Part 29 (1/2)

Does the Chief ask him, ”Why do we not get on better in this town?”

”Well, Chief,” he will reply, ”just look at our Hall. It fairly stinks--always has done, owing to that ca.n.a.l at the back. That has almost made it impossible for us to get a large congregation, especially in warm weather.”

”But why don't you get a better place?”

”Well, there is nothing in the town large enough to let, and as for building--any site that would be of use would cost a pile of money, and we have no hope of raising any large sum here.”

”Why? Have you no rich friends?”

”There are a few very rich men here. I was seeing one of them myself only last month when we wanted to get some new instruments for our Band.

But what do you think he said to me?

”'Why,' said he, 'I have more than enough to do to keep up my own church. We have got to rebuild it, and it will cost us 30,000.'”

”There is not a mill-owner in the place who does not want to get Salvationist workpeople, even to the boys of our Soldiers, because they know they can depend on them. But to help us to get a Hall! Ah! 'that is not in their line.'”

Therefore, the Treasurer and every Officer must go on week after week, with the miserable beg, beg, beg, which afflicts them, perhaps, even more than the most critical listener. And then our great work must suffer both for want of the needed plant to carry it on, and from the appearance of too much begging, which, in so many instances, has undoubtedly hindered our gathering in the very people we most wished to help.

What stories of self-denial, not one week in the year more than another, any such Treasurer could tell! How Officers managed to rear a healthy and promising family upon less than a pound a week: how The General's own granddaughters ”made six s.h.i.+llings a week do” for their personal support, for months, because their Corps could not afford more: how the Sergeant-Major's wife did her was.h.i.+ng during the night ”before Self-Denial Week came on,” so as to be able to stand all day long outside the station, in the cold, collecting: how widow Weak ”keeps up her cartridges”; that is to say, goes on giving the Corps a regular subscription of sixpence a week since her husband's death, as before, ”lest the Corps should go down.”

Lately they took me to see a German widow, now suffering in a hospital, who when her whole weekly cash earnings outside only totalled two s.h.i.+llings a week, invariably ”put in her cartridge” two pfennigs, say a farthing. No. I gave her nothing, nor did anybody else in my presence, as her needs are now attended to; and I am sure she would rather keep up the fact of never having received anything from, but always having given to, The Army.

Of course we do not pretend that all Treasurers and Soldiers are of the model sort. If they were, many of our bitterest financial struggles would never occur. If everybody who ”kept back part” of what they ought to give to G.o.d were struck dead for singing such words as--

Were the whole realm of nature mine, That were a present far too small.

G.o.d would need many a regiment of corpse carriers, I fear.

The General, seventeen years ago, wrote to a wealthy lady who had been excusing somebody's want of liberality to us by some of the slanders they had heard.

”Tell your friends in Gull-town the same that I am telling the public: that nine out of every ten statements in the Press that reflect upon us are either out-and-out _falsehoods_ or '_half-lies_,' which are worse still; and that, though not infallible, when in one case out of ten we do make mistakes, there are circ.u.mstances which, if known, would excuse them very largely.

”I am having wonderful Meetings--immense crowds, soul-awakening influences all day--Penitent-Forms; back-sliders, sinners and half-and-half saints coming back to G.o.d. Never saw anything, anywhere, in any part of my life, much more blessed.

”Read my letter in _The War Cry_ about the Two Days--every word as from my heart.

”Money or no money, we must and will have Salvation. If the rich won't help Lazarus through us, then their money must perish. We must do the best we can.

”Join the Light Brigade, and give a halfpenny per week! We shall get through. Is your soul prospering? Cast yourself this morning on your Lord for a supply of _all your need_.”

This ”Light Brigade” is another invention of the General's, partly founded upon the Indian habit of taking a handful out of every new supply of food, and laying it aside for the priests.

The ”Light Brigade” consists of Soldiers and friends who place on their table a little box, into which all who like can drop a little coin by way of thanksgiving to G.o.d and care for the poor before they eat. These are called ”Grace-before-Meat” Boxes, and in England alone they produced last year 8,284. 17_s._ 2_d._ for the support of our Social Work.

Altogether I venture to say it will be found that for every s.h.i.+lling he ever got anywhere he prompted the giving of at least a thousand s.h.i.+llings to other benevolent enterprises, and that mankind is indebted to him for the stirring up to benevolent action of countless millions who never even heard his name.

At the same time it will be found that by his financial plans he has made The Army so largely dependent upon public opinion that, were its beneficent work to cease, its means of survival would at the same time become extinct, so that it could not continue to exist when it had ceased to be a Salvation Army.