Evening star., 1907-10-30
RECEIVES AN OVATION
Enthusiastic Reception in
Tribute to Gen. Booth.
HIS FAREWELL VISIT HERE
Delivers an Address in First Congre-
gational Church.
EDIFICE CROWDED TO DOORS
Secret and Success Of the Salvation
Army and Its Influence
in the World.

| Gen. William Booth, executive head
and founder of the Salvation Army, de-
| livered long and earnest address be-
| fore an audience which completely filled
| the big auditorium and galleries OF the
| First Congregational Church, 10th and G
streets northwest, last evening. The city
| gave him a splendid reception on the oc-
| casion of what will doubtless be his last
| visit here. He was enfeebled by reason
OF his arduous labor and recent illness,
and because of his nervous condition 1t
was necessary that the reporters table
be removed before he delivered his ad-
dress.
But there was no one in the audience
who did not feel the vigor OF his voice
when he began his address. and as he
warmed up to his subject-explainin
how the Salvation Army saves souls-his
eloquence held his hearers speilbound.
There We're printed sign all over the
church. asking that leave while
| the general was speaking, but notwlth-
standing the length of his address there
was evidently no disposition on the part
of any one to leave the church.
Gen. Booths Theme
THE Secret of the Success of the Sal
walton Army was his subject He did
not speak much about the secret Of the
success as about the success Itself. In
his opening remarks he said he did not
want anybody to think he was boasting
No one he said knew better than he the
failure of the army-What 1t might have
done and had not done. Still, 1t mad done
something, and it was this that he talked
about
Here and there he showed he has a
keen appreciation of the humorous side
of life. Once, when referring to the
salvation bonnet worn by thc army
"lasses," he said:
Put 1t on and see if 1t does not make
you look younger. ladies. At any rate.
if you 80 home with on your hus-
band Is likely to say, Well, you have
worn prettier hats but none that hurts
my pocketbook little
little farther along he was speaking
OF the work Of trans sporting the unemploy-
ed to places where there is employment
for them.
Why" he continued we are becom- |
ing dealers in men and women. wholesale |
and retail. After awhile when man
they will come to US. and l think we can |
do we'll for them they do for them |
selves"
Again: How long will the army last?' |
you ask. What will become of it when |
the general is dead? Well. the general is |
not dead yet. 1 believe his life Is i'm |
portant to him and that it Is still pretty |
important to a good many others. The |
general Is going to live as long as he |
can"
In More Serious Vein.
But he dropped quickly into a more seri- |
Gus strain. adding:
But If should be called away in this |
city, called to go up to that glorious city. |
the same telegram, the same dispatch that |
would go around the world with the |
tidings, The general is dead. would con-
tain the words. Long live the general |
For the Wisest heads we have been able |
to muster have arranged for another to |
step into the generals shoes and the
work of the army will go and on. The |
second general will be better than the
first"
The work of the army he described In
more detail in the following words:
Then the holy wave engulfed us, and
passing on has rolled over the whole
world. In fifty-three countries the army
has 1890 organizations. each self-manag-
ing and self-Sustaining. Its work is done
in thirty-three languages, it has 1900 of
ficers who give their whole lives to the
work and $4,000 officers who earn their
bread besides in the sweat of their brows
1t has sixty publications and twenty five
newspapers in eighteen languages.
1T has 10000 bandsmen. 1t has 800
institutions in which 100000 hungry are
fed weekly and 10000 are lodged nightly
1t has 13O rescue homes and has saved
1t has instituted branches in immigra-
tion service, in leper colony work, in help
ing criminals who have hearts, too, and
mas other advanced plans.
The n-Church-Goer.
'For what shall be done with the
| crowds who more and more trend away
| from the church? The masses seem 10 be
throwing up religion. Shall they be al
| lowed to wander at the pre- cipice or shall
| a guiding hand be laid on their shoulders?
| The Salvation Army offers the hand. 1t
| has its armies that fight for souls, not
for money. This army is not made of
| wanderers and converted submerged, but
it has its glorious trophies. Our Master
delighted in them. His last act on earth
was to take to His bosom the thief on the
| cross. The army is helping the ordinary
people who need help. 1t is aiding In
rectifying and improving the homes of
the lowly and the unhappy. 1t is saving
the drunkard and opening the doors to the
lost.
only last January a new movement
was started. This was to help those who
had decided that life was no longer worth
| living. During the first four weeks of
this anti-suicide bureau there were $50
who came to the London bureau alone for