the whole world.
"In every army there is a leader. The Salvation Army has a Leader
whose commanding figure towers above the Salvationists of the
world, and has drawn to himself more love, more respect, and more
confidence than at this moment centres in any other human being. Of
him it will be said, after he has passed to the beautiful shores of
the hereafter, the best that can be said of any man, that the world
is better because he lived in it."
Lest The General should have been too much puffed up by all his
successes and the praises showered upon him, God almost at the end of
the tour allowed an accident which might easily have ended his career;
but which only gave him an opportunity to show more conspicuously than
ever his resolution to persevere in his ceaseless labours.
It was whilst passing along a dark passage in New York that The General
stumbled, and, but for God's great goodness, would have fallen into a
cellar. As it was, one leg was very much bruised and hurt. He thus
described, in writing, to a friend what followed:--
"March 13, 1903.--The accident came at a very unfortunate moment,
and at the onset it looked like spoiling the closing chapters of
the Campaign.
"But God is good. I was favoured with the services of one of the
most skilful and experienced surgeons in New York. He put my leg
into starch, and then into a plaster of Paris jacket. And by dint
of resolution, and the supporting Spirit of my Heavenly Father, I
went through the last Meeting with apparent satisfaction to
everybody about me, and some little comfort to myself.
"It was a great effort. The Hall is one of the finest and most
imposing I ever spoke in. Three tiers of boxes all round full with
the swell class of people in whom you are so much interested, with
two galleries beyond.
"It called for some little courage to rise up with my walking-stick
to steady me; but God helped me through. I hung my stick on the
rail, and balanced myself on my feet, and talked the straightest
truth I could command for an hour and twenty minutes.
"A little spectacular function followed in the shape of trooping
the Colours of the different nationalities amongst whom we are at
work in the States, and a midnight torchlight procession, with a
massed farewell from the balcony of the Headquarters, closed the
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