The Metaphor of War
and
The Salvation Army

Nonlingual Support of the Metaphor

Uniforms

"Early-day Salvationists started wearing uniform as a natural consequence of the Movement adopting a military character. Wearing uniform while on Salvation Army service still has distinct advantages today.

It tells the onlooker that the person wearing uniform is a professing Christian and that he or she is available to give practical or spiritual help through the Movement, if not personally. Uniform also opens the way for the wearer to be recognised and accepted as the representative of The Salvation Army in all kinds of situations.

"There are also personal advantages in uniform-wearing. It helps the wearer to remember to live up to the Christian profession he or she has made. In difficult or dangerous situations the uniform can give the wearer a measure of protection. Wearing uniform also gives Salvationists a feeling of fellowship when they meet.

"The intention of Salvation Army uniform is not to isolate its wearer from other people but to give a visible sign that he or she is available to serve others." http://www.salvationarmy.org.uk/en/Library/factSheets/FAQ-18-Uniform.htm

Martial music

That The Salvation had and has a reputation for martial music can be established by the following quote:

[Bass drum beaten loudly.]
Booth led boldly with his big bass drum --
(Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?)
The Saints smiled gravely and they said: "He's come."
(Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?)
Walking lepers followed, rank on rank,
Lurching bravoes from the ditches dank,
Drabs from the alleyways and drug fiends pale --
Minds still passion-ridden, soul-powers frail: --
Vermin-eaten saints with mouldy breath,
Unwashed legions with the ways of Death --
(Are you washed in the blood of the Lamb?)
from "General William Booth Enters into Heaven"
By Vachel Lindsay

Another quote, this from "Banners and Bonnets" by Meredith Wilson, creator of "The Music Man":

Could you love the unloved, never reckoning the cost,
Giving them comfort and care?
Could you seek the unloved, in the legion of the lost,
Sharing their grief and despair?
That's the creed of an Army, a God fearing Army,
With banners and bonnets they come.
Yes, to love the unloved in the spirit of the Lord,
Marching with trumpet and drum,
With banners and bonnets they come!

There is an interesting paper on "Militant Music" by James Card located at http://home.inreach.com/jdcard/samusi.htm

Militant lyrics to many songs

The lyrics of The Salvation Army's Songbook are used in the discussion of resistance to the metaphor with regards to the Penitent Form and Holiness Table.

Parades, processions
From The Terra Nova Advocate, 14 August 1886.

A Public Nuisance
Every Sunday morning a crowd calling themselves the Salvation Army, and composed of the dregs of society, parade our streets, yelling like mad people, and making the air hideous with their unearthly screams and doggerel rhymes. After these processionists, congregate a number of youngsters, who keep time by singing "Haul on the bowline," "Kitty is my darling," "Yankee Doodle," &c., in fact one would suppose that pandemonium was let loose. The actors in this disgusting farce go through the performance by swinging and thumping tambourines, blowing mouth organs &c., until one would be almost compelled to turn on the hose, if for no other purpose, to wash their faces and give them something like a clean appearance...."
http://www.mun.ca/rels/sal/texts/sal1.html

Bands, particularly brass

SALVATION ARMY PERFORMING AT BUCKINGHAM PALACE 1990

"The Brass Crest contains information, news and reviews about brass bands, instruments and music. Although much of site pertains to any brass band, the focus is on the brass band tradition of The Salvation Army. For over 125 years, the brass band has been a feature of Salvation Army worship and service. Many of the best composers, conductors and players of the brass band world have roots in 'Army' banding."
http://www.brasscrest.com/bio.html

Flag

The first flag was presented to Coventry Corps by Catherine Booth in September 1878. Until 1882 the central shape was a sun, but when a plan to open the Army's work in India was put into action it was found that the Parsees, an Indian religious sect regarded the sun as sacred and so it was changed to a star. The flag itself is not sacred, but is a symbol of what Salvationists believe.

• the blue border represents the HOLINESS of God
• the yellow star represents the FIRE of the Holy Spirit
• the red represents the BLOOD of Jesus Christ

The motto ‘Blood and Fire’, written on the star, stands for the blood of Jesus and the fire of the Holy Spirit. The flag is carried at the head of marches of witness and is given a prominent place in Salvation Army halls. It is also held aloft at special ceremonies such as the dedication of babies.
http://www1.salvationarmy.org/heritage.nsf/0/82a042e636cc76e0802568cd004642fe?OpenDocument

"Vachel Lindsay was a gifted and original American writer and poet who became famous at the age of 33 when Poetry, Chicago published his poem on Booth in 1913. The Review of Reviews described it as 'perhaps the most remarkable poem of a decade'. Subsequently the poem was included in many anthologies and is probably his best-known single work." (http://www.geocities.com/gowans_larsson2/)