THE HINDOO SALVATIONISTS

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XV, Issue 4634, 29 January 1894, Page 2

THE HINDOO SALVATIONISTS

[By Our Speoial Reporter.]

In these days of flabby optimism and diletant pessimism, when many of our theologians and" olergymen would fain pasevfor rationalists, and the free-thinker has his own orthtK doxy if one could but know it, and when, as has been finely said, " philo sophio candour and intelligence have reached their final climax ia the doctrine that everything is both true and false at (ho same time," it is delightfully refreshing to listerito the dogmatic utterances and outspoken views of tbeSalvatio'n Army' Majors' and 'Captains/, with, their sensible jersey dress and the 'lasses' with their quaint poke bonnets, They are as much in'earnest m ever the Covenanters were of old, and' are yet sufficiently modernised'to give .us a little more humour than the stern old Scotchmen. It nas with much interest, therefore, th*t : l proceeded yesterday evening to the Masterton Salvation Army Barracks ostensibly to listen to the Hindoo Salvationists, Uaptain ".Muthia" and-< JSn'sign " Sadanand," who are touring the Australasian colonies in the. interests of the Army. To the oburch and chapel going portion of the community,. (and there were a good number present :.'laat night) tee. must always be something impious, if not blasphemous, in the rough manner in which things sacred are handled, and the meeting appeared to the outsider as a mixture of Revivalist gathering, political meeting, and variety entertainment.' There seemed to be' three distinct divisions present, the Salvation Army adherents, othors drawn by ouriosity, and the inevitable element of larrikinism and rowdyism, The number of babiea present was phenomenal, and the disturbance tbey oreated unpleasant, "I am very fond of babies—whon they are outside'.'"oried out the preacher, when the infants' equalling threatened to interrupt the address. A roar of laughter broke forth, and the.-child'was removed. Nothing seemed to disoonoert. the Anglo-Indian Ensign. The usual thrilling experiences and the prooesa of being saved were related by the Hindoo, and the English officer del* / oribed how the Army is beingofficered in India, entirely by the Natives themselves—anotlter evidence, if it were needed, of the strategic ability of General Booth. This plan' is very different from that of many i other Missionary Societies, who i appear to make little progress i with the work in hand.

Anarchists, Nihilists, Socialists, and other ———ints are at present busy with their bombs, preaching, to quote Oarlyle, " A Gospel of Brotherhood not according to any ot the four old Evangelists and calling oh men torepent and-amend each his own wicked existence, that tbey might be flayed, but a gospel rather according to a now Fifth Evangelist, Jean Jacques Rousseau (whose politioal heirs are Ravaohol and the men of his kidney with their bombs of dynamite and glyoerine), calling.on men to amend each the u/lwk vxM't wicked existence." The Salvationists proceed on the good old road of putting themselves right and applying their efforts to regenerate the world by first setting right the individual. Theorganizationisa testimony to the strong religious feeling'and sturdy oonimonsense.of,the Anglov Saxon race even among the -bo« called " subnierged'tenth," That the Army is doing good work by reclaiming those whom other agencies fail to reach cannot be doubted by an impartial observer. May the Hallelujah lads and lasses prosper in their work,