in the other. Mayor Thomas was in this carriage, and both drove past his residence and the army barracks on their way to the hotel. All along the route uptown he was greeted with applause.
 T am on a visit to my people" said the general to a Call man tonight. This tour has no special significance, 5. other than to unite in stronger bonds than ever all those who are marching beneath the banner of the Salvation Army. During my trip across this con- tinent I have been treated cordially and have been received by all, till l be- gin to feel as if the labor of years has not been altogether in vain. l am anxious to see whether the first prin ciples of the army are being faithfully adhered to, and if the sole object for ;oI, he f1iz zod ie,h hai carried out
 'The object of the Salvation Army is to labor among the lowest classes of society in all countries, and to try and elevate them. It is an easy matter to drift away from the slums to drawing . rooms and other comfortable places, but the army's field is among the Iowly. We began humbly, as all the world knows, and we need to keep humble. it takes me all my time keep ing my people among the classes where help and Christianity is most needed. "A great deal of progress has been observed by me in the United States since my visit here three years ago and the work never looked more prosper ous We are to-day more international then ever and people seem to under stand as never before that there is nothing more English about us than there is American or German. We are eTerybody's and the international head Quarters are in England for the pres ent, because that is the most conven- tent place. By and by when this great country becomes more densely popu- lated and Japan and China become civilized, if not Christianized, New York or Chicago or Washington may be more convenient headquarters than London.
 We change about all the time and I have never yet heard an officer of the army boast of his individual nation ality Officers are drafted from one country to another according to fitness.