The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1899-01-30
COLONEL BREWERS ELOQUENCE
Famous Smlvationists Address Large
Washington CONGREGATIONS.

| Washington Congregations.
! Lieut. Col. William Brewer. edtor~n-
chief of the War Cry and ether publ
| cations of the Salvation Army. addressed
numerous meetings at various churches in
/ this city yesterday.
| In the morning he spoke to large aud
| fence at Trinity Church, corner of Penn
! sylvania Avenue and Fifth Street south
| east. At o'clock in the afternoon he de
! livered second address at the barracks of
the army at $50 Pennsylvania Avenue, AMI
| IN the evening he was heard by the CO..
| sregation of the L Street Baptist On nch,
| corner of Sixth and L Streets northwest.
| Colonel Brewer came TO the city At the
| invitation of Major Ashley b. r BIB es, an
was accompanied by his wife, who is res
cue secretary of the Salvation Army. aud
| one of its sweetest singers. Mrs. Brewer
addressed congregations in tie Gree
Methodist Church. corner of Ninth and S
= Streets, at IL o'clock and in the Dunbar
/ ton Avenue Methodist Episcopal Church,
/ 1888 Dumbarton Avenue, at $50 o'clock
/ last night.
| Colonel Brewer is one of the most inter
/ esting figures in the Salvation Army. He
/ has been identified with the work OF the
| organization about fourteen years and is
| regarded as one of the most energetic
workers of the army. He was born in
| ONO. In his youth he was desirCus of be-
J coming rich. His passion was for l.
and in order TO secure wealth he p aimed
mercantile career In December 1854
! however, he became converted and a ter
! ward attached himself to the Sa walton
| Army. Since then he has been identified
with many important fields of labor con-
| Quoted by the organization. His most i'm
! poftant efforts were in Boston, where he
! established the slum and rescue work of
| the army.
! AT the meeting held at the Street Bap-
! list Church last evening Colonel Bre yer
| spoke of the social work of the army He
| detailed its progress nters pe.s.ng his r.
, marks with descriptions OF the manner in
which slum work is carried on in different
/ parts of the country.
Colonel Brewer is an elouuent sneak r.
/ There is a certain strain of pathos in his
! voice. This added 10 a character istic in
! tensity of manner and speech, caused his
/ audience TO listen to him ve.y c,ose'y la I
! evening. He is also a young man. and the
/ passionate interest which he evidenced n
his religious work prompted many to likea
/ MN to John Storm, the leading character
! OF Hall Gaines novel, The Christian
Colonel Brewer prefaced his address
| with an apostrophe to COOL clear spark
| ling water. He spoke of the Joy which
| the sight of an old well-sweep always
| brings to the soul of weary traveller.
| when his tongue is parched and his throat
| filled with the dust of the journey He
| compared himself to a traveller, passing
along the road of life He said that four
| teen years ago his soul was parched and
/ his heart dry with sin.
He continued: II felt that for me life
was worthless thing. Let me say that
l did not for moment contemplate end
| ing life, but there was nothing that salts
. ftaI boz
! December, 1884, i reached the conclusion
that life was practically worthless. and
that, unless | found something to satisfy
my heart life was practically at an end
| ! was ambitious. | planned mercantile
| life and looked for success. Somehow or
| other nothing, not even a mothers smile
! sisters tender embrace. or even nome,
| satisfied me. l had a good home, and |
/ loved it.
During the evening of December So
! 1884, something gave me new taste of
/ life. Life seemed TO unfold as beautifully
| as a flower in the brightness OF the
morning sun. Peace that l had never
| known was given me, and that peace has
| been with me since. My heart before was
| hungry and it was at that time fed
| Let me say here that my passion in
| youth was not for drink but for gold. |
reyeled in, the thought of being wealthy.
! dreamed i that WITH Ir,rlnh -r,srs.-
|
! relations, and those of my neighbors. Ny
/ idle dreams did not materialiZe.
| Another passion seized my soul | be-
! gan to yearn TO see people converted. 1t
/ became my delight to go from house to
| house where | would talk and sing TO the
people. | yearned to sing for the men
eating their lunch on the lumber pile.
| This passion was the passion for souls
! For fourteen years il has remained with
me.
Il would rather. today. see a soul
! brought up from the morass OF sin than 10
| have an entire fortune placed at my feet
| | believe this to be the experience of
| thousands, of ten thousand OF my com
rades around the world. II is the base
| of my faith in the salvation of the world
/ yearn for revival of religion. carrying
! with ii the spirit of reverence and deyo-
! ton to God. There can be no Christianity
| without devotion to Christ There must
be behind all belief in dogmas and creeds
| the light of Christ Wherever you find
! such a life, whether among the newsboys
or in the home circle of the upper strata
| of life, you will find an influence that
tells
Turning the leaves Of history and read
ing the lives of our great men, | have
often feared lest we become covetous peo-
pie. l am not touching upon politics. nor
policies but | speak OF individuals. | fear
become nation of drunkards. | have
never been n drunkard. have never
smoked. nor have | read novel. Hal l
the temptations at the right time, ! might
have done all these things. But before /
was converted ! had all the elements of sin
in my soul.
"A whole army of sins is rolling up and
down the soul of many of us, and it is this
we must combat For seven years ! was
in charge of the Stun and rescue work in
Boston. In establishing the work | tod
my associates that | desired them TO visit
every house and find out, conscientiously,
what was the cause of the Sums ! placed
n young lady, teacher in the Brooklyn
public schools in charge, and learned that
out Of lis homes, ia families were in the
saloon, either through the father or the
mother because one or the other of them
was drunkard. If the saloon were done
away with it would allow nine-tenths of
the Salvation Army workers to return to
the homes from which they came.
Il have seen a policeman go Up t. a
drunkard and arrest him. pitch him into
a patrol wagon as though he We're beast,
and have him sent to prison finally. Some
how it has made me feel that the Govern
ment that permits legalized saloons to ex-
list should be cast i'll prison with the
|