The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-01-22
SALVATION ARMY MAN
BROADER BRENGLE TELLS WHAT
THE ORGANIZATION HAS DONE.
His Wife Was Educated in Vassar
College, and the Brigadier
Came from De PauVv.

Brigadier Brengle, Of the Salvation Army,
who has returned to his native State after
an absence Of fourteen years, has had an
active and eventful career in the interim
and the story of young student who rose
to prominence in the Salvation Army is full
of interest. He was born in the southern
part of the State and attended De Pauw Uni
versity when he became a young man. He
was a college mate Of Senator Beveridge
and many of the other prominent men If the
State. At one of the state college oratoricaI
contests he represented De PAW. He left
the university to become a student in the
theological branch of the University of
Boston. Since his return to Indiana he has
visited Greencastle and several other towns
of the State and renewed his acquaintance
with his college friends, while pursuing his
work
1t while he was in Boston that the
Salvation Army descended on the city and
in an old theater began a crusade against
wickedness. The army was then not nearly
so extensive as ii is now Some of the the
illogical students in the city visited the SAL
walton Army meetings and became inter-
ested. General Booth went to Boston and
Joined his subordinates, and it was at that
time that Brengle was captivated by the
spirit of the movement and became a re-
cruit." He went to London and was for d
year in the training school. Then he re-
turned to this country and "soldiered
through the East. While in Boston conduct
ing an open-air meeting one night tough
threw a brick at him and it struck him on
the head For eighteen months he suffered
from the blow and for time his life was
in danger. When he had recovered he took
up MS work again. For the last two years
ne has been travelling over the country, get
ting IN touch with the campaign" holding
councils with the officers and conducting
public meetings. He closes his tour at Pitts
to headquarters, at New York.
1t being understood that Brigadier Brengle
is close to the seats of the mighty" he
was asked yesterday about the status of the
Volunteers of America the organization
headed by Darlington Booth and what the
his son.
BITTER TOWARD HIS FATHER.
From what have seen in my tour of
the country" the brigadier replied, Il be-
lieve the organization is DYING, out. 1t has
abandoned its posts in many cities. and
when l was in New York recently [ noticed
an advertisement on the headquarters build
Ing of the Volunteers that it was for rent
or for sale. We all depiored the differences
between Ballington Booth and the old gen.
eral. 1 understand that Ballington is bitter
al KINDS of overtures to the son to win him
back. The Volunteers of America were al
Ways dead organization 1t was like an
Oah lhdI had been built above ground by
men, and must therefore be a dead thing.
me salvation Army is a living oak be-
cause 1t grew from an acorn dropped in
the ground, springing into new life"
Bflgadler Brengle Is apparently more than
street preacher-a Christian sociologist--
ana ne dlscourses freely on the method of
the Salvation Army as a scientist handling
Z socIoiogical problem. THE soctologists
attempted to handle social problems merely
from humanitarian standpoint. We fill a
man with the spirit of Jesus Christ, and
oIlly that can sustain him while he is striv-
ing to advance materially. The material
Phase OF the work of the army has grown
out OF the spiritual phase. We started by
going into the Sums and preaching the
gospel. When we converted a broken-down
man it was necessary to feed him and give
converted him. We have now institutions
al over the world where men can work out
l5hlng Tor Iallen women. We have one hun
dred rescue homes all over the world, and
they are every year turning out from 5000
70 600 women and girls prepared to live
honestly. fallen woman who is saved has
at that moment no place to turn to live
honestly, but we put her in a rescue home,
and after a time her opportunity comes and
she is ready to take it,
Brigadier Brengle told of the social farm
settlements that the army has created in
this country. There are three of them: One
IN the Salinas valley, California; one in the
Cleveland, o. One hundred people live at
each of the two Western farms and there
IS about that number at the Cleveland set
Element. These people We're once of the
submerged tenth" Each family was Civ
en- house surrounded by twenty acres of
land This farm they were to cultivate for
ten years and out Of the earnings to pay
for the property. AT the end of the decade
the land becomes theirs. If they desire to
leave, the army has the first right of pur-
chase BY this plan 1t is made impossible
for few families to finally become owners
of the whole settlement, as would ultimately
occur under sociological principles, were it
not that the army prevents it by buying in
the land that families vacate and selling 1t
again to new corners to the settlement. Inc
system of intensive farming is followed at
the settlements, and it has been shown that
families once on the verge of destruction
have prospered in the farm settlements of
the Salvation Army. Claus SpreckleS the
sugar king" is interested in these institu-
tions.
The matter of saving criminals came up
in the conversation and discouragfng case
in this city was pointed out TO the brigad1er.
A young colored man on parole from the
Pontiac Reformatory. Illinois, came to his
home IN this city, ana one Gay WINE walk
ing about on the streets he found a di2-
mond brooch He kept it for several days.
No advertisement of it's loss appeared in the
newspapers. One day he met Captain or
Detectives Colbert on the street ana gave
him the brooch, telling him how ne had
found it. Captain Colbert was surprised.
He knew that the young colored man had
been sent to prison from chicago Tor man
slaughter, and he had hardly expected ne
WOulu voluntarily 6ANS op NthiHt'DAo JotfN.
that he had found. especially as no reward
had been offered for its return; and there
was no public inquiry for 1t. The brooch
was returned to it's owner and the young
colored man was heralded in a newspaper
as an example of the honest type Of eX-
convicts, a fact peculiar from detectives
view The other day this same ex-convict
attempted to steal clothing hanging from a
hook on the outside of secondhand cloth
ing shon on Indiana avenue The shopman
dashed out to protect his property, and the
young man stabbed him again and again,
and he is now in a critical condition. the
police are looking for the honest ex-convict.
TOLD OF AN UNUSUAL CASE.
Brigadier Brengle agreed that such cases
were strong factors against philanthropy,