This is a portion out of Frederick Booth-Tucker's biography of his wife (and daughter of William and Catherine Booth), Emma 'The Consul" Booth Tucker:"Amid all our plans and schemes for the ingathering of the parents, Christ pleads on behalf of the children, "Let them come! Forbid them not! Unto Me!" Not merely within earshot of the tidings of His life and death; not merely within range of a system of theories, or ceremonies, or dogmas, but unto Him - the living, personal, saving Christ, who can rectify the young heart as well as the older one, and who inspired the child Jeremiah as well as the veteran Moses.
"The Salvation Army takes its stand there, and it will be increasingly powerful and increasingly great in so far as it legislates and labors for the rising generation; in so far as it takes to them, and brings to bear upon them the vitalizing, renovating and uplifting forces of a living Salvation.
"Therefore, let us gird ourselves afresh for battle, strong in the conviction that our work will fail to win the Master's approval, and be utterly inadequate to the needs of the hour, unless our efforts result in bringing the children unto Him; unless genuine conversion is the outcome. Let us remember that the Holy Spirit is pledged to work with us, to interpret our words, to carry home out teachings, and to answer our prayers. The Savior of the lambs knows how to carry them in His bosom; knows how to pierce the little heart with the shaft of His love; knows hot to woo even the stripling to the hidden glory and honor of Calvary-loss and Calvary-triumph.
"Children can be saved! Thousands of changed hearts, evidenced by revolutionized lives, are bearing testimony to this fact all over the world to-day; and in many instances, even further miracles of grace are wrought by the child-saint becoming the child-Soldier, and Salvation and inspiration for the Salvation of others becomes the growing ambition of the Christ-captured disciple.
"It has often been marvelous in my own eyes to recognize the early impress of the Spirit's work. Even in babies of two and three years of age I have seen with wonder and praise that Jesus has made His presence unmistakably realized.
"I remember the case of a baby girl not two years old, who would only go to sleep with her little hands placed through the bars of her cot, "Holding Desus," as she expressed it. And again, another who, after any little childish wrong or forgetfulness, would never rest content with the pardon and kiss of those around, but must run to the window, and gazing up into the skies, with simple baby lispings, wouldas forgiveness from the great Parent Heart to whom neither the old not the young appeal in vain."
Her own experience was often referred to by her in after life as an encouragement to Christian parents to seek the definite conversion of their children by all means within their reach, and never to despair of its possibility.
At the age of seven she was converted, but the tenderness of her conscience made her at times doubt the reality of the change, because occasionally she still gave way to temper. So she determined to definitely settle her doubts, and came forward in a Meeting and freshly re-surrendered herself to God at the age of eleven.
Living in the warm atmosphere of Consecration and active service created by her parents during these early years, Emma had, of course, a great advantage enjoyed by few children, and from her youngest years the child spirit seemed readily to absorb the greatest influences that surrounded her.
Realizing how few children had enjoyed the special privileges that had fallen to her lot, she was tireless in her subsequent efforts to urge her fellow-Officers to make this a leading feature of their work.
Booth-Tucker, Frederick. The Consul: A Memoir of Emma Moss Booth-Tucker. King's Cross, London: Salvationist Publishing and Supplies, pp.6-7
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