MEMORIES OF GENERAL WILLIAM BOOTH.

Manawatu Herald, Volume L, Issue 3956, 15 June 1929, Page 3

MEMORIES OF GENERAL WILLIAM BOOTH.

INTERESTING PERSONAL R EMINIS CENCIE S. BY COMMISSIONER HAY, (LB.E. • Despite the cold night and counter attraction, there Was>a good attendance at the Salvation Army Hall on Thursday evening to hear Coanmissioner Hay, 0.8. E., territorial commander of the Salvation Army in New Zealand, speak on some personal reminiscences of the late General Wiliam Booth, founder of the Salvation Army. To have recollections of the times in which he lived is one of the privileges of the m'aturer generation, but to he able to speak out of an intimate knowledge of the wonderful old leader is the prerogative of few people indeed on this side of the world. 'Commissioner Hay, was at the General’s right hand for many years, having held, among other positions, that of Chief Secretary. Or. .John Ross (Deputy-Mayor) presided and stated that IGomimissioner Hay needed no introduction 1o Foxton nor indeed t'o any part of the Dominion or Empire as his connection with the Army’s momentous gathering in London had been - ciicuinted throughout the world. On behalf, of 'the citizens he accorded the Commissioner and Mgs. Hay also Colonel Taylor (Chief Secretary) and Mrs. Taylor, who arrived from Canada recently, a hearty welcome.

After the usual devotional exercises, with Mrs. Matheson at the organ, Colonel Taylor stated that two months ago, Mrs. Taylor and himself were busy and happy in their work in Canada, with no thought of being in New Zealand. They had had a most warm and hearty welcome since arriving, and if they had had any doubt about feeling at home when they reached this land, it had been dispelled. Mrs. Taylor expressed her pleasure at the opportunity of meeting the 'local corps and sympathisers.. The Commissioner prefaced his address with the elegy from Revelations: “Blessed are the dead which die ,in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from t'heir labours, and their worts do follow them. He quoted from an article in which the writer made comparisons between the late founder of the Army and some of the world’s greatest leaders, and in which the life-work and influence of General Booth soared by comparison. The .speaker referred to his joining the Anny at the age of 18 years, 47 years ago. When he 'became a captain, not long afterwards, the General presented him with a flag in recognition of the success of his work, and it Was on that occasion, in 1883, that Captain Bay had his first close contact with the leader.. From that time on, there were periodical opportunities of observing the methods and the geniim of the Army’s chief. The first impressions connected with him were of his aimazing energy. From 16 to 83 years of age, the founder lived in vital relationship with Christ and the work of the Gospel. A PAINTER’iS .JUDGMENT. The artist Hevkomer, who painted the General’s portrait, was asked how be was .impressed, whether with the leader’s strong face, his powerful nose, or his forceful character. The painter replied “No,” and to the question, “Was it because he was a master of men 1 ?” he again said “No.” Many people had said so, it was pointed out. Herkomer answered “No,” 'the thing that impressed me, as I took line after line, mart after mark, feature after feature, was that this man was full of love, of warmth and glow and of passion for the people around.” CELEBRATED SERMONS. General Booth’s sermons lasted 55 minutes, which was rather a longejr period iof preaching, than tffi|eei’s were required to go in for now. One of his famous sermons was on “The Great White Throne.” Others of his themes., were “The lies of Ananias,” “Serve the Lord with Gladness,” “Concrete 'Christianity,” and “I Can Do All Things Through Christ.” Though the Commissioner had seen many great congregations, he had seen nothing that approached in .constancy and size the thousands that assembled to hear General Booth, j

OAIMNESS. UNDER PERSECUTION. In some aspects the General was the utmost expression of impatience, yet, when one looked at him carefully, the patience he showed under persecution, slander and misrepresentation, 'his calmness, his •unwillingness to retaliate, and his silence in respect to the 'Press in its hostile days, wetre extraordinary. In 1887 he went to a 'certain town in England, and the Mayor was at the station, not to welcome him, but to look on at the base conduct of the hoodlums oL the town. The General and the speaker were met by a howling mob outside the station. The pair proceeded in a hired open carriage, and diiirt and filth were thrown at them, accompanied by abominable language. One man stood on the step of the carriage and spat on the General’s chat. Hay took out Ms handkerchief, but Booth said to him, “Don’t wipe it off; leave it. That is a medal.” Both in the afternoon and evening Booth addressed great cjrowds, but be (made no reference to what had happened. People used to write to the General and ask why he did iiOt reply to the slanders published about him; but 'he used to say, “Do you think I am as great a fool as

themselves? AH the liar’s will answelr themselves.” And this they did. CANARY DIET. The Commissioner slipped almost imperceptibly into a humorous vein in his more intimate retimniseenses of the General. “I have seen him, when he was getting well up into the seventies,” he said, “after heavy Sunday meetings, when he was down on bis Iknees at the rail, put his hand into the tail of his coat and get hold of a biscuit and nibble it. A very small eater, he was. After 'a little solace to his tender and delicate stomach, he would be on his feet again, stirring the people up and trying to hurry them to God.” For many years he was preaching his gospel on a diet of apples, vegetable soup, cheese, bread and butter, and tea, avoiding fish, flesh and poultry and frequently advising the Commissioner to do the same. Just before his visit to .Japan, a doctor advised him to take a little whisky prior to or a little after his exhausting efforts. The General said, “What part do you think the whisky would influence first—tmy heart, my stomach, my head or my heels?” The doctor replied, “I am not sutre that I can say exactly,” to which the General responded, “Until you can certify exactly what it will do I will not consider it.” As a matter of fact, the General was a. wonderful example of a life-long abstainer. QUALITIES OF A LEADER.

The late Lord Rosebery said that England needed (somebody in the fortn of a benevolent dictator, a sort of divine manager, and (he knew of nobody who would act better ir. the capacity than General Booth. He did not seek for the favour of the public; it almost seemed as if he was courting its disfavour. The Marquis of Queensberry, a noted patron of boxing, offered to give £IOOO to help the social wort of the Army. Some very pious people said it would he a shocking thing to take tainted money. The General’s retort .was that, if there was anything uniclean about it, he would wash it in the tears of the widows and oiphans. He was a humble, a dignified and a priestly man, yet there whs nothing sacerdotal about him. He developed a great spiritual autdelraey, and with it a great spiritual democracy. The Commissioner indicated that the recollections which he had given of the great General were but a. part of those which he had in store, and .perhaps at some future time he would take the opportunity of narrating some further incidents of William Booth’s life. The lecture was listened to with marked attention, and the Commissioner w'as actcorded a heairty vote of 'thanks on the motion of Mr. J. J\. Hornblow and carried by acclamation. The meeting was then, closed with the Doxology and Benediction.