The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-04-13
A True Fairy Tale

ton Army next Monday evening, April
 19 when Miss Evangeline Booth, their
 beloved leader. will be the guest of this lcity. I was impressed by two facts
 one is that every soldier of the Salva- 'tion Army loves to talk about the com
 mander, and the other is that every word uttered by any soldier in the
 army about her is from the teart.
 Major Main, who declares that he re-
 gards Commander Booth as one of-the
 most wonderful women in the world
 today--God loving, man loving. in her
 devotion to her work, touched on many
 different angles of this remarkable
 woman's character not the least of
 which was>a story he told me about
 now Evangeline Booth emerged from little match girl in the streets of Lon-
 don to the great leadership of the Sal walton Army.
 I am going to tell it to you just as
 Major Main told it ome if 1 can. and
 because it is such beautiful story and because it is so typical of the. life and love of the adored commander of l the Salvation Army.
 have called it "A True Fairy Tale" for nothing except fairy tale" ever was anything like it, as you'll agree | when you've heard the story.
 Once upon a time That is the way all fairy tales begin" said Major Main. and this is essentially a fairy tale in spite of the fact that every word of it is true "a little match girl peddled her wares on the cold, foggy, damp streets of London. She was scarce 16 years of age, thin, delicate, with fine, sensitive face that told the story. of hopes and desires entirely unconnected with sell ing matches. When she smiled her thanks at an unexpected customer or chatted confidently with sister ped- dler, she would dream her dreams. And what dreams they were Like Joan Of Arc, she saw an army, not gi1ttering array of plumes and banners and shin ing equipment. but one that took in ev- cry little match girl, every little flower girl every chimney sweep, every poor man, every suffering man, every un- happy man in the world"
 That little London match girl, ped ding her wares and dreaming her dreams in rain and shine was Evange- line Booth, today the commander of the Salvation Army in the United States And her wishes have come true, as all wishes must if the wisher is both the heroine and the fairy godmother of the story The Salvation Army today is all that her imagination pictured it to be when she sold her matches and extend ed her sympathy to her competitors in the rain and fog of London. Today the great non-combatant army is estao-
 ished in every country of the world, bringing relief, comfort and hope to all peoples everywhere" he continued. It was in preparation for the great sue cess of the Salvation Army and the po- sition that she felt she would one day be called upon to fill, thrat Commander Fvangeline Booth fourth daughter of General William Booth, founder of the Salvation Army which was then in it's infancy dressed in the rags of Lon don street beggar, in order to know the men and women whom she was devot-
 ing her life to help. She talked as they talked dressed as they dressed, and lived as they lived.'
 Tt was from her experience as a match girl that she learned her most far-reaching lessons. It was from them that she learned to take hardship, dis appointment and heartache with the stoicism and fortitude that she has shown through her life. It was from them that she learned to know the under dog. Anr these lessons stood her Tn good stead when she came to accept her first appointment as captain m the Salvation Army said Major Main. "Old City Road was then famous In both song and story for it's utter dis regard of morals laws and property rights. It was without doubt the most notoriously tough section that any city ever boasted of. Nevertheless, before she was IS Miss Evangeline Booth as sisted by pitifully small group, start ed Salvation Army Corps in the midst of some of the most disreputable re- sorts the world has ever known. ln- fluenced by the proprietors or these places who feared that the new organi- zation might hurt their trade, the hood lums of the section did all in their power to break up the Salvation Army meetings Hoots jeers, sticks and stones greeted the efforts of the brave little band The gangsters of the neigh- borhood were dabolically clever Tn the things they thought out. They were ingenious in the new torments they de- vised but they were not quite keen enough for the girl captain. Gathering inc leaders of the gangsters together, she appealed to them for protection from her tormentors. That night and on many subsequent nights, the leaders of the desperadoes of the neighborhood formed themselves into voluntary hodyguard and woe betide the unwary hoodlum who dared to insult MISS Eva Those very men, once the ter TOTS of the city the police and the Sal walton Army are now among the com mander's most fervent supporters.
 After old City Road came East bourne where the civil authorities were making a practice of throwing every salvationist into jail the moment he tried to hold a prayer meeting. one night the commander came to Last bourne and conducted the largest street meeting she had ever held.' said Malor Main From miles around people came expecting to see the woman who was bold enough to make a speech dragged off to jail at any minute. But they were doomed to disappointment, the young captain spoke unmolested, he continued. The Jalls were oNe' crowded and they had no room for me was her explanation. but there must have been still another reason, for on the morning following the night or her speech, the jail of Eastbourne was opened wide and the Salvationists were given their freedom"
 Then followed year upon year or every ina ginable service In slums, amid poverty, disease. vice and squaior'' the remarkable young woman soon gained unbounded influence. She knew the most notorious characters by tneir slang names and if at times they be- came too boistero,N, a pointed ringer and a word of command from MISS arrive this week to he the guests of Mrs. Postwick's mother, Mrs. John Tomllnson,