Durango semi-weekly herald., 1905-03-27
GREAT SALVATION
ARMY CELEBRATION

| NEW YORK, March 25-Today
there was begun in this city a great
jubilee celebration of the twenty-fifth
anniversary of the establishment OF
the Salvation Army in America the
AFFAIR will continue four days anG
| promises TO he notable in the annals
of the worldwide organization A
quarter of a century ago the number
OF Salvation Army members In Amer
lea was eight. In striking contrast,
there are now gathered mere TO take
| part in the Jubilee some five hundred
| officers representing every state and
| territory of the nation and many oil
| the Canadian provinces These Off
GERS, in addition to the local con
| tingent, will conduct a series OF ju-
bilee meetings during the next few
| DAYS in some of the largest meeting
places of the metropolis as well as In
the headquarters cltidal in Four,
teenth street.
| The first country, outside of Eng
land, TO be affected by the work of
the Salvation Army was America As
| far back as 1872. when It was in its
embryonic condition. and was known
only as The Christian Mission" one
of its converts, Brother Jarmy."
found his way to Cleveland and there.
to use General Booths expression in
answering his letters. raised the ban.
| ner OF the mission" II was impossi-
| BILE at tnat early date to send rein
forcements. and hence the work fell
| through with the departure of Jarmy.
In 1879 a second start was made by
a family named Shirley. This time
| II was in Philadelphia, in an old fac
| tory. The urgent appeal for help
| sent 10 General Booth met with an
| immediate response, and in February.
| 1880 Commissioner George Scott
| Railton, with band of seven, landed
| in New York city. Opposition, rid
cule. persecution and even imprison-
| ment were met in those days. None
OF those things. however, served to
| dampen the ardor or quench the zeal
OF the little band of workers. and ere
long 1t was apparent that the Saliva
ton Army had come TO America to
stay.
| The first convert OF the army in
America was ASH Barrel Jimmy"
A notable character he was: drunk
ard, a general nuisance He got his
name from the circumstances of his
rather strenuous conversion, Jimmy"
was accustomed TO search in the re-
fuse OF the ash barrels and garbage
cans for food. One cold night. when
drunk. ne lost mis- balance and fell
into a barrel head first He was
too drunk to help himself and as the
hours passed his nead froze fast to
the side of the barrel. passing
policeman saw the feet sticking out
and rescued him Jimmy" was froz-
en- no fast to the barrel the police
man seized MIN by the feet and drag
ged him, barrell and all, to the sta.
ton house. Then. when he was suf.
ticiently thawed out, they sent him,
by way of joke, to the Salvation
Army. From that time Jimmy" was
a changed man. He was converted
In the army meetings, and became a
useful and earnest member of tne
army, rising to the frank of captain
and remaining in the ranks until he
died few years later
The army confined Itself for years
almost entirely TO purely spiritual
operations. But with the arrival oi
the late leadcrs Commander and
Mrs Booth-Tucter. in 1895, the lat
Ter OF whom was killed in a railway
wreck at Dean Lake, Mo-. on Oct
ober IS 1893, the social or pnlan
, thropic side OF he movement wa'
J brought TO the front, and institutlona
work OF most active form was be
gun. Farm colonies, with the obiecl
Of assisting the poor, but worthy anc
industrious married men to obtiiI q
. home. were established in Ohio. col
orado and California. The dhficult!e,
met with in their establishment were
overwhelming and seemingly endless
| yet today these colonies, in excellent
condition, exist as proof positive tha
) the scheme is rot visioulr, hui
, practical one. rnd capable OF Amos
I unlimited extension and improvement
Hotels for workingmen-and til,