Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-04-25
SALVATION ARMY WORK.
A Quarter of Century Since It Began
in This Country.

in This Country.
| From the New York Tribune.
| Those who gathered around the entrance to
| Castle Garden twenty-five years ago yes
| terday to meet incoming friends who had
| arrived that day on the steamer witnessed
| a spectacle strange to them. In the throng
| OF pink checked Irish and English girls
| and pipe-smoking Irishmen who poured
| forth from the gateway of the old fort
| ress was a group which Immediately
| caught the eye. 1t stood out from the
| others, for its members carried a banner
| that was strange and wore a uniform that
| was new TO American eyes. There were
| eight in the band d man and seven bonny-
| faced young women. They wore uniforms
| OF blue and unusual headgear, a promi
nent characteristic of which was red
ribbon with lettering on it. The dress has
| become familiar In all the cities of the
United States since that day. The ban
ner was of bright red, edged about with
| blue. In the center was a yellow star
The eight crossed to the sward of the
park, damp from the early spring rains,
and, planting their standard in the soft
ground fell their knees in a circle.
Following the example of Columbus four
centuries before, they thanked God for
having brought them to a new land and
claimed it for their King. The Salvation
Army last night began a celebration of
the twenty-fifth anniversary of the hum
bic and characteristic entrance of this adj
vance guard of their host into the United
States.
The vanguard had little money. Today
the army controls property in this country
valued at 81, 142. 40 and has 3,706 officers
and employees, 1876 corps and outposts and
10000 enrolled soldiers wearing it's blue
and red uniform and devoting all their
spare time to ats work.
While the first headquarters of the army
in this country was established in Phia-
delphia, the first work of the little band
was done in New York. Its efforts in the
streets and saloons were received with
the usual chatting and jeering. Harry
HILL the notorious keeper of dance hall,
joke sent an invitation to the band
to hold meeting in his place. UneX-
pectedly, the invitation was accepted, and
the company gathered one night among the
haShlly dressed and gaudy- checked den1-
zens of his place to pray and sing They
made no converts there. however.
The first convert was a Sot who had been
gathered in so many times by the police
that among the members of the force his
case was considered beyond curesHis name
OF "Ashbarrel Jimmy" had been gained
by rather ludicrous experience. Jimmy
was 1oath to work he was ready to
drink. One bitter cold night, when he was
too drunk to stand up straight, Jimmy,
feeling the pangs of hunger, stopped at
a garbage barrel, hoping to find in it
TO paw the contents, he lost his balance
and toppled in head first. In his befuddled
condition he was not able to release him
self, and remained stuck in the barrel.
AS the hours of the night passed the ma
terial in which his head was immersed
was frozen His poor feet were badly
frosted also.
At this juncture CAPTAIN. afterward In
spector Alexander Williams appeared on
the scene. He saw the feet sticking from
the barrel and raped them with his stick.
There was no movement in the barrel.
Then he tried TO draw Jimmy" out. Be
ing unsuccessful, he grasped him by the
feet and dragged him and the barrel to
the station house. When Jimmy" had
been thawed out sufficiently and partially
sobered they sent him, as joke to the
Salvation Army. This proved to be joke
with a serious termination, for Jimmy"
was converted. Evidently 1t was Sound
conversion" for he became enrolled as a
soldier and continued in the ranks of the
army until he died, having been pro-
NOTED to be a captain almost exactly fif-
teen years after the vanguard raised their
standard over the Battery.
Since 1898 the army has conducted social
as well as religious work in this country.
1t has three farm colonies for settlement
by men with families who have failed in
the cities They are at Amity, Col; Fort
Romie, Cal, and Fort Herrick, near Cleve-
land Ohio. In these colonies are nearly
three thousand acres of land. Seven fam
HieS have already taken advantage of the
opportunity to leave the city, and the
popula ton of the colonies is 525
Besides its farm colonies, the army con-
ducts LAB institutions for the assistance of
the poor and needy in different cities.
These include workingmens hotels wom-
ems lodging houses. industrial homes res
cue homes for fallen women, children's
homes for orphans, day nurseries and a
sanatorium for consumptives at Amity.
Col In the winter time the army assists
needy families to procure coal at cost price
and other supplies. At Christmas a din
rer BETTING the day is provided for about
three hundred thousand persons scattered
throughout the country in the different
cities In giving assistance 1t aims to make
the recipient Independent. and gives as lit
tie outright as possible. Ii expends annual
ly for its work about 100000.