In his Letter to his Officers on his Eightieth Birthday, he wrote:—­

     “On the coming 10th of April, in many lands and in many ways, the
     Officers, Soldiers, and Friends of The Salvation Army will be
     celebrating my Eightieth Birthday.

“The occasion is one which inspires in me many deep emotions; and, next to the gratitude I feel to Almighty God for the unmeasured blessings He has been pleased to vouchsafe to me, I find the desire to write and tell you, my dear Officers, something of the love and sympathy ever welling up in my heart towards you.

“The times and friends of long ago are sometimes said to have been brighter or better than those of to-day.  This may have been the experience of some.  It has not been mine.  It is true that in the early years of my Salvation Warfare there were battlings and victories of deep interest and value, but no conflicts or triumphs in those far-back times exceeded, or indeed equalled, in value and interest the conflicts and triumphs of my later days.

“It is true that from the beginning I have been associated with many remarkable men and women—­men and women whose ability, affection, and devotion to God have been of the greatest service to me.  But with, perhaps, one or two exceptions, I have had no co-workers who have excelled, or even equalled, in ability, in affection or devotion, the Comrades who at the present hour are struggling with me all over the world for the highest well-being of their fellows, and for the advancement of the Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ.

     “Sixty-five years ago I chose the Salvation of men and the
     extension of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ as the supreme object for
     which I would live and labour.

“Although that choice was made in my early youth, in much ignorance of the world, and of the religious needs of those about me, still, it was not arrived at without much thought and some information; and that purpose is still, and will be to the end, the object which has shaped and mastered the thoughts, ambitions, and activities of my whole life.

“From the hour of my first Prayer Meetings in one of the cottage homes of my native town, down to the present moment, that object has been the governing principle of my life.  The adornments and flowers and music and other pleasant things connected with religious service have all been secondary to efficiency in the search for that object and success in attaining it.

“My hourly usage with regard to every effort I put forth has been to ask myself:  What does this action contemplate?  What will it achieve?  Can it be improved upon?  I believe I can say that every conversation and prayer and song and address and Meeting I have had a hand in have been valued in proportion to their ability to promote the realisation of that great purpose.