War Cry - July, 2015 Page 25

The War Cry | JULY 2015

surprise, the name in the envelope
was William Bramwell Booth.

Many expected The Salvation Army to fall into a

heap when its charismatic leader died. They were
sorely disappointed. While mourning the loss of its
leader, Salvationists threw themselves behind their
new General. The Army continued to expand globally,
continued to develop its programming and outreach,
continued to push forward in its soul-saving mission
around the world. The only thing that slowed it down
was the hemorrhaging caused by the World War I.
But even in this, Bramwell Booth showed a nobility,
refusing to refer to the nations that arrayed them-
selves against his native Britain as enemies. He
grieved at the thought that Salvationists might be
aiming guns at each other.

When the war ended, the world was dramatically

different. No one fully understood how different.
Bramwell Booth magically thought that everything
would go back as it had been before. Perhaps because
of his insular childhood and somewhat isolated years
working at International Headquarters while his
father traveled, the General was more out of touch

with the rank and file than ever. He did not possess
the gift of oratory--nor the same tolerance for those
with different personalities or different viewpoints
-- as his father did. He was, after all, a systems man,
and if occasionally someone got caught in the ma-
chinery, well, that was the price for keeping things
moving along smoothly. Probably the worse defect

in his worldview was the favor he showed to his

own children, advancing them in rank and posi-

tion when others more worthy and more skilled

were overlooked. All this led to a growing unease

about his leadership.

Eventually, it was his sister Evangeline Booth,

then National Commander of the United States, that
confronted him as perhaps no one else could. It was
the future of The Salvation Army that was at stake,
particularly who would be the next General. The sys-
tem in place allowed for one General to place a name
in an envelope that was sealed until his death, at
which time the envelope would be opened naming the
new General. With the evident nepotism fully opera-
tional, many feared that Booth was not acting in the
best interests of the Army, but of his family.

The saga of Bramwell Booth's leadership came to a

sad conclusion when Booth's health broke, leaving him
effectively unable to administer the Army. A provision
had been made beyond the envelope for naming a suc-
cessor: a High Council of top Salvation Army leaders
was to be called to name a new General, should one be
deemed incapable of continuing. And so, the High
Council was called. General Bramwell Booth was
forced to retire. A little over a month later he died, as
much from a broken heart as from his broken health.

Despite this sad ending, Bramwell Booth stands as

one of the most remarkable leaders The Salvation
Army has ever seen.

Bramwell Booth
served as General of

The Salvation Army

from 1912 to 1929, when
he was forced to retire.

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