The Washington herald., 1913-08-24
Salvation Army Here An
Effective SdLpdge Corps

| IL TO make good citizens, but the Saliva
ton Army does both successfully.
As long as there is room, any man who
will work can get in. No questions arc
asked as to his past. All that is re
| quired of him is a willingness to work
II he is not able TO do anything else
| he can at least tear the colored pictures
| out OF the periodicals. Every man has
his special work to do and is held re-
| sponsible for its performance. One mar
I is stable boss, another Is in charge OF
the baling room, the cook is supreme IN
his domain and the dining-room Is in
| charge Of another; the shoemaker and
| the furniture repairer. the statesmen and
the cashier are all given authority and
held responsible for its exercise.
Every workman is paid a dollar a weel,
for his services and every effect made to
help him realize that he is a respectable
| self-supporting citizen. However, the
Home is not run with a view TO retaining
men longer than is necessary in order to
| enable them to get work elsewhere. One
! Of the main features Of the institution Is
an employment agency, which includes
/ not only Washington. but all large cities
within a reasonable travelling distance of
| Washington, so that II a man has any
trade at all he can generally secure work
| in few weeks at the most.
Some of the most gifted men I'm the
country come to this Home from time
to time; Washington appears to be a
! place toward which men with shattered
| fortunes gravitate. a couple Of Sundays
| ago violinist who used TO be with Prof.
Theodore Thomas accompanied me from
| the Home TO the Jail and played for the
risoners. There is so much musical tai
ent in the Home that they have regular
entertainments every week. I was pres
ent at one a few evenings ago and en-
joyed a real treat. In addition to musi-
cal talent there is nearly always some
actor or comedian present TO enliven the
occasion.
And these men are generous almost be
yond belief. During the Dayton flood
they subscribed $50 toward the sufferers.
In order to do this many of them had TO
mortgage their future earnings to the
major, and l saw the pathetic little
board hung up on the wall upon which
the names and amounts Que were chalked
up.
Our city sends criminals to Occoquau
for their offenses, but when they return
II offers them no means by which to es-
cape from becoming offenders over again
But the Salvation Army does. Mai
Irvings goes TO Occoquan every few
weeks and invites those who are compIet-
ing their sentences 10 come TO him; and
they come, sometimes three at a time.
1 met one of them only a few evenings
ago just as he had arrived, and he was
pitiable looking object. For quite
while such men can find no work; nobody
will have them, but the Salvation Army
takes care of them until employment can
be secured
have tried to tell you in a few words
how the Industrial Home of the Saliva
ton Army in Washington brings the
waste goods of the city and the waste
men of the city together and by
process that is entirely their own turns
out useful citizens and pours $500 into
the Golfers of trade.
am not writing this at the suggestion
or solicitation of any one, but merely be-
cause / think all of us who turn over to
the Salvation Army man from time to
time the old papers and things that we
do not know what TO do with. cannot
help being interested in this work which
we know in some vague way we are
assisting, and because l think it does us
good TO hear Of things like this which
are going on in our midst
c. HERBERT REESE