The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1903-02-03
Mrs. Maud Ballington Booth gave a

Mrs. Maud Ballington Booth gave a
most interesting lecture on Friday
evening. The subject matter opened a
new range of thought to the most OF us
and appealed to the best that was in
the hearts of her auditors.
Beautiful word paintings filed her
canvass with rich and lasting illustra-
tions and her melodious voice with its
deep fibre of passionate appeal added
greatly to the charm of her discourse
Her references to the Salvation
Army, sounded the only Earring notes
of discord. Whatever may have been
the private quarrels OF the Booth
family, the Salvation Army is doing a
good work in great way, and we re-
GREETED that Mrs. Booth saw fit to
speak of it slightingly.
Mrs. Booth has taken for her special
mission the work of helping to a better
life, those who have been within prison
walls. This is the age of the specialist
and whether in the line of business
professional, charitable or Christian
work, the specialist is,the only one.who
acconplishes great results. In common
with other specialists Mrs. Booth
seemed to have tendency to decry
the work of others. There is room in
the world for the builder of libraries
as we'll as for the prison reformer, and
in her deprecatory references to the
work of others Mrs. Booth was again
unfortunate.
And now let us drop the task of
critism for the more pleasant work of
approval. Mrs. Booth is evidently
engaged in work which she thoroughly
understands and we believe she is APP
preaching her problem in the right
way.
The help that reaches the untortu7
nate inmates of our state prisons must
come from within. They may be
taught how to work out their. own
salvation but it may not be worked out
for them. We have known women
who had all the zeal of Ms. Booth,
but lacking her intelligence, her
knowledge of human nature, they
made lamentable failures of their
WORK. They taught hyrocricy instead
CT Christianity, vagrancy instead of
usefulness, pauperism instead of indie
pendence. We remember case of
prison reform that came under our
personal observation and we refer to it
in this connection because Mrs. Booth
evidently is not doing likewise, and be-.
cause the case points out the right and
the wrong way.
The case was that of a young man in
one of the Iowa penitentiaries. He
was an ordinary young fellow, not
necessarily degenerate but with many
OF the weaknesses common to the type
One day Jealous, prison reforming,
woman called, she became interested
in this prisoner talked to him of Christ
ianity and intimated that she would
try to get him out of prison if he re-
formed and became Christian. The
conversion that followed took just 30
seconds, it was a record breaker. The
prisoner did not knew much of the AL
mighty but he did know that he wanted
to get out. Then followed one of those
episodes of mawk.sh sentimentality
that do so much to place difficulties in
the path of the true reformer and
philanthropist. The lady took the
prisoners conversion most seriously.
The young man wrote letters that
would have done credit to a presiding
elder, he was made member of the
young peoples society of the church
and special prayer services were held
during which the young man was sup.
posed to be praying in his lonely cell
and strong and persistent effort was
made to secure his pardon. The effor,
finally succeeded and on the night tina,
he was to return to the city the young
people gathered to meet him. He die
not come, lie sent a letter saying tina,
he could not face them then, but hao
determined to make man of himself
before returning. On the strength O.
the recommendation given him by the
jealous lady and her pastor he secured
a position of trust. 1t was but few
weeks until he tapped the till and es
capped. going to the worst slums of hi:
native city,