The Birmingham age-herald., 1918-10-19
Staff Captain Main and His Wife Are the Youngest Veterans of the Salvation Army Wearing the Insigna
 Indicating 25 Years of Unbroken and Satisfactory Service

was sent to Philadelphia and then to ! various points in Virginia, Ohio, Illinois, i and Michigan. finally back to Philadel- 1 phia, where I served at provincial head quarters on Colonel Holz's staff, of which the gulf division, now in my charge, is a part. I was secretary for the depart ment of special efforts and when war 1 was declared I had charge of large
 district in the east, for which 1 was re- sponsible for our war work. It was the 1 largest division in the army, from one to three and four hundred Salvationists un- der my jurisdiction.
 "In the gulf division I have five states in my charge" Captain Main said, which means that I must visit 20 cities in each of these states every six months and also take care of our war work, appointing committees and interesting people in the big allied war workers cam paign now imminent, of which we are part.
 ''so much has been said and written about the work of the Salvation Army over There,'" said Captain Main, and on the whole everything has touched upon the material side, doughnuts, apple pie. and the physical comfort. of the men: all this I like, but I also like for people to stop and realize that this is only a means to an end. We get the boys into our huts and give them some. thing good to eat, then convert the hut into an assemblage hall and interest the boys in the spiritual side-snging, pray ing. talking-and we have attained our end The old saying that the easiest way to reach a mans heart is through ms stomach verifies itself in this case; it was General Pershing himself who asked our Colonel Barker if our Salvation Army lassies could make apple pie, declaring he had not had any worth eating since he left home. One of our lassies imme- dately replied that she could make the pies, and forthwith got busy and when General Pershing and his staff sat down to their midday meal in Sthe little Sal vation Army hut, six steaming beautiful apple pies fit for king greeted them That's the way the idea originated and it has certainly been a happy one TOT those dear boys Over There.
 But far better than all this is the fact that the last face that the soldier boy sees before he goes Over the Top, said Captain Main, "the last voice that breathes a prayer for him before he plunges into battle. is that of the Sal yation Army laSsie or lad, who is closer to the firing line than anyone else eX- cent the boys themselves. General Persh- ing has given his personal praise to our work over There and it has gratified US very much The spiritual Influence exerted is nothing short of wonderful, hundreds and hundreds of our boys have been converted through the Salvation Army and this has made us very, very happy.
 You can readily see from this how necessary it is for us to continue the good work there," said Captain Main, "and in order to continue it there we must continue it here-double, treble, uuadruple- our efforts, and not allow our soldier boys to feel that there is one stone left unturned for their physical and spiritual welfare'