Mr. Punch's History of Modern England, Vol. 3 (of 4).—1874-1892Graves, Charles L. (Charles Larcom)
History
Mr. Punch's History of Modern England, Vol. 3 (of 4).—1874-1892
Graves, Charles L. (Charles Larcom)
Great Britain -- History -- Victoria, 1837-1901 -- Humor
Let the Salvation Army, with their ensigns and captains and uniforms,
and drums and trumpets, assemble in their Barracks just as Christians,
Jews, Turks and Heathens do in their Churches, Synagogues, Mosques
and Temples; and let their recruiting sergeants go about where they
list, or where they are likely to 'list; but let this out-of-door
_irreligious_ movement, this outrageous travesty of _Ecclesiastical
symbolism_, with its fanatic war-cries, its fanfares, its martial
hymns, and brass-band accompaniment, leading to riot and bloodshed on
the Lord's Day, let this be forthwith suppressed, as it can be, we
believe, by existing law; and if not, let the law be made. Of course
that harmless body of publicans and sinners, the Freemasons, would be
sufferers by such a regulation; but with His Royal Highness of Wales,
their Grand Master, at their head, they would be willing to bear the
privation of being occasionally deprived of an open-air display of
sashes, aprons and emblems for the sake of law and order.
_Punch's_ animosity towards the Salvationists showed little abatement
right on into the 'nineties. General Booth was twice caricatured: in
1885 as "His own Trumpeter" blowing an instrument like a French horn
in mid air, and in 1892 as "General Boombastes"--a composite title
of derision founded on Bombastes Furioso and General Boum of the
_Grande Duchesse_--in connexion with a great demonstration held by
the Salvation Army in Hyde Park in February of that year. Sarcastic
references occur from time to time to the finance of the Army, which
in those years lent itself to criticism. But science and intellect,
cynicism and fastidiousness were routed or converted in the sequel.
The Salvation Army came nearer success in reclaiming "the submerged
tenth" than any other sect or church: it outlived derision, criticism
and scepticism, and earned the tribute of imitation in the organization
of the Church Army. No finer example of this conversion is to be found
than in the life of Frank Crossley, the senior partner in the great
Manchester engineering firm, that noble and benevolent philanthropist,
who began in antipathy to the methods of the Salvation Army and
devoted the end of his life to intimate, self-sacrificing and cordial
co-operation with them in the slums of Ancoats.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account