“MOULDING THE SOUL”

New Zealand Times, Volume XLVI, Issue 10612, 10 June 1920, Page 5

“MOULDING THE SOUL”

SALVATION ARMY LEADER

STABILISING THE CHARACTER OF THE WORLD’S PEOPLE.

GENERAL BOOTH INTERAHEAVED

Some years have passed since General AV. Booth, the founder of tho Salvation Army, died, and in the interval the Army, .so far from fading away, had developed as rapidly as at any period dining its existence. It, is now time to revise the impressions of its place in the scheme ot tilings. It is not enough to say that the Army has been fortunate in securing such a successor to such a chief, ’this man General AV. Braunvoll Booth, son of the founder, who arrived in AV-eiling-ion ou a tour of inspection of the Dominion on Tuesday, was yesterday interviewed by a “New Zealand Times’’ reporter. General Booth makes a. picturesque appearance—a tall, erect figure, crowned with white hair, and one notices a sensitive mouth and severe eyes. He speaks deliberately and clearly— notv and again with such emphasis that tho words appear Ur Burst from his lips. He talks with much humour. THE ARMY'S SPIRITUAL FUTURE.

“Well.” .he said ‘to .the reporter, ‘‘what do you want to know? I’m-full of Salvation Army, right tin to here” —his index finger touched tho topmost button on his tunic. In answer' to a question as to the spiritual future of the Army the General said: “X think the future of the Army largely depends on the enormous proportion of its religious or spiritual work and power. I think that tho future existence and progress of tho Army is assured. Ir is no longer a transplantation. It has become indigenous in all the various countries, aiid only the future will determine the character it will sustain. I Hope and believe that it will continue a great spiritual force, and I may say that 1 am influenced in ’that by the evidence of three points—firstly that its present power is its spiritual power; secondly, its) social and philanthropic work in all countries is really completely dependent! on the spiritual vitality of its officers and its people. “Take one manifestation of tho social work which can only ho carried on by people of a certain type, a heart and devotion, and above all, the selfsacrifice of its officers. r J hose wonderful men and women work anion; tho dregs of humanity in all parts of the world. Then as to tho future. In the spiritual respect it is most hopeful ay the fact that a groat many triumphs arc recorded and tho future of the Army is assured in another direction—that the work of _the_. Army m seen everywhere. Our* aim is to mould the people's! souls and stabilise their character. Tho changing of a man’s clothes is as nothing; it is only a mere bagatelle —wo want ta get to their hearts, said General Booth.

TRIALS AND SACRIFICES

"Tho work of the redemption of a man from his own ill-doing, is a. work of sacrifice by the Array, and it _ is that spirit which fills me with joyThe readiness to suffer on behalf of heathen nations has been exemplified greatly during Hie last few _ years. That 'is quite a new phase which has come over us, and it has been most wonderfully broadened and strengthened during tho war. . “In the first seven years since the death of my father, the Army’s founder, it was expected that the Army would have to retrench, and possibly that its activities would suffer a total collapse. But not a hit of it! Wo have more than doubled tho number of the Army’s workers in Eastern lands and every year brings applications from men and women, freely offering to work and face loneliness, death, and all tho trials of sMf-sacrificc.” SPIRITUALISM!

When asked for his opinion of the present great increasing interest in psychic phenomena -and _ .spiritualism, the general replied scathingly: “What do they know? They cannot _ toll us anything wc don’t know. There is nothing in what spiritualists say that is not lamentably behind what tho New Testament says. I am not prepared myself to support the view that familiar spirits were evil spirits. There is nothing in it; they can tell us nothing about Heaven, and they have never mentioned Hell, and the fact remains that they arc more in the dark with all their rappings than we are without them. They do not give happiness or words of guidance on human problems. My advico is: Let them alone. To quote _my father’s words, ‘lf the spiritualists did tho washing instead of the rapping they would do some good.’EFFECTS OF THE WAR. “I seriously believe that the good in the world is better for tho war, but the evil in tho world, I am sorry to say, is the worse for the war. Hate, rivalry, and the spirit of murder have been strengthened by the war, and wo have a bigger foo to fight—tho badness of men. And we arc going on fighting that foe at the present time. “Germany has suffered by the war, but not ns Franco has suffered, and the Armv in Germany still goes on, and has (icon increased. During tho war, tho German authorities, recognising .our work, gave our Army officers non-combatant duties, and during the Spartaeist risings our property was respected and was prevented by both sides from being in any way damaged. We had 30 corps in Berlin before the war, and we nmv so you sec they did not suffer much. But several were killed in other districts by bombardment and aerial attack.” In conclusion, General Booth remarked that ho was on a visifc of inspection and inquiry, and to ascertain tlio work of tho Army in the Southern Hemisphere. The general and his staff loft last evening hy the ferry steamer Wahino for Christchurch, and is due back in Wellington again on .Tunc 17t,h, when ho will bo accorded a civic reception.