Pattie Watkins
From Sawiki
Staff Captain Pattie Watkins possessed to a powerful extent the gift of song which appears to be inherent in so many of Cambria's sons and daughters. This will be borne witness to by scores of soldiers and friends who had the opportunity of listening to her rich voice as it has been raised to the glory of God. She was a born songster, and when but a wee bit of a thing would find her best amusement and entertainment in gathering together children of a similar tender age, and after bidding them be seated on the door stoop of her parents dwelling, or an old wagon, or a heap of stones conveniently near, would form them into a juvenile Glee Club, to the amusement of passers by. As she grew older this innate love of song grew with her, until it became her hobby, her delight, almost a part of her existence.
Of course when permission was granted her to take music lessons, she was in ecstasies of joy and when asked, some time after, to sing at a church social, she thought the summit of her ambition was reached. But it was not so; it was not gained until some years after, when she met with that peculiar people called The Salvation Army, and became, first a special, and then an officer in its ranks.
Captain Watkins' spiritual training was good, or at least as good as could be expected, taking into consideration the fact that her mother was in a back-slidden state. Mother Watkins strove to do the thing which was right by her children, making them attend church regularly, and telling them to do as she said and not as she did.
"You may say I got to be very sanctimonious," said the captain when relating the afore-going particulars to us in our sanctum- especially on Good Fridays. "I wouldn't dare to laugh even on Good Friday oh my, no! And even if anybody else laughed in my presence I would instantly check them, and request them to desist. I considered it my bounden duty every Good Friday to visit the churchyard and inspect the graves, and spend the day mournfully and silently. But wasn't I glad when Easter arrived, and things were bright and gay, and I could look upon the Lord as a conqueror over sin and the grave."
"I was so stubborn willed! Hardly anything could move me after I had made up my mind on a point, and this caused much unpleasantness wherever I went."
This latter assertion is hard to believe now, when we find her willing to sink all differences of opinion, and go and do whatever Headquarters thinks best. The change can only be accounted for by the operation of the Holy Ghost, altogether revolutionizing the captain's life, desires and will.
This girl actually joined a Welsh Baptist Church while still unregenerated; in fact was not even asked if she had accepted the Savior. The question she was asked was, "Have you a desire to become a Christian?" Answering in the affirmative, she was accepted without further ado. And yet this church-membership affair of hers didn't satisfy. Not a bit of it! How could it be expected to? The heart was unchanged; she was still a stranger to God. Fear of death and the judgement still clung to her, and occasioned her much anxiety, until at last anything that savored of death in any way was sufficient to upset her nervous system.
Now for an amusing incident in her life, which has caused many times a ripple of laughter to steal its way over the faces of the audience she has been addressing: One night a neighbor was taken sick, and Pattie and her brother were called on to go for the doctor. On their way to the house of Erculapius the pair of juveniles "oh, horror of horrors!" had to pass through the churchyard! Twas after dark, too, the very time the spook brigade was said to get in its fine work of scaring folks. What was to be done? Excuses would not do, even tears were unavailing there was nothing left but to go. Well, the churchyard was reached in due time, and after a brief council of war, the following programme was agreed on:
Mining accidents were frequent at her home (Aberdare), and the long funeral processions of dead miners were continually scaring her. She often wondered when her end would come; and when a brother of hers was burnt in the mine and brought home disfigured, the question of her soul's sa vation troubled her worse than ever she wished for freedom she longed for deliverance from sin and this slavish fear of death that formed her skeleton in the closet. She had not long to wait! God used The Salvation Army as her deliverer.
This is how she fell in with the Army; Mother Shepherd, one of the pioneers of Army work, was holding meetings at Trecynon, a village distant some few miles from Pattie's home. It is needless to add that excitement, mingled with curiosity, was rife in every nook and cranny of the village; suffice it to say that news of the strange goings on of the Army and the so-called mesmeric influence they exerted over people reached the Watkins homestead in Aberdare, causing Pattie to resolve that on her next visit to Trecynon, whatever else was left out, one of the S.A. meetings should be taken in. It was done, and proved the turning point in her life. She was slightly scared (she was evidently a scarable girl at that time...she is not so now) because the captain looked so hard at her, but helped in the singing as it was weak.
Some time after this The Army came to Aberdare, where she again met them. She stood on the edge of the open air ring, was greatly impressed with their intense earnestness and her heart's conviction was, to us a homely phrase, that they had the kernal of religion, while she only had the shell.
And yet she would not acknowledge it! Night after night, after leaving The Army meetings in a state of intense conviction, did she use the fact of her being a church-member as a wet blanket to try and extinguish the fire of an accusing conscience of course unsuccessfully. She could not beat to think of what people would say if she went to that Salvation army penitent form. They would think she had been playing the hypocrite all along, and if they thought that why, yes! she was sure of it! -- it would kill her. Oh my! Oh, my! Oh, my! Here was a pretty state of affairs. What could she do? She tried to find peace in her seat in the hall no peace came. She prayed to get salvation at home no salvation came. The crisis arrived; the thought struck her forcibly, "Christ went to Calvary and bore the curse and shame openly for me ---cannot I openly acknowledge him by kneeling at the penitent form?" That was the settler! Out she came at the next meeting, and the longed for deliverance came in a twinkling.
She soon began to grow in grace; was appointed sergeant, then special; then came two years as lieutenant to Capt. Nellie Morell, now Mrs. Staff. Capt. Evans of Wales; then came the journey to Clapton Training Home, to be followed shortly after by a two months trip with Mr. Herbert Booth's Singing Brigade, at the conclusion of which she was commissioned lieutenant and placed with Capt. Bown, whom she labored with at West Cowes and Salisbury. And then, America!
This is how it came about. It was Christmas time, and Lieut. Watkins and her captain were getting out their programme of special meetings and enjoying in anticipation the various big goes they were arranging. The new War Cry harbinger of glad tidings to all men was to hand, and happened to contain that week the names of several officers who were gazetted for foreign service. "Poor things," the lieutenant ejaculated, "how do I pithy them! Christmas time, too! Not much enjoyment for them. Ain't I glad it isn't me! Ugh! Away from home and friends in a foreign land." And a shrug of the shoulders emphasized her remarks.
But it was only a few weeks later the first Tuesday in the new year when both these lassies received a wire asking them if they were willing to go abroad. It was totally unexpected. Capt. Bown took the matter very serenely, but the lieutenant still felt the awfulness of leaving her native land for parts unknown, and was as may be expected, terribly upset, but both fell on their knees and prayed, and soon both could say "Anywhere for Jesus," writing back in answer to the Headquarters wire, "We are soldiers, and we will go."
How was Mrs. Watkins taking all this? Not at all complacently. It was opposition from her all the way. She opposed her daughter going to Army meetings in the first instance, she opposed her going into the work, and when she heard of her call for the foreign field she went as far as to tell her she would rather see her coffin cross the threshold of the house then give her permission, but at length gave in, and soon after got converted, and has ever since been an Army soldier true and brave, wears the uniform, and shows by her life the reality of her conversion.
America was chosen as the future field of labor for Lieut. Watkins, and to America she was soon hastening across the briny. After a safe arrival she supplied for a short time at Boston 2 (Windsor Theatre then) and then Capt. Bown and herself were appointed to open Taunton, Massachusetts, where she was promoted captain and sent to Scranton, Pa. Twelve months of very successful work here; 700 souls. Then came Brooklyn 1, where, not being allowed to stand and hold open-airs, they would speak to the people as they marched slowly by. There were only three or four soldiers here when she came, but before she left they would march out about fifty strong.
Five months at Fall River followed, when, being taken sick, she had to take a furlough, at the expiration of which she was appointed to the command of New York 1, where she remained fifteen months, building up the corps and doing a good work generally.
Then came her promotion to the rank of stff-captain and her appointment as special for the benefit of the Training Homes. After rendering assistance in this direction, the call came for her to mother the women cadets at the Lyceum Training Garrison, Brooklyn.
