THE SALVATION ARMY.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 6401, 21 November 1888, Page 1

THE SALVATION ARMY.

A BOOK ABOUT IT. Mr J. J. E. Redstone, who was once an officer of the Salvation Army, has just written a strange lit' le book upon it. It is called " An ex-Captain's Experience of the Salvation Army/ and it is brought oat by the Christian Commonwealth Publishing Company, of 73, Ludgate Hill. The Eev Cunningham Geikie, D.D., author of "The Life and Works of Christ/ and of "The Holy Land and the Bible/ writes the introduction. The Captain has a grievance.. He forsook all to follow the fortunes of the Army, and, after a period of what he conceived to be valiant service, he was found unsuccessful, and aaked to resign. There are no scandals or revelations in the book, but the author, naturally writes with a certain bitterness of his former chiefs. Dr Geikie writes with bitterness too. Both assume the attitude of candid friends, and in their candour they say many things of decidedly acrid flavour. That flavour is most pronounced in the prefatory part. Dr Geikie admits that the Army does good, but he says that the le'ssnoisy.thbughnot 'less devote (^Primitive Metiiodists, to which, as a religious' denomination, it belongs, have done as much good in a quieter way. From this the transition is sharp and sudden to a very severe and contemptuous handling of ''Gfeneral" Booth and his family. The General is -sketched in his insignificant origin as a missionary at the East End, and in the more than priestly tjranny of bis present elevation. All power is in the hands of himself and his family. They rule without appeal. Dr Geikie never saw such an abject terror of superiors as seems to be 'a characteristic of the Salvation Arm;. " The Pope ia a constitutional monarch compared with Mr Booth. He and his family jointly, are immeasurably more despotic than Leo XIII. and bisCardinals." The General's subordinates receive just what he chooses to give them. There is no guarantee of any fixed amount ; there is consequently no claim ; and inexperienced young people who enlist for active missionary work may be sent out to virtual starvation. All this, and more, is in Dr Geikie's pages, and most of it is professedly founded on what appears in the book. HOW THE MACHINE WOBKB. Yet the book hardly bears so serious a moral, at least as we read it. Its true interest lies rather in particulars which are creditable to the founders of the organisation. It gives us a glimpse of the administrative framework of one of tie most powerful religious bodies of our time, and shows us by what agencies, material and moral, the mighty mass of perfervid enthusiasm and religious zeal is held together and directed to its extraordinary work. There is nothing more on the face of Mr Bedstone's statements than that he was dismissed by those who had a right to dismiss him, for imperfections which imply no censure on his moral character. His account of his dismissal and of his services takes us into a new and strange world. Much that seems commonplace or matter of course to Mm is in the .highest degree strange and exciting to the reader. Mr Bedstone is a man of humble station and of an education to match. His zeal makes up for all. He believed in the Army at the moment of his conversion ; he believes in it stilL "For real Holy Ghost power and life/ he lias never seen such meetings as those which brought him into the ranks. He joined a corps aB a member, and " went in for the war heart and soul." "To tell all the doings for the three months that followed would alone fill a book. How at nearly every meeting outside we were covered with all manner of filth; how the roughs broke doora and partitions down'; how they fought together In the hall, while rows of sinners were out at the penitent form crying for mercy." He felt a strong desire to devote all his time and. strength to the service of the Army, but his wife was at first strongly opposed to it. She declared that she "would not think of selling her home, to be dragged about the country with two children." But when, shortly after, one of the children died, the poor woman recognised it as a 'summons, if not a rebuke from on high, and she suffered her husband to-send in bis application to headquarters. THX BNQtriRT tOBX sent to his captain, in reply is onegood example of the. rigorous inquisition into the character, circumstances, .and behaviour of active members, which marks every stage of the Salvationist's career. It contains forty-eight questions, and here are a few of them chosen at random, and not always in their consecutive order: "Age last birthday P Height ?. Has the candidate got that sort of pluck and go and godliness that is likely to make an officer in the Salvation Army? Can the candidate sing ? Ever had Ufa of any kind? If co, what kind? Is the candidate in. debt? If so, how much, and why ? When and where <sonverted? Ia the candidate courting? If so who [W}> an^ ** the person a soldier? Are the candidate's parents saved? Wife < saved ? Send us the candidate's photo ?" The answers were satisfactory, and Mr Bedstone was in due course admitted to the Clapton ' Training Home. Sera he learned his new business, if such it can be called, in each of its seven departments— " the spiritual, the field, the doctrinal, the educational, the correspondence, the military, the domestic (or that relating to housework)." In. the Field Department " information is given forsearching out the land." The pupils learn " the rules for attacking a town or neighbourhood, and the formation and generalship of a corps ; the best method of advertising' and conducting meetings for sinners, backsliders, and soldiers' assembly, and cottage and prayer meetings, the most effectual method of forming and leading processions, with bombardments, attacks on villages and working -villages and out" pgcdxh.^fe,^a.:iß^itugbiQrfcy ..Mr

Bedstone adds, rr is made still latter understood by FBEQTTBHT BOMBABDHSNTS • INDIES ASTKBNOONS, the suburban, village selected for attach being invaded by a large force." Sboa> he -wan ready for active service, and': he received hia baptism of fire on that awful night when a mob of thirty thousand threatened annihilation to the Army as ■■] they marched in to take possessionof a new conquest at the Eagle, in the City road. Now began tfiose wanderings which at first the poor wife had so much feared. The pair were sent from place to place, often with the poorest possible prospects of a supply of : the necessaries of life. The stations, as,; we understand Mr Bedstone, are expectedto supply headqn&rtera rather than todraw from headquarters. Officers collect ■ subscriptions as best they can, pay att-J necessary expenses, taking their own. last, and forward the balance, if any, to the j common fund. Their nominal allowance^ is 27s a week for married men, with Is a•! week for each child under fourteen, but' they are "deeply impressed with the facfeij that the Army does not recognise the- ideau of salary in the ordinary sense at aIL« Every officer is pledged to do his duty without any guaranteed salary whatever/ The officers must not take their full salary when the corps is getting into debt; in consequence they sometimes have little or no salary to take.' They have to render a strict weekly account both of the temporal and spiritual concerns of their stations. The "Monday Report" consists of a aeries of answers to such questions as " Number of open-air services held last week? Prisoners taken last week ? How many War Crys did you sell Wednesdays ? What is the entire amount of liabilities for the week ? How much Balary did you draw ?" The " Farewell Beporte," issued when officers are drafted to other stations, are of course still more exhaustive. It was the fate of poor " Captain " Bedstone to write more than one af these. He had all sorts of difficulties — some with his rank and file, some with his superiors. "One Sunday night, a young man being told to leave the service on account of unseemly behaviour to a young- woman in the congregation, ■IUKKW ME DOWNSTAIRS/ This necessitated a fortnight's leave for rest. " Officers on furlough," says the document furnished on this occasion, " are not at liberty to take part in meetings without permission of headquarters. Best properly, if you rest at all." There was trouble with the police; but that was nothing, aa it was all to the honour aud glory of the Army. Mr Bedstone was arrested one night as he walked playing the cymbals at the head of his band. "The policemen, after a time, held my hands down, so I could not play the cymbals. Then I preached Jesus to them alternately, and they appeared very uncomfortable." la such emergencies the studious Salvationist can hardly be at a loss, for he has a body of " Law Hints " to guide him which combine the innocence of the dove with the wisdom of the serpent in a most remarkable way. "When unfairly convicted," says one ov the " Miats," you have always the natural remedy o£ going to prison, preventing anyone from paying the fine, and so gaining sympathy that generally stops all further opposition. There was sometimes trouble with the women. A certain feminine banner-bearer and sergeant of one of " Captain" Bed- . stone's corps had a certain following of young men "and women. The Captain did not like her following, and HB CASHIEBED THE LADY, much to her annoyance. His Major refused to confirm the act, and the Captain was in consequence subjected to insult from the fair delinquent and from her supporters. She would " testify in the hail that she was saved higher than the Apostle Paul." In going to one station Mr Bedstone was cheered by the prospect of "twenty tambourine lasses," but when they found out he was a married man they decamped. Many of the lady officers seemed to take no .interest in married men. Afc this station, to add to his difficulties he " had to deal with soldiers who openly passed packets of sweets one to another in prayer and holiness meetings." There were other afflictions within, the fold. On one occasion, while conducting preliminary devotions, the Captain "happened to make the following remark :— ' Oh Lord, if there is any one here who wears two faces under one hat, save them.' " Why he made it he knew not, " other thanasa stray shot." For all that, an ex-colonr-sergeant severely relented it, and, rising from his seat with some half a dozen of his sympathisers, began to abuse his innocent leader. " For some quarter of an hour the place was in commotion. However, they weird got out at last, and we finished the meeting in peace." Headquarters did not like all this. There were frequent remonstrances with the captain, and much correspondence, and in the result, as we have seen, he was pronounced unsuccessful, and compelled to resign. On the merits of his quarrel with his superiors, it is well-nigh impossible for any person outside the organisation to pronounce. The sole interest of his book for the general reader lies in its illustrations rather than in itaargment. Hetriestoshow that, he has been unfairly treated — though to do hi™ justice he does it with temper and forbearance. Many readers who will not care to accept his conclusions will eagerly read all those particulars of life within the Army in which he sets them forth. ■