BOOTH CENTENARY

Hokitika Guardian, 11 April 1929, Page 5

BOOTH CENTENARY

A GREAT PAGEANT

(Per Press Association—By Electric '’Telegraph—Copyright).

(Received this day at 1.30 p.m.) ’ ‘ LONDON, April 10.

Mr Baldwin accompanied by his wife presided at Albert Hall Centenary celebration of the birth of William Booth. Thousands of Salvationists enthusiastically cheered a pageant illustrating the rise and progress of tiie Salvation Army from the moment the white bearded survivors oF Booth’s original Christian mission founded in .1865 stepped into the arena until the various phases of slum work, soyfia.l activity', tion, and industrial colonisation were com prellei is i velv reviewed.

.Mr Baldwin said; “The Victorian age is unpopular to-day because, despite its faults, its numerous great men had faith in goodness, moral earnestness and the sense of duty of their work in human souls would last to eternity. Their critics would lie forgotten with their generation. Booth was one of the greatest men. He was both conservative and reformer. He believed in tradition and novelty which lie applied in gospel teaching. Booth realised religion was fundamental and faced the fact of evil, of which we were afraid to-day, having banished the word sin ifroin the dictionary. Nevertheless the ugly fact remains.”

Mr Baldwin added: “We have to thank God If or William Booth, whom all Christendom recognises as one of the world’s great religions leaders.” There were none of Booth’s iamily on the platform. They received only ordinary tickets ol admission to tin. hull.