Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-03-10

years Of age Attic age of sixteen he con-
secrated himself to religious work, one of
the factors which brought him to this de-
eision being an atheistic pamphlet. Instead
OF disgusting young Booth with Christian
n.y. II had the opposite tendency of put
tlng nerve and sinew into his determine
uon TO work for the betterment of the
human race. He found plenty of work
right at his elbow, and soon by his force of
character gathered around him a crowd of
kindred spirits. To an advocate of creeds
Booth replied: Never mind a creed; give
me man-something alive-something
NaL 10 him it did not make much differ
ence II they did differ about the genealogy
OF Abraham and Isaac, or even whether
they could give an intelligent geographical
description OF the travels of ST Paul or not
as long as they made his object theirs and
entered into the business with the modicum
or zeal and enthusiasm which goes so far
10 assure success, he accepted them as CO.
workers 1t was his hard headed business
lilsunct asserting itself. and was only an
other way OF saying that an ounce of prac-
tica demonstration Is worth more than a
ton OF theoretical knowledge.
About this time a religious revival &C.
CURED IN England. under the leadership of
the Kew James Caughey, a noted American
reVNallst-the Dwight L. Moody of those
days-and among others William Booth at
TIME, the young man. ever on the lookout
TOT pointers likely to be of assistance In
what he was already mapping out as his
Network, saw the wonderful effect of a
direct appeal to the moral sense Of a semi
Christian community. The effect ~ Mr.
Caughey on the young convert can scarcely
De oVerestimated. OF him he wrote. "He
was an extraordinary preacher filing I'D his
iI1, r..ons with thrilling anecdotes and vivid
daa,ar a.iohs, and Tor the straightforward
declaration OF scriptural truth and striking
appeals TO the conscience had I'D tn thai
time never heard his euuaI'
- several OF Booths companions inspired
sl' WISE by tne revival meetings to do
something Of the sort themselves had
started holding meetings in the lower part
o. the town (Nottfngham) and from time
20 time sent notes to the house where for
in on't .In1e ne was confined by illness, tell
ing MIN how anxious they were for him to
come and help them soon as he was
aDie Ihls was the first recognition by
others OF the lads capacity for leadership.
ne at.ended these meetings when he re-
covered from hts tndispositfon. and the work
thus started was based ON much the same
lines as those Of the Salvation Army to-
day. and was. In point Of fact, the seed
from which that organization sprang. al
though 1t was not known by that name
until some twenty years later.
Inc Ire OF Gen. Booth up to some twelve
years ago was linked with that of a woman
no less active in religious work than him
self. He certainly had high ideal of what
wife should be- She must be an earnest.
God-feartng, humanity-loving spirit: she
must be an enthusiast and. above all. a
competent and worthy companion All these
qualifications he believed he found in the
woman who became Mrs. Booth, With his
struck out on Independent lines his sue
cess growing as the years went by. Finally
they settled down in London becoming in
terested in the East End where the Saliva
ton Army was born in an old tent erected
in a disused cemetery belonging to the So
ciety Of Friends. Next an old dancing room
was secured. then an old church, after that
stable. and so on, thence branching out all
over the world. until today Salvationist
workers, with their meeting houses, rescue
homes farm colonies workingmen's hotels,
brigades and hospitals, may be found in the
four quarters Of the globe.