The Savannah morning news., 1903-02-08

The Salvation ARMY has four train
ing schools in this country, one in New
York. one in Chicago. another in San
Francisco. and the fourth in Portland.
Ore. In these schools it has constantly
one hundred and fifty girls who are in
training fer officers of the army. Those
who see the Salvation lasses in their
blue poke benEsts and RED ribbons on
the street, conducting evening meetings
to the music of tamborine and drum,
have no idea of the many other things
which enter into their lives and of the
training which they have to go through
to learn how to accomplish them.
Each school gives only a short vaca-
tion in the middle of the summer, and
late in July the candidates enter for
the fall term. They live at the school
and do all the work of the place. The
military organization is even carried
into the kitchen and dining room. A
sergeant oversees the sweeping and
dish washing. and a captain looks after
the Bible study.
The training varies between the
strictly practical and the deeply reli-
gious. Every girl learns to cook and
read the Bible as the basis of her pro-
fession. There is also systematic in
struction in the doctrine, rules and reg
ulations, history and methods of the
army.
The young candidate rises at $50
o'clock in the morning and every min
ute of her day is accounted for and
proceeds with clock-like regularity.
Practical work begins Immediately,
along with homework and theoretical
study. The very first day of her novi-
tiate the candidate will be sent out
with an older and more experienced SOL
der. Together they go from house to
house in the poorest city districts, ask
ing at each door permission to enter.
If they find poverty or distress, they
investigate, report at headquarters and
administer relief. II not, they ask per-
mission to read the Bible and pray.
They are frequently refused, but seldom
with harshness. Curiously enough, al
though they are the strictest and most
evangelical of Protestants, they are
not counted as Professionals either by the
Catholics or Jews Of the great cities.
This, the visitation" work, is COM
paratively simple. 1t is nothing to the
next duty the little soldier Is given.
Some evening she is sent out with her
older companion to sell the army's pa
per In the saloons. She walks up
Broadway, perhaps, or down the Bow
these in other cities. entering every
saloon and offering the paper for sale
This is one of the army's sources OF
income, as the girls frequently collect
more than the price of the paper.
They also seize every opportunity to
speak to the men that they encounter
of the welfare of their souls" as they
put 1t. They meet with a good deal
of good-natured chaff. but rarely with
anything more disagreeable, as their
uniforms are their protection The
hardest part of this business is always
to maintain their dignity; to keep a
straight face" as one OF them who
had done slum work for years in New
York put 1t.
They'll do everything they can to
! make you laugh" said she, land once
you smile you are gone. There's moth
| ing to do but to get out as soon as you
| can"
In New York the girls go down to
Coney Island every night in summer,
and stay till a late hour, making the
paper their excuse, but really watch
ing for opportunities to speak to fool
ish young girls who seem TO be start
ing on a dangerous road.
An even harden branch of their
work is visiting the outlawed houses
of the cities, and doing rescue work
among their inmates, whom they
gather into the army rescue homes
Then the candidate must learn to con-
duct street meetings. TO march with
the band, to sing, to preach and to
pray in public.
At the end OF sixteen months. IL her
progress proves satisfactory, the pro-
bationer becomes a full-fledged officer
and is put In command of corps of
her own. Here she has charge of all
the work described on a smaller scale,
and in addition she has to collect the
money to pay for it all. including her
own salary of s. week. Nothing is
provided her except her house rent.
The army has found that the women
officers are better collectors than the
men and bring the greater share of its
funds into the army Golfers.
The army girls are scattered
through every country in Europe ex-
cept Russia and Spain, and they are
found in remote sections of Asia, Az
RIGA and the South Sea Islands.
Blanche Cox, a beautiful and highly
educated young English woman, now
an officer in this country, walked on
foot through India dressed In the ma
tive garb, living everywhere among
the poorest natives. Not long ago
two women officers had charge of a
station among the Zulus of interior
Africa. One of them died, and the
other lived for six months without the
sight of white face, until word could
he got to the coast and a helper sent
10 her.