Part 14

One cannot but rejoice when one hears ever and anon of some conference or congress at which various efforts are made to recover, at any rate, the appearance of a forward movement in the Churches. But the most serious fact of all, perhaps, is the mixture amongst these Christianizing plans, whether in one country or another, of the unbelieving leaven, so that it is possible for men to go forth as the emissaries of Christianity who have ceased to believe in the Divine nature of its Founder, and who look for success rather to schemes of education and of social and temporal improvement than to that new creation of man by God's power, wherein lies all our hope, as indeed it must be the hope of every true servant of Christ.

But I call attention to these facts not to reproach any Church. Far from it. I simply desire to point out one reason for thinking ourselves justified in anticipating for the Army a future influence far beyond anything we have yet experienced.

Recent 'defences' of Christian revelation have, in our view, been far more seriously damaging than any attacks that have ever been made from the hostile camp. In the hope--a vain hope--of conciliating opposition, there has too often been a timid surrender of much that can alone give authority to Christian testimony. If Jesus Christ was not competent to decide the truth or untruth of the Divine revelation, which He fully and constantly endorsed as such, how absurd it is to suppose that any eulogies of His character can save Him from the just contempt of all fearless thinkers, no matter to what nationality they belong.

The Army finds itself already, and every year seems more and more likely to find itself, the only firm and unalterable witness to the truth of Christ and of His redeeming work in many neighbourhoods and districts, among them even some wide stretches of Christian territory. And the times can only bring upon us, it seems to me, more and more the scrutiny of all who wish to know whether the declarations of the Scriptures as to God's work in men are or are not reliable. This, then, however melancholy the reflection may be--and to me it is in some aspects melancholy indeed--assures to us a future of far wider importance and influence than any we have dreamed of in the past.

Our strength, as your book eloquently shows, in dealing with the deepest sunken, the forgotten, the outcasts of society, the pariahs and lepers of modern life; has ever been our absolute certainty with regard to Christ's love and power to help them. How much greater must of necessity be the value and influence of our testimony where the very existence of Christ and His salvation becomes a matter of doubt and dispute! Here, at any rate, is one reason which leads me to believe that the Salvation Army has before it a future of the highest moment to the world.

III

In relation to other religious bodies, our position is marvellously altered from the time when they nearly all, if not quite all, denounced us.

I do not think that any of the Churches in any part of the world do this now, although no doubt individuals here and there are still bitterly hostile to us. In the United States and in many of the British Colonies the Churches welcome our help, and generally speak well of our work; and even many Roman Catholic leaders, as well as authorities of the Jewish faith, may be included in this statement. On the Continent there are signs that they are slowly turning the same way.

Now, I confidently expect a steady extension of this feeling towards us as the Churches come more and more to recognize that we not only do not attack them, but that we are actually auxiliaries to their forces, not only gaining our audiences and recruits from those who are outside their ministrations, but even serving them by doing work for their adherents which for a variety of reasons they find it very difficult, if not impossible, to accomplish themselves.

At the same time it would be a mistake to think that we have any desire to adopt any of their methods or ceremonials. We keep everywhere to our simple and non-ecclesiastical habits, and while we certainly have some very significant and impressive ceremonials of our own, the way our buildings are fitted, the style of our songs and music, and the character of our prayers and public talking are everywhere entirely distinctive, and are nowhere in any danger of coming into serious competition with the worship adopted by the Churches.

Some of our leading Officers think that in one respect our relations to the Churches, their pastors, and people are unsatisfactory. In the United States it is customary for the clergy and leaders of every Church to treat our leaders with the most manifest sympathy and respect. But there is far too marked a contrast between that treatment and that which we receive in many other countries. There are, of course, splendid exceptions. Still few members of any Church are willing to be seen in active association with us.

I daresay this is very largely a question of class or caste, and I am very far from making it a matter of complaint. We would, in fact, far rather that our people should be regarded as outcasts, than that they should be tempted to tone down the directness of their witness, or that they should come under the influence of those uncertainties and misgivings to which I have already made reference. Nevertheless, it is certainly no wish of ours that there should remain any distance between us and any true followers of Christ by whatever name they may be called. And so we keep firmly, even where it may seem difficult or impolitic to do so, to our original attitude of entire friendliness with all those who name the Name of Christ.

I give a few figures bearing upon the present extent of our operations:--

Number of Countries and Colonies occupied by the Salvation Army 56 Languages in which the Work is carried on 33 Corps, Circles, and Societies of Salvationists 8,768 Number of persons wholly supported by and employed in Salvation Army Work 21,390 Of those, with Rank 16,220 Without Rank 5,170 Number of Training Colleges for Officers and workers 35 Providing accommodation for 1,866 SOCIAL OPERATIONS.-- Number of Institutions 954 Number of Officers and Cadets employed 2,573 Number of Local Officers, voluntary and unpaid 60,260 NUMBER OF PERIODICALS 74 These Periodicals are published in twenty-one languages, and have a total circulation per issue of about one million copies.

APPENDIX B

THE SALVATION ARMY'S ARTICLES OF WAR

HAVING received with all my heart the salvation offered to me by the tender mercy of Jehovah, I do here and now publicly acknowledge God to be my Father and King, Jesus Christ to be my Saviour, and the Holy Spirit to be my Guide, Comforter, and Strength; and that I will, by His help, love, serve, worship, and obey this glorious God through time and through eternity,

BELIEVING solemnly that the Salvation Army has been raised up by God, and is sustained and directed by Him, I do here declare my full determination, by God's help, to be a true Soldier of the Army till I die.

I am thoroughly convinced of the truth of the Army's teaching.

I believe that repentance towards God, faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, and conversion by the Holy Spirit are necessary to salvation, and that all men may be saved.

I believe that we are saved by grace, through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, and he that believeth hath the witness of it in himself. I have got it. Thank God!

I believe that the Scriptures were given by inspiration of God, and that they teach that not only does continuance in the favour of God depend upon continued faith in and obedience to Christ, but that it is possible for those who have been truly converted to fall away and be eternally lost.

I believe that it is the privilege of all God's people to be wholly sanctified, and that 'their whole spirit and soul and body' may 'be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ,' That is to say, I believe that after conversion there remain in the heart of the believer inclinations to evil, or roots of bitterness, which, unless overpowered by divine grace, produce actual sin; but these evil tendencies can be entirely taken away by the Spirit of God, and the whole heart, thus cleansed from anything contrary to the will of God, or entirely sanctified, will then produce the fruit of the Spirit only. And I believe that persons thus entirely sanctified may, by the power of God, be kept unblameable and unreprovable before Him.

I believe in the immortality of the soul; in the resurrection of the body; in the general judgment at the end of the world; in the eternal happiness of the righteous; and in the everlasting punishment of the wicked.

THEREFORE,

I do here and now, and for ever, renounce the world with all its sinful pleasures, companionships, treasures, and objects, and declare my full determination boldly to show myself a soldier of Jesus Christ in all places and companies, no matter what I may have to suffer, do, or lose, by so doing.

I do here and now declare that I will abstain from the use of all intoxicating liquors, and from the habitual use of opium, laudanum, morphia, and all other baneful drugs, except when in illness such drugs shall be ordered for me by a doctor.

I do here and now declare that I will abstain from the use of all low or profane language; from the taking of the name of God in vain; and from all impurity, or from taking part in any unclean conversation, or the reading of any obscene book or paper at any time, in any company, or in any place.

I do here declare that I will not allow myself in any falsehood, deceit, misrepresentation, or dishonesty; neither will I practise any fraudulent conduct in my business, my home, nor in any other relation in which I may stand to my fellow-men, but that I will deal truthfully, fairly, honourably, and kindly with all those who may employ me, or whom I may myself employ,

I do here declare that I will never treat any woman, child, or other person, whose life, comfort, or happiness may be placed within my power, in an oppressive, cruel or cowardly manner, but that I will protect such from evil and danger so far as I can, and promote to the utmost of my ability their present welfare and eternal salvation.

I do here declare that I will spend all the time, strength, money, and influence I can in supporting and carrying on this war, and that I will endeavour to lead my family, friends, neighbours, and all others whom I can influence, to do the same, believing that the sure and only way to remedy all the evils in the world is by bringing men to submit themselves to the Government of the Lord Jesus Christ.

I do here declare that I will always obey the lawful orders of my Officers, and that I will carry out to the utmost of my powers all the orders and regulations of the Army; and further that I will be an example of faithfulness to its principles, advance to the utmost of my ability its operations, and never allow, where I can prevent it, any injury to its interests, or hindrance to its success.

AND

I do here and now call upon all present to witness that I enter into this undertaking, and sign these Articles of War of my own free will, feeling that the love of Christ, who died to save me, requires from me this devotion of my life to His service for the salvation of the whole world, and therefore wish now to be enrolled as a Soldier of the Salvation Army.

_Signed_...........................................

_Image (full Christian and Surname)_

_Address_........................................

_Date_........................ _Corps_.............

APPENDIX C

COPY OF THE SALVATION ARMY BALANCE SHEET, EXTRACTED FROM THE FORTY-THIRD ANNUAL STATEMENTS OF ACCOUNT FOR THE YEAR ENDING SEPTEMBER 30, 1909.

_Copies of this Balance Sheet with Statements of Account can be had upon application. The Balance Sheet and Statements of Account for the year ending September 30, 1910, will be posted from the press early next year. The Balance Sheet of The Army's Social Fund can be obtained from the Secretary._

LIABILITIES

DR. £ s. d. TO LOANS UPON MORTGAGE, including accrued Interest 540,277 3 11

" LOANS FOR FIXED PERIODS, including accrued Interest 121,958 8 1

" RESERVE FUNDS, including General and Special Reserves 176,143 15 ½

" SUNDRY CREDITORS 10,359 3 2

" COLONIAL AND FOREIGN TERRITORIES FUND 55,219 10 7

" SELF-DENIAL FUND (Balance) 3,463 12 3

Carried Forward £907,621 13 1/2

ASSETS

CR. £ s. d. £ s. d. BY FREEHOLD and LEASEHOLD PROPERTY (at or below cost) in the United Kingdom, as on September 30, 1908 1,066,923 16 2-1/2 " Additions during the year 23,271 4 6 -------------------- 1,090,195 2 8-1/2 " Freehold Estate in Australia 10,375 3 6 ----------------- 1,100,571 6 4-1/2 " INVESTMENTS, including Investment of Reserve and Sinking Funds 196,412 9 2 " FURNITURE and FITTINGS at Headquarters, Officers' Quarters, and Training College, as on September 30, 1908 5,412 16 1 " Additions during the year 2,768 9 5-1/2 --------------- 8,181 5 6-1/2 _Less_ Depreciation 2,433 19 9 --------------- 5,748 5 9-1/2 ----------------- Carried forward £1,802,732 1 4

BALANCE SHEET--_continued_

DR.

Brought forward 907,621 13 0-1/2

To The Salvation Army Fund,

as per last Balance Sheet 411,701 0 6-1/4

" Donations and Subscriptions For Capital Purposes (including building Contributions, £20,044 0s. 2d.) 37,044 6 2

" General Income and Expenditure Account (Balance) 1,309 17 8-1/2

450,064 18 4-1/2 -----------------

£1,357,706 11 5

CR.

Brought forward 1,302,732 1 4

By Loans

" Trade Headquarters Fund 27,902 16 5

" Sundry Colonial and Foreign Territories 8,606 16 0 ------------

34,506 12 5

" Sundry Debtors 18,360 10 4

" Cash at Bank 2,107 7 4

£1,357,706 11 5

We have examined the above Statement with the Books, Accounts, and Vouchers relating thereto, and certify the same to be correct. We have also verified the Bank balances and Investments.

KNOX, CROPPER & CO.,

_Chartered Accountants._

16 FINSBURY CIRCUS, E.C.

_December_ 31, 1909.

APPENDIX D

A FEW FIGURES SHOWING SOME OF THE WORK OF THE DARKEST ENGLAND SCHEME IN THE UNITED KINGDOM.

TO SEPTEMBER 30, 1909 DURING TOTAL TO 1910 SEPT. 30, 1910 Number of Meals supplied at Cheap Food Dépôts 69,784,480 6,869,897 76,654,377 Number of Cheap Lodgings for the Homeless 27,850,674 2,445,300 30,295,974 Number of Meetings held in Shelters 140,747 8,660 149,407 Number of Applications from Unemployed registered at Labour Bureaux 302,538 13,009 315,547 Number received into Factories 63,694 6,754 70,448 Number for whom Employment (temporary or permanent) has been found 249,453 20,210 269,663 Number of Ex-Criminals received into Homes 8,840 416 9,256 Number of Ex-Criminals assisted, restored to Friends, sent to situations, etc. 7,886 1,166 9,052 Number of Applications for Lost Persons 44,001 2,120 46,121 Number of Lost Persons found 13,710 398 14,108 Number of Women and Girls received into Rescue Homes 44,417 3,679 48,096 Number of Women and Girls received into Rescue Homes who were sent to Situations, restored to Friends, etc. 37,168 3,346 40,514 Number of Families visited in Slums 998,079 109,750 1,107,829 Number of Families prayed with 577,550 64,141 641,691 Number of Public-houses visited 630,021 33,188 663,209 Number of Lodging-houses visited 17,330 3,457 20,787 Number of Lodging-house Meetings held 7,319 1,792 9,111 Number of Sick People visited and nursed 93,233 21,912 115,145

NOTES:

[1: See Appendix C]

[2: The following extract from the recently issued 'Report of the Commissioners of Prisons and the Directors of Convict Prisons,' for the year ended March 31, 1910, Part I [Cd. 5360], published since the above was written, sets out the present views of the Authorities on this important matter:--

'Out of the present inmates of convict prisons over 40 per cent have been previously in penal servitude, viz. out of 3,046 male convicts in convict prisons, 1,253 had been previously sentenced to penal servitude, 672 once, 271 twice, 196 three times, and 114 four times or more. Mr. Secretary Churchill has referred to us the question whether, and in what way, it would be possible to make any impression on this roll of recidivism--this unyielding _corpus_ of habitual crime. The problem is never absent from the minds of those responsible for the administration of prisons and the treatment of crime, and during recent years great efforts have been made to improve the machinery of assistance on discharge, fully impressed as we are with the truth of the old French saying, "_Le difficile ce n'est pas emprisoner un homme, c'est de le relâcher_." We have tried to avail ourselves fully of the resources offered by such powerful agencies as the Church Army, Salvation Army, as well as other societies who have for years operated in this particular field of charitable effort. We recognize the ready help given by all these agencies. No doubt by their efforts many difficult and unpromising cases have been rehabilitated; but after full consideration we have come to the opinion that the task of rehabilitation in the case of men returning to freedom after a sentence of penal servitude is too difficult and too costly to be left entirely to voluntary societies, unaided by any grant of public funds, and working independently of each other at a problem where unity of method and direction is above all things required. Mr. Secretary Churchill, to whom these views have been represented, at once agreed that the difficulty lay in this question of discharge, and that the official authority, acting in close and friendly co-operation with the voluntary societies must take a more active part than hitherto in controlling the passage into free life of a man emerging from penal servitude. ... A plan is now under consideration for establishing a Central Agency of Control for Discharged Convicts, on which both the official and unofficial element will be represented, with a subsidy from public funds, the purpose of which will be to take in hand the guidance and direction of every convict on the day of discharge' (pp. 15, 16).]

[3: See Parliamentary Blue Book [Cd. 2562].]

[4: The scale of pay in the Salvation Array for Officers in charge of Corps (or Stations) is as follows:--For Single Men: Lieutenants, 16s. weekly; Captains, 18s. weekly. For Single Women: Lieutenants, 12s. weekly; Captains, 15s. weekly. For Married Men, 27s. per week and 1s. per week for each child under 7 years of age, and 2s. per week for each child between the ages of 7 and 14. Furnished lodgings are provided in addition.]

[5: But the day before this proof came into my hands it was my duty to help to try a case illustrative of these remarks. In that case a girl when only just over the age of sixteen had been seduced by a young man and borne a son. First the father admitted parentage and promised marriage. Then he denied parentage, and, apparently without a shadow of evidence, alleged that the child was the result of an incestuous intercourse between its mother and a relative. At the trial, having, it seemed, come to the conclusion that this wicked slander would not enable him to escape an affiliation order, he again frankly admitted his parentage. In the country districts, at any rate, such examples are common.--H. R. H.]

[6: The loss is being reduced annually, that for the financial year which has just closed being the lowest on record.]

[7: See Appendix A]

[8: On this and other points see the Salvation Army's 'Articles of War,' Appendix B.]

INDEX

Affiliation Orders, 91, 109-110.

'Ann Fowler' Home, 166, 168.

Anti-Suicide Bureau, 151-164.

Ardenshaw Women's Home, Glasgow, 188.

Argyll, Duchess of, 103.

'Articles of War,' 257.

Australia, 14, 83.

Balance-sheet for 1909, 260-261.

Barlow, Sir Thomas, 123.

Barnardo, The late Dr., 71, 73, 233.

Blackfriars Shelter, 41.

Booth, General, 7, 10-12, 14-18, 57, 61, 63, 85, 97, 200-201, 206, 208-217, 223.

Booth, Mr. Bramwell, 218-225.

Booth, Mrs. Bramwell, 87, 89, 91-93, 95, 144.

Boxted Small Holdings, 69, 200-207.

British Government, The, and Colonial Land Scheme, 82.

Canada, 14, 82-86.

Carrington, Earl, 206.

Central Labour Bureau, 75.

Chief of the Staff, The: see Mr. Bramwell Booth.

Cox, Commissioner, 96, 98, 119, 120.

Criminals in England, 61.

Crossley, Mrs., 176.

Drink, 37.

Duke Street, Glasgow, 188.

Edinburgh, 179.

Embankment Soup Distribution, 22, 39, 40.

Emigration Department, 80; Emigration Board, 85.

Employers' Liability Act, 38.

Ex-Criminals, 54.

First Offenders Act, 168.

Free Breakfast Service, 41.

Future of the Salvation Army, Notes on, 237.

Glasgow, 165, 178-182, 192.

Government Labour Bureaux, 75-76.

Government Subsidy, 57.

Great Peter St. Shelter, 33, 157.

Great Titchfield St., 94, 140, 150.

Hadleigh Land Colony, 76, 182, 184, 194, 198, 199.

Hanbury St. Workshop, 65-70.

Herring, The late Mr. George, 19, 200, 201, 207, 212.

Hillsborough House Inebriates' Home, 98, 102, 122.

Hollies,' 'The, 168, 169.

Home Office, The, 55.

Iliffe, Lieut.-Colonel, 204.

Impressions of General Booth, 208.

India, 23.

Inebriates' Home, The, Springfield Lodge, 122.

International Investigation Department, 77.

Ivy House Maternity Hospital, 107.

Java, 233.