The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-04-20

and pies "over there," and to hear the
 dying soldier lad beg to see the little l Salvationist pass, because he could kiss
 Ter shadow as it moved across his pill l low; but to think of the great soul and
 heart of Evangeline Booth, who was be-
 hind all of this aid and help, to think of her only as a romance of life is to
 mistake her place in history, as well as | to offend her deepest feelings.
 For Evangeline Booth is much more than heroine of romance; she is one I of the greatest women of action that l this nation has ever produced. She IS the type of the pioneer, one of those rare personalities who reshape the con 1 tours of life.
 Iam an enthusiast almost fanatic. on the subject of my beloved comman- 1 der, Evangeline Booth (and say My beloved commander" advisedly, for she came very nearly being exactly that in reality. during the war, when 1 nearly 1 but not quite, went to France under the l flag of the great Salvation Army. In | my ssFive Foot Book Shelf" of Hob bies," this blessed woman's name stands at the head of queer assort- ment for I'm queer person; only flve'
 remember; Evangeline Booth, biiiy Sunday, my beloved Bishop Candler, the | Mary Garden!
 There are few people who make the impression that Evangeline Booth | Goes when he seeks an interview.
 You go into her presence expecting to meet saint and a visionary; you emerge with new and Revised Yer sion" of the Salvation Army.
 You recall the song and how loudly we sing it. coward Christian Soldiers xyic;opc of the Christian Army Of singers sitting in their nice, comfor- table pews outside the range of fire, wearing their fine Easter bonnets and their countless jewels while on the out side with drum and fife and tamoour- inc in the thick of the battle you lind
 Evangeline Booths Salvation Army, us- ing it's ammunition of religious warfare literally-the battle grounds, the streets; the pews, the bare corners of the thoroughfares; the army uniformed and ready for battle for the Salvation Army is not church. or a philosophy, or a creed; it is an emotion'
 An emotion with a philosophy back of it, which you read in the beautiful, wistful eyes of the commander, Miss Booth, as she visions the celestial City" begging her fellow-men in the mean time to flee from The City or pestruction," with an exaltation little
 
 Commander Evangeline Booth is a TO- markable character; politics to the com mander is closed book, although she knows everything worth while about such things; qdarrels of creed she never comprehends, and as for tainted money, she explained once in her own wonder- full way when somebody asked her If the Salvation Army would receive such:
 sGive us the money; we will cleanse t. +l,1 Af a fafharIaSG. lay it-on the altar of humanity"
 When I went in to see by beloved commander. Miss Booth, yesterday, her bright eyes gleamed. her beautiful smile illumined the surroundings as she took me gently by the hand and bade me welcome.
 "Yes, yes, I know exactly what you want me to talk about" she said. This period of what most people call Recon struction' days; but walt a minute; is there dictionary handy, Colonel? (This to member of her staff-those val iant soldiers, Col. Thomas Stanyon, Major and Mrs. Charles Campbell, her private secretary. Major Brewer, and our own beloved Major David Main. who was also present). There's word I want but 1t isn't reconstruction and it isn't construction yet it ends with the syllable ion.'"
 And the while we waited for the all expressive noun to make itself known. the commander. in her fascinating. de- lightful way took me on a personally conducted tour from the Bowery in New York to the Poppy Fields Of Flanders and back again.
 And on that trip I found that if was what the commander has nominated "the close loneliness" of the Salvation Army which fitted the army for the re- tSs xxroI a home service. work lover here"
 Ut was the same methods-the same spirit which made the Salvation Army successful on the Bewery that made 1t successful on the battle fields of 1