This is the first monthly report from the Salvation Army station here.
With the Theatre for Sundays and a well-known lecture-ball for most nights of the week, we opened with every prospect of success, on Sunday the 1st September.
The simple report of the opening day, by telegram runs:
"Theatre full. One pound thirteen. SIX souls. The first letter said: ·
"I do thank God for the success we had on Sunday. I was so glad of the help of the brothers from Bolton - four of them.
"We processioned up about fourteen streets in the morning, gave invitations and spoke in every street for two hours, having had a prayer meeting before.
"Went home to dinner, and out again at half-past one; processioned town streets for an hour, up to the Theatre. Hundreds waiting to get in. Full in the afternoon and evening. The week which followed is thus described in the next letter:
"We could only have the lecture hall for three nights- Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. We had the hall nearly full every night that we were there. We have had some grand open-airs every night in the week, But there were no souls till Friday night and we felt we were ready to say, ' We have toiled all the week and taken nothing.' But glory be to Jesus He showed us where to cast the net on Friday, and eleven precious souls came out, all of them smashed up. We felt so happy."
The Sunday was a day of glory and victory.
"We had a good day. Seven o'clock, sixteen to the prayer meeting. Two came from Bolton. Think we shall be able to do without any lent helpers, as I bad a band of about twenty men in the morning, the same in the afternoon, and about thirty at night, two or three women.
"Two souls in the morning, thirty in the evening, praise the Lord, professed to find peace, some of them very young; but Jesus said 'Suffer little children to come unto me,' and I felt they were in earnest.''
From, 'The Christian Mission Magazine', October 1878, pages 258-9.
BROTHER FLEMING from Bolton, who was sent to take up the work here, has been able to report glorious successes time after time in spite of the rowdies, who have almost pulled the clothes off his back at times. He has had as many as sixty-six souls on one Sunday.
From, 'The Christian Mission Magazine', November 1878, pages 287.
THANK God, we have had over 600 precious souls at the feet of Jesus. Oh, Hallelujah! On Sunday we had a glorious day: at seven o'clock a love feast, about 40 there; 36 testified to the love of God, and one found peace to his soul. God was in our midst all day. At night we had a glorious time: place crowded and five precious souls. One Monday we had a grand time. A young man got up jst after one of our young sisters had said in her experience, "Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden and I will give you rest," and he came out and found rest to his soul; we at once went into the prayer-meeting, and in all 17 precious souls wept their way to Calvary.
From, 'The Salvationist', January 1879, page 17-18.
Grand united meeting in Cattle Market; over 6,000 present. Splendid order. Triumphant march through town. Powerful Holiness meeting in large Methodist school. Streets lined. Overflow in the barracks; nearly forty souls. Hallelujah! Procession led on Saturday by ex-captain Fleming on white charger. Manchester band in attendance. Town completely moved.
From, 'The War Cry', August 1882.
This is just one example of what was happening here. More reports can be seen from the War Cry in future months/years.
I do not know where the Theatre was.