Now, if everything in this world was just a procession like that of Knights Templar in San Francisco, and everybody was happy as the people I have seen on Mount Tamalpais, then there would be no sorrow, and there would be no pain; in fact this world would be the paradise on earth. But, alas! regretful as it may be, yet it is only the simple truth, that it is only the minority that are real happy, while the vast majority of men and women and children in this world are just a mass of suffering humanity, and if the investigations of religious societies, sociologists, and psychologists, are true, the cause of all misery in this world is misconduct or misfortune, which in one word is, sin, that brings misery. And there is where my purpose in life begins. I am out against sin. But to fight sin, it is absolutely necessary to be a soldier of the man who gave his life for the salvation of all mankind.
President Emeritus Eliot of Harvard University, a man of colossal thought-machine, man, who controls the unprejudiced intellectual minds of America, in his address on "The Religion of the Future," is quoted as saying: "I venture to add that I am not at the hold of any proud world--whatever; second, that such little part of the world as I am best acquainted with loves the Lowly Nazarene--and does not hate Him; thirdly, that I have met during my life most of the sorrows which are accounted heaviest; fourth, that Jesus will be in the religion of the future, not less, but more, than in the Christianity of the past." All efforts without Jesus, trying to better the world, shall fail. It is and will be the opinion of all sane minds for many generations yet to come. This was my opinion and the only imposing motive that brought me down on my knees on the 14th of October, 1904, in a poorly furnished hall where the Salvation Army had the Sunday night's meeting. I gave my heart to Jesus, for life and for eternity, to be his and his alone. And I knew, there and then, that I was honorably converted.
To make the surrender complete I offered my services to the Salvation Army, that I should use all I had, my time and my talent, to uplift the down-fallen humanity and help to make this world better. Major Harris Connett and Adjutant Allison Coe, were the officers in charge of the Los Angeles Salvation Army and they received me into their ranks and for ten months I was engaged in this wonderful organization, visiting the sick, praying in the saloons, in the slums and everywhere doing all that I could to promote the cause of Jesus in bringing souls into his fold. But nothing gave me so great pleasure as the poor children of Los Angeles at Christmas time when I was dressed in the Santa Claus clothing distributing presents to them. I never felt happier in all my life even in the best days as a High Priest.