The War Romance of the Salvation ArmyHill, Grace Livingston
History
The War Romance of the Salvation Army
Hill, Grace Livingston
World War, 1914-1918 -- War work -- Salvation Army
She took no casual comer, even with offers of money to back them, and
there were some of immense wealth who pleaded to be of the little band.
She sent only those whom she knew and had tried. Many of them had been
born and reared in the Salvation Army, with Christlike fathers and
mothers who had made their homes a little piece of heaven below. All of
them were consecrated, and none went without the urgent answering call
in their own hearts.
It was early in June, 1917, when Colonel Barker sailed to France with
his commission to look the field over and report upon any and every
opportunity for the Salvation Army to serve the American troops.
In order to pave his way before reaching France, Colonel Barker secured
a letter of introduction from Secretary-to-the-President Tumulty, to
the American Ambassador in France, Honorable William G. Sharp.
In connection with this letter a curious and interesting incident
occurred. When Colonel Barker entered the Secretary’s office, he
noticed him sitting at the other end of the room talking with a
gentleman. He was about to take a seat near the door when Mr. Tumulty
beckoned to him to come to the desk. When he was seated, without
looking directly at the other gentleman, the Colonel began to state his
mission to Mr. Tumulty. Before he had finished the stranger spoke up to
Mr. Tumulty: “Give the Colonel what he wants and make it a good one!”
And lo! he was not a stranger, but a man whose reform had made no small
sensation in New York circles several years before, a former attorney
who through his wicked life had been despaired of and forsaken by his
wealthy relatives, who had sunk to the lowest depths of sin and poverty
and been rescued by the Salvation Army.
Continuing to Mr. Tumulty, he said: “You know what the Salvation Army
has done for me; now do what you can for the Salvation Army.”
Mr. Tumulty gave him a most kind letter of introduction to the American
Ambassador.
On his arrival in Liverpool Colonel Barker availed himself of the
opportunity to see the very splendid work being done by the Salvation
Army with the British troops, both in France and in England, visiting
many Salvation Army huts and hostels. He also put the Commander’s plans
for France before General Bramwell Booth in London.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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