AN EVENING WITH THE SALVATION ARMY.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1146, 8 September 1883, Page 1

AN EVENING WITH THE SALVATION ARMY.

[COMMTJKICATED.] Last Saturday evening I had tho misfortune to miss the last train north from Tirnaru, and had perforce to stay there till the following Monday. I must confess it was not without some misgivings that I retraced my steps to the house of the friend whose tardiness iu bidding me farewell had led to the, disaster. He laughed at my fears; told me that he would make me comfortable and put it right with with the old lady, and tomorrow evening, said he, we will pay a visit to the Salvation Army. Wo went. This was not my first visit to the Army. That pleasure had been tasted on the day the Army first opened in Tirnaru. On that occasion wo had such an array of talent before us as Captains Wright and Smith, Lieutenant Moore (the Lancashire Lad,'who, if he does interlard his utterances with rather too many thanksgivings is at all events real, his voice although large is not strained, and he is never at a loss for something to say even if it is only a recapitulation of his own vileness—once upon a time), Brother Singleton (as ho was introduced), and many others possessed of talent—all had at least one talent, if it was only concertina playing. And I recollect on leaving I was struck with the thought that the leading men of the Army wore men of sense, and only> selected men for the work who had some j intelligent idea of what was expected of ! them. The audience on that occasion was orderly and reverent, and no conversation was carried on in the building. Now all this is changed. The building is enlarged, the platform is enlarged and the audience has increased, and concurrently irreverence. Directly one enters one is struck with the lack of sanctity and reverence that prcvailp. One looks around and wonders what is the matter—where has ono got to—where is the stillness and grandness, even if the place is only a barn, to which one has hitherto attached religion ? Not here, at all events. It finds no place here. An incessant chatter is going on—a very school of voices -and laughing and nodding pravails. I mechachanically move to a seat, happily, as 1 afterwards find, at the north end. Tho room is a very large one, capable of holding 800 or 1000 people. The seats, which have no backs, are very badly arranged (perhaps it is to economise space). Those on the extreme right and left of tho hall face the north and south respectively, while those in the entire face the cast at which end the platform is placed, it occupying the centre end of tho building. This is where tho Army shine resplendent in all the glory of red flannel and braid and 'Hallelujah Bonnets.' There is only one passage or aisle in tho building—that leading to the platform—consequently if the hall keepers do not marshal the firstcomers into the side seats it is impossible to fill them without squeezing past people's knees (very pleasant to some folks, no doult) from one end of a form to the other. And on your way thither you stand the chance of making yourself a fit subject for the hospital, owiDg to the conclusion of the boarded floor at a point not near the wall (a drop of three or four inches ensuing), in fact, in almost the centre of the room. This is great fun for all the small boys present, the antics of the unfortunates in their attempts to recover their equilibrim being 4 extremely funny' .in tho eyes of the juveniles. Wait till rheumatism gets into their joints. On the occasion of my visit the back seats were not filled up, so the commander of the Army in Tirnaru, Captain Smith, left his seat on the platform, and requested those forward to move back and occupy the back seats, plaintively remarking that late comers would think they were crowded out, when there was plenty of room at the back. No one stirring, he stood up on one of the seats, and told the occupiers to squeeze up, 'they could take a great many more among them before they would be as thick as herrings in a case.' A good job too, someone remarks' appropriately.. Some of the audience good-naturedly do as requested, and the Captain returns to his platform, intimating that he would have to turn hallkeeper himself. • This was 'one' for the Sergeants. Service was commenced by the rendering of a hymn, in which everyone present appeared to exert himself to the utmost to outrival his or her neighbor in tho art of noise-' making. Everyono helped, and startling was the result. After the delivery of the first verse, some put their hands to their ears and, gazing around, noled tho effect of the din upon others. One of the features of the Salvation hymns appears to he the repetitions of the choruses—sometimes as often as six times. Prayer followed, and afterwards a rather elderly lady read a chapter from the New Testament, explaining pach verse as she proceeded. How well she did her part was show.i by the stillness that prevailed, and sorry was I when she concluded. In the course of her remarks she took occasion to say that same people held, that tho Salvation Army was foolishly built upon the sand-but it was not, it was built upon a rock, and would stand. She spoke in a cleai, small and pleasing voice. Another hymn, and Captain Ducrow —I am not certain about the name—gave his idea of the relative positions of poverty and wealth. His imagination appears to be very fertile, much more so than Ins language, consequently sundry jerks of the head and unintelligible sounds have to assist the latter. He gave an account in his own way of the sufferings and condition of Lazarus at the rich man's gate, and then said that the rich man never went to the gate to see the poor beggar lying at his gate, and anked ' Lazarus, how are you getting on V lie lived in a big house, surrounded by a big garden in which were roses, and violets and pansies. In front was a big fruit garden. When he .died ho had his wife around him, his children was around him j

into a coffin covered with gold, and the funeral that that golden coffin went to was two miles long. In the course of his peroration he was interrupted by a remark from son.e scoundrel in the entrance to the hall, when he wittily oxclaimed that 'lt was nothing ; it was only someone who had forgotten his tea.' Many saw the point. No stillness prevailed while this speaker held the platform—on the contrary, whispers and nods were the rule, and each sentence waaap- '._ preprinted by those present-as specially for ■ their amusement. A*; the conclusion a collection was made, during which another hymn was sung. In introducing the collection Capt. Ducrow said a Salvation Army meeting without a collection. That they came there and had a seat, and must pay for it (this he afterwurds qualified by stating that those who had no money were si ill welcome) ; that they were willing to go to theatres and pay one shilling or eighteenpence for seeing the devil's plays and listening to the devil's music ('lt h evident he always went in tho pit,' someone whispered), and as tho army had a lot of expense thoy must ante-up ■ largely. And now a Hallelujah Lass read a chapter from the Now Testament, interspersing it with remarks, some of which were hardly apropos to the subject. Sha informed those occupying the touth end of the hall that she had been watching them all the evening. (Was her soldier in that quarter, and did that young Hallelujah Lass with the Salvation bounet sit near him ? I wondered. Perhaps so.) She had watched their wneers, but they would find that there was a hell. While she was speaking the people from the various churches beean to flow in. Captain Smith ordered the door to be closed. He did not want those to come there who had been to their own church. After some trouble the doors were closed, and the Lass resumed her discourse, but soon ■ such a discord arose outside that %he Captain went to quell it. While on his way thither the audience, showing their bad taste in not dwelling more intently on the words that wero falling from the lips of the fair one addressing them, turned their heads towards the door. Was it pique, or was it wounded dignity, or what was it that made the Lass toss her head in the air, and with flashing eyes scornfully remark, ' Oh, it's nothing my friends ; it's ocly the devil raging outside,' repeating the last part of tho , sentence. The disturbance quollad the ' Captain returned, the Lass continued, and on concluding another hymn was given, i and then the Captain gave us a few J minutes. It is generally a 'pleasure, I beJeve, to listen to Captain Smith. Hig utterances appear to come from the heart, and it is not surprising that ho has already made himself a great favorite iri Tirnaru. In the course of his remarks he said that when he went outside Ihe devil waa raging, and (warming to his subject) he must expose what had taken place. When he got outside he found a respectably- ! dressed—lady he w \b going to say, but he must call her—woman three parts, drunk, and she wanted to join the Salvation Army. He told her to go to her home ' and find salvation first, and them come 'to the Army. Such an occurrence was, ho said, a disgrace to Tirnaru, and such dens ought to be shut. (He evidently was unaware that some people lay in their stock on Saturday.) Getting warmer, he directed a look to where a member of the force was standing, and shrieked out' I am afraid you men in blue do not do your duty,' and so the matter dropped. At the conclusion of the oration 'Just as I am' was sung, and I left. During the singing of this hymn is the time when converts are supposed to advance to the penitent form, and it concludes the service. They always have it, yet very few, from what lam told, go forward. Still, the War Cry tells a different tale. The Army has its attractions. Men and women, who otherwise would pass unnoticed clown tho stream of life, are here brought prominently before their fellows without advan • , tage. They have the opportunity of '[ parading their manners, their thoughts and their infirmities before men, and right gladly they avail themselves of it. ' Dressed in a little brief authority,' as hallkeepers, as Sergeants or Lieutenants, or mayhap Captains, they are happy.