The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1910-12-19
PEOPLES FORUM
The American salvation N.sn,--lt. ncfensc

The american salvation Atyul--its Defense.
Editor Of fhe irkinan.
.hr.-7hls article Is written from tho stand
point Of one who has known Richmond sixty
#ears. who has lived in It twenty years. ana
" he during that time has been 10th a ineml,. :
o the church hers and mission wGrker. lie
Il, therefore, prepared to speak with authority
the subject IN hand
There is a mission Eighteenth street he
tween Main and Franklin known as the
american salvation Army Mission, Tho ma me
.AmeriCtAn' however used more az n mat
Ter of convenience than for any other reason
especially there only TIVE members of
the American Salvation Army ia Richmond.
3no OF them is LADY who has lived here an
her Aie. she resl"ts ON seventeenth street
and is we'll known in the community where she
cd. honorcd" and -oved She started the mis-
sion and il is for the most part. through her
eonsecrated devotion to it that it Ives and
4hriVes and atcomplishes good Tn, other
lived here three and half years ana eho by
his conduct has proven himself DO a man
ot high Christian character He is mem Der
81 one OF the prominent churches here and
he stands we'll in H. Moreover, he gives him :.
self entirely to the mission Eighteenth
street soliciting funds for IT, conducting the
services and in every other way working To
enhance its interests. And for All this he does
not receive one dollar one. friend gives hin,
his board: another furnishes him with cloth
ing and another pays his rent The
American salvation Army. therefore. as an or
ganization does not operate in Richmond. But
suppose ii did? 1t has right t. do 30. as II
Is chartered organ cation.
Recently. however certain members af the
Salvation Army have attack ed this mission and
they seem DESTROYS. not only Of destroying its
usefulness but Of breaking up the mission it.
self And strange to say some newsnaners
have published these attacks without troubling
themselves t. learn the facts in the case Why
is It that newspapers will do themselves such
Injustice 10 say nothing OF the wrong done the
interests attacked. These attacks have heen
repeated nov until patience is no longer a viz
tue. and this article is written in. behalf Of
simple justice.
The grounds OF antagonisn seem to ia two
first that the mission has stolen the name
of the Salvation Army and that it is a bogus
organization. Neither statement is true The
name was not stolen. nor 1t is bogus arga MIA
tiou- Not only so. hut the managers of the
isston would willingly adopt another name
bat a. two IF them have each commission
in the American salvation Army. they thought
Ii proper to give the mission that name They
there is much IN tho desire and effort to do
good And 10 do good IS the only object which
for lis existence. The other objection is that
the effort OF the mission workers To xathe,
funds the street will interfere with the Sal
walton Army in its effort DO the same thing
That IL not probable The old adage is that
the more people give the more they can give
IN a sense that is true, while the man who
would not give to one would not be likely to
give the other, But aside from all that tn.
mission workers We're authorized by the mayor
to put pots on the street and to solicit funds
Just the Salvation Army does,
There is another fact to be noted The Eigh-
teenth Street Mission liz iocared in a section OF
the city where the Salvation Army has never
been and where it seems to have desire to
GO II is that section of the city known as the
slum district. And the name is most appro-
pirate. for it is not only one of the worst in
Richmond. but ii must be one OF the most de-
graded TO be found in any city Of the South
Into this district the Saivaron Army does nor
so and the needy ones here not in any
way brought under its influence. Its building
is near the city hall Broad street and its