| Show THE SALVATION ARMY an interesting Ite be of their doings in england editor deseret news we have nad had in our city for some time past a small detachment of the salvation army I 1 hardly think they can on achieving in a brilliant success those rose who have only seen the army hevecan he here can form no idea of the extraordinary enthusiasm they exhibit when they meet ow a large scale I 1 have not attended any of their meetings in loudon london but have been present at some of their grandest gatherings in liverpool when their general and several of his sons have been present for the information of your conr readers I 1 will try to describe one of those meeting w which leh are very much alike he the meeting I 1 am about to describe took in their central hall ball hardman street liverpool it was 09 the occasion of the departure of col booth son of the general and his bis wife for america every branch of the army for twenty miles round attended in f ull lull force so that there were present at least twelve bands and some fifty officers and about six hundred soldiers all dressed in their peculiar uniform the central hall ball is an old church of england edifice which has been converted into a barracks and will hold bold nearly people three meetings were held on the SUD day and they were all crowded to excess when I 1 had bad got over the effect of the tremendous din and discord of the dozen bands what struck me as the most extraordinary feature was manner in which they beg money strangers coming here and attending our meetings in the tabernacle or at any of the wards have been very much surprised that we have absolutely no collections whereas in the majority of places ot of worship in this country there is a collection at every service the salvation army however are seldom satisfied with one on the oc casion am referring to the attendance was so large r in the morning that they announced that a charge of a penny would be made for admission in the afternoon and sixpence for re served seats I 1 arrived at the hall ball halt half an hour before the service in the af ernson to find some forty or fifty girls perambulating the streets in all directions offering reserved seat tickets for sale some of the lasses held their tickets in their hands ase as some people do playing cards and shouted at the very top of their voices for passers to purchase it was a most extraordinary scene particularly as it took place in a very quiet part of the city upon a sunday afternoon As I 1 approached the corner of the street where the hall was situated four or five of the lasses lasse sas as they are called came quickly towards me offering tickets oneff one of them came close to me and said will you buy a ticket sir yes it if you yon will answer me a question she said what 11 is it are there any reserved seats in heaven which can be purchased with silver she looked fixedly at me for a second and then walked away without effecting a sale I 1 went to the hill hall however and obtained a good seat I 1 noticed a large number of girls selling hymn books war cries etc also a number carrying cards and pins the cards contained a number ol of printed squares and every person who gave a penny punctured a hole with a pin oin this was a kind of hecei t I 1 enquired that some were to buy uniforms some musical instruments instrument a and one girl told me it was to buy blankets for their captain punctually at 8 the colonel and mrs booth too c heir seats and the meeting commenced the colonel is s tall handsome young man with very pleasant face his wife to is very small but appeared to me to be very good looking taia was all the more apparent as the army lasses are geuer generally auy very homely the meeting commenced with one of their hymns the noise made by the united bands however was so great areat that the colonel ordered them all to be quiet except one then followed a scene of wild enthusiasm the last verse of the hymn was suns sung eight or nine times over and to give greater effect to the enthusiasm the colonel gulled pulled out of his pocket two large handkerchiefs which he waved in all directions this was followed by the whole audience frantically waving three or four thousand handkerchiefs a most extraordinary scene prayer was then offered by three of the officers there was an utter absence of all reverence but each in turn tried to shout tell at and command the deity in a most moat excited and frantic manner singing dlugin again ag in followed and then the colonel spoke for a short time i apart from the shouting handclap hand clap ping and other noises which watch were incessant throughout the whole meeting there was nothing exciting or uncommon la in his address his wife followed him and received a perfect ovation ioa after speaking for a minute or two she said I 1 some of yo you a have paid sixpence for fer reserved seats but I 1 am sure su re you can afford a great deal more now 4 and my husband are going away and i am coming down aown to wain amongst you and it if any of you will give me half a sovereign I 1 will shake hands with him she then left the stand and walked about half sovereigns however did not seem to be forthcoming so she reduced the price to half a crown and ultimately to a Ob shilling illing of which latter coin she seemed to get a considerable number going back to the stand she spoke a little while after she had resumed her seat the colonel arose and said now we will have a collection 1 and aad the plates went around he then spoke for about halt half an hour after sitting down lie he noticed quite a number of the audience going towards the doors when he ae gain again arose and shouted let some of the soldiers take boxes to the doors and see if some of our friends will drop something into them and as the audience passed out two boxes were held before them and shaken in their faces efforts of this kind to make money are made continually and it is really surprising how very successful hey are in great britain alone the army has nearly paid officers each of t these he se receive about a year as salary and the expenses of their meetings will be quite as much more making three million dollars a year that has to be gathered in their various barrack rooms and ana in the streets As far as possible every captain is required to make his bis district self supporting but bat every penny beyond the bare expenses must mast be sent to london A short time ago one of the captains collected a quantity of clothing which lie he gave to tae very poor daring a bitter winter be also collected some money and gave quite a large number one square meal every day A number of the inhabitants were so pleased with his efforts that they presented him with a watch A few days afterwards he received a letter f from ruin headquarters it arters requiring him to discontinue gis his efforts in the food and and confine himself to the tale army and that alone and as no captain la is permitted to receive presents of any kind tor for himself he be was instructed to send on the watch he did not comply with this request but called a meeting of his corps pave gave up his captaincy ca and severed lits connection with the army he formed a new association called 11 the birkenhead 11 the general seat some of his ablest captains to birkenhead but they failed to make any impression on the inhabitants some kome rather disgraceful proceedings ce were indulged in by the rival hosts both had bands and both held their principal meetings in the open air I 1 was several times present at meetings and have seen the rival band marching round three or four times time playing placing as loudly as they possibly could completely drowning the voices of the singers and the speakers it if the poor people of great britain would cease to give money to the army it would collapse in three months many persons contend that they do a large amount of good and there can be no doubt but that they have gathered into their army quite a number of drunken janken dr and degraded characters who at all events for a time have led reformed lives only getting rid however of one excitement for arother another it is astonishing to what lengths the army has gone stores have been opened up all over the country for the sale of merchandise a all Ns specially p prepared with the colors 0 of the h e army red bed blood and yellow fire in addition to their clothes they must sleep under a cover of fire and blood the handles of their knives were blood red their dembs brushes earthenware pots dishes etc are also fire and blood colored many of their members were so enthusiastic thusia that they were nuisances in the neighborhoods where they lived the army frequently holds meetings until after midnight midch t and sometimes all night I 1 am personally acquainted with one of the captains who received a deau tation of six women who came to coin complain lain that one of the soldiers who livet lived in that neighborhood insisted upon keeping his bedroom window open all night and frequently getting on his bis knees to pray he would shout for a long time and so loudly that a rooster was nothing to him and their husbands could not sleep then it is well known that in playing at the street corners or marching they have paid no regard to other meetings or to the sick or dying I 1 remarked to an extensive owner of cottage property that I 1 thought the army was doing considerable good he quite excitedly said you know nothing about it and went on to say that lie he could prove by scores of people in his houses that it made idle men and lazy women when they became possessed of the excitement and delirium of the army they would do no work they all imagined that they were called to be captains or lieutenants and as these officers s are all paid they worked to this end and this only certainly not three percent per cent of their converts remain with them or with any church and when the tremendous excitement dies out of the seven per cent they became possessed of seven devils worse than the first there must be many good and earnest men amongst them but I 1 am afraid that this ranting g shouting aad delirium disgusts and drives away from all brewr re legious inquiry very larze laree numbers of our fellow men and women who by this means fall an easy prey to the sophistries sophis tries of the sceptic and the atheist AMICUS salt lake city sept 17 |
