The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-04-19
MEN, WOMEN
 AND THINGS

mander of the army in the United States. is the guest of honor of the city.
 It is fitting that the city commission is to attend the lecture tonight to be delivered by Miss Booth, and that Dr. Barrett president of the commits sion' is to introduce here.
 
 It will be a handsome tribute for Miss Booth to have an escort of honor from the American Legion, for no one better knows the great service she rendered than the doughboys who ate the doughnuts on the other side and were cheered by the Salvation Army Iassies.
 Story after story has been written about the Salvation Army, and I my self have done quite few, but some how the subject is always fresh 70 me and like to read about it and love to hear it talked about, for 1t was one of the greatest religious, social and industrial movements born in the A'ND'eenth century
 
 The Salvation Army. from whatev.r standpoint it is viewed, has become a matter of worldwide moment, for it now circles the globe, and it's war record has lifted it on the very high est pinnacle of fame, for it came o,rt of the great conflict without a tarnish on it's name. and today is entrenched in the hearts of the people as never before to win further success in all lines of its varied activities. 
 spoke in this column on Saturday of the humble beginning of the Chris tian Endeavorers' movement, but it is more than paralleled in the simple origin and marvellous growth of the salvation Army. It was a Conere- gational preacher in America who be- gan the former, while it was a wes- ieyan minister in England who started the latter; but neither of them had any idea that they had originated movements which would spread to the uftermost parts of the earth. 
 The late lamented William Booth said some years back Contrary to a very generally accepted idea, I had no preconceived plan of campaign when l began. I knew very little of the problems I was to attack. I had very little experience of work among the really poor classes, and still less among the children of misfortune whom l have since come to know and speak of as the submerged" He continues: T cannot say that at any ate TOT some years after I commenced the work out of which it has grown. either l, or, so far as I know. any of my helpers. had any expectation that 1t would ever reach its present influ- ence and proportions"
 Does it not seem strange that a Methodist minister. accustomed to work chiefly among the lower middle classes in provincial centers. .with no doubt many of the limitations, both of thought and outlook" as he con. fessed, which are common to those conditions" should have been able to civest himself of his preconceiyed opinions and prejudices and risen to the pressing need of the hour so mag nificently in becoming the apostle to the disinherited? The father of Gen eral Booth was Church of England man, just as was John Wesley reared in it.
 l haven't time to follow up here the loss the Church of England sustained Tn not taking advantage of the move ment begun by John Wesley which brought Methodism into being, or space to speculate on the tremendous inn petus which the Methodists would have mad in the world had they been able to incorporate the Salvation Army idea and work into the programme of their denomination. There is a study here worth going into and material enough for a mighty interesting volume.
 It was the saintly and scholarly Bishop LiShtfoot of the Church of Eng land who had the courage to say be- fore the Salvation Army found itself: NShall we be satisfied with going on hitherto, picking up one here and one tnere, gathering together a more or less select congregation, forgetful meanwhile of sthe Masters command. Go ye into the highways and the hedges. and compel them to come in? The Salvation Army has taught us a higher lesson than this. Whatever may be it's faults. it has at least re- called to us the lost ideal of the work of the church, the universal compul- sion of the souls of men,"
 
 It was in 1885, date easy for me to remember, as 1t was the year in which I was born. William Booth, evangelist. found his Nlifework. Blessed is the man who does this. He felt the spur of vague discontent. He seemed to be groping his way toward an un- realized ideal. While conducting a se- ries of meetings in a tent on the dis used Quaker burying ground at Bakers Row he got the inner light he needed. He saw his heavenly vision and, like Paul of old heard his divine call
 T found my heart" he says, strong ly and strangely drawn out on behalf or the million people living within a mile of the tent, ninety out of every hundred of whom. they told me. never heard the sound of the preachers voice from year to year Here is sphere was being continually whispered in my ear by an inward voice and I was continually haunted with a desire to offer myself to Jesus Christ as an apostle for the heather of East London"
 William Booth. in my opinion, &C., cepred mission which was no less real than those of Hebrew prophets and Christian apostles. The idea, of heAVAn1v viQian h~t U