GENERAL BOOTH LAID TO REST.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1565, 8 October 1912, Page 6

GENERAL BOOTH LAID TO REST.

•10,000 SALVATIONISTS AT THE FUNERAL, ■ 'IMPRESSIVE SERVICE AT TEE :>.'. ;y/-. . gbave. ■ General Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, was laid to rest on Thurs'.day, August 29, at Abney I'ark Cemetery, ■London, 'in a vault close'to. the- one. in 1 which, his wife, "the Mother ot the •Army," was buried twonty-two years ago. V On the Wednesday evening, August 28, preceding.,the-funeral day an imposing memorial service was held at Olympia, .'London, at which 80,000 people were present. The King was represented by Cap'tain Philip HUnioke ana Queen Alexandra ,'by the Earl Howe, her Majesty's lord , Chamberlain. ■•

_ Impressivo scenes took placo at lbs lying-in-stato at the Salvation Army Congress Hall, Clapton. The body lay in a massive oak coffin, almost surrounded by ■Salvation Army officers holding aloft dags. ■ "Upon the coffin itself were the General's' .cap, with his' Bible nnd the devotional ■service book of the Salvation Army. ', The coflin lid was of glass, revealing the '.General's features and the body down to the waist.. Ho was dressed in his full uniform, of black with gold pipings, and the red of his jersoy. showed up plainly at the' wrists and round his collar. The hands.were, clasped.across hi.s breast, and but for the extreme pallor of the face one could almost have imagined that he had fallen into a peaceful sleep. . The'public were admitted to the lyinj:- ; ih-stato-through two barriers, ■ Mid Vitlthen passed through by the raised bier lo the other side of the building, wlwre they dispersed. There was a continuous stream ' of sympathisers, the majority of them wearing the uniforms of the Army. ' Prior.to the public being admitted a brief service washold. This was restricted to staff, officers who had spent the night in the building. The hymn, 'Rock of Ages" was sung, and prayer offered. For the actual ceremony of lying-in-state 'a choir of cadets from the Salvation Army ' Training College were stationed on the platform at the head of 'tho coffin, and as the public entered they sang the hymn There is Sweet Rest in Heaven." This was followed bv one of the General's favourite hymns, ""-When the Righteous Die .Their End'ls Peace." ■ " '•" • • There was a constant stream of people passing through the hall. Tho guard of cadets round the coffin .was changed every hour. This movement was carried out with military precision. The cadets String' band played during the morning. It was a crowd representative. ot_ all. creeds and professions. Soldiers in uniform saluted the corpse, and policemen, . of whom a large number visited the hall during the day, respectfully removed their holmets. One man who had just obtained' work through the agency, of the bnl-, vation Army, after a long'period of desh-; ttition, 'dropped a small bunch of white asters on the coffin as'he passed by, while an' official, of the Dockers;. Union, after paying reverent tribute to the dead General, offered one of tile officers 355. Subscribed by/his fellow-workers' -to purchase a wreath,-as a mark of, their appreciation of the General's good, work for, the dockersi in '-the East 'End.. ..''.; ~"' • At. the'. Grave.'" . "As" it has pleased Almighty God. to promote.vou'r •■beloved. General William ...ooth'ironi his -placo and position in the c'alvation -Army, to tlio mansion, prepared for him 'above, we. now commit his body to this'grave, earth to earth; ashes to ashes, dust, to dust, ..in the-sure and certain hope-.of seeing him again on the Resurrection morning;" ■ ■-, . Withi these Words, spoken by. Jus son, the body'of.Generalißooth was slowly lowered into the grave by the side of the lemains of Mrs. Booth,- the "Army I Mother," in Abney Park Cemetery, at Clapton. ~ Thus cama the end of a day for ever io be remembered by the Salvation Army. Thousands "of Salvationists were stand-ing-before-a platform built over the grave. In front of the platform was General Bramweli Booth speaking to his people for the first time sinco ho stood in' the office of his dead father. "To-day,we ore burying our father, tho father of the Salvation Army," he said with a 6ob in his voice. "We are burying our prophet, ...;We are burying our General. We never feared any Goliath when ho was there. He showed 119 how to fight. Ido nptr/say he was never defeated, but he never'gave up»" "A chorus of. "Hallelujahs" burst from the crowd. Emotion swept through the , people-as the wind in the branches of ' trees. I'Wonian 'sobbed,"'but through'their tears their voices mingledwith the shouts of men, "Praise Him. God-be praised.". •'lnterspersed ivith.the addresses was the singing of Army choruses, w'ords of faith and 'fight, well remembered by all Salvationists. At personal avowals in them, such as "My home is there" or "His blood avails for me," they all raised their hands in-the air-in token of'individual belief) "'.' The" service wis not concluded till shortly. after, six, p.m.. having begun at four o'clock. It was a very long and trying day. for the mourners, many of whom had gathered on the- Victoria Embankment as early as nine a.m. for the procession., . ' About 10,000 members of the Salvation 'Army took part, divided into fifty-one brigades, and representative of nearly every large town in Great Britain and of many foreign countries.. .All wore a white band round their arms for mourning, and white streamers hung from the innumerable Army : banners that were carried. No fewer' than forty bands were stationed at intervals. A.-start was made soon, after 11.30 a.m., and the hearse joined the procession outside the international headquarters - in; Queen Victoria Street. It was drawn.by. a.pairof chestnut horses. A standard was mounted,in each corner, and betweenwere the. fronds of palms. On the'side'of. the hearse were the words: "He laid down his 1 sword." ":i. : .'-* ■■."..,'-.'- The .procession took nearly an hour to, pass the .headquarters,, and. each :barid as ' it did so was playing','the'Dead.:Marph~ -from "Saul," the -effect, of..;'this:."music ' forty times-repeat'ed', l ,lJsing. l very;''affecting; Later on, however, brighter-niarchiiiffairir wcro played, '"r,.- '■', -.'.,".'>" "■'■'■' L ".-■'."■■/■■ ■'■J,'- '.'■. At, tho,'slowest, of. slow marches ~'tho cortege went, through the city, the -acting lord Mayor. Sir John Knil!,.saluting, it' from tho'Mansion House, past immense crowds, of silk-hatted city mereharitsyand clerks,.and on through streets when,the poor, many in rags and tatters, gave the '■ General the last salute'. /Abney Park'Ceriietery was'reoched at,3 p.m., but -it'was' not until an hour later that all the procession was inside and the funeral' 'vice wa3 held. .-, •' , " "; ■ ■■'■, / Verses. ' ; The following "In Memoriam" verses by O.S. (Mr) Owen Seamen', editor of London "Punch"):appeared in that-journal of August 28:'- '■ '■'"'• : is' theirs,' the warrior knights of Chris-, tian fame, Whb;fo'r.dhe.Fji.tll'led oh.the battle line, Who'-stormed" the breach and -swept '.."'/through blood -rind fl-ame ,:',', Under the Cross for sign. Such/was his life's crusade; and, as their ;■;-'.' death Inspired in men a purpose pure of .-taintIn some great cause to give their latest .'breath— So died this soldier-saint. Nayi' his tho nobler warfare, since his hands • Set free the thralls' of misery and her -.. brood— ' •, Hunger and haunting shame/and sin that - brands—. .' ■■• And gave them hope,renewed. Bruised souls, and bodies, broken by despair, ■ He healed their heartache, and . their "wounds he. dressed, And-drcw them, so redeemed, his task to '. ', : share, . . Sworn to the same high quest. • Armed with the Spirifs wisdom for his .' -sword.' , .•-• ,'. His feet with tidings of salvation shod. Ha. knew no foe* save only 6uch as warred ~.. Against .the.peace of God. :.' horned or acclaimed, he kept', his, harness bright, Still, through tho darkest hour, un- " taught to yield, " And at tho last, his face toward the light, ''..',',Fell'on tho.viotor|s;neld..; f No laurelled blazon rests above his bior, Yet a great people bows its stricken head, Where ho who fought without reproach or : Bestead* -'"'