Strange and sad that throughout all the years of our most desperate fighting we scarcely ever found men from the “better classes” daring to march with us.  One noble exception, Colonel Pepper, of Salisbury, with his wife, never hesitated, in the roughest times, to take their stand with their humblest comrades, glad to go through whatever came.  To Mrs. Pepper The General wrote in 1880:—­

“The Colonel will have sent you some information of our Meetings.  But any real description is impossible.  Manchester has, in many respects, surpassed everything.  The Colonel, himself, has pleased me immensely—­so humble and willing.  When I look at him in the processions, evidently enjoying them, I cannot help wondering at what God hath wrought, and praising Him.  London seems your place, and it has been borne in on my mind that the time has come for us to make an attack on the West End, and to raise a Corps there, principally out of the proper and decent people.  I don’t mean out of the Plymouth Brethren, or the ‘evangelical party,’ so-called; but out of the wicked and wretched class who have money and position and education, and who are floating to Hell with it all.

“I shrink from suggesting further sacrifices to you.  God give you wisdom.  We have much success and much trial, and much bitter opposition.  We must have more and more success and more trial, and more bitter opposition.  We must have more intelligent Officers, and you must help us get them.”

That West-End attempt, made later by Mrs. Booth, produced for us, indeed, some Officers who have done much for The Army’s advancement; although, perhaps, not another Colonel Pepper.  The very attacks made upon us, however, helped to attract the attention of thoughtful people, and to lead to our Meetings persons possessing all the gifts needed for The Army’s world-wide extension.

Amongst these were Colonel Mildred Duff, Editress of our papers for the young, and authoress of a number of books; Commissioner W. Elwin Oliphant, then an Anglican Clergyman; Miss Reid, daughter of a former Governor of Madras and now the wife of Commissioner Booth-Tucker, of India; Lieut.-Colonel Mary Bennett, as well as Mrs. de Noe Walker, Dr. and Mrs. Heywood-Smith, and a number of other friends in England and many other lands who, though never becoming Officers, have in various ways been our steadfast and useful friends and supporters.

Surely it can only be a question of time!  It is true what our great Master said:  “Not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called.”

But, if in the days of our weakness and contempt, it was given us to win such a force of honourable women and a man now and then, are we to despair, now that all the world is awakened to the value of our work, of winning for it more of the excellent of the earth?