Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1914-06-12
SALVATION ARMY
OPENS BIG MEETING

London, June l2.--"Onward, Chris
tian soldiers!" will be sung by ten
thousand voices at the royal Albert
Hall tonight when General Bramwell
Booth formally welcomes the delegates
TO the decennial International Congress
of the Salvation Army. The meeting
will mark the Inauguration of the most
cosmopolitan religious assembage of
modern times. Since the congress of
ten years ago, also held in London,
the banner of "Blood and Fire" has
penetrated to the uttermost corners of
the world. Thirty-four different Ian
guages are spoken and 5S countries rep
resented among the 2,100 foreign dele
gates sent to the present congress. ~All
have brought their own distinctive
flags and many are attired in their
quaint and picturesque native cos
tunes.
1t was planned that special serv-
ice would be held either before or dur
ing tonight's opening meeting, as a
tribute to the memory of the members
of the Canadian delegation who went
down to their deaths on the Inflated
Empress of Ireland, on Which they
were coming here. All grades of civil
/ lization and society have been drawn
upon; from the red Iidians of British
Columbia and reformed drunkards of
New York to educated Japanese and
cultured Koreans, from former sun wOr-
shippers and devil dancers to officials
of the British government. from con-
verted murderers and eoniackers to au-
thors, actors and university professors.
The largest contingent, some 5000,
comes from the British Isles The
United States is next with 800 dele
gates, in addition to four brass bands
and a large party of friends and sym
pathizers, who came over on the Olym-
pic in charge of Commander Eva Booth.
Among the other countries represented,
with the number of delegates from
each, are: Eolland 254, Germany l75,
Denmark $50, Sweden 100, Italy and
Switzerland 70, France and Belgium
GO, Australia 60, New Zealand 56, In
dia and Ceylon SO, Norway so, Finland
40, South Africa 20, Japan II, Korea
IL, and South America 10.
In Session Two Weeks.
The regular daily meetings of the
congress, which will continue for two
weeks, will be held, beginning tOmor-
row afternoon, in a huge iron and steel
structure erected for the purpose on
the "Aldwich Island" in the Strand,
holding 5000 persons. This site vas
leased to General Booth by the LOnd,
County Council on condition that the
building was to be constructed, used,
and demolished within the space of
three months. A little more than six
weeks was required 20 build it. A
unique feature of the congress will be
a battery of telephones on the stage,
manned by corps of expert interpret
ers, for the transmission of speeches
and proceedings to the various groups
of non-English speaking delegates dis
tributed throughout khe hall Sectional
meetings will also be held in outlying
districts of London. In all more than
100 meetings are scheduled, 40 of
which will be conducted personally by
General or Mrs. Booth. 1t will be the
first time. that many of the foreign
officers of the army have met the new
general HeTt, anu I've uccdSlOH VIII De
utilized for number of staff gather
ings at which plans for future work
will be formulated. On next Saturday
there win be a monster procession of
delegates and visitors, led by so brass
bands, from the Embankment to Hyde
Park, where speeches will be made
from a dozen dif:erent platforms
There will be an all-day FESTIVAL of
Praise" at Crystal Palace on the 23rd
when the delegates, reinforced by 15,-
GOO Salvationists from all parts of the
United Kingdom and accompanied by
5000 bandsmen, will be- reviewed by
General and Mrs. Booth Following the
close of the congress, which will be sig
nahzed by farewell demonstration in
Albert Hall June 90, ten-day's tour
of the provinces will be made during
which meetings will be held at Cardiff,
Bristol, Birmingham, Sheffield Man
chester, Edinburgh, Glasgow and other
cities.