When The Salvation Army first began its work, there was no system for the training of officers. Men and women who came to meetings and were converted, were on occasion almost immediately taken into the ranks of the army and given Corps responsibility. This system was fruitful, and many officers were added to the Army’s ranks to meet its ever growing demand for officers to pioneer and command work.
After the immediate need for officers was satisfactorily met, the genius of Commissioner Railton began to devise a plan for the training of officers. He felt an urgent need for a place where men and women could be “drilled” in evangelism and other areas necessary for successful officership. In a letter dated November 1877, Railton wrote General Booth concerning his dream for the training of officers.
The importance of drilling the men we do get daily increases. We are not training one individual in our ideas and ways…. The want of greater unity of thought, feeling and methods will continue to cause losses with every change no matter how good each man may be.
Can we devise no plan for training folks? Could we not have a center in London to which all hopeful young folks could be rallied and where they could be thoroughly looked through and trained?
..No college, no book but the Bible, nothing but living teaching – no putting away of anything of the rough and natural – only the development of spiritual and natural power and willing to do our way and feel as we do about things.
Finally, Railton’s ideas were accepted by General Booth, and in 1880, a permanent Training Home was established for women in London. Booth appointed his second daughter, Emma, as the head of this view venture. The garrison for men was established in the same year. By the time two years had passed, the training system was very well ingrained in the fiber of the Army. More than four hundred men and women had passed through the doors of these two institutions, better equipped to serve on the field as Officers.
As the Army grew to be a worldwide venture for the Kingdom of God, so did the idea of a more localized training program for Officers. No longer would men and women have to leave their own country to attend the garrison in London. A new system for the training of officers was established whereby any local Corps could have a cadet, and be termed a training garrison.
This training system was especially used in the United States. The first of these Corps garrisons opened in 1888 in the city of Chicago, where four male cadets were trained under the leadership of Captain Trotter.
The use of Chicago as a training center seems to be a very consistent one. From its inception in 1888 to present, some type of training of cadets has taken place in this city. Full attention will now be given to tracing the history of the Chicago School as it has developed over the past ninety-three years.
The earliest history of the Chicago-centered training garrison is difficult to trace because of its transient nature. Most of the Corps garrisons were used for a year or two, and then abandoned, only to relocate in another Corps. A few times, the city of Chicago was abandoned entirely by some garrisons, and Milwaukee, Wisconsin, became the new training site. However, after a few months, these individual garrisons always returned to their Chicago Base.
It is difficult to pinpoint exactly how many individual garrisons active at any one time in this early phase. As in England, the early garrisons remained segregated as far as gender was concerned. Therefore, to have its own series of moves and changes. By 1897, not only were there several separate garrisons for men and women, but there was also a garrison totally devoted to training Swedish Cadets for work among the Scandinavians.
Perhaps the best known and most consistent corps garrison was the Chicago 1 Corps. Originally, Chicago 1, located at 558 West Madison, was known as the Princess Opera House and Rink. Before the Army acquired the building, it was a roller skating rink, as this was one of the fads of the day. When the skating craze died down, the owners were left with a huge building without any occupants. Major William Evans saw the high potential of the rink for Army purposes, and secured it in May of 1886. The rink was indeed quite useful, as it could seat two thousand people.
Besides having a huge capacity for religious services, Chicago 1 could house up to thirty cadets in what formerly was the Opera House. (When the Rink Garrison first opened, there were only five cadets in residence. This number gradually increased until the maximum capacity of thirty was reached. Here the cadets resided for up to six months, and then they were sent to the field as assistants or as probationary Lieutenants.
This training site was used for many years, housing at various times both male and female cadets. From all records , Captain Kenyon is listed as the first official local head of the program at the Rink.(After this, the records become confusing, and it very difficult to determine who was in charge of the various training institutions at any one time.) In the first days of this Chicago based training, ultimate jurisdiction of the training of cadets was held by the National Office in New York, and it remained so until 1905 when local jurisdiction was granted to Chicago for the running of the garrison.
Actual class work for cadets at this time is very sketchy, and not detailed schedule has been discovered. The Army did publish a work entitled One Year’s Review, 1893 on the garrison which list the Bible, The Doctrines and Discipline, The Field Officers Rules and Regulations, and “other suitable Army publications,” as the textbooks used in the garrison. Other practical classes such as; music, reading, writing, mathematics, and bookkeeping, were also included in the curriculum if it was necessary.
Classroom work was then supplemented by actual work in various Salvation Army Corps in the area. Cadets were expected to lead meetings, occasionally preach, and assist in various other Corps programs. Also, under the guidance of the local Corps, cadets learned the art of making house to house visits as a part of their practical work.
Perhaps the largest responsibility of the male cadets of this era was holding Open Air meetings. One of the men’s garrisons located at Chicago 23, led the way in Open Air meetings, as the War Cry reported they held twenty-eight Open Airs in one week alone! The purpose behind the thrust in Open Air evangelism seemed to be two-fold- to give cadets an exposure to public ministry, and to invite the people on the streets into the Corps Hall for an evening evangelistic meeting. Another interesting side-light on these Open Air meetings is that they were one means of supporting the garrison financially, as from five to ten dollars was collected at each street meeting.
Female cadets were in charge of most of the War Cry sales. Each week, the female cadets went either alone, or in pairs, to visit the many taverns in the heart of the city. Many interesting and exciting stories are recorded from this time about the War Cry sales. Some stories were even carried into the local papers. (See Appendix One) This gave The Salvation Army some bad publicity, and aroused some negative feelings toward the female cadets, but this did not hinder the War Cry sales effort. The purpose of this activity was both financial, and for developing an officer with courage and backbone who could stand up to a career of possible harassment and abuse. Also, many testimonies are recorded of men and women who were converted as the result of the work of the cadets in the taverns. (Thank God that The Salvation Army did not back down to public pressure. )
As mentioned previously, the early Garrison was very transient in nature. The last recorded Garrison before the present location of 700 Brompton, was a two part “campus” consisting of a location for men at 1230 West Adams Street, and another campus for women at 116 Ashland Boulevard. In reality, each “campus,” consisted of only one building. The Adam’s Street location was an old three-story residence . The Ashland Boulevard location contained a two-story residence and a coach house where classes were held. From records, these locations were used only from 1908 to 1919.
This campus arrangement was convenient, as the male cadets marched the few blocks separating the garrisons on four mornings a week for combined classroom instruction with the women. Also, on some special occasions or for “Spiritual Days,” the cadet bodies were combined. But, as in all years past, the garrisons were separate entities, and the sexes were not permitted to mix while undergoing the training process. There was also no provision for housing married cadets under this system.
In two interviews with Senior/Major William Kelley, some information was gained about the last years in the Adams/ Ashland campuses. The Senior/Major attended the Training College (as it was then known) from January to July, 1918. This of course, was during the time of our involvement in World War 1. He reports that the session was of average size for that era, and consisted of twelve men and eighteen women.
Although The Salvation Army as a whole was very involved in the War Effort, the cadets helped very little. The only real fund raising effort the male cadets gave was a one day sale of Liberty Bonds, a special type of United States Savings Bond, outside the Chicago Board of Trade Building.
The cadets did sacrifice, however, in other ways. The most vivid sacrifice Senior/Major Kelley reported was that their Training Principle, Brigadier George Davis, was gone from campus for most of his time at the Training College to raise funds for The Salvation Army ” War Chest.” (This fund was used to further the work in France as well as in the United Sates.) To the average person, this perhaps seems like not sacrifice at all, but to cadets, firm and strong leadership is highly valued, and is missed when absent.
Sometime during the years 1918-1920, it was decided to go to a single campus facility, where both the men and women would be trained together. In reading through the Chicago Property Board Minutes, the only recorded property considered in detail for this merger was the Joseph Tilt family mansion located at 700 West Brompton Place. (See Appendix Two.) The proposed property consisted of : four acres of land valued at $100,00.00, the main house (108.6 feet long and 56 feet wide) valued at $ 180,000.00, out buildings (consisting of a combined greenhouse and conservatory, and a combined garage and heating plant) valued together at $90,000.00. Surrounding the whole property stood a brick wall valued at $390,000.00. However, the proposed purchase price for the property was listed at only $250,000.00. An article about the Training College in the magazine Today, lists the purchase price of this property at $300,000.00. The article then goes on to record that the Tilt family refunded $50,000.00 of the purchase price as a charitable gift to The Salvation Army. Whatever the agreement, this property was purchased by The Salvation Army, and it became the location for the training of cadets.
Before the first session of cadets arrived at the new location, there was a short period of redecoration and transformation of the property from a residence to a school. According to findings in the Property Board Minutes, small alterations in the buildings continued for several months after the first session had begun. No major alterations, however, were made to the property at this time.
In speaking with several officers, the move to the new location was conducted without a whole lot of pomp or ceremony. Lt. Colonel Alfred Chander is listed as the Principal of the School during the move, and his appointment continued there until August of 1924. ( The Commissioner of the Territory during this time was Commissioner William Peart.) The first session of cadets attending the 700 Brompton location was the “Great Call” session of 114 cadets. One will be quick to realize that the new location did prove to be useful in increasing the available number of new officers for the field each year.
Even though this new sited had its advantages, it was only a year later that the transient nature of the School again became apparent. The Property Board Minutes for April 5, 1923, records a proposal to buy property located at 2716-2738 West Washington Boulevard. The property was being used at that time as an Episcopal Theological Seminary. The property consisted of: three buildings housing dorms, class and study rooms, libraries, dining rooms, kitchens, etc. Also, there were six modern residences having between five and seven rooms each. The purchase price for the property was listed at 125,00.00.
If this plan went into effect, it was suggested that the 700 Brompton location could be converted to a Women’s Home and Maternity Hospital. After looking at the matter in further detail, it was feared that the neighbors would object to a service of this kind being offered. So, any possible future use for the 700 Brompton location was tabled.
Reading further in the Minutes, one does not find the new property proposal surfacing again until almost a month later on May 10. At this point, there is only a very short entry which records that the idea of purchasing the Seminary property was dropped. No further reasons or discussion about this matter are ever discussed in that source.
However, on May22, 1923, another ambiguous entry is contained in the Property Board Minutes which would have had The Salvation Army relocating the School on the west side of the city. The record also states that a new building would be built on that land, instead of an existing building used. The financing for this undertaking would be gained from the sale of 700 Brompton campus, which was appraised by a real estate firm to be worth about $350,000.00 The last recorded words on this project, like the previous proposed project, was never seriously brought up again.
The next major event at the Training College occurred from 1932-1933, as it was during this time that there was no session of cadets in training. During this year, the building was completely idle, and as a result, portions of the plaster and various other items needed to be replaced. There is no reason given for this break in the training of cadets, outside the grave stat of the nation’s economy.
Again, the Property Board Minutes record the only information existing on the School available to this writer. It was suggested in Nat4m 1933, that the campus be rented to several Catholic Societies during the “A Century of Progress” exposition in Chicago. This rental would cover only 150 days, from the first of June until the first of November of that year. The Catholic Societies would use the campus as their Headquarters, semi-hotel, club and dorm during the exposition. After discussion, this proposal was refused because the start of the 1933-1934 session ( to be known as the “Do and Dare” session) would be hindered if not completely halted if such a rental took place.
The training process of cadets seems to be unhindered and quite normal until 1954. At this time, it was decided to build a new dormitory-classroom building along the Addison Street side of the campus. This project was begun in August of 1954, and suffered several setbacks in construction. One such setback was with the city of Chicago, who halted the construction until the architect agreed to move the building and additional twelve feet away from the existing sidewalk. After much controversy, the architect had to comply, and the change took place.
In November 8, 1954, General Kitching came to The William Booth Memorial Training College on the last day of his visit to Chicago ( this was the designation from 1942-1957), to lay the memorial plaque for the building which was at the time barely under construction. (The General had been in Chicago to lead the 1954 Territorial Congress.) The plaque placed on the east end of the building reads: “Erected to the Glory of God and the Service of Humanity, 1954.”
In his address to the cadets and staff officers gathered for this occasion, the General left both groups with very stirring challenges. To the cadet body he said, “Remember your own dedication to the service of God. You are the life blood of the Army. If the flow of cadets ever ceases, the Army’s life blood will stop and the Army will perish.” To the officers he said, Renew within your own hearts some of the spirit of youth that you find on these grounds.”
The actual building dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony occurred on September 16,1955. Commissioner Claude E. Bates, then Territorial Commander for the Central Territory, gave the dedicatory address. The War Cry carried an account of the dedication of the “Annex” ( later to be called Railton Hall) and listed the cost of the three story 145 foot by 45 foot building as being $210,000.00. The building contains: on the ground floor, five classrooms and a multipurpose room ( used at present as a small gymnasium-64 feet by 42 feet). The second and third floors were to be used as one room apartments for married cadets on the south side of the hall. On the north side of the hall, single women staff officers were provided with three room apartments, furnished with kitchenettes.
Since the dedication of this building, many different cadet groups have lived in the building. For a time, it did serve as married housing. Then by 1964, if not earlier, the building housed single women cadets. At present (1981), Railton Hall houses the single male cadets and two sets of married officers.
Another significant event occurred during the “Soul-Winners” session (1954-1955). Cadet Ethelmae Johnson presented the first session flag of the Central Territory to then Commissioner Claude E. Bates. Salvation Army flags bearing the session name and years were not a unique idea to the Central Territory, as they had been used in the International Training College in London since 1925. However, the presentation of a session flag was a unique idea in the United States, as this had not been done in any of the Schools previous to this time.
The Training Principal, then Sr.-Major Bramwell Tripp (stationed at the School from 1954-1964), commented on the presentation, and said; “every Blood and Fire flag has significance. But the flag which carries the added distinction of a session name has an impact all its own to the cadets of that session. It is hoped that the sight of these flags in the years following the commissioning of a session will awaken the precious memories and evoke new devotion.” In his remarks, the Principal also challenged previous sessions to have flags made for their sessions to be kept in a “hall of flags” in the back of the lecture hall.
The next large change in the Training College was not of an architectural nature, but an educational one. Previous to the 1960 session, the length of training was nine months. However, the feeling toward education after World War II grew dramatically. So, plans for a two year program were discussed, and finally instituted with the 1960-1962 ” Soldiers of Christ” session. In speaking with Commissioner Bramwell Tripp, who was then Principal of the School, some light was shed on the change.
Commissioner Tripp stated that the goals for training officers were much the same as they are today. Cadets must learn to read and write well. They must learn to be disciplined in every task they undertake. They must excel spiritually and be able to lead men and women to Jesus Christ. The training process up to that point (prior to 1960), was just not a long enough time to equip officers for the role they would be playing in a more modern, advance world.
The Curriculum Statement contained in the 1960-1961 Session Brief was also helpful. The report states that the training period for the first year would now be thirty-eight weeks in length, from September 14, 1960 through June 12, 1961. During the academic year, the cadets would participate in 30 “class hours” per week of 50 minutes each. These were broken known to 14 morning class hours, Monday through Friday; and four hours of evening class hours, Tuesday through Friday; and four hours of evening class hours, two each on Tuesday and Wednesday. In addition it scheduled classes, there were also planned between 12-14 study period per week. (It was realized that this was far too little study time, as two hours study time were expected for each hour in class. Cadets did have a few blocks of “unscheduled” time and a free afternoon on Monday, so additional preparations time could be found.)
This new system of training also greatly expanded the curriculum of the School. Instead of simply having survey courses on the Scriptures, deeper studies could be included in the second year. Also, courses on homiletics and public speaking could be expanded to give the cadet a greater degree of proficiency upon entering the field. The two year system was widely accepted, and is still in effect today.
The spiritual climate of the School for Officers’ Training (the name changed again on February 14, 1957, and has remained this to the present) has always been greatly prized among cadets and officers as well. In a general survey sent out to many officers, the spiritual life of the training experience was perhaps the one item on which frequent comment was made.
Through the surveys, many people Salvation Army fame are listed as having been a guest lecturer at the School. The most frequently mentioned visitor to the campus was Commissioner Samuel Logan Brengle who helped many cadets come into the experience of entire sanctification. Other listed were: the National Commander Evangeline Booth, General and Mrs. Bramwell Booth, Commissioner Yammamuro, Eric Ball, General Higgins, General Coutts, General Kitching, General Wiseman, and many others.
Perhaps the most unusual spiritual event happened on February 1, 1971, when a spontaneous outbreaking of the Holy Spirit swept through the cadet body during a very typical Monday morning assembly. The revival really changed the cadet body, and made it a much more exciting place to be. Many lives were changed both within the walls of the School and outside. Never before had a spontaneous outbreaking of the Spirit occurred, nor has it since. (See Appendix Three for a more comprehensive report of this revival.)
The next major event on campus occurred in December of 1972, as ground was again broken for an additional dormitory. Commissioner J Clyde Cox, then Territorial Commander, turned over the first shovel of earth, and then conducted the rest of the ceremony. The building was completed sometime in the fall of 1973, and received its full dedication. The new dormitory was named “Mumford” after the Founder’s wife, Catherine Mumford Booth.
The new Mumford building (the 1955 “Annex” was first called “Mumford,” then was changed to “Railton” in 1973) would housed a combination kitchen and dining room (previous to this, the dining room for cadets was in the “gymnasium” of the old mansion), child care facilities, and a lounge for the cadets to relax in. All of these facilities were located on the ground floor. On the second floor, enough space was provided for the housing of up to 50 single women, with additional space for a lounge and laundry room. The addition of this building increased the capacity of the School to 125 cadets and their families.
The most recent change on the School for Officers’ Training campus is an exciting one for this writer because it occurred during the research and writing of this paper. On September 11, 1980, the cornerstone was laid for the newest building on campus, known be the cadets as the “marrieds Apartments.” The Territorial Commander, Commissioner Richard E. Holz conducted the cornerstone laying. Colonel Andrew S. Miller, Chief Secretary, presided over the meeting.
On Monday, March 30, 1981 the Territorial Commander came to preside over the dedication of the building, while his brother, Commissioner Ernest W. Holz, the National Commander, formally dedicated the building. After the formal dedication, a ribbon cutting ceremony was held. Those participation in this ceremony were: Mrs. Commissioner Ernest W. Holz, Mrs. Commissioner Richard E. Holz, and assisted by Mrs. Major Donald Arnold, and Mrs. Cadet Robert Buttrey.
The new building is four stories high, and contains a child care area in the basement, and four floors of apartments for staff officers on the south half of the building, and for married cadets and their families on the north half. The building, according to the blueprint enclosed in the dedication program, has the potential of housing up to 54 families.
Progress has not stopped with this new building, however, as plans for a new Chapel and class room building was opened ; the old buildings came tumbling down, sending great clouds of dust everywhere. At the time of this writing, the only building remaining from the old apartments was called “Cadman.” (This building housed the boiler room for the mansion and some servants quarters.) For many, it was hard to watch the building be torn down, as so many fond memories occurred in those places. However, the realization of a new place of worship and better classrooms is very exciting.
History will never stand still. As time goes on, there will be more changes on campus, and more changes in the educational philosophy. But, this is part of the beauty of history.
Unfortunately, much of the history of the School for Officers’ Training has been lost through the years because it was not recorded. In collecting research materials, and in speaking with various officers about their days at the School, many bits of personal nostalgia were presented to this writer. Unfortunately, humorous stories and many bits of nostalgia are valuable only to those experiencing them first hand. The attempt of this paper has been to record the major events of the history of the School for Officers’ Training in order that they may be preserved for the reflection and use of future generations.
