Perrysburg journal. (Perrysburg, Wood Co., O. [Ohio]) 186?-1965, 1909-04-16

over the world every year, controlling
the destinies of his more than 7,OOO
corps of Salvation soldiery with their
$4,000 commissioned officers, distribu-
ted among every civilized country
preaching constantly to vast audiences
and doing an amount of literary work
that would be a facer to many
professional author with no other &C.
cupation.
William Booth was born on April
lO, 1929, in Nottingham, England, ana
was trained for the Methodist minis
try which he entered and became one
of the strongest evangelistic forces IN
that church. He grew dissatlsheu'
however, at reaching only those WIN
some religious training and conVlc'
tion He felt that there were thous.
ands whose need was far greater anu
he gravitated to the East end of Lon
don where wretchedness Of all Kinus
was the rule.
In a disused burial ground on MIG
END road he pitched an old tent anu
the first Salvationist meeting was
held in that tent in 1861. The merry
eloquence of the earnest young
preacher caught the attention OF
crowd of poor Whitechapelers and De-
fore that first meeting was over ne
had made several conversions, per-
formance that he has been repeating
throughout the world for Al years.
How He Started the Army.
This first meeting resulted in the
formation of the Christian mission.
from which 1t was the evangelist S
custom to send his converts to the ex-
isting churches of the locality, put
finding that they were not welcomed
and were in danger of slipping back
from sheer want of comradeship and
oversight, he set about forming So
cieties of the converted. These he
found to be potent agency for bring
ing in more, as the needless East
ender could be impressed by the
words of former pal" when he
would not listen to minister. SO
was created the central idea of the
Salvation Army.
The need of organization becomes
apparent, but several methods were
| tried with little success before Gen
Booth hit upon the military idea and
named his organization the SalI alton
Army. From that time on the move
ment grew amazingly and it has con
tinued to grow without ceasing to
this day.
Spread Over the World.
The movement began spreading tc
other countries of the world in 1881
when it first reached the United
States through the influence of a silk
weaver who had emigrated from Gov
entry, England, bringing with him the
Salvation Army idea and a strong de
sire to continue in the work. II
reached Australia in the same yeal
through a milk dealer from Stepney
and soon afterwards the first Canadian
corps was organized in similar
fashion.
Five years later, in 1886, the gen
eral made the first of many visits t.
the American branches of the army
and he has seen them grow from ;
few small corps into veritable army
of tremendous influence and unsur
passed efficiency. His first grea
world-tour was made in 1891, when hi
visited South Africa, Australia anC
India. Since then he has visited thu
United States, Canada, Australia, New
Zealand and India four times, Soutl
Africa twice and Japan and the Hol!
Land each once.
During all these travels the actua
executive responsibility for the gov
ernment of the army has never beer
lifted from his shoulders. Even ol
shipboard he is an indefatigable work
er, planning and writing through tn
days.
Gen. Booth Honored.
One of the most remarkable of tn
many tributes paid to the general b.
the great of the world was that of tn
mikado of Japan during the visit t
that country. The mikado PERSONAL
received the general with grea
warmth and he was accorded remark
able ovations in Yokohama, Tokyo
Sendai and Kyoto, a circumstance G
strange import when it is realize
that Japan is not a Christian country
Another interesting distinction give
Gen. Booth was the comforting on hir
of the degree of doctor of civil law b
Oxford university. The significanc
of this honor will be better unde
stood when it is stated these who r,
ceived university honors with him {
the time were Prince Arthur of Col
naught. the prime minister of EN-
land, the lord chancellor, the speake
Sir E. Grey, the archbishop {
Armagh, Sir Evelyn Wood the Amer
can ambassador, Mark Twain an
Rudyard Kipling.
AS a writer Gen. Booth is remar
able. both as a stylist, as thinkC
and as a producer, He has written
, all 81 volumes, besides innumerab
articles for the army publication
, His best known book is IN Darke
: England and the Way Out" in whic
, he outlined his scheme for social +