Norwich bulletin., 1911-02-13
MRS. BOOTH ADDRES SED 2,5OO HERE
Polls Theater Was Crowded to Hear Her and Fays Band Tells of Her Wonderful Work in the Prisons of this Country Charms Her Audience by Her Simple But Deeply Interesting Story.


 No speaker ever came here with a story of deeper heart interest than that related by Mrs. Maud Ballington Booth at Polls theater under the auspices of the |. M. 2. A. Sunday afternoon, and in the evening at the Central Baptist church. Both the tfeater and the church were packed and many stood to hear her wonderful story, and back of it all was realized that there was an equally wonderful parsonage, a mighty leader whose doings are known all over the land. There were fully 2.5OO who heard here here yester- day, and all were thoroughly impress ed by her account of life's work in the prisons of the country.
 Band Was Fine.
 At the theater there were fully 8 hundred standing, unable to get seats, 1t being the largest men's meeting the association ever held. Fay's band of Providence opened the afternoons ex- ercises with several beautiful selections Tampa. bX Hurold, and Sons of the South, by Remick. The cornet solo work. Ey Milo Burke was magnificent, his rendering of Stabat Mater being grand. He was rOundly applauded for his work and classed as one of the best who ever played here. The trom- bone solo by Charles Butterfield was another. fine number. For All Eternity being played. closing with duet for trombone and cornet.
 Mrs. Booth Presented.
 After prayer by Rev. H. J. Wyckoff. pastor of the Second Congregational church, General Secretary ". A. Morse of the Y. M. c. A. presented Mrs. Maud Ballington Booth to speak upon the Prisoners of This Country, referring to the difficulty he had in securing her. a 1ri cff ffe racnY1- tion, and said that it was always . joy to bring a message to a meeting Of this sort, but what a contrast there is between this and ,he audience l usually address. You have the price less gift of freedom, but those to whom I so often so with a message of hope are in prison. They pass from the pris- on chapel to their little cell, but they are not without hope.
 An Appeal from Prisoners.
 Seventeen years ago she said it was she was in San Francisco and there she received plea from a number of the prisoners in state prison to speak t. them. IL was what saw and read upon the faces of that audience which made me give up my life to the pris- oners of this country. It was not the walls, the guards, the stripes of their dress that brought to me the condition of the prisoners, but it was the utter despair, hopelessness and misery writ ten on those faces. One of the most hopeless and forgotten classes are those found in the prisons, and there are 100000 of them.
 I realized there was only one way of reaching them, and that was by carry ing them out beyond the stern walls and make them forget the present with their bondage and the future with the doom of uncertainty. I told them stories which had touched my own soul and made a message echo through those walls, so that like the poor beg gar on the cross beside the Saviour they might cry out 70 Lord, remember This day shall thou be with me in Paradise.
 Gave Her Life to the Work.
 As passed out from that meeting I registered a vow that If God would open the doors I would give my life to those prisoners. The door was open ed, and since then I have travelled from one end of the country to the other, visiting the prisoners. If I had ever been tempted to think that the day of miracles was passed or that the Bible was for olden times, have found out different have seen men rise up and work out their salvation, new hope come to be Fl blessing where once was no hope After studying the hearts of those behind prison walls, believe un- slakably, said Mrs. Booth, in two truths-power divine and redeemability of human nature.
 Always Ray of Hope.
 I believe that it makes no difference how low a man has fallen, there re- mains grain of gold that can be found. I have not been disap- ointed and have brought harmony from dis cord and happiness out of hopelessness. There were many who thought was throwing my life away, giving it to the wreckage of humanity, and that It would be better to give it to the young, the colleges and similar work, and thereby do a bigger work.