The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1920-03-19
What Salvation Army Did
During World War
TRIBUTE TO ITSWoRkERS
Mass Meeting Was Held At the
: Mankato Theatre Yesterday
- ~. Afternoon ''.S-.>
From Mondays Daily.

Flanders, Commandant and Mrs. j..
NJ. Hale, two distinguished workers
of that organization, were greeted by
"a large audience at mass meeting
sat 3lankato theatre yesterday after
neon.
: Seated on the stage were the lead
ing clergymen OF this city. Colonel f.
IL Minnigerode, the members Of the
Fifth Regiment band, George NJ.
Palmer. who presided at the meeting,
Captain Larson. of the local Salvation
army, and Commandant and Mrs.
Hale, %ho were the honored guests
Of the occasion.
During the program of the after
noon. the Fifth Regiment band IN
der the leadership OF Lieutenant G. +.
Neill, rendered number of selec4
tions. Envoy Walter Jeffrey. the
Salvation army blind musician, also
favored the, audience with vocal
selection, rendered in wonderfully
rich baritone voice
Al the opening of the meeting the
invocation was offered by Rev. 7.
Ross Paden. pastor of the Presbyter-
ian church.
Captain Larson Introduced George
NJ. Palmer, who after addressing the
meeting presided.
Mr. Palmer said that when America
entered the war in 1917. an" the
young men began to gather in the
the camps preparatory for the grim
work ahead Of them, the people who
had to stay back at home, began to
realize that they too had great task
to perform. To the. ever!as,i ing credit
Of the American people they arose to
it. One of those tasks was the care
OF the boys in the camp; both in this
country and overseas. In the realiza-
tion of the duty owed to the boys,
the people reached out 10 the diff
ferent welfare agencies. The Young
Mems Christian Association, the
Knights of Columbus. the Jewish
Welfare society. and other commun-
ity service organizations came for
ward. OF all these organizations not
one did more work for the boys than
did the. Salvation army. in whose
honor the mass meeting was held
yesterday r
4 Mr. Palmer ina conversation with
a soldier Just recently asked him
why the Salvation army had become
so popular with the boys. The dough-
boy answered. Because they were
SO friendly. and il made one feel like
going home to go to their canteens."
Veteran Spoke First.
Colonel Minnigerode, veteran of
the Spanish American and World
war, who distinguished himself on
the field of battle, and was honorel
for these brave acts by both the
American and French governments,
paid glowing tribute to the work OF
the Salvation army in the late war
in France. o..
Launching into his subject. Colonel
Mmnigerode, said that it was with
great pleasure he had accepted the
invitation to speak OF the Salvation
army. Mr.. Palmer's statement that
it was the lometike atmosphere of
the Salvation army that made it SO
popular, Colonel Minnigerode said
was only too true.
81 want to tell you ladies and
gentlemen" said Colonel Minnigerode,
THAT the nearer one approached the
danger line, the more frequent one
came in contact with the huts of the
Salvation army. The fire of the
enemy did not stop them. They were
the meal and the women on the job
The speaker gave an instance dur
ing the Argonne' drive, where a Sal
walton army iassie was walking
across ground which was being
heavily shelled. She was spoken to
gruffly, but in the right spirit and
told to get out of there" But the
little miss just smiled and said:
Our place is here i'm the danger with
you" 49,. .. '.~-- -
THE Salvation army was fighting
two fights over there. The first was
for God, and the second was for
America, and that influence was
greater on the field Of battle than
any other work" - -. .-
Colonel Minnigerode gave an in.
stance of two Salvation Army men,
bers holding open service over the
bodies of two Americans who had
laid down their lives on Dead Man s
Fill near Verdun. There was not a
man OF the $4,000 as they passed
dotted their caps in respect The
speaker said that there was not a
night passed in France but that
thousands Of blessings were heaped
upon the Salvation army by appre-
ciative duughboys.
Commandment Hale Spoke.
Commandment Hale, revivalistic
leader of the northern province Of the
Salvation army, and d man who saw
several months service in France i'm
the thickest Of the fighting, spoke at
some length OF his experiences while
abroad. He stated that the Ameri-
can doughboy while the fighting last
ed was in the highest of spirits, but
after the >armistice was signed, he
became very anxious to reach home.
and many became very Respondent.
The trip across seas without q
convoy. especially , in the danger
zone, when one did not know what
tom by a submarine When Mr.. and
Mrs. Hale reached France, he stated,
moment he would be sent to the bot
they were almost Immediately sent
to the western Somme front. W.
Mr.. Hale described the first air
plane fight witnessed by, he aud Mrs.
Hale. The had not watched the fight
long, until they forgot their calling
land got the war spirit. Of an eye for
49, .-------------- -----r.> -----