THE SALVATION ARMY. THE SINNERS OF THE WHOLE WORLD ATTACKED. A WONDERFUL RECORD.

Te Aroha News, Volume VI, Issue 304, 3 October 1888, Page 6

THE SALVATION ARMY. THE SINNERS OF THE WHOLE WORLD ATTACKED. A WONDERFUL RECORD.

i Commandant Herbert P. Booth, who has .been staying at bhe'residence of Sir William Fox^ Syinonds-screet, was interviewed this morning by , a Star representative. Mr BootH'said he would be pleased to give whatever information was desired, and the * object of his visit to the colonies having ; been* introduced, .he said : - "I have come from- London on furlough —we are very military in all our terms you must know — in ord,er to recruit my health, which for some time past has suffered in consequence of my heavy duties in England. 3y~ this change, it was thought that by getting away from the Post Office and from telegrams, I would be able to have a rest. I came out by the Doric, and I visited the Cape and Hobart on my way out. Being in New Zealand, I seized the opportunity of holdiug a few meetings, and from here I go on to San Francisco shortly. I am expected to hold a big meeting in Canada, and after that I will -return to England. Of course I have • been able to" do some valuable service for the Et Army during this tour by seeiner its officers at the various headquarters. While in New Zealand 1 am going to visit Wellington and "Christchuxch. If I can prolong my stay I will go as far south as Dunedin, and I suppose I will have to return to Auckland to take passage for San Francisco.

PROGRESS OF THE ARMY. " I came from the seat of war," said the Commandant, " and I can give you reliable information as to its progress. The Salvation Army ism a better position to-day thanit ever has been in the history of England. For the last two or three years we have not been abletomakesuchgreatadvanceeaspreviously because we had been established in most of the towns, and are advancing in the direction of villages. The consolidation of our work in England has been very gratifying during the last twelve months, and in our oldest corps, formed eight or ten years ago, we have some of the most prosperous workers. In London, now, our annual rental for buildings is between £10,000 and £12,000 per annum. We have eighty-eight corps in London and suburbs, and we have in London one hall capable of seating 5,000 persons. That is Congress Hall, my headquarters. My special duty, I should have told you, is t the training of the Army officers. We _have large training operations in England,' fitting both men and women for . all parts of the world, and from this centre we draft . them out. When I came away there were about a thousand officers in training, and we reckon that we are turning them out at the rate of 1,200 a year. A great many of these officers are really r , missionaries.

AGGRESSIVE FORCE OF THE ARMY. * "The advance of the army isathing which deserves a little attention, as showing how remarkably it is possessed of aggressive force and life. Of course, we attribute all this not to any individual aptness of our own, but purely to the fact that we are willing to be led by the guidance of God's Spirib,and according to the dictates of common sense. We believe fh "the utilisation ot common sense in the affairs of religion as ' much as in affairs the of world. We stick to the things that answer anfi throw over the things that do not. The Army has been only 23 years in existence. During the ten years from 1873 to 1883 it had grown to 442 corps or societies, each self-supporting, - with a total of 1,067 officers. From 1883 to 1888, a period of nearly six years, the advance of the Army Was still more striking. It increased from 442 corps, in England alone, to 1,317 corps, with 3,227 officers ; and abroad, in that time, there had been established 1,096 corps, vrith 3,175 officers, making a total of 2,413 corps and 6,402 -officers." What number of soldiers would a crops represent ? Some would represent 30 and others as many as 1,200 soldiers, each of whom contribute so much per week towards local expenses. Each corps supports its own officers. Can you estimate the strength of the Army throughout the world ? Notthatwould.be a very difficultt matter. There are few corps that have under 50 or 60 soldiers, and the majority are over that, no that the average might be about 100 or 150 soldiers. These corps are scattered over 33 different colonies or nations, and the operations of the Army are carried on in 22 different languages. Can you give me the progress of the Army throughout the world ? Yes. The Army was, on the 30th June last, established in England, where there were 1,317 corps and 3,227 officers. In France, where the Army .was established in 1881, there are 86 corps and 291 officers. In Switzerland, where the Army was established in 1882, there are 86 corps and 291 officers. In Sweden the Army" was established m 1878, and Sweden has now3B corps, 19 outposts, and 142 officers.' General' Booth's recent visit to Sweden was a mostremarkable success. ' He was taken in hand by the Government and paid every atten^ tion ; in fact, too much attention. They kept our doors, and policemen walked up and down the aisle 3 of our barracks. In the United States the Army was established in 1872 by one Salvation family, and now there are 260 corps, 99 outposts, and 717 officers. In Australia the movement had its origin -in Adelaide, where one of the General's earliest officers, a milkman by occupation, Settled down in 1881. Australia has now 208 corps and 513 officers, while New Zealand has 48 corps and 135 officers, the Army having' effected its entrance to the colony about five years ago. The Army was established in Canada in May, 1886, and Canada has now 321 corps, ' 'I'pi' putposts, and 869 officers. There are live Army buildingsin Toronto, the headquarters, that cost £8,000. The work spread to India 6 years ago, and India has now 40 "' corps, 16 outposts, and 215 officers, nearly 100 of whom have been obtainedfrom among the natives themselves. At the Cape the Army got a footing in 1883, and they have now 65 corps and 185 officers, and that includes operations at St. Helen's.

OPPOSITION IN GERMANY. In Germany we have experienced terrible opposition from the Government, and' yet during the last 12 months we have established 6 corps with 12 officers. The Government are very frightened of any social "disturbance and have set their feet upon the introduction into the country of anything that may cause such. Of course the Salvation Army draws crowds together, and instead of protecting us they merely staved off, the .difficulty by preventing meetings after 6 o'clock at night. I heard my father say once that he had heard Prince, Bismarck recently state that the" Germans feared God ;arid.no,orie else, but he thought he should ? have ;said that they feared none but God and Salvation Army. "* In Holland „ 'the A*rmy has been established 12 months, and ;th'e?movement there has been' a most reHolland lhas-how 10 corps f Bnd*3B^pfficer*sV aad we have^* building in' ■^'4:-iK-' 1 * k '.- --.*> ' ,""_-'-'- - -- " **-' ■- -- -

'Amsterdam wortli ' £5,000. * In \Derimark for.aperiod^of twelve months we have Bix« corps and 27 officers. In Jamaica thie'Aririy^ has been in existence for t six, month a} and' there~has been a most remarkable mdv;ement amongst the blacks, so much *so that our paper is the most popular •periodical in the island, and the Governor laid the foundation stone of our first barracks. The postal rate on newspapei'S was reduced fco enable our " War Cry" to be purchased by the natives. We have had something like 700 converts in two days in Jamaica. In Norway the work is just started, and we have 4 corps and 18 officers. There is no place which presents such difficulties to us as Switzerland. We find the Government to be the most tyrannical on the face of the earth. Even at this minute every meeting we conduct breaks the law, special Acts having bten passed prohibiting the Salvation Army meetings. My sister was locked up in Switzerland for preaching the Gospel in a wood on a hillside. I was there three monthsago.andinspiteof terrible opposition and rowdyism, we had a review on themountain side, five miles out of town ; 2,000 of our people wearing uniforms marched out to have a day's meeting with the General. As a rule we find that persecution has tho effect of making hardy soldiers.

NEWSPAPER WORK. „ The growth in the Army's literature is equally, if not more remaikable. The first periodical of the Army was a monthly magazine, and it had a circulation of 2,000 to begin with. The first " War Cry " was printed in 1879, which is nine years ago, and it was a halfpenny paper, with a circulation of 17,000. Now the " War Cry" has grown in England into a penny paper with a circulation in England alone of 280,000 copies a- week. There are 23 editions, and they are sent rouDd the world in 23 different languages, the total circulation being over 600,000 copies per week. There is another feature of the Army which is deserving of special attention, that is the organisation of our work, and the enormous amount of system there is in the management of it. There is a general idea among people that the Army is a mob led on by a couple of men or women. On the contrary, the Army's eystem of management is as complete as even the system of the Imperial Army. From headquarters we can direct the" movements of even our local officers by giving the word of command, and you can imagine what an enormous system that involves. After some general conversation with the Commandant, our reporter expressed his acknowledgments and withdrew. — " Auck^ land Star."