New light : containing a full account of the recent Salvation Army troubles in Canada

Front matter

Fe if xO D>

CONTAINING A FULL ACCOUNT

OF THE RECENT

Preface

WE can quite understand that the publication of the following facts will prove more or less detrimental to the organization in which we have labored during the past seven and nine years, respectively. Perhaps no person . feels this more than ourselves, especially when we consider the many hard-working Field Officers who, if they - eontinue in their present position, will be compelled to undergo greater hardships and privations than any hitherto endured. However, with. our duty before us, unpleasant as it is, we feel it would be grossly unjust on our part, were we to withhold from enquiring minds the following information regarding that which we cannot _ recognize to be any other than the result of the one-man power, now existing in the Salvation Army.

‘We cannot but feel that, in pursuing the course we have taken, we expose ourselves to more or less misunderstanding; this is only natural, nevertheless, if we may but live to see these grievances remedied ; if the leaders of this great concern, will only bow before the Majesty of Him who ruleth over all and acknowledge the evils that have crept in among them, and beseech that God to have mercy ; if the present system of government in the Army is done away with, and a new administration introduced, which will reproduce the old-time simplicity, and restore the principles that obtained nine years ago, lv 3 Preface.

then we shall feel that no personal sacrifice we have made in taking such a stand for righteousness and truth, has been too great.

We send forth the following pages in the spirit of love and of truth, praying that God, who knoweth all, and who shall judge all, will cause all His own to triumph in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.

P. W. PHILPoTT.

A. W. ROFFE.

NEW LIGHT!

CHAPTER LI.

MR. PHILPOTT’S CASE.

MY LOVE FOR THE ARMY—AUTOCRATIC POWER—-WHY I AM : WHERE I AM.

‘2 CANNOT express my sorrow at having to send

%% y this little work abroad, charged as it is with truths ungainsayable against an organization Weed upon which I have looked for nine years as the (3 j) —* grandest under Heaven. It becomes painful in ae the extreme when I consider the effect that this will 4 have upon the many devoted field officers who toil day and night in a work so difficult as theirs. However, having had my eyes unmistakably opened to many things which, a short time ago, I could not have believed to exist, but which have recently stared mein the face as facts, I feel it is my duty as a man of God to reveal and denounce that which, in the mildest light, can only be looked upon as inconsistencies on the part of many of the Army leaders. _ The Army, as an organization, is as dear to me as ever, | while my love for a number of the officers was never deeper. It is for this reason that I now put forth an humble effort to make manifest that which is wrong, for J have a faint hope that if the men at the head of this movement can be made to acknowledge and deplore the sad state of affairs and to turn to God for grace and wisdom to alter the present mode of government, that new hope will spring up in the keart of many a warrior, now almost discouraged, and that the glorious work which broke out in the earlier days of the Army, may ~ rise again and bless our country. I will not say that

this is altogether impossible, but that one-man power now in existence, is such a sweet morsel to those who possess it, that it can hardly be expected they will forfeit the same. | 3 ,

The story relating to my present position is a long and sad one; I can therefore deal with it only in part. Sometimes it seems impossible. to believe that so much has transpired during the past few weeks. The fact that in such a cruel and unexpected manner I have been thrust from my people, from those with whom I have toiled and prayed so many years, starts oft-times up before me as an unwelcome dream. Yet Iam compelled to believe this is actually the case.

Up to a very short time ago, all my prospects and hopes were centred in the Salvation Army. I informed Mr. Herbert Booth, on the day he forced me to resign, that I would rather he had carried my wife and me up Yonge-street to the cemetery, than to have placed us in such a position, for it did seem that our ‘hopes in life were blasted forever; but we have found a refuge in God, and He has lifted us up.

When first I found myself severed from the Army, I decided to refrain, as far as possible, from giving any explanation to the general public, but when I saw every effort being put forth by Mr. Booth and his aids to damage my character and destroy my influence, I felt it, under these circumstances, to be the will of God, that I. should proceed to vindicate myself, not for the sake of my character only, for 1am persuaded: that neither men nor devils can demolish that as long as I live to the glory of God, but for the sake of the men and women up and down this country who have placed in me their con- . fidence, and who would naturally look for an explanation.

Autocratic Power. fe:

I do not think that Mr. Booth ever anticipated such an outbreak on the part of his people, nor did he expect _ that the whole matter would reach such a serious climax as it actually has.- Officers have risen up in all quarters demanding from Mr. Booth a full explanation in the presence of the accused, but this, as will be seen later on, has been emphatically refused. » Not only did the officers in and around Toronto rise up, but the city soldiery became indignant at such high-handed work, and in the form of a deputation waited upon the Army’s leader at midnight to see if they could not prevail upon him to grant their reasonable request. The soldiers, however, _ were treated in the same manner as the officers and were given to understand that it was very wrong of them to come to their leader, “the General’s son,” to ask for explanations, for he declared that to give any explanations to inferiors would be lowering the dignity of his position: Mr. Booth expressed his determination to avoid meeting me and giving me the benefit of a Christian Church trial or an Army court-martial. It will appear reasonable to all that however guilty I may have been, I had at least a right to hear the charges brought against me, and, like any ordinary criminal, to have the privilege of clearing myself, if possible. Moreover the Bible is not silent on such matters; it contains directions so specific that they must appeal at once to the consciousness of every Christian man. I refer the reader to Matt. xviii. 15-17: “ Moreover, if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone; if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the Church: but if he neglect to hear the Church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.”

And do we not read in the Acts of the Apostles the story of the accused Paul, on whose behalf Festus, the Roman judge, thus delivered himself before the king : “King Agrippa and all men which are here present with us, ye see this man, about whom all the multitude of the Jews have dealt with me, both at Jerusalem and also here, crying that he ought not to live any longer. But when I found he had committed nothing worthy of death, and that he himself hath appealed to Augustus, I have determined to send him, of whom I have no certain thing to write, unto my lord. Wherefore I have brought him forth before you, and specially before thee, O king Agrippa, that, after examination had, I might have somewhat to write, for it seemeth to me unreasonable to send a prisoner, and not withal to signify the crimes laid agarnst hum.” (Acts xxv. 24-27.) Then in the first verse of the following chapter we observe that Agrippa although making no profession whatever of © religion is ready to grant unto Paul the privilege which Commandant Booth has denied me: “Then Agrippa said unto Paul: Thou art permitted to speak for thyself. Then Paul stretched forth the hand and answered for himself,”

Now, had Mr. Booth in the first place br blob my case before. the Church according to our Lord's directions in Matthew's Gospel, or oranted me the same privilege tendered to Paul, I cannot but feel that all this trouble and dificulty might have been saved.

Those Private Meetings. 9

Chapter II

THOSE PRIVATE MEETINGS—MR. BOOTH WILL NOT EXPLAIN —THE LONDON PROPERTY.

Ox,

2 AM anxious that you should know how Mr.

GA Wd Booth dealt with this case from the first. US I \ After calling his Toronto staff together, he

N=: made plain to them his version of the affair, fp) * after which they were asked to sign a declaraes V tion of confidence in his actions. Some, however, 2 were not satisfied, and one individual who wrote to him to that effect was censured as a double-minded person. |

Mr. Booth next called together his field officers, and proceeded to deal with them in his own convenient manner. A number in this meeting were far from satisfied, although they signed a paper declaring their perfect satisfaction. Two, however, in this meeting refused to hold up their hands to endorse Mr. Booth’s actions, and it was at once insinuated by him that they were wrong in their souls, and they were invited “to the front,’ or in other words to the penitent form. One of these officers, soon after, left the meeting, yet next morning his name appeared in the city papers as being perfectly satisfied, when, be it known, he had signed no declaration to that effect. One or two officers and two or three cadets were told to resign, simply because they persisted in demanding an explanation in my presence.

Not stopping here, Mr. Booth convened a fourth meeting on Saturday, August 20th, in which the officers, soldiers, and a few Army friends had the opportunity of listening to Mr. Booth’s story. This meeting was held in the Lippincott-street barracks, at the door of which, I understand, about 50 handbills were distributed, reading as follows: “ Remember you have not heard Bro. Philpott’s explanation.” This little bill was handled very roughly by my accuser, who went on to state that it proved how unprincipled Mr. Philpott was to allow such action to be taken, or words to that effect. Now, this is one of his — many charges, based on pure supposition, for I was not aware that any such bills had been distributed until after the meeting was held, and up to the time of writing I am not in possession of the name of the individual who had this matter in hand.

In this meeting, Mr. D , ex-treasurer of the L street corps, asked permission to put a question, but he was refused the privilege of making any audible remarks, and was instructed to whisper unto the Commandant’s ear anything he had to say. This he did, and the questions were as follows:—(1) “ Having heard all of your explanations, and part of Brother Philpott’s, may I ask if you are willing to face him?” Answer—“ No.” (2) “The letters you have read tous Mr. Philpott admits writing, but will you explain wnder what circumstances they were written?” Answer—*“ No.”

Now, it is well to remember that not at one of these meetings was I permitted to be present to say yea or nay to Mr. Booth’s charges. In addition to these private meetings, the printing press was set to work, and in a short time circular letters, which, to say the least, contained very misleading statements, were mailed to the S. A. officers and friends, and to many of the clergy — throughout the Dominion. Mr. Booth also sent a letter to his commanding officers, a copy of which I hold in my possession, coupling my name with charges never heard of _ by me, until this very letter acquainted me of them nine days after my dismissal. —

I desire to deal with these charges ee in a liberal and truthful manner ; by eb ousn as and truth

Mr. Booth Will Not Explain. Li

I shall stand or fall. Before proceeding, however, I wish it to be fully understood, that while I shall be pleased to have each 8. A. officer peruse these pages, yet I am too well acquainted with the tactics of the Army “powers that be” to expect any great amount of just reasoning from that quarter. I know too well that cunning doctrine which stigmatises all who sever themselves from the Army as veritable backsliders. In writing these pages, _ therefore, I appeal rather to the unprejudiced public, and leave all to arrive at their own conclusions.

Mr. Booth states that my conduct for twelve months past has been very unsatisfactory. I feel like giving Mr. Booth credit for the truth of this statement for, be it remembered, when an officer in the Army persists in taking a stand for right and by so doing conflicts with the higher powers, he naturally becomes obnoxious in the sight of his superiors. Now, in reviewing the past, I cannot but feel that my conduct became “ unsatisfactory ”

_ when I first took my stand in opposition to the general headquarters. This was overtwelve months ago. I then ranked as Brigadier and was the Army’s representative for Western Ontario, with my headquarters at London. Some time previous to my appointment to this position, the Army had lost their London barracks by fire and appeals were made through the War Cry and otherwise to raise money for its restoration. The soldiers and friends — were naturally anxious to see a new building erected, and upon my arrival in their midst I found everyone on the tip-toe of expectation for the same. I was in communi- _ eation with headquarters, having written one or two letters to the then Commissioner about the matter, and just when I was expecting to receive encouragement. to go ahead with my plans to rebuild, to my great surprise I received orders from headquarters to have the land valued as they had decided to sell it.. Now, as will be readily understood, this placed me in a very awkward position, I knew the Army property was one of the best

12 New LInght!

sites in the city and to sell it would cause universal dis- - appointment. I wrote to the Commissioner accordingly, when a few days after, to my still further astonishment, while I was absent from the city, one Captain W : from Toronto, arrived in London as headquarters representative, and disposed of the property for $3,280.00, and as this was $760.00 less than a former offer we had re-. ceived for it, I could not but feel that a great injustice had been done to the London people, and it shook my confidence in the management of S.A. property, as the following letter to Commissioner Rees will show. I had received a letter from the Commissioner asking if I knew of any suitable lots in London. This was while I was resting: my reply will speak for itself :—

Rotusay, N.B., Nov. 5th, 1891.

Oh ieconar D. M. Rees, Toronto.

My DEAR COMMISSIONER,

Re London.—| must confess that I gave over all interest in Army property when the London lot was sold. in the manner it was, and I had almost made up my mind not to interest myself in that line again. If property can be sold without any explanation as to the reason, and for what purpose the money is to be used, ete., especially to the Army representative in that part of the country where the sale takes place, I think I am mn justified in so doing.

Faithfully Yours,

P. W. PHILPOTT.

This, I think, must have been the time that my conduct proved so displeasing to Commissioner Rees. While I was in London, I received orders to try and sell the Lucan, Moorefield and Alvinston properties. These — towns had, in the early days, been strongholds of the | Army, but, as in many other places the work ran down ;

Those Awful Charges. 13

_ the corps were closed, and, headquarters needing money, the properties were put up for sale. Other Divisional _ Officers in different parts of the Dominion have informed me that the same course was pursued by headquarters in dealing with certain towns in their divisions. I wish here to make it plain that in many of these places a great amount of money for the purchase of property was raised locally, and I know something of the sadness and disappointment that have filled the hearts of the soldiers and Army friends, when they have found themselves robbed of their place of worship in such a manner. Moreover, I awoke to the fact that there was nothing whatever to hinder the Army representative in Canada from selling any property in the country, or placing a mortgage thereon at any time, for the purpose of realizing money for headquarters to be used by them in any -way they might choose, and this, whether I be regarded disloyal or not, I could not conscientiously endorse.

Chapter III

‘THOSE AWFUL CHARGES— BLOOD SALVATIONISTS— THE LUXURIES OF A PULLMAN CAR veéersuS BREAD AND RUTTER—THE ARMY CASTES—-TO THE CHURCHES FOR MONEY.

previous chapter, I am charged with having ) said that there was “no God in the concern.

. Now, although I do not remember using these words, yet many times I really did feel that /? God was separating Himself from us. Nor was I _ the only officer who realised this awful truth. I had ees to publish extracts from letters received from different divisional and staff officers, representing this country from the Atlantic to the Pacific, in corroboration of this fact, but for the sake of the writers I have concluded to withhold them.

Nevertheless, these letters contain most emphatic statements of bitter dissatisfaction and regret; they were written not in the heat of the battle but in the quiet hours of reflection, when truth comes up to the soul in its purest light. They contain the language of a hope almost forlorn, of a hidden sorrow better felt than told.

This state of dissatisfaction was universally felt all over the field, and the work was falling into spiritual decline. ; Ae

The next charge against me is that of bringing cruel accusations against some of the leading officers. I suppose Mr. Booth refers to the trouble I had with Commissioner Rees in reference to the extravagance in connection with La Maréchale Booth-Clibborn’s tour through Canada. I shall explain the case as it is: Mrs. Clibborn visited Canada in the interests of the Army work in France, and as I accompanied her in her travels through the Dominion, I therefore know whereof I speak. We visited London, Hamilton, Toronto, Kingston, and Montreal. Mrs. Clibborn’s story of the great sacrifice on the part of the French officers touched many hearts, and brought forth from her hearers that practical sympathy which was so much desired, one gentleman giving as much as $500. : |

Everything went fairly well on this tour until our leaving Toronto for Kingston on the morning before ee et aon

Christmas. On boarding the train at North Toronto we _ found the cars packed, and I suggested to Commissioner Rees that Mrs. Clibborn should take the parlor ear, but finding this also filled, the conductor, out of kindness, allowed the party, consisting of La Maréchale Booth- —

Clibborn, Commissioner Rees, Staff Captains Peyron and

Lucuries of a Pullman Car vs. Bread and Butter. 15

Cox, to have the use of the section. The train had just started off, when, to my surprise, refreshments were ordered for the whole party occupying the section, and although. the distance from Toronto to Kingston is not very great, the refreshment order was repeated before we reached the latter city, while Captain McM and I, as we sat in the first-class car, satisfied our hunger with, some buns kindly given us by a friend.

We spent Christmas in Kingston, and the next day at 12:45 we left for Montreal. On changing cars at Sharbot Lake, I said to Commissioner Rees: “ Praise God for lots of room to-day!” for I noticed that the first-class car a most comfortably furnished one, was nearly empty.. - But the Commissioner ordered me to convey the baggage to the Pullman car, which I found to be occupied by only one lady ; neverthetess, the Commissioner, at the wish of La Marechale, ordered me to engage the section again. The conductor, the same who was on our train two days before, informed us that if we wanted the section on that day we should have to pay extra for it, as on the previous occasion he had granted it on account of the crowd. Mrs. Clibborn, however, insisted upon having it, and Commissioner Rees in turn instructed me to pay the money out and secure it, which I did. After we were all seated, another order for refreshments was sent in. This I thought was a great shame, and altogether out of place, . for only about two and a half hours before, we had all partaken of a good dinner at Kingston. After seeing the order filled, I made my way to the first-class car, and while passing through the sleeper I overheard one of the train-men remark: “I tell you we have blood-Salvationists on board to-day; they want the best of everything.” This went to my heart like a knife. Nor did it end here. Before our arrival in Montreal refreshments were again served out to the whole party, this being the second time between Kingston and Montreal. Now I was announced to lead the meeting in Montreal, while Mrs, Clibborn and the others went to their billets, and as I had to go direct from the train to the meeting, the Commissioner came in from the section and told me to get some bread and butter for Capt. McM and myself. I ordered the bread and butter, and Commissioner Rees 1emained and watched us eat it. LI want to say that while partaking of that evening meal I almost choked; my heart was full of weeping, for I could not hanish from my mind the extravagance which I had been compelled to witness that day. :

On ‘taking our departure from Montreal I was instructed to order a section for the three ladies and an ordinary Pullman sleeper for Commissioner Rees, Capt. Mc- M and myself. I again ventured to say to the Commissioner that the section would cost considerably more than the ordinary sleeper, but he, replying very sharply, ordered me to securethe section. I now felt that’

I had either to keep quiet or suffer the consequences; I therefore acted in accordance with the instructions and engaged the section, and sleeper for the other officers, taking a seat myself in a first-class car. I was just about asleep when the Commissioner put in an appearance and questioned meas to why I was not in my berth. I declared to him that my conscience would not permit me to ~ take a berth. This seemed to annoy him very much, and I could but feel ever afterwards that he treated me ~ very coolly, which, I am now aware, was his only policy.

While journeying homeward on that memorable night, I was informed by the brakesman that an officer had boarded the train at Sharbot Lake and was riding in a second-class car. On hearing this I proceeded to the second-class car, and to my astonishment I found Ensign D the funeral of his wife’s brother. Now, sad as it is for

,a Canadian officer, on his way to Toronto to attend — me to relate, and strange as it may appear to the public, : the following was the order of travel: Ensign D m

2nd class; Philpott, Ist class; Commissioner Rees and —

To the Churches for Money. 17

Capt. McM——, in the Pullman sleeper, with La Maréchale and her aides in the section. Never before that night did I think there were so many castes in the Army, as we have always preached so much self-sacrifice and professed to the world to have all things in common. What hurt me even worse, if possible, was the thought that the money expended on these luxuries was solicited from the public on the plea of so much Army self-denial. More concerning this tour will appear later on. 3 Iam also charged with negotiating for employment

with some mission society, on the plea that I could not waste my time in the Army. This charge is deduced from a conversation I once had with Brigadier Holland on the following subject: An aunt of mine had extended to me an invitation to conduct services in the little village where she now resides, and where I wasborn. Taking into consideration that the Army had no corps in this vicinity, and that the holding of a few meetings would possibly mean a number of conversions among my old schoolmates, I placed the matter before Brigadier Holland, informing him at the same time that my position at headquarters did not afford me sufficient work, and that I was,

ractically speaking, wasting my time, and asking him if i could not go for a few days and conduct meetings at this village; but he thought it would not be proper for an Army officer to take up such work in connection with a church. I then referred to Staff Captains Bolton and Cox who were going through the country holding meetings in the churches, not because the churches were in every case more suitable for Army meetings, but because they were after money. “You allow these people to go to the churches for money,’ I continued, “but you will not permit me to arrange for a few meetings in a church, in which to get sinners to Jesus!” This opened my eyes unmistakably tothe true position of the Army towards the Churches. .

B

Chapter IV

MORE INCONSISTENCIES—-SICK OFFICERS UNCARED FOR— SENT TO ROTHSAY AT A GREAT COST, t ( R. BOOTH states that during all this time

\G| referred to, Commissioner Rees bore with me with the greatest of patience, and did his ut- , most to bring me into a better state of mind. *<=* T have no doubt that the Commissioner felt it a dificult task, for I could not easily be pacified, realizing as I did, that I was surrounded on all sides by inconsistencies and double-dealing that would have stung the inner consciousness of any Christian man. And as these inconsistencies were continually repeating themselves, and even my faintest hopes for better things began to die away, | found myself, as a natural consequence, repeatedly taking a stand in opposition | to the “ higher powers that be.”

I do not wish to deny that I had several interviews with Commissioner Rees, but I desire it to be plainly understood that he never dealt with me on the subject of being either disloyal or dishonorable.

Brigadier M— is responsible for saying, that on two different occasions, Commissioner Rees dealt and prayed with me seventeen hours. This is not only entirely misleading but absolutely false, as Commissioner Rees never talked to me at any one time longer than two hours, and never prayed with me seventeen minutes. I had the privilege of meeting Brigadier M—a few days ago from time of writing, and confronted him with this and other matters. | In endeavoring to clear himself, to my utter astonishment, he referred me to an occasion when Commissioner

‘Sick Officers Uncared For. 19

_ Rees visited Hamilton to see me on personal and divisional matters. When I told the misinformed Brigadier that the Commissioner’s boat arrived in Hamilton at 2.00 p.m. and left again at 5.00, thus leaving the Commissioner only three hours in my presence, and when. I further stated that much of this time was taken up in visiting a resting officer and inspecting the Prison Gate Home, Brigadier M— went on to say he supposed that the Commissioner had calculated the time going and returning between Hamilton and Toronto, on the boat, and also the time spent in writing letters! The absurdity of this calculation is too evident to need comment. Even supposing Brigadier M’s statement were true, it would show the public what persausive methods the Army leaders will adopt to smooth over such cases as mine.

Again, Mr. Booth states in his letter to the Field Officers that I nearly left the Army “on two occasions.” He is a little astray here, for, be it known, I was three or four times on the eve of severing myself from the Army, and I felt that my reasons justified me in so doing. While in London i had some difficulty with a Staff Officer ; I could not approve of his manner of dealing with the people, and as in more than one instance his conduct had been anything but commendable, I confronted him with the matters in question. It was very evident to me that we could not get on together, and as I was the Army representative for the Western Ontario Brigade, I requested Commissioner Rees to remove this officer. As he showed no willingness to do so, I again wrote saying he must take either him or me from that part of the country. This, no doubt, is one of the occassions referred to when I was on the point of leaving the | Army.