American Minute for March 28th:

    On MARCH 28, 1885, the Salvation Army was organized in the United States.

It was begun in England by "General" William Booth in 1865.

Originally named the Christian Mission, the Salvation Army conducted meetings among the poor in London's East End slums.

Adopting uniforms and a semi-military system of leadership, the Salvation Army ministered to the poor, drunk and outcast, while fighting sex-trafficking and teenage prostitution.

The editor of the Salvation Army's Conqueror magazine, Major T.C. Marshall, sent a letter to Booker T. Washington, founder of the Tuskegee Institute, thanking him for his favorable comments regarding the Salvation Army's effort to minister to African-Americans in the South.

Booker T. Washington replied, July 28, 1896:

"I am very glad to hear that The Salvation Army is going to undertake work among my people in the southern states. I have always had the greatest respect for the work of the Salvation Army especially because I have noted that it draws no color line in religion...

In reaching the neglected and, I might say, outcasts of our people, I feel that your methods and work have peculiar value...God bless you in all your unselfish Christian work for our country."

On December 1, 1965, President Lyndon Johnson remarked to the Salvation Army in New York:

"For a century now, the Salvation Army has offered food to the hungry and shelter to the homeless - in clinics and children's homes, through disaster relief, in prison and welfare work, and a thousand other endeavors.

In that century you have proved time and again the power of a handshake, a meal, and a song. But you have not stopped there. You have demonstrated also the power of a great idea."

President Lyndon Johnson continued:

"The voice of the Salvation Army has reminded men that physical well-being is just not enough; that spiritual rebirth is the most pressing need of our time and of every time; that the world cannot be changed unless men change.

That voice has been clear and courageous-and it has been heard.

Even when other armies have disbanded, I hope that this one will still be on the firing line."

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Booth, William. Peter W. Williams, "Booth, William," World Book Online Americas Edition, http://www.aolsvc.worldbook.aol.com/wbol/wbPage/na/ar/co/070150, October 8, 2001 President Lyndon B. Johnson, 1 p.m. December 9, 1965, from the LBJ Ranch, Johnson City, TX, gave Telephone Remarks Upon Accepting an Award From the Salvation Army Association of New York, which was meeting in the New York Hilton Hotel. In his opening words he referred to Walker G. Buckner, Chairman of the Salvation Army Advisory Board, & Frederick R. Kappel, Chairman of the Board, American Telephone & Telegraph Co., & member of the Salvation Army Advisory Board: "Mr. Buckner and my good friend, Fred Kappel, ladies & gentlemen: I feel a very special gratitude in receiving this honor today-because I think I know something of the men and women who extend it. Your standard of service is high, your record of accomplishment proud and long. For a century now, the Salvation Army has offered food to the hungry and shelter to the homeless-in clinics and children's homes, through disaster relief, in prison and welfare work, and a thousand other endeavors. In that century you have proved time and again the power of a handshake, a meal, and a song. But you have not stopped there. You have demonstrated also the power of a great idea. The voice of the Salvation Army has reminded men that physical well-being is just not enough; that spiritual rebirth is the most pressing need of our time and of every time; that the world cannot be changed unless men change. That voice has been clear and courageous-and it has been heard. Even when other armies have disbanded, I hope that this one will still be on the firing line: an army whose foes are hunger and hopelessness; an army whose happy battle cry is a call to 'brighten the corner where you are.' With a pledge to heed that good advice, and with genuinely warm appreciation, I proudly accept your award."

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