Ces are strictly for children, it is not an unusual thing to see adults
sitting by the side of the little ones, and sometimes to see parent and
child kneeling together seeking 'to know Him whom to know is life
eternal.' One Sunday evening a woman brought her young son, who a short
time previously had been detected in an act of dishonesty. During the
service God's Spirit strove with both. The mother saw that she would
have to give an account of her doings, as well as the boy, and so, side
by side, they knelt, sought and professed to find pardon. "A young lad
who had been a source of great annoyance at our Meetings, and a dreadful
swearer, a short time ago died triumphant in the faith. When lying in
the London Hospital, evidently dying, he sent a request that I would
tell the children that he was 'going Home'; 'but tell them I'm not
afraid; and, Oh, tell them not to swear.'" Many of our leading Officers
of to-day were truly converted before they were ten years old, so that,
at thirty, they were already veterans in the Fight. Two Colonels, who
were later most frequently seen closely associated with The General's
Campaigns, like him were converted at fifteen--one of them being at that
time almost overlooked by the Sergeant, who was counting the Penitents.
"Captain," said he, "there are seventy-one; or seventy-two, if you count
this lad." The General has not only counted his young lads and lasses
whenever they were true Penitents, but has dared to set them at once to
work to bring others to Christ and that with such effect that whole
countries have felt the result. Our first Dutch Officer was a young
teacher, dismissed from his employment because he would persist in
seeking the Salvation, as well as the instruction, of his young pupils.
After spending a few months in England in order to be able to translate
for us, he became the Lieutenant and general helper of our pioneer
Officer there. The way had been prepared before us by a retired Major of
the Dutch Army, who had for some time been carrying on mission work in
the city of Amsterdam, and who, having seen something of The Army in
England, turned over his Mission Hall to us and gave us all possible
help. He was rewarded by seeing all his own children converted. Holland
has suffered, perhaps, more than any country in the world, from the
substitution of head knowledge for real h