Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-06-18
BACKGROUND OF EVENTS
BY PAUL =. COLLINS.

Gen. Bramwell Booth head of the
Salvation Army until few months ago,
when because of physical infirmities he
was replaced, died last Sunday in his
London home. That death may not
seem to touch very closely the average
reader of The Evening Star, but the
organization of which for some II years
he was COMMUNICATIVE hief for all the
world is of such tremendous Importance
to the world that it does touch every
man and woman, whatever may be his
or her station in life.
Il \ X X
Somehow, the recent organization in
washington of the Community Chest,
which gathers by mass production
methods, the funds contributed for all
charities and benevolences adhering to
its system, has robbed the city of the
personal touch of the Salvation Army
lassies at public places, with their tam
bourines to receive the dimes and quar-
tiers and dollars to help the needy. 1t
is not without a feeling of indignation
that counterfeit Salvation Army tam
bourines have appeared, here and there,
held out by representatives OF other or
carnations which are not at all con-
nected with the real Salvation Army.
Some friends of the Army may be un-
duly Jealous of that trade mark" of
loving service, and resent the IMPOSE
ton of the counterfeit tambourine be-
quilting the public into diverting the
support which for years it has repre-
scented. But the genuine Salvation
Army is still functioning in the Capital
and elsewhere throughout the Nation,
and all nations, and is doing work
which the churches do not duplicate.
In Washington it has five churches"
called CORDS" of it's own, where Serv--
ices are held daily for the men and
women who would feel uncomfortable
IN the midst of better dressed folks,
however kind might be their welcome.
X X X X
There were several organizations
from America which performed great
and noble work for the welfare of the
soldiers of the A. E. F. during the
World War, but there was none which
so completely won the admiration and
gratitude of the buddies as did the
Salvation Army. The laSsieS and their
doughnuts became famous, but not
so famous as did the bravery Of the
women and men who penetrated the
very front lines in their welfare zeal
fearless and cheering, whether from
America or from England.
In a booklet issued by the Army at
the time of the Sesquicentennial cele-
bration in Philadelphia appears this
official Interpretation of the spirit of
the Salvation Army in those dangerous
times:
ct has been aptly remarked that
America 'rediscovered' the Salvation
Army during the World War. No one
was more surprised at this reaction on
Al. CoIx
tioniSts themselves. Entering that
period in the same spirit of earnestness
and humility with which they had per-
formed their accustomed duties at
home, they were not conscious of doing
anything extraordinary in going so close
to the front lines and remaining there
as long as the soldiers needed them.
The women, as well as the men, had
been in the habit of going straight
to the source of any difficulty. They
had never stood on the edge of a
crowd and offered advice at distance.
Where there was trouble to be reme-
died it was their habit to be in the
middle of it. So in France they merely
did what they had always done in at
lacking other forms of distress at home
They quietly ascertained where the
trouble was at its worst and then just
as quietly went after 1t.
Although the Army had won the
hearts of the people through its routine
work, and had demonstrated its ca
pacity for meeting emergencies In the
Spanish War and in such
national calamities as the San Fran
cisco earthquake, its service to the
common soldiers in the trenches In
France seemed to awaken the Nation
to the fact that here was an organiza-
ton whose complete worth it had not
quite fully appreciated.
"In recognition of the service of the
Salvation Army during the war, Presi-
| dent Wilson awarded Comdr. Evan
geline Booth the Distinguished Service
! Medal"
y n II n
A scene was witnessed by the present
writer which occurred at a reception in