January is the time of year when many of us take stock of our habits and resolve to do better. Topping the list – as mentioned in my previous post – are health and fitness habits.
If you’re looking for some inspiration to make healthy change this year, look no further than The Salvation Army’s founders William and Catherine Booth and their family.
William Booth was born in 1829 and with his wife Catherine founded what would become The Salvation Army in the late 1850s. The Booths came from the Methodist tradition and – like many from their denomination – followed the vegetarian practices of John Wesley even though doing so was difficult in Victorian England.
Catherine was partial to vegetarianism and is credited with encouraging her husband to adopt the lifestyle too.
In fact, William Booth responded to a news reporter inquiry in 1909 that he believed his vegetable-based diet was key to helping him maintain his rigorous travel and speaking schedule into his 80s.
The Booth’s children were also active in the ministry of The Salvation Army and carried on the family’s commitment to vegetarianism. Especially Bramwell Booth who succeeded his father as General of The Salvation Army.
Read the full article here.
