The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-02-16
A PROPHET TO THE POOR
THE AUTHORITATIVE LIFE OF GENERAL BOOTH

&fAL BUILT
Zulu dots the undulating veldt. where
! Hfndoo temples rise in the shadow of
stately palms, and where the Aus
tralian digger sluices the mud for the
yellow gold there are to be found the
representatives and followers of Will
liam Booth. The work of the Saliva
ton Army extends into all parts of
England and the United States. into
Australia, Russia Canada, Japan, In
| dia, Sweden. France, Switzerland,
Germany, Africa, Tasmania, New
Zealand, China and Korea.
1t is not necessary here to follow
the Salvation Army through the va
| rious stages of its development. Once
started, the movement advanced from
strength to strength. Through all its
stages of growth and development
Mr.. Railton describes it's onward
! progress. 1t is the tritest thing in
the world to say that the Salvation
, Army gerw--it was not made. 1t was
series Of developments, not the out
come of a settled plan. When Booth
started on his life-work he had no
more idea of the ultimate form and
development OF his organization than
the proverbial man in the moon. 1t
has all come about as the result of a
series of inspirations. Yet, however
much of the fantastic, the crude. the
semi-bar barrie If you will, which has
found place In the modus operandi
of the Salvation Army, this also has to
be recorded: That from the hour of
its inception in the East End OF Lon
don down to this present hour. 1t
has been a mighty, uplifting factor
in every land in which II has thriven
and prospered. 1t has come out firm
iy on great problems, 1t has present
ed an undaunted front to forces of
evil. 1t has stood for the right. Upon
such questions as the abolition OF the
liquor traffic, the evils of gambling.
the social vice, its soldiery and lead
ers have stood out boldly and fear
lessiy for the better things OF life, and
wherever there has been fighting to
do men and women, wearing the
name of Booth, have been found in
the thickest of the fray.
General Booth got more than his
share OF hard knocks in the earlier
part of his career. But he remained
steadfast, unmovabie. always abound
knew that each days laborious out
pouring had advanced him nearer to
the goal for which he was striving,
He knew what thai goal was, and a
good many wise guys said they
knew, too. Booth always said it was
to make the world better. His enc
mics said 1t was to feather his own
nest. This word spread and made
trouble for him, but he calamity lived
it down. Forced by the villainous
charges made against his common
honesty, General Booth demanded a
public inquiry into the finances of his
army. Among the men appointed to
look into matters were Sir Henry
James. ex-attorney-genera1 of Eng
land, afterward Lord James of Here
ford. and Arnold White, one OF the
ablest OF English publicists. The re-
suit of the inquiry was complete
vindicatfon OF General Booth and q
signal tribute to his splendid talents
as an administrator. All this was
years ago. Booth won out long ago,
and In these later days the members
OF his great army could wander where
they pleased in any uniform they
pleased and without fear OF any yio-
ience. or even of jeers.
It was in the year 1890 General
Booth launched his scheme of social
reform. which he had outlined in his
famous Darkest England and the
Way Out" To say that the scheme
created a sensation would be putting
the heart of the public as perhaps no
similar matter had ever done before
or has done since. The scheme, as is
now generally known. consisted of
three main planks: First. city col
ony: second. land colonies; third, col
onies over sea. The various agencies
heretofore referred to give some idea
OF the vast extent and diversified
character of the social reform agen
'cies of the Salvation Army. Theirs
are, however new agencies constant
ly being called into being, such as
the newly formed anti-suicide bureau,
which is doing satisfactory work on
both sides of the Atlantic, the watch
word of which. Don't commit sui
eide until you see our sofficeriS This
latter innovation at first raised q
doubt in the minds of some as to its
practicability and possible effective
ness, but the fact remains that dur
ing the short term of its existence
hundreds of men and women have
been induced to abandon their plans
for self-destruction.
One of the most commendable de-
partments Of the work Is the Booth
scheme for the reclamation OF those
who, by stress Of circumstances, have
been forced to the wall--the poor OF
the great cities. 1t is a noble con-
ception to transfer people from con-
gested populations to those parts OF
the earth that are crying out for
them The authors notion OF calling I
the movement "a i. circumference of
population. rather than IAN amigra-
ton scheme" Is a good one. In the
very title given to the movement !
would seem to be revelation of its
possibilities. And such is the merest
outline of the mighty movement that
only forty years ago had its begin |
ming at a scene of worship in an old |
East London burying ground. Well |
may 1t be said to stand today as the |
marvellous creation of twentieth GEN. /
fury progress. But behind 1t all there /
looms up large the dramatic and pic !
turesque figure of its founder--the /
greatest practical philanthropist of /