At Margate, some years later, she commenced her Meetings without knowing a single person in the place. For some weeks she had not even a helper in the Prayer Meetings, nor one who would give out a song for her. Mrs. Booth could not sing herself, and there was often an awkward pause before any one would be willing to pitch her tune. ‘If only,’ she said when The Army was fairly on its feet, ’I had been able to command a dozen reliable people such as I could have anywhere now, I think I could have done almost anything.’
Even more wonderful was her experience at Brighton.
The Dome, a great building holding three thousand people, had been taken for her Meetings.
‘I can never forget my feelings,’ says this Soldier-saint, ’as I stood upon the platform and looked upon the people, realizing that among them all there was no one to help me. When I commenced the Prayer Meeting, for which I should think quite nine hundred remained, Satan said to me, as I came down from the platform according to my custom, “You will never ask such people as these to come and kneel down here? You will only make a fool of yourself if you do.” I felt stunned for a moment; but I answered, “Yes, I shall. I shall not make it any easier for them than for the others. If they do not realize their sins enough to be willing to come and kneel here, they will not be of much use to the kingdom."’
The Lord set His seal upon Mrs. Booth’s faith and courage, for the first to volunteer were two old gentlemen, both over seventy years of age; and she had ten or twelve at the mercy-seat before the Meeting ended.
Writing from Portsmouth, she tells the same story of loneliness and victory:–
’You say, “How do you get on personally?” Oh, I never was so hampered for help in every way in all my life! The most able man I have keeps a milliner’s shop, and the one that opens for me generally is an overseer; so their attention is divided and the time limited. Pray for me. I never needed your prayers so much. This is a dreadfully wicked place.’
Yet during the seventeen weeks of her stay some six hundred names were taken, many of them wonderful trophies of God’s mercy.
Having lived such a warrior’s life, you think, very likely, that the death-bed experience of our Army Mother would be all peace and glory. But no. Right down into the Valley she needed to use the Sword of the Spirit and the Shield of Faith, for to the last Satan was allowed to test and try her.
But she fought on!