[Illustration: GENERAL BOOTH]

REGENERATION

Being an Account of the Social Work of The Salvation Army in GreatBritain. 

H. RIDER HAGGARD

1910

DEDICATION

I dedicate these pages to the Officers and Soldiers of the SalvationArmy, in token of my admiration of the self-sacrificing work by whichit is their privilege to aid the poor and wretched throughout theworld. 

H. RIDER HAGGARD. 

DITCHINGHAM, _November, 1910_

CONTENTS

 INTRODUCTORY

 MEN'S SOCIAL WORK, LONDON

 SPA ROAD ELEVATOR

 GREAT PETER STREET SHELTER

 FREE BREAKFAST SERVICE

 EX-CRIMINALS

 MEN'S WORKSHOP: HANBURY STREET, WHITECHAPEL

 STURGE HOUSE, BOW ROAD

 CENTRAL LABOUR BUREAU

 INTERNATIONAL INVESTIGATION DEPARTMENT

 EMIGRATION DEPARTMENT

 WOMEN'S SOCIAL WORK IN LONDON

 HEADQUARTERS OF THE WOMEN'S SOCIAL WORK

 HILLSBOROUGH HOUSE INEBRIATES' HOME

 MATERNITY NURSING HOME

 MATERNITY RECEIVING HOME

 MATERNITY HOSPITAL

 'THE NEST, ' CLAPTON

 TRAINING INSTITUTE FOR WOMEN'S SOCIAL WORK

 WOMEN'S INDUSTRIAL HOME, HACKNEY

 INEBRIATES' HOME

 WOMEN'S INDUSTRIAL HOME, SOUTHWOOD

 WOMEN'S SHELTER, WHITECHAPEL

 SLUM SETTLEMENT, HACKNEY ROAD

 PICCADILLY MIDNIGHT WORK

 ANTI-SUICIDE BUREAU

 WORK IN THE PROVINCES, LIVERPOOL

 MEN'S SOCIAL WORK, MANCHESTER

 OAKHILL HOUSE, MANCHESTER

 MEN'S SOCIAL WORK, GLASGOW

 ARDENSHAW WOMEN'S HOME

 WOMEN'S LODGING-HOUSE, GLASGOW

 LAND AND INDUSTRIAL COLONY, HADLEIGH

 SMALL-HOLDINGS SETTLEMENT, BOXTED

 IMPRESSIONS OF GENERAL BOOTH

 THE CHIEF OF THE STAFF

 NOTE ON THE RELIGION OF THE SALVATION ARMY

 APPENDICES

AUTHOR'S NOTE

The author desires to thank Mr. D. R. DANIEL for the kind and valuableassistance he has given him in his researches into the Social Work ofthe Salvation Army. 

He takes this occasion to make it clear that this book does no morethan set out the results of his investigations into some of that vastSocial Work, and his personal conclusions as to it and those by whomit is prosecuted. 

To obviate any possible misunderstanding as to the reason of itswriting, he wishes to state further that it has not been compiled byhim as a matter of literary business. 

INTRODUCTORY

WHAT IS THE SALVATION ARMY?

If this question were put to the ordinary person of fashion orleisure, how would it be answered?

In many cases thus: 'The Salvation Army is a body of people dressed upin a semi-military uniform, or those of them who are women, inunbecoming poke bonnets, who go about the streets making a noise inthe name of God and frightening horses with brass bands. It is underthe rule of an arbitrary old gentleman named Booth, who calls himselfa General, and whose principal trade assets consist in a handsome andunusual face, and an inexhaustible flow of language, which hegenerally delivers from a white motor-car wherever he finds that hecan attract the most attention. He is a clever actor in his way, whohas got a great number of people under his thumb, and I am told thathe has made a large fortune out of the business, like the late prophetDowie, and others of the same sort. The newspapers are always exposinghim; but he knows which side his bread is buttered and does not care. When he is gone no doubt his family will divide up the cash, and weshall hear no more of the Salvation Army!'

Such are still the honest beliefs of thousands of our instructedfellow-countrymen, and of hundreds of thousands of others of lessdegree belonging to the classes which are generally typified under thesynonym of 'the man in the street, ' by which most people understandone who knows little, and of that little nothing accurately, but whodecides the fate of political elections. 

Let us suppose, however, that the questioner should succeed ininteresting an intelligent and fair-minded individual holder of theseviews sufficiently to induce him to make inquiry into the factsconcerning this Salvation Army. What would he then discover?

He would discover that about five and forty years ago some impulse, wherever it may have come from, moved a Dissenting minister, giftedwith a mind of power and originality, and a body of great strength andendurance, gifted, also, with an able wife who shared his views, totry, if not to cure, at least to ameliorate the lot of the fallen ordistressed millions that are one of the natural products of highcivilization, by ministering to their creature wants and regeneratingtheir spirits upon the plain and simple lines laid down in the NewTestament. He would find, also, that this humble effort, at firstquite unaided, has been so successful that the results seem to partakeof the nature of the miraculous. 

Thus he would learn that the religious Organization founded by thisman and his wife is now established and, in most instances, firmlyrooted in 56 Countries and Colonies, where it preaches the Gospel in33 separate languages: that it has over 16, 000 Officers whollyemployed in its service, and publishes 74 periodicals in 20 tongues, with a total circulation of nearly 1, 000, 000 copies per issue: that itaccommodates over 28, 000 poor people nightly in its Institutions, maintaining 229 Food Dépôts and Shelters for men, women, and children, and 157 Labour Factories where destitute or characterless people areemployed: that it has 17 Homes for ex-criminals, 37 Homes forchildren, 116 Industrial Homes for the rescue of women, 16 LandColonies, 149 Slum Stations for the visitation and assistance of thepoor, 60 Labour Bureaux for helping the unemployed, and 521 DaySchools for children: that, in addition to all these, it has Criminaland General Investigation Departments, Inebriate Homes for men andwomen, Inquiry Offices for tracing lost and missing people, MaternityHospitals, 37 Homes for training Officers, Prison-visitation Staffs, and so on almost _ad infinitum_. 

He would find, also, that it collects and dispenses an enormousrevenue, mostly from among the poorer classes, and that its system isrun with remarkable business ability: that General Booth, oftensupposed to be so opulent, lives upon a pittance which most countryclergymen would refuse, taking nothing, and never having takenanything, from the funds of the Army. And lastly, not to weary thereader, that whatever may be thought of its methods and of the noisemade by the 23, 000 or so of voluntary bandsmen who belong to it, it isundoubtedly for good or evil one of the world forces of our age. 

Before going further, it may, perhaps, be well that I should explainhow it is that I come to write these pages. First, I ought to statethat my personal acquaintance with the Salvation Army dates back agood many years, from the time, indeed, when I was writing 'RuralEngland, ' in connexion with which work I had a long and interestinginterview with General Booth that is already published. Subsequently Iwas appointed by the British Government as a Commissioner toinvestigate and report upon the Land Colonies of the Salvation Army inthe United States, in the course of which inquiry I came into contactwith many of its Officers, and learned much of its system and methods, especially with reference to emigration. Also I have had otheropportunities of keeping in touch with the Army and its developments. 

In the spring of 1910 I was asked, on behalf of General Booth, whetherI would undertake to write for publication an account of the SocialWork of the Army in this country. After some hesitation, for the lackof time was a formidable obstacle to a very busy man, I assented tothis request, the plan agreed upon being that I should visit thevarious Institutions, or a number of them, etc. , and record what Iactually saw, neither more nor less, together with my resultingimpressions. This I have done, and it only remains for me to assurethe reader that the record is true, and, to the best of his belief andability, set down without fear, favour, or prejudice, by one notunaccustomed to such tasks. 

Almost at the commencement of my labours I sought an interview withGeneral Booth, thinking, as I told him and his Officers (the SalvationArmy is not mealy-mouthed about such matters) that at his age it wouldbe well to set down his views in black and white. On the whole, Ifound him well and vigorous. He complained, however, of the difficultyhe was experiencing, owing to the complete loss of sight in one eye, occasioned by an accident during a motor journey, and the possibledeprivation of the sight of the other through cataract. 

Of the attacks that have been and are continually made upon theSalvation Army, some of them extremely bitter, General Booth would saylittle. He pointed out that he had not been in the habit of defendinghimself and his Organization in public, and was quite content that thework should speak for itself. Their affairs and finances had beeninvestigated by eminent men, who 'could not find a sixpence out ofplace'; and for the rest, a balance-sheet was published annually. Thisbalance-sheet for the year ending September 30, 1909, I reprint in anappendix. [1]

With regard to the Social Work of the Army, which in its beginning wasa purely religious body, General Booth said that they had been driveninto it because of their sympathy with suffering. They found itimpossible to look upon people undergoing starvation or weighed downby sorrows and miseries that came upon them through poverty, withoutstretching out a hand to help them on to their feet again. In the sameway they could not study wrongdoers and criminals and learn theirsecret histories, which show how closely a great proportion of humansin is connected with wretched surroundings, without trying to helpand reform them to the best of their abilities. Thus it was that theirSocial operations began, increased, and multiplied. They contemplatednot only the regeneration of the individual, but also of hiscircumstances, and were continually finding out new methods by whichthis might be done. 

The Army looked forward to the development of its Social Work on thelines of self-help, self-management and self-support. Whenever a newdevelopment came under consideration, the question arose--How is it tobe financed? The work they had in hand at present took all theirfunds. One of their great underlying principles was that of thenecessity of self-support, without which no business or undertakingcould stand for long. The individual must co-operate in his own moraland physical redemption. At the same time this system of theirs was, in practice, one of the difficulties with which they had to contend, since it caused the benevolent to believe that the Army did not needfinancial assistance. His own view was that they ought to receivesupport in their work from the Government, as they actually did insome other countries. Especially did he desire to receive State aid indealing with ascertained criminals, such as was extended to them incertain parts of the world. 

Thus only a few weeks before, in Holland, the Parliament had asked theSalvation Army to co-operate in the care of discharged prisoners andgave a grant of money for their support. In Java the tale was thesame. There they were preparing estates as homes for lepers, and soona large portion of the leper population of that land would be in theircharge. 

General Booth told me the story of a celebrated Danish doctor, anoptician, who became attracted to the Army, and, giving up hispractice and position, entered its service with his wife. They saidthey wished to lead a life of real sacrifice and self-denial, and so, after going through a training like any other Cadets, were sent out totake charge of the medical work in Java. A recent report stated thatthis Officer had attended 16, 000 patients in nine months, andperformed 516 operations. 

In Australia, the Government had handed over the work amongst theReformatory boys to the Army. In New Zealand, the Government hadrequested it to take over inebriates, and was now paying acontribution to that work of 10s. Per head a week. There the Army hadpurchased two islands to accommodate these inebriates, one on whichthe men followed the pursuits of agriculture, fishing, and so forth, and the other for the women. In Canada there was an idea that a largeprison should be erected, of which the Salvation Army would takecharge. He hoped that in course of time they would be allowed greatlyto extend their work in the English prisons. 

General Booth pointed out to me with reference to their Social Work, that it was necessary to spend large sums of money in findingemployment for men whom they had rescued. Here, one of their greatestdifficulties was the vehement opposition of members of the LabourParty in different countries. 

This party said, for example, that the Army ought to pay the TradeUnion rate of wage to any poor fellow whom they had picked up and setto such labour as paper-sorting or carpentry. Thus in WesternAustralia they had an estate of 20, 000 acres lying idle. When he wasthere a while ago, he asked the Officer in charge why he did notcultivate this land and make it productive. The man replied he had nolabour; whereon the General said that he could send him plenty fromEngland. 

'Yes, ' commented the Officer, 'but the moment they begin to work here, however inefficient or broken down they may be, we shall have to paythem 7s. A day!'

This regulation, of course, makes it impossible to cultivate thatestate except at a heavy loss. 

He himself had been denounced as the 'prince of sweaters, ' because hetook in derelict carpenters at their Institution in Hanbury Street(which I shall describe later), to whom he did not pay the Trade Unionwage, although that Institution had from the first been worked at aloss. In this case he had made peace with the Parliamentary Committeeby promising not to make anything there which was used outside theArmy establishments. But still the attacks went on. 

Passing from this subject, I asked General Booth if he had formed anyforecast of the future of the Salvation Army after his own death. Hereplied that there were certain factors in the present position of theArmy which seemed to him to indicate its future growth and continuity. Speaking impersonally, he said that the present General had become animportant man not by his own choice or through the workings ofambition, but by the will of Providence. He had acquired a certainstanding, a great hold over his community, and an influence whichhelped to concentrate and keep together forces that had grown to beworldwide in their character. It was natural, therefore, that peopleshould wonder what would happen when he ceased to be. 

His answer to these queries was that legal arrangements had been madeto provide for this obvious contingency. Under the provisions of theconstitution of the Army he had selected his successor, although hehad never told anybody the name of that successor, which he felt sure, when announced, was one that would command the fullest confidence andrespect. The first duty of the General of the Army on taking up hisoffice was to choose a man to succeed him, reserving to himself thepower to change that man for another, should he see good reason forsuch a course. In short, his choice is secret, and being unhampered byany law of heredity or other considerations except those that appealto his own reason and judgment, not final. He nominates whom he will. 

I asked him what would happen if this nominated General misconductedhimself in any way, or proved unsuitable, or lost his reason. Hereplied that in such circumstances arrangements had been made underwhich the heads of the Army could elect another General, and that whatthey decided would be law. The organization of the Army was such thatany Department of it remained independent of the ability of oneindividual. If a man proved incompetent, or did not succeed, hisoffice was changed; the square man was never left in the round hole. Each Department had laws for its direction and guidance, and those inauthority were responsible for the execution of those laws. If for anyreason whatsoever, one commander fell out of the line of action, another was always waiting to take his place. In short, he had no fearthat the removal of his own person and name would affect theOrganization. It was true, he remarked, that leaders cannot bemanufactured to order, and also that the Army had made, and wouldcontinue to make, mistakes up and down the world. But those mistakesshowed them how to avoid similar errors, and how and where to improve. 

As regarded a change of headship, a fresh individuality always hascharms, and a new force would always strike out in some new direction. The man needed was one who would _do_ something. General Booth did notfear but that he would be always forthcoming, and said that for hispart he was quite happy as to the future, in which he anticipated anenlargement of their work. The Organization existed, and with it thearrangements for filling every niche. The discipline of to-day wouldcontinue to-morrow, and that spirit would always be ready to burstinto flame when it was needed. 

In his view it was inextinguishable. 

MEN'S SOCIAL WORK, LONDON

THE MIDDLESEX STREET SHELTER

The first of the London Institutions of the Salvation Army which Ivisited was that known as the Middlesex Street Shelter and WorkingMen's Home, which is at present under the supervision of CommissionerSturgess. This building consists of six floors, and contains sleepingaccommodation for 462 men. It has been at work since the year 1906, when it was acquired by the Army with the help of that well-knownphilanthropist, the late Mr. George Herring. 

Of the 462 men accommodated daily, 311 pay 3d. For their night'slodging, and the remainder 5d. The threepenny charge entitles thetenant to the use of a bunk bedstead with sheets and an American clothcover. If the extra 2d. Is forthcoming the wanderer is provided with aproper bed, fitted with a wire spring hospital frame and provided witha mattress, sheets, pillow, and blankets. I may state here that as inthe case of this Shelter the building, furniture and other equipmenthave been provided by charity, the nightly fees collected almostsuffice to pay the running expenses of the establishment. Under lessfavourable circumstances, however, where the building and equipmentare a charge on the capital funds of the Salvation Army, theexperience is that these fees do not suffice to meet the cost ofinterest and maintenance. 

The object of this and similar Shelters is to afford to men upon theverge of destitution the choice between such accommodation as is hereprovided and the common lodging-house, known as a 'kip house, ' or thecasual ward of a workhouse. Those who avail themselves of theseShelters belong, speaking generally, to the destitute or nearlydestitute classes. They are harbours of refuge for the unfortunateswho find themselves on the streets of London at nightfall with a fewcoppers or some other small sum in their pockets. Many of these socialwrecks have sunk through drink, but many others owe their sad positionto lack or loss of employment, or to some other misfortune. 

For an extra charge of 1d. The inmates are provided with a goodsupper, consisting of a pint of soup and a large piece of bread, or ofbread and jam and tea, or of potato-pie. A second penny supplies themwith breakfast on the following morning, consisting of bread andporridge or of bread and fish, with tea or coffee. 

The dormitories, both of the fivepenny class on the ground floor andof the threepenny class upstairs, are kept scrupulously sweet andclean, and attached to them are lavatories and baths. These lavatoriescontain a great number of brown earthenware basins fitted with taps. Receptacles are provided, also, where the inmates can wash theirclothes and have them dried by means of an ingenious electricalcontrivance and hot air, capable of thoroughly drying any ordinarygarment in twenty minutes while its owner takes a bath. 

The man in charge of this apparatus and of the baths was one who hadbeen picked up on the Embankment during the past winter. In return forhis services he received food, lodging, clothes and pocket-money tothe amount of 3s. A week. He told me that he was formerly a commercialtraveller, and was trying to re-enter that profession or to become aship's steward. Sickness had been the cause of his fall in the world. 

Adjoining the downstairs dormitory is a dining and sitting-room forthe use of those who have taken bed tickets. In this room, when Ivisited it, several men were engaged in various occupations. One ofthem was painting flowers. Another, a watch repairer, was apparentlymaking up his accounts, which, perhaps, were of an imaginary nature. Athird was eating a dinner which he had purchased at the food bar. Afourth smoked a cigarette and watched the flower artist at his work. Afifth was a Cingalese who had come from Ceylon to lay some grievancebefore the late King. The authorities at Whitehall having investigatedhis case, he had been recommended to return to Ceylon and consult alawyer there. Now he was waiting tor the arrival of remittances toenable him to pay his passage back to Ceylon. I wondered whether theremittances would ever be forthcoming. Meanwhile he lived here on7-1/2d. A day, 5d. For his bed and 2-1/2d. For his food. Of these andother men similarly situated I will give some account presently. 

Having inspected the upper floors I descended to the basement, wherewhat are called the 'Shelter men' are received at a separate entranceat 5. 30 in the afternoon, and buying their penny or halfpennyworth offood, seat themselves on benches to eat. Here, too, they can sit andsmoke or mend their clothes, or if they are wet, dry themselves in theannexe, until they retire to rest. During the past winter of 1909 400men taken from the Embankment were sheltered here gratis every night, and were provided with soup and bread. When not otherwise occupiedthis hall is often used for the purpose of religious services. 

I spoke at hazard with some of those who were sitting about in theShelter. A few specimen cases may be interesting. An old man told methat he had travelled all over the world for fifty years, especiallyin the islands of the South Pacific, until sickness broke him down. Hecame last from Shanghai, where he had been an overseer on railwaywork, and before that from Manila. Being incapacitated by fever andrheumatism, and possessing 1, 500 dollars, he travelled home, apparently via India and Burma, stopping a while in each country. Eventually he drifted to a lodging-house, and, falling ill there, wassent to the Highgate Infirmary, where, he said, he was so cold that hecould not stop. Ultimately he found himself upon the streets inwinter. For the past twelve months he had been living in this Shelterupon some help that a friend gave him, for all his own money was gone. Now he was trying to write books, one of which was in the hands of awell-known firm. He remarked, pathetically, that they 'have had it along time. ' He was also waiting 'every day' for a pension fromAmerica, which he considered was due to him because he fought in theCivil War. 

Most of these poor people are waiting for something. 

This man added that he could not find his relatives, and that heintended to stop in the Shelter until his book was published, or hecould 'help himself out. '

The next man I spoke to was the flower artist, whom I have alreadymentioned, whose work, by the way, if a little striking in colour, wasby no means bad, especially as he had no real flowers to draw from. Bytrade he was a lawyer's clerk; but he stated that, unfortunately forhim, the head partner of his firm went bankrupt six years before, andthe bad times, together with the competition of female labour in theclerical department, prevented him from obtaining another situation, so he had been obliged to fall back upon flower painting. He was amarried man, but he said, 'While I could make a fair week's money, things were comfortable, but when orders fell slack I was requested togo, as my room was preferable to my company, and being a man ofnervous temperament I could not stand it, and have been here eversince'--that was for about ten weeks. He managed to make enough forhis board and lodging by the sale of his flower-pictures. 

A third man informed me that he had opened twenty-seven shops for alarge firm of tobacconists, and then left to start in business forhimself; also he used to go out window-dressing, in which he wasskilled. Then, about nine years ago, his wife began to drink, andwhile he was absent in hospital, neglected his business so that itbecame worthless. Finally she deserted him, and he had heard nothingof her since. After that he took to drink himself. He came to thisShelter intermittently, and supported himself by an occasional job ofwindow-dressing. The Salvation Army was trying to cure this man of hisdrinking habits. 

A fourth man, a Eurasian, was a schoolmaster in India, who drifted tothis country, and had been for four years in the Colney Hatch Asylum. He was sent to the Salvation Army by the After Care Society. He hadbeen two years in the Shelter, and was engaged in saving up money togo to America. He was employed in the Shelter as a scrubber, and alsoas a seller of food tickets, by which means he had saved some money. Also he had a £5 note, which his sister sent to him. This note he waskeeping to return to her as a present on her birthday! His story waslong and miserable, and his case a sad one. Still, he was capable ofdoing work of a sort. 

Another very smart and useful man had been a nurse in the Army MedicalCorps, which he left some years ago with a good character. Occasionally he found a job at nursing, and stayed at the Shelter, where he was given employment between engagements. 

Yet another, quite a young person, was a carman who had beendischarged through slackness of work in the firm of which he was aservant. He had been ten weeks in the Institution, to which he camefrom the workhouse, and hoped to find employment at his trade. 

In passing through this building, I observed a young man of foreignappearance seated in a window-place reading a book, and asked hishistory. I was told that he was a German of education, whose ambitionit is to become a librarian in his native country. He had come toEngland in order to learn our language, and being practically withoutmeans, drifted into this place, where he was employed in cleaning thewindows and pursued his studies in the intervals of that humble work. Let us hope that in due course his painstaking industry will berewarded, and his ambition fulfilled. 

All these cases, and others that I have no space to mention, belongedto the class of what I may call the regular 'hangers-on' of thisparticular Shelter. As I visited it in the middle of the day, I didnot see its multitude of normal nightly occupants. Of such men, however, I shall be able to speak elsewhere. 

THE SPA ROAD ELEVATOR

BERMONDSEY

The next Institution that I inspected was that of a paper-sortingworks at Spa Road, Bermondsey, where all sorts of waste paper aredealt with in enormous quantities. Of this stuff some is given andsome is bought. Upon delivery it goes to the sorters, who separate itout according to the different classes of the material, after which itis pressed into bales by hydraulic machinery and sold to merchants tobe re-made. 

These works stand upon two acres of land. Parts of the existingbuildings were once a preserve factory, but some of them have beenerected by the Army. There remain upon the site certaindwelling-houses, which are still let to tenants. These are destined tobe pulled down whenever money is forthcoming to extend the factory. 

The object of the Institution is to find work for distressed or fallenpersons, and restore them to society. The Manager of this 'Elevator, 'as it is called, informed me that it employs about 480 men, all ofwhom are picked up upon the streets. As a rule, these men are giventheir board and lodging in return for work during the first week, butno money, as their labour is worth little. In the second week, 6d. Ispaid to them in cash; and, subsequently, this remuneration is added toin proportion to the value of the labour, till in the end some of themearn 8s. Or 9s. A week in addition to their board and lodging. 

I asked the Officer in charge what he had to say as to the charges ofsweating and underselling which have been brought against theSalvation Army in connexion with this and its other productiveInstitutions. 

He replied that they neither sweated nor undersold. The men whom theypicked up had no value in the labour market, and could get nothing todo because no one would employ them, many of them being the victims ofdrink or entirely unskilled. Such people they overlooked, housed, fed, and instructed, whether they did or did not earn their food andlodging, and after the first week paid them upon a rising scale. Theresults were eminently satisfactory, as even allowing for thedrunkards they found that but few cases, not more than 10 per cent, were hopeless. Did they not rescue these men most of them would sinkutterly; indeed, according to their own testimony many of suchwastrels were snatched from suicide. As a matter of fact, also, theyemployed more men per ton of paper than any other dealers in thetrade. 

With reference to the commercial results, after allowing for intereston the capital invested, the place did not pay its way. He said that asum of £15, 000 was urgently required for the erection of a newbuilding on this site, some of those that exist being of arough-and-ready character. They were trying to raise subscriptionstowards this object, but found the response very slow. 

He added that they collected their raw material from warehouses, mostof it being given to them, but some they bought, as it was necessaryto keep the works supplied, which could not be done with the gratisstuff alone. Also they found that the paper they purchased was themost profitable. 

These works presented a busy spectacle of useful industry. There wasthe sorting-room, where great masses of waste-paper of every kind wasbeing picked over by about 100 men and separated into its variousclasses. The resulting heaps are thrown through hoppers into bins. From the bins this sorted stuff passes into hydraulic presses whichcrush it into bales that, after being wired, are ready for sale. 

It occurred to me that the dealing with this mass of refuse paper mustbe an unhealthy occupation; but I was informed that this is not thecase, and certainly the appearance of the workers bore out thestatement. 

After completing a tour of the works I visited one of the bedroomscontaining seventy beds, where everything seemed very tidy and fresh. Clean sheets are provided every week, as are baths for the inmates. Inthe kitchen were great cooking boilers, ovens, etc. , all of which areworked by steam produced by the burning of the refuse of the sortedpaper. Then I saw the household salvage store, which containedenormous quantities of old clothes and boots; also a great collectionof furniture, including a Turkish bath cabinet, all of which articleshad been given to the Army by charitable folk. These are either givenaway or sold to the employes of the factory or to the poor of theneighbourhood at a very cheap rate. 

The man in charge of this store was an extremely good-looking andgentlemanly young follow of University education, who had been awriter of fiction, and once acted as secretary to a gentleman whotravelled on the Continent and in the East. Losing his employment, hetook to a life of dissipation, became ill, and sank to the verybottom. He informed me that his ideals and outlook on life were nowtotally changed. I have every hope that he will do well in the future, as his abilities are evidently considerable, and Nature has favouredhim in many ways. 

I interviewed a number of the men employed in these works, most ofwhom had come down through drink, some of them from very goodsituations. One had been the superintendent of a sewing-machinecompany. He took to liquor, left his wife, and found himself upon thestreets. Now he was a traveller for the Salvation Army, in theinterests of the Waste-Paper Department, had regained his position inlife, and was living with his wife and family in a comfortable house. 

Another was a grocer by profession, all of whose savings were stolen, after which he took to drink. He had been three months in the works, and at the time of my visit was earning 6s. A week with food andlodging. 

Another had been a Barnardo boy, who came from Canada as a ship'ssteward, and could find nothing to do in England. Another was agentleman's servant, who was dismissed because the family left London. 

Another was an auctioneer, who failed from want of capital, took todrink, and emigrated to Canada. Two years later he fell ill withpleurisy, and was sent home because the authorities were afraid thathis ailment might turn to consumption. He stated that at this time hehad given up drink, but could obtain no employment, so came upon thestreets. As he was starving and without hope, not having slept in abed for ten nights, he was about to commit suicide when the SalvationArmy picked him up. He had seen his wife for the first time in fouryears on the previous Whit Monday, and they proposed to live togetheragain so soon as he secured permanent employment. 

Another had been a soldier in the Seaforth Highlanders, and served inthe Egyptian Campaign of 1881, and also in the American Army. Subsequently he was employed as a porter at a lodging-house at a salary of 25s. A week, but left because of trouble about a woman. Hecame upon the streets, and, being unable to find employment, wascontemplating suicide, when he fell under the influence of the Army atthe Blackfriars Shelter. 

All these men, and others whom I spoke to at random but have no spaceto write of, assured me that they were quite satisfied with theirtreatment at the works, and repudiated--some of them withindignation--the suggestion that I put to them tentatively that theysuffered from a system of sweating. For the most part, indeed, theirgratitude for the help they were receiving in the hour of need wasvery evident and touching. 

THE GREAT PETER STREET SHELTER

WESTMINSTER

This fine building is the most up-to-date Men's Shelter that theSalvation Army possesses in London. It was once the billiard works ofMessrs. Burroughes and Watts, and is situated in Westminster, quitenear to the Houses of Parliament. I visited it about eight o'clock inthe evening, and at its entrance was confronted with the word 'Full, 'inscribed in chalk upon its portals, at which poor tramps, deprived oftheir hope of a night's lodging, were staring disconsolately. Itreminded me of a playhouse upon a first-night of importance, but, alas! the actors here play in a tragedy more dreadful in itscumulative effect than any that was ever put upon the stage. 

This Shelter is wonderfully equipped and organized. It containssitting or resting-rooms, smoking-rooms, huge dormitories capable ofaccommodating about 600 sleepers; bathrooms, lavatories, extensivehot-water and warming apparatus, great kitchens, and butteries, and soforth. In the sitting and smoking-rooms, numbers of derelict men wereseated. Some did nothing except stare before them vacantly. Someevidently were suffering from the effects of drink or fatigue; somewere reading newspapers which they had picked up in the course oftheir day's tramp. One, I remember, was engaged in sorting out andcrumpling up a number of cigar and cigarette ends which he hadcollected from the pavements, carefully grading the results indifferent heaps, according to the class of the tobacco (how strong itmust be!) either for his own consumption or for sale to otherunfortunates. In another place, men were eating the 1d. Or 1/2d. Suppers that they had purchased. 

Early as it was, however, the great dormitories were crowded withhundreds of the lodgers, either in bed or in process of getting there. I noticed that they all undressed themselves, wrapping up their ragsin bundles, and, for the most part slept quite naked. Many of themstruck me as very fine fellows physically, and the reflection crossedmy mind, seeing them thus _in puris naturalibus_, that there waslittle indeed to distinguish them from a crowd of males of the upperclass engaged, let us say, in bathing. It is the clothes that make thedifference to the eye. 

In this Shelter I was told, by the way, that there exists a code ofrough honour among these people, who very rarely attempt to stealanything from each other. Having so little property, they sternlyrespect its rights. I should add that the charge made foraccommodation and food is 3d. Per night for sleeping, and 1d. Or 1/2d. Per portion of food. 

The sight of this Institution crowded with human derelicts struck meas most sad, more so indeed than many others that I have seen, though, perhaps, this may have been because I was myself tired out with a longday of inspection. 

The Staff-Captain in charge here told me his history, which is sotypical and interesting that I will repeat it briefly. Many years ago(he is now an elderly man) he was a steward on board a P. And O. Liner, and doing well. Then a terrible misfortune overwhelmed him. Suddenly his wife and child died, and, as a result of the shock, hetook to drink. He attempted to cut his throat (the scar remains tohim), and was put upon his trial for the offence. Subsequently hedrifted on to the streets, where he spent eight years. During all thistime his object was to be rid of life, the methods he adopted being tomake himself drunk with methylated spirits, or any other villainousand fiery liquor, and when that failed, to sleep at night in wet grassor ditches. Once he was picked up suffering from inflammation of thelungs and carried to an infirmary, where he lay senseless for threedays. The end of it was that a Salvation Army Officer found him inOxford Street, and took him to a Shelter in Burne Street, where he wasbathed and put to bed. 

That was many years ago, and now he is to a great extent responsiblefor the management of this Westminster Refuge. Commissioner Sturgess, one of the head Officers of the Army, told me that their greatdifficulty was to prevent him from overdoing himself at thischaritable task. I think the Commissioner said that sometimes he wouldwork eighteen or twenty hours out of the twenty-four. 

One day this Staff-Captain played a grim little trick upon me. I wasseated at luncheon in a Salvation Army building, when the door opened, and there entered as dreadful a human object as I have ever seen. Theman was clad in tatters, his bleeding feet were bound up with filthyrags; he wore a dingy newspaper for a shirt. His face was cut andplastered over roughly; he was a disgusting sight. He told me, inhusky accents, that drink had brought him down, and that he wantedhelp. I made a few appropriate remarks, presented him with a smallcoin, and sent him to the Officers downstairs. 

A quarter of an hour later the Staff-Captain appeared in his uniformand explained that he and the 'object' were the same person. Again itwas the clothes that made the difference. Those which he had worn whenhe appeared at the luncheon-table were the same in which he had beenpicked up on the streets of London. Also he thanked me for my goodadvice which he said he hoped to follow, and for the sixpence that heannounced his intention of wearing on his watch-chain. For my part Ifelt that the laugh was against me. Perhaps if I had thought theSalvation Army capable of perpetrating a joke, I should not have beenso easily deceived. 

This Staff-Captain gave me much information as to the class ofwanderers who frequent these Shelters, He estimated that about 50 percent of them sink to that level through the effects of drink. That isto say, if by the waving of some magic wand intoxicants and harmfuldrugs should cease to be obtainable in this country, the bulk ofextreme misery which needs such succour, and it may be added of crimeat large, would be lessened by one-half. This is a terrible statement, and one that seems to excuse a great deal of what is called 'teetotalfanaticism. ' The rest, in his view, owe their fall to misfortune ofvarious kinds, which often in its turn leads to flight to the delusiveand destroying solace of drink. Thus about 25 per cent of the totalhave been afflicted with sickness or acute domestic troubles. Orperhaps they are 'knocked out' by shock, such as is brought on by theloss of a dearly-loved wife or child, and have never been able torecover from that crushing blow. The remainder are the victims ofadvancing age and of the cruel commercial competition of our day. Thushe said that the large business firms destroy and devour the smallshopkeepers, as a hawk devours sparrows; and these little people ortheir employes, if they are past middle age, can find no other work. Especially is this the case since the Employers' Liability Acts cameinto operation, for now few will take on hands who are not young andvery strong, as older folk must naturally be more liable to sicknessand accident. 

Again, he told me that it has become the custom in large businesses ofwhich the dividends are falling, to put in a man called an'Organizer, ' who is often an American. 

This Organizer goes through the whole staff and mercilessly dismissesthe elderly or the least efficient, dividing up their work among thosewho remain. So these discarded men fall to rise no more and drift tothe poorhouse or the Shelters or the jails, and finally into the riveror a pauper's grave. First, however, many spend what may be called aperiod of probation on the streets, where they sleep at night underarches or on stairways, or on the inhospitable flagstones and benchesof the Embankment, even in winter. 

The Staff-Captain informed me that on one night during the previousNovember he counted no less than 120 men, women, and children sleepingin the wet on or in the neighbourhood of the Embankment. Think ofit--in this one place! Think of it, you whose women and children, tosay nothing of yourselves, do not sleep on the Embankment in the wetin November. It may be answered that they might have gone to thecasual ward, where there are generally vacancies. I suppose that theymight, but so perverse are many of them that they do not. Indeed, often they declare bluntly that they would rather go to prison than tothe casual ward, as in prison they are more kindly treated. 

The reader may have noted as he drove along the Embankment or otherLondon thoroughfares at night in winter, long queues of people waitingtheir turn to get something. What they are waiting for is a cup ofsoup and, perhaps, an opportunity of sheltering till the dawn, whichsoup and shelter are supplied by the Salvation Army, and sometimes byother charitable Organizations. I asked whether this provision ofgratis food did in fact pauperize the population, as has been alleged. The Staff-Captain answered that men do not as a rule stop out in themiddle of the winter till past midnight to get a pint of soup and apiece of bread. Of course, there might be exceptions; but for the mostpart those who take this charity, do so because if is sorely needed. 

The cost of these midnight meals is reckoned by the Salvation Army atabout £8 per 1, 000, including the labour involved in cooking anddistribution. This money is paid from the Army's Central Fund, whichcollects subscriptions for that special purpose. 

'Of course, our midnight soup has its critics, ' said one of theOfficers who has charge of its distribution; 'but all I know is thatit saves many from jumping into the river. '

During the past winter, that is from November 3, 1909, to March 24, 1910, 163, 101 persons received free accommodation and food at thehands of the Salvation Army in connexion with its Embankment SoupDistribution Charity. 

THE FREE BREAKFAST SERVICE

BLACKFRIARS SHELTER

On a Sunday in June I attended the Free Breakfast service at theBlackfriars Shelter. The lease of this building was acquired by theSalvation Army from a Temperance Company. Behind it lay contractors'stables, which were also bought; after which the premises were rebuiltand altered to suit the purposes to which they are now put, thestabling being for the most part converted into sleeping-rooms. 

The Officer who accompanied me, Lieut. -Colonel Jolliffe, explainedthat this Blackfriars Shelter is, as it were, the dredger for and thefeeder of all the Salvation Army's Social Institutions for men inLondon. Indeed, it may be likened to a dragnet set to catch maleunfortunates in this part of the Metropolis. Here, as in the otherArmy Shelters, are great numbers of bunks that are hired out at 3d. Anight, and the usual food-kitchens and appliances. 

I visited one or two of these, well-ventilated places that in coldweather are warmed by means of hot-water pipes to a heat of about 70deg. , as the clothing on the bunks is light. 

I observed that although the rooms had only been vacated for a fewhours, they were perfectly inoffensive, and even sweet; a result thatis obtained by a very strict attention to cleanliness and ampleventilation. The floors of these places are constantly scrubbed, andthe bunks undergo a process of disinfection about once a week. As aconsequence, in all the Army Shelters the vermin which sometimestrouble common lodging-houses are almost unknown. 

I may add that the closest supervision is exercised in these placeswhen they are occupied. Night watchmen are always on duty, and anOfficer sleeps in a little apartment attached to each dormitory. Theresult is that there are practically no troubles of any kind. Sometimes, however, a poor wanderer is found dead in the morning, inwhich case the body is quietly conveyed away to await inquest. 

I asked what happened when men who could not produce the necessarycoppers to pay for their lodging, applied for admission. The answerwas that the matter was left to the discretion of the Officer incharge. In fact, in cases of absolute and piteous want, men areadmitted free, although, naturally enough, the Army does not advertisethat this happens. If it did, its hospitality would be considerablyovertaxed. 

Leaving the dormitories, I entered the great hall, in which weregathered nearly 600 men seated upon benches, every one of which wasfilled. The faces and general aspect of these men were eloquent ofwant and sorrow. Some of them appeared to be intent upon the religiousservice that was going on, attendance at this service being thecondition on which the free breakfast is given to all who need foodand have passed the previous night in the street. Others were gazingabout them vacantly, and others, sufferers from the effects of drink, debauchery, or fatigue, seemed to be half comatose or asleep. 

This congregation, the strangest that I have ever seen, comprised menof all classes. Some might once have belonged to the learnedprofessions, while others had fallen so low that they looked scarcelyhuman. Every grade of rag-clad misery was represented here, and everystage of life from the lad of sixteen up to the aged man whoseallotted span was almost at an end. Rank upon rank of them, there theysat in their infinite variety, linked only by the common bond of utterwretchedness, the most melancholy sight, I think, that ever my eyesbeheld. All of them, however, were fairly clean, for this matter hadbeen seen to by the Officers who attend upon them. The Salvation Armydoes not only wash the feet of its guests, but the whole body. Also, it dries and purifies their tattered garments. 

When I entered the hall, an Officer on the platform was engaged inoffering up an extempore prayer. 

'We pray that the Holy Spirit may be poured out upon these men. Wepray, O God, that Thou wilt help them to take fresh courage, to findfresh hope, and that they may rise once again to fight the battle oflife. We pray that Thou mayst bring to Thy feet, this morning, such asshall be saved eternally. '

Then another Officer, styled the Chaplain, addressed the audience. Hetold them that there was a way out of their troubles, and thathundreds who had sat in that hall as they did, now blessed the daywhich brought them there. He said: 'You came here this morning, youscarcely knew how or why. You did not know the hand of God was leadingyou, and that He will bless you if you will listen to His Voice. Youthink you cannot escape from this wretched life; you think of the pastwith all its failures. But do not trouble about the years that aregone. Seek the Kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all otherthings shall be added unto you. Then there will be no more wanderingabout without a friend, for I say to you that God lives, and thismorning you will hear from others, who once were in a similarcondition to yourself, what He has done for them. '

Next a man with a fine tenor voice, who, it seems, is nicknamed 'theYorkshire Canary, ' sang the hymn beginning, 'God moves in a mysteriousway. ' After this in plain, forcible language he told his own story. Hesaid that he was well brought up by a good father and mother, and losteverything through his own sin. His voice was in a sense his ruin, since he used to sing in public-houses and saloons and there learnt todrink. At length he found himself upon the streets in London, andtramped thence to Yorkshire to throw himself upon the mercy of hisparents. When he was quite close to his home, however, his couragefailed him, and he tramped back to London, where he was picked up bythe Salvation Army. 

This man, a most respectable-looking person, is now a clerk in awell-known business house. In his own words, 'I knelt down and gave myheart to God, and am to-day in a good situation. '

Next a Salvation Army soldier spoke. Four years before he had attendedthe Sunday morning meeting in this hall and 'found the friendship ofGod. He has helped me to regain the manhood I had lost and to do myduty. For two years now I have helped to support an invalid sisterinstead of being a burden to every one I knew, as once I was. '

After the singing of the hymn, 'Rock of Ages, ' another man addressedthe meeting. He had been a drunkard, a homeless wanderer, who sleptnight after night on the Embankment till fortune brought him to thisservice and to the Penitent-Form. Since that time, two and a halfyears before, no drink had passed his lips, and once again, as hedeclared, he had become 'a self-respecting, respectable citizen. '

Then a dwarf whom I had seen at work in the Spa Road Elevator, and whoonce was taken about the country to be exhibited as a side show atfairs and there fell a victim to drink, gave his testimony. 

Another verse, 'Could my tears for ever flow, ' and after it, in rapidsuccession, spoke a man who had been a schoolmaster and fallen throughdrink and gambling; a man who, or whose brother, I am not sure which, had been a Wesleyan preacher, and who is now employed in a LifeAssurance Company; a man who had been a prisoner; a man who had been aconfirmed drunkard, and others. 

Always it was the same earnest, simple tale of drink and degradation, passed now for ever; of the Penitent-Form; of the building up of a newself, and of position regained. 

More singing and an eloquent prayer which seemed to move the audiencevery much, some of them to tears; an address from a woman SalvationArmy Officer, who pleaded with the people in the name of theirmothers, and a brief but excellent sermon from Commissioner Sturgess, based upon the parable of the Marriage of the King's Son as recordedin the 22nd chapter of St. Matthew, and of the guests who werecollected from the highways and byways to attend the feast whence therich and worldly had excused themselves. 

Then the great and final invocation to Heaven to move the hearts ofthese men, and the invitation to them to present themselves at thePenitent-Form. Lastly a mighty, thundering hymn, 'Jesu, Lover of mysoul, ' and the ending of the long drama. 

It was a wonderful thing to see the spiritually-faced man on theplatform pleading with his sordid audience, and to watch them stirringbeneath his words. To see, also, a uniformed woman flitting to and froamong that audience, whispering, exhorting, invoking--a temptress toSalvation, then to note the response and its manner that were strangerstill. Some poor wretch would seem to awaken, only to relapse into astate of sullen, almost defiant torpor. A little while and the leavenbegins to work in him. He flushes, mutters something, half rises fromhis seat, sits down again, rises once more and with a peculiar, unwilling gait staggers to the Penitent-Form, and in an abandonment ofgrief and repentance throws himself upon his knees and there begins tosob. A watching Officer comes to him, kneels at his side and, Isuppose, confesses him. The tremendous hymn bursts out like a paean oftriumph--

 Just as I am, without one plea, it begins, the rest I forget or did not catch. 

Now the ice is broken. Another comes and another, and another, tillthere is no more room at the Penitent-Bench. They swarm on to theplatform which is cleared for them, and there kneel down, and Iobserved the naked feet of some of them showing through the worn-outboots. 

So it goes on. At length the great audience rises and begins todepart, filing one by one through a certain doorway. As they pass, Officers who have appeared from somewhere wait for them withoutstretched arms. The most of them brush past shaking their heads andmuttering. Here and there one pauses, is lost--or rather won. TheSalvation Army has him in its net and he joins the crowd upon theplatform. Still the hymn swells and falls till all have departed savethose who remain for good--about 10 per cent of that sad company. 

[Illustration: SEEKING THE HOMELESS AT MIDNIGHT. ]

It is done and the catcher feels that he has witnessed the veryuttermost of tragedies, human and spiritual. 

 * * * * *

Mere common 'revivalism'! the critic will say, and it may be so. Stillsuch revivalism, if that is the term for it, must be judged by itsfruits. I am informed that of those who kneel here experience showsthat but a small percentage relapse. The most of them become what inthe Salvation Army cant--if one chooses so to name it--is known as'saved. '

This means that from drunkards and wastrels stained with every sort ofhuman fault, or even crime, they are turned into God-fearing andrespectable men who henceforward, instead of being a pest to societyand a terror to all those who have the misfortune to be connected withthem, become props of society and a comfort and a support to theirrelatives and friends. 

Thus is the mesh of mercy spread, and such is its harvest. 

The age of miracles is past, we are told; but I confess that whilewatching this strange sight I wondered more than once that if thiswere so, what that age of miracles had been like. Of one thing I wassure, that it must have been to such as these that He who isacknowledged even by sceptics to have been the very Master of mankind, would have chosen to preach, had this been the age of His appearance, He who came to call sinners to repentance. Probably, too, it was tosuch as these that He did preach, for folk of this character arecommon to the generations. Doubtless, Judea had its knaves anddrunkards, as we know it had its victims of sickness and misfortune. The devils that were cast out in Jerusalem did not die; they reappearin London and elsewhere to-day, and, it would seem, can still be castout. 

I confess another thing, also; namely, that I found all this dramacuriously exciting. Most of us who have passed middle age and led afull and varied life will be familiar with the great human emotions. Yet I discovered here a new emotion, one quite foreign to a somewhatextended experience, one that I cannot even attempt to define. Thecontagion of revivalism! again it will be said. This may be so, or itmay not. But at least, so far as this branch of the Salvation Armywork is concerned, those engaged in it may fairly claim that the treeshould be judged by its fruits. Without doubt, in the main thesefruits are good and wholesome. 

I have only to add to my description of this remarkable service, thatthe number netted, namely, about 10 per cent of those present, was, Iam told, just normal, neither more nor less than the average. Some ofthese doubtless will relapse; but if only _one_ of them remains reallyreformed, surely the Salvation Army has vindicated its arguments andall is proved to be well worth while. But to that one very manyciphers must be added as the clear and proved result of the fortyyears or so of its activity. Whatever may be doubtful, this is truebeyond all controversy, for it numbers its converts by the thousand. 

 * * * * *

The congregation which I saw on this particular occasion seemed to meto consist for the most part of elderly men; in fact, some of themwere very old, and the average age of those who attended thePenitent-Form I estimated at about thirty-five years. This, however, varies. I am informed that at times they are mostly young persons. Itmust be remembered--and the statement throws a lurid light upon theconditions prevailing in London, as in other of our great cities--thatthe population which week by week attends these Sunday morningservices is of an ever-shifting character. Doubtless, there are some_habitués_ and others who reappear from time to time. But the most ofthe audience is new. Every Saturday night the highways and the hedges, or rather the streets and the railway arches yield a new crop ofhomeless and quite destitute wanderers. These are gathered into theBlackfriars Shelter, and go their bitter road again after the rest, the breakfast, and the service. But as we have seen here a substantialproportion, about 10 per cent, remain behind. These are allinterviewed separately and fed, and on the following morning as manyof them as vacancies can be found for in the Paper Works Elevator orelsewhere are sent thither. 

I saw plenty of these men, and with them others who had been rescuedpreviously; so many, indeed, that it is impossible to set out theirseparate cases. Looking through my notes made at the time, I findamong them a schoolmaster, an Australian who fought in South Africa, apublican who had lost £2, 000 in speculation and been twelve months onthe streets, a sailor and two soldiers who between them had seen muchservice abroad, and a University man who had tried to commit suicidefrom London Bridge. 

Also there was a person who was recently described in the newspapersas the 'dirtiest man in London. ' He was found sitting on the steps ofa large building in Queen Victoria Street, partly paralysed fromexposure. So filthy and verminous was he, that it was necessary toscrape his body, which mere washing would not touch. When he waspicked up, a crowd of several hundred people followed him down thestreet, attracted by his dreadful appearance. His pockets were full offilth, amongst which were found 5s. In coppers. He had then been amonth in the Shelter, where he peels or peeled potatoes, etc. , andlooked quite bright and clean. 

Most of these people had been brought down by the accursed drink, which is the bane of our nation, and some few by sheer misfortune. 

Neither at the service, nor afterwards, did I see a single Jew, forthe fallen of that race seem to be looked after by their fellowreligionists. Moreover, the Jews do not drink to excess. Foreigners, also, are comparatively scarce at Blackfriars and in the otherShelters. 

THE EX-CRIMINALS

On the afternoon of the Sunday on which I visited the BlackfriarsShelter, I attended another service, conducted by CommissionerSturgess, at Quaker Street. 

Here the room was filled by about 150 men, all of whom had beenrescued, and were then working in the various Shelters or elsewhere. Imay say that I have seldom seen a congregation of more respectableappearance, and never one that joined with greater earnestness in areligious service. 

I will take this opportunity to observe that the Salvation Armyenforces no religious test upon those to whom it extends itsassistance. If a man is a member of the Church of England or a RomanCatholic, for instance, and wishes to remain so, all that it tries todo is to make him a good member of his Church. Its only _sine qua non_is that the individual should show himself ready to work zealously atany task which it may be able to find for him. 

The rest of that afternoon I spent in interviewing ex-criminals whowere then in the charge of the Salvation Army. To give details oftheir cases in this book is impossible. Here I will only say, therefore, that some of these had been most desperate characters, whohad served as much as thirty or forty years in various prisons, oreven been condemned to death for murder. Indeed, the nineteen men whomI interviewed had, between them, done 371 years of what is known as'time. '

I cannot honestly report that I liked the looks of all these gentry, or believed everything that they told me. For instance, when suchpeople swear that they have been wrongly convicted, an old lawyer andmagistrate like myself, who knows what pains are taken by everyEnglish Court to safeguard the innocent, is apt to be sceptical. Still, it should be added that many of these jailbirds are now to allappearance quite reformed, while some of them are doing well in moreor less responsible positions, under the supervision of the Army. 

The Salvation Army Officers have authority from the Home Office tovisit the various prisons, where the inmates are informed that thosewho are desirous of seeing them must give in their names. Then on acertain day, the Officer, who, under Commissioner Sturgess, isresponsible for the Prison work of the Army in England, appears at theWandsworth or the Pentonville Prison, or wherever it may be. There hefinds, perhaps, as many as 150 men waiting to see him, the totalnumber of ex-prisoners who pass through the hands of the Army inEngland averaging at present about 1, 000 per annum. He interviewsthese men in their cells privately, the prison officials remainingoutside, and stops as long with each of them as he deems to beneedful, for the Governors of the prisons give him every opportunityof attaining the object of his work. This Officer informed me that hisconversation with the prisoners is not restricted in any way. It maybe about their future or of spiritual matters, or it may have to dowith their family affairs. 

The details of each case are carefully recorded in a book which I saw, and when a convict is discharged and given over to the care of theArmy, a photograph and an official statement of his record isfurnished with him. This statement the Army finds a great help, as indealing with such people it is necessary to know their past in orderto be able to guard against their weak points. 

The Government authorities have now begun to seek the aid of the Armyin certain special cases. If they feel that it is unnecessary toretain a man any longer, they will sometimes hand him over, should theSalvation Army Officers be willing to take him in and be responsiblefor him. General Booth and his subordinates think that if this systemwere enlarged and followed up, it would result in the mitigation orthe abbreviation of many sentences, without exposing the public todanger. 

In discussing this matter with them, I ventured to point out that itwould be a bad thing if the Army became in any way identified with theprison Authorities, and began, at any rate in the mind of the criminalclasses, to wear the initials G. R. Instead of those of the Army upontheir collars. This was not disputed by Commissioner Sturgess, withwhom I debated the question. 

What the Army desires, however, is that the Government shouldsubsidize this work in order to enable it to support the ex-convictsuntil it can find opportunity to place them in positions where theycan earn their own bread. The trouble with such folk is that, naturally enough, few desire to employ them, and until they areemployed, which in the case of aged persons or of those with a verybad record may be never, they must be fed, clothed, and housed. 

After going into the whole subject at considerable length and in muchdetail, the conclusion which I came to was that this work of thevisitation of prisoners by Salvation Army Officers, and the care ofthem when released either on or before the completion of theirsentences, is one that might be usefully extended, should the HomeOffice Authorities see fit so to do. There is no doubt, although itcannot guarantee success in every case, that the Salvation Army ispeculiarly successful in its dealings with hardened criminals. 

Why this is so is not easy to explain. I think, however, that thereare two main reasons for its success. The first is that the Army takesgreat care never to break a promise which it may make through any ofits Officers. Thus, if a man in jail is told that his relatives willbe hunted up and communicated with, or that an application will bemade to the Authorities to have him committed to the care of the Army, or that work will be found for him on his release, and the like, thatundertaking, whatever it may be, is noted in the book which I havementioned, and although years may pass before it can be fulfilled, isin due course carried out to the letter. Now, convicts are shy birds, who put little faith in promises. But when they find that these arealways kept they gain confidence in the makers of them, and oftenlearn to trust them entirely. 

The second and more potent reason is to be found in the power of thatloving sympathy which the Army extends even to the vilest, to thosefrom whom the least puritanical of us would shrink. It shows such menthat they are not utterly lost, as these believe; that it, at anyrate, does not mark them with a figurative broad arrow and consignthem to a separate division of society; that it is able to give themback the self-respect without which mankind is lower than the beast, and to place them, regenerated, upon a path that, if it be steep andthorny, still leads to those heights of peace and honour which theynever thought to tread again. 

This is done not by physical care and comfort, though, of course, these help towards the desired end, but by its own spiritual means, orso it would appear. Its Officers pray with the man; they awake hisconscience, which is never dead in any of us; they pour the blessedlight of hope into the dark places of his soul; they cause him to hatethe past, and to desire to lead a new life. Once this desire isestablished, the rest is comparatively simple, for where the heartleads the feet will follow; but without it little or nothing can bedone. Such is the explanation I have to offer. At any rate, I believeit remains a fact that among the worst criminals the Salvation Armyoften succeeds where others have failed. 

Another point that should not be overlooked in this connexion is thatit must be a great comfort to the sinner and an encouragement of themost practical sort to find, as he sometimes will, that the handswhich are dragging him and his kind from the mire, had once been asfilthy as his own. When the worker can say to him, 'Look at me; inbygone days I was as bad as or worse than you'; when he can point tomany others whose vices were formerly notorious, but who now fillpositions of trust in the Army or outside of it, and are honoured ofall men; then the lost one, emerging, perhaps, for the fifth or sixthtime from the darkness of his prison, sees by the light of theseconcrete examples that the future has promise for us all. If _they_have succeeded why should _he_ fail? That is the argument which comeshome to him. 

There remains a matter to be considered. Let us suppose that as timegoes by the Authorities become more and more convinced of the value ofthe Army's prison work, and pass over to its care criminals inever-increasing numbers, as they are doing in some other countries andin the great Colonies, what will be the effect upon the Army itself?Will not this mass of comparatively useless material clog the wheelsof the great machine by overlading it with a vast number ofex-prisoners, some of whom, owing to their age or other circumstances, are quite incapable of earning their livelihood, and therefore must becarried till their deaths? When I put the query to those in command, the answer given was that they did not think so, as they believed thatthe Army would be able to turn the great majority of these men intorespectable, wage-earning members of society. 

Thus of those who have been sent to it lately from the prisons, ithas, I understand, been forced to return only two, because these menwould not behave themselves, and proved to be a source of danger andcontamination to others. As regards the residuum who are incapacitatedby age or weakness of mind or body, General Booth and his Officers areof opinion that the Government should contribute to their support insuch places as the Army may be able to find for them to dwell in underits care. 

I hope that these forecasts, which after all are made by men of greatexperience who should know, may not prove to be over-sanguine. Stillit must be remembered that in England alone there are, I am told, some30, 000 confirmed criminals in the jails, not reckoning the 5, 000 whoare classed as convicts. If even 20 per cent of these were passed overto the care of the Army, with or without State grants in aid of theirsupport, this must in the nature of things prove a heavy burden uponits resources. When all is said and done it is harder to findemployment for a jailbird, even if reformed, than for any other classof man, because so damaged a human article has but little commercialvalue in the Labour market. 

If, however, the Salvation Army is prepared to face this gigantictask, it may be hoped that it will be given an opportunity of showingwhat it can do on a large scale, as it has already shown upon one morerestricted. Prison reform is in the air. The present system isadmitted more or less to have broken down. It has been shown to beincompetent to attain the real end for which it is established; thatis, not punishment, as many still believe, for this hereditary idea ishard to eradicate, but prevention and, still more, reformation. 

The 'Vengeance of the Law' is a phrase not easy to forget; but amonghumane and highly-civilized peoples the word Vengeance should bereplaced by another, the best that I can think of is--Regeneration. The Law should not seek to avenge--that may be left to the savagecodes, civil and religious, of the dark ages. Except in the case ofthe death sentence, which is not everywhere in favour, it should seekto regenerate. 

If, then, among other agencies, the Salvation Army is able to provebeyond cavil that it can assist our criminal system to attain thisnoble end, ought not opportunity to be given it in full measure? Is ittoo much to hope that when the new Prison Act, of which the substancehas recently been outlined by the Home Secretary, comes to bediscussed, this object may be kept in view and the offer of theSalvation Army to co-operate in the great endeavour may not be lightlythrust aside? If its help is found so valuable in the solution of thisparticular problem in other lands, why should it be rejected here, or, rather, why should it not be more largely utilized, as I know fromtheir own lips, General Booth and his Officers hope and desire?[2]

THE MEN'S WORKSHOP

HANBURY STREET, WHITECHAPEL

This Salvation Army carpentering and joinery shop has been inexistence for about fifteen years, but it does not even now pay itsway. It was started by the Army in order to assist fallen mechanics bygiving them temporary work until they could find other situations. 

The manager informed me that at the beginning they found work forabout thirty men. When I visited the place some fifty hands wereemployed--bricklayers, painters, joiners, etc. , none of whom need stopan hour longer than they choose. From 100 to 150 men pass through thisWorkshop in a year, but many of them being elderly and thereforeunable to obtain work elsewhere, stop for a long while, as the Armycannot well get rid of them. All of these folk arrive in a state ofabsolute destitution, having even sold their tools, the lastpossessions with which a competent workman parts. 

The Parliamentary Committee of the Labour Party and the Trade Unionshave recently stirred up a great agitation, which has been widelyreported in the Press, against the Hanbury Street Workshop, becausethe Army does not pay the Union rate of wages. As a result the Armynow declines all outside contracts, and confines its operations to thework of erecting, repairing, or furnishing its own buildings. 

Here it may be stated that these complaints seem to be unreasonable. The men employed have almost without exception been taken off thestreets to save them from starvation or the poorhouse. Often enoughthey are by no means competent at their work, while some of them havefor the time being been rendered practically useless through theeffects of drink or other debaucheries. Yet it is argued with violencethat to such people, whom no business firm would employ upon anyterms, the Army ought to pay the full Trade Union rate of wages. Whenevery allowance is made for the great and urgent problems connectedwith the cruel practice of 'sweating, ' surely this attitude throws astrange light upon some of the methods of the Trade Unions?

The inference seems to be that they would prefer that these derelictsshould come on the rates or starve rather than that the Army shouldhouse and feed them, giving them, in addition, such wage as theirlabour may be worth. Further comment seems to be needless, especiallywhen I repeat that, as I am assured, this Hanbury Street Institutionnever has earned, and does not now earn, the cost of its upkeep. 

It is situated in the heart of a very poor district, and is rather aramshackle place to look at, but still quite suitable to its purposes. I have observed that one of the characteristics of the Salvation Armyis that it never spends unnecessary money upon buildings. If it canbuy a good house or other suitable structure cheap it does so. If itcannot, it makes use of what it can get at a price within its means, provided that the place will satisfy the requirements of the sanitaryand other Authorities. 

All the machines at Hanbury Street are driven by electric power thatis supplied by the Stepney Council at a cost of 1_d_. Per unit forpower and 3_d_. Per unit for lighting. 

An elderly man whom I saw there attending to this machinery, wasdismissed by one of the great railway companies when they werereducing their hands. He had been in the employ of the Salvation Armyfor seven years and received the use of a house rent free and a wageof 30_s_. A week, which probably he would find it quite impossible toearn anywhere else. 

The hours of employment are from 6. 30 a. M. To 5. 30 p. M. If the man isengaged on outside work, or to 6 p. M. If he labours in the workshop, and the men are paid at various rates according to the value of theirwork, and whether they are boarded and lodged, or live outside. Thusone to whom I spoke, who was the son of a former mayor of an importanttown, was allowed 3_s. _ a week plus food and lodging, while anotherreceived 9_s. _ a week, 5_s. _ of which was sent to his wife, from whomhe was separated. Another man, after living on the Army for about twoyears, made charges against it to the Carpenters' and Joiners' Union. He returned and apologized, but had practically to be kept underrestraint on account of his drinking habits. 

Another man spent twenty years in jail and then walked the streets. Heis now a very respectable person, earns 27_s. _ 6_d. _ a week, and livesoutside with his wife and family. Another was once convicted ofcruelty to his children, whom he placed under the boards of theflooring while he went out to drink. These children are now restoredto him, and he lives with them. Another among those with whom Ihappened to speak, was robbed by a relative of £4, 000 which his fatherleft to him. He was taken on by the Army in a state of destitution, but I forget what he earned. Another, the youngest man in the Works, came to them without any trade at all and in a destitute condition, but when I saw him was in charge of a morticing machine. He hadmarried, lived out, and had been in the employ of the Army for fiveyears. His wage was 27_s. _ 6_d. _ a week. Two others drew as much as £25_s. _ 11_d. _ each, living out; but, on the other hand, some receivedas little as 3_s. _ a week with board and lodging. 

Amongst this latter class was a young Mormon from Salt Lake City, whoearned 4_s. _ 6_d. _ a week and his board and lodging. He had been inthe Elevator about three months, having got drunk in London and missedhis ship. Although he attended the Salvation Army meetings, heremained a Mormon. 

In these Works all sorts of articles are manufactured to be used byother branches of the Salvation Army. Thus I saw poultry-houses beingmade for the Boxted Small Holdings; these cost from £4 5_s. _ to £410_s. _ net, and were excellent structures designed to hold about twodozen fowls. Further on large numbers of seats of different patternswere in process of manufacture, some of them for children, and otherlonger ones, with reversible backs, to be used in the numerous Armyhalls. Next I visited a room in which mattresses and mattress coversare made for the various Shelters, also the waterproof bunk bedding, which costs 7_s. _ 9_d. _ per cover. Further on, in a separatecompartment, was a flock-tearing machine, at which the Mormon I havementioned was employed. This is a very dusty job whereat a man doesnot work for more than one day in ten. 

Then there were the painting and polishing-room, the joinery room, andthe room where doors, window frames, and articles of furniture areconstructed; also special garden benches, cleverly planned so that theseat can be protected from rain. These were designed by a young ladywhom I chance to know in private life, and who, as I now discoveredfor the first time, is also a member of the Salvation Army. 

Such is the Hanbury Street Workshop, where the Army makes the best useit can of rather indifferent human materials, and, as I have said, loses money at the business. 

STURGE HOUSE, BOW ROAD

This branch of the Men's Social Work of the Salvation Army is a homefor poor and destitute boys. The house, which once belonged to thelate Dr. Barnardo, has been recently hired on a short lease. One ofthe features of the Army work is the reclamation of lads, of whomabout 2, 400 have passed through its hands in London during the courseof the last eight years. 

Sturge House has been fitted up for this special purpose, andaccommodates about fifty boys. The Officer in charge informed me thatsome boys apply to them for assistance when they are out of work, while others come from bad homes, and yet others through the Shelters, which pass on suitable lads. Each case is strictly investigated whenit arrives, with the result that about one-third of their number arerestored to their parents, from whom often enough they have run away, sometimes upon the most flimsy pretexts. 

Not unfrequently these boys are bad characters, who tell false talesof their past. Thus, recently, two who arrived at the Headquarters atWhitechapel, alleged that they were farm-labourers from Norfolk. Asthey did not in the least look the part, inquiries were made, when itwas found that they had never been nearer to Norfolk than Hampstead, where both of them had been concerned in the stealing of £10 from abusiness firm. The matter was patched up with the intervention of theArmy, and the boys were restored to their parents. 

Occasionally, too, lads are brought here by kind folk, who find themstarving. They are taken in, kept for a while, taught and fed, andwhen their characters are re-established--for many of them have noneleft--put out into the world. Some of them, indeed, work daily atvarious employments in London, and pay 5s. A week for their board andlodging at the Home. A good proportion of these lads also are sent tothe collieries in Wales, where, after a few years, they earn goodwages. 

In these collieries a man and a boy generally work together. A whileago such a man applied to the Army for a boy, and the applicant, proving respectable, the boy was sent, and turned out extremely well. In due course he became a collier himself, and, in his turn, sent fora boy. So the thing spread, till up to the present time the Army hassupplied fifty or sixty lads to colliers in South Wales, all of whomseem to be satisfactory and prosperous. 

As the Manager explained, it is not difficult to place out a lad assoon as his character can be more or less guaranteed. The difficultycomes with a man who is middle-aged or old. He added that this Homedoes not in any sense compete with those of Dr. Barnardo; in fact, incertain ways they work hand in hand. The Barnardo Homes will notreceive lads who are over sixteen, whereas the Army takes them up toeighteen. So it comes about that Barnardo's sometimes send on caseswhich are over their age limit to Sturge House. 

I saw the boys at their dinner, and although many of them had a badrecord, certainly they looked very respectable, and likely to makegood and useful men. The experience of the Army is that most of themare quite capable of reformation, and that, when once their heartshave been changed, they seldom fall back into the ways of dishonesty. 

This Home, like all those managed by the Salvation Army, is spotlesslyclean, and the dormitories are very pleasant rooms. Also, there is agarden, and in it I saw a number of pots of flowers, which had justbeen sent as a present by a boy whom the Army helped three years ago, and who is now, I understand, a gardener. 

Sturge House struck me as a most useful Institution; and as there isabout it none of the depressing air of the adult Shelters, my visithere was a pleasant change. The reclamation or the helping of a lad isa very different business from that of restoring the adult or the oldman to a station in life which he seems to have lost for ever. 

THE CENTRAL LABOUR BUREAU

This Bureau is established in the Social Headquarters at Whitechapel, a large building acquired as long ago as 1878. Here is to be seen theroom in which General Booth used to hold some of his first prayermeetings, and a little chamber where he took counsel with thoseOfficers who were the fathers of the Army. Also there is a place wherehe could sit unseen and listen to the preaching of his subordinates, so that he might judge of their ability. 

The large hall is now part of yet another Shelter, which contains 232beds and bunks. I inspected this place, but as it differs in noimportant detail from others, I will not describe it. 

The Officer who is in charge of the Labour Bureau informed me thathundreds of men apply there for work every week, of whom a great manyare sent into the various Elevators and Shelters. The Army finds itextremely difficult to procure outside employment for these men, forthe simple reason that there is very little available. Moreover, nowthat the Government Labour Bureaux are open, this trouble is notlessened. Of these Bureaux, the Manager said that they are mostuseful, but fail to find employment for many who apply to them. Indeed, numbers of men come on from them to the Salvation Army. 

The hard fact is that there are more idle hands than there is work forthem to do, even where honest and capable folk are concerned. Thus, inthe majority of instances, the Army is obliged to rely upon its ownInstitutions and the Hadleigh Land Colony to provide some sort of jobfor out-of-works. Of course, of such jobs there are not enough to goround, so many poor folk must be sent empty away or supported bycharity. 

I suggested that it might be worth while to establish a school ofchauffeurs, and the Officers present said that they would consider thematter. Unfortunately, however, such an experiment must be costly atthe present price of motor-vehicles. 

I annex the Labour Bureau Statistics for May, 1910:--

 LONDON

 Applicants for temporary employment 479 Sent to temporary employment 183 Applicants for Elevators 864 Sent to Elevators 260 Sent to Shelters 32

 PROVINCES

 Applicants for temporary employment 461 Sent to temporary employment 160 Applicants for Elevators 417 Sent to Elevators 202 Sent to Shelters 20 Sent to permanent situations 35

THE INTERNATIONAL INVESTIGATION DEPARTMENT

This is a curious and interesting branch of the work of the SalvationArmy. About two thousand times a year it receives letters or personalapplications, asking it to find some missing relative or friend of thewriter or applicant. In reply, a form is posted or given, which mustbe filled up with the necessary particulars. Then, if it be a Londoncase, the Officer in charge sends out a skilled man to work up clues. If, on the other hand, it be a country case, the Officer in charge ofthe Corps nearest to where it has occurred, is instructed to initiatethe inquiry. Also, advertisements are inserted in the Army papers, known as 'The War Cry' and 'The Social Gazette, ' both in Great Britainand other countries, if the lost person is supposed to be on theContinent or in some distant part of the world. 

The result is that a large percentage of the individuals sought forare discovered, alive or dead, for in such work the Salvation Army hasadvantages denied to any other body, scarcely excepting the Police. Its representatives are everywhere, and to whatever land they maybelong or whatever tongue they may speak, all of them obey an ordersent out from Headquarters wholeheartedly and uninfluenced by thequestion of regard. The usual fee charged for this work is 10_s_. 6_d_. ; but when this cannot be paid, a large number of cases areundertaken free. The Army goes to as much trouble in these unpaidcases as in any others, only then it is not able to flood the countrywith printed bills. Of course, where well-to-do people are concerned, it expects that its out-of-pocket costs will be met. 

The cases with which it has to deal are of all kinds. Often those whohave disappeared are found to have done so purposely, perhaps leavingbehind them manufactured evidence, such as coats or letters on ariver-bank, suggesting that they have committed suicide. Generally, these people are involved in some fraud or other trouble. Again, husbands desert their wives, or wives their husbands, and vanish, inwhich instances they are probably living with somebody else underanother name. Or children are kidnapped, or girls are lured away, orindividuals emigrate to far lands and neglect to write. Or, perhaps, they simply sink out of all knowledge, and vanish effectually enoughinto a paupers grave. 

But the oddest cases of all are those of a complete loss of memory, athing that is by no means so infrequent as is generally supposed. Theexperience of the Army is that the majority of these cases happenamong those who lead a studious life. The victim goes out in his usualhealth and suddenly forgets everything. His mind becomes a totalblank. Yet certain instincts remain, such as that of earning a living. 

Thus, to take a single recent example, the son of a large booksellerin a country town left the house one day, saying that he would not beaway for long, and disappeared. At the invitation of his father, theArmy took up the case, and ultimately found that the man had beenworking in its Spa Road Elevator under another name. Afterwards hewent away, became destitute, and sold matches in the streets. Ultimately he was found in a Church Army Home. He recovered hismemory, and subsequently lost it again to the extent that he couldrecall nothing which happened to him during the period of its firstlapse. All that time vanished into total darkness. 

This business of the hunting out of the missing through the agency ofthe Salvation Army is one which increases every day. It is not unusualfor the Army to discover individuals who have been missing for thirtyyears and upwards. 

THE EMIGRATION DEPARTMENT

Some years ago I was present one night in the Board-room at EustonStation and addressed a shipload of emigrants who were departing toCanada under the auspices of the Salvation Army. I forget their exactnumber, but I think it was not less than 500. What I do not forget, however, is the sorrow that I felt at seeing so many men in the primeof life leaving the shores of their country for ever, especially asmost of them were not married. This meant, amongst other things, thatan equal number of women who remained behind were deprived of thepossibility of obtaining a husband in a country in which the femalesalready outnumber the males by more than a million. I said as much inthe little speech I made on this occasion, and I think that some oneanswered me with the pertinent remark that if there was no work athome, it must be sought abroad. 

[Illustration: INMATES OF A MEN'S INDUSTRIAL HOME. ]

There lies the whole problem in a nutshell--men must live. As for theaged and the incompetent and the sick and the unattached women, theseare left behind for the community to support, while young and activemen of energy move off to endow new lands with their capacities andstrength. The results of this movement, carried out upon a greatscale, can be seen in the remoter parts of Ireland, which, as thevisitor will observe, appear to be largely populated by very youngchildren and by persons getting on in years. Whether or no this is asatisfactory state of affairs is not for me to say, although thematter, too large to discuss here, is one upon which I may have my ownopinion. 

Colonel Lamb, the head of the Salvation Army Emigration Department, informed me that during the past seven years the Army has emigratedabout 50, 000 souls, of whom 10, 000 were assisted out of its funds, therest paying their own way or being paid for from one source oranother. From 8, 000 to 10, 000 people have been sent during the presentyear, 1910, most of them to Canada, which is the Mecca of theSalvation Army Emigration policy. So carefully have all these peoplebeen selected, that not 1 per cent have ever been returned to thiscountry by the Canadian Authorities as undesirable. The truth is thatthose Authorities have the greatest confidence in the discretion ofthe Army, and in its ability to handle this matter to the advantage ofall concerned. 

That this is true I know from personal experience, since when, someyears ago, I was a Commissioner from the British Government and hadauthority to formulate a scheme of Colonial land-settlement, the PrimeMinister of Canada, Sir Wilfrid Laurier, told me so himself in theplainest language. Indeed, he did more, formally offering a huge blockof territory to be selected anywhere I might choose in the Dominion, with the aid of its Officers, for the purposes of settlement by poorfolk and their children under the auspices of the Salvation Army. Also, he added the promise of as much more land as might be requiredin the future for the same purpose. [3]

Most unhappily, as I hold, that offer was not accepted by the BritishGovernment. If this had been done, by now hundreds of English familieswould have been transferred from conditions of want at home in theEnglish towns, into those of peace and plenty upon the land abroad. Moreover, the recent rise in the value of Canadian land has been sogreat that the scheme would not have cost the British taxpayer ahalfpenny, or so I most firmly believe. 

Unfortunately, however, my scheme was too novel in its character toappeal to the official mind, especially as its working would haveinvolved a loan repayable by instalments, the administration of whichmust have been entrusted to the Salvation Army or to other charitableOrganizations. So this priceless opportunity was lost, probably forever, as the new and stricter emigration regulations adopted byCanada, as I understand, would make it extremely difficult to emigratethe class I hoped to help, namely, indigent people of good character, resident in English cities, with growing families of children. 

Young men, especially if they have been bred on the land, and youngmarriageable women are eagerly desired in the Colonies, includingAustralia; but at families, as we have read in recent correspondencein the newspapers, they look askance. 

'Why do they not want families in Australia? I asked Colonel Lamb. 

'Because the trouble of housing comes in. It is the same thing inCanada, it is the same thing all through the Colonies. They do notwant too much trouble, ' he answered. 

These words define the position very accurately. 'Give us your best, 'say the Colonies. 'Give us your adult, healthy men and women whom youhave paid to rear and educate, but don't bother us with families ofchildren whom we have to house. Above all send us no damaged articles. You are welcome to keep those at home. '

To my mind this attitude, natural as it may be, creates a seriousproblem so far as Great Britain and Ireland are concerned, for thequestion will arise, Can we afford to go on parting with the good andretaining the less desirable?

On this subject I had a long argument with Colonel Lamb, and hisanswer to the question was in the affirmative, although I must admitthat his reasons did not at all convince me. He seemed to believe thatwe could send out 250, 000 people, chosen people, per annum for thenext ten years without harm to ourselves. Well, it may be so, and, ashe added, 'we are in their (that is, the Colonies') hands, and have todo what they choose to allow. '

Also his opinion was that 'the best thing possible for this country iswholesale emigration, ' of course of those whom the Colonies willaccept. He said, 'People here are dissatisfied with their presentcondition and want a change. If we had money to assist them, there ispractically no limit to the number who want to go. There are tens ofthousands who would conform to the Canadian regulations. One of thethings we advise the man who has been forced out of the country isthat rather than come into the town he should go to the Colonies. '

On the matter of the complaints which have been made in Canada of theemigrant from London, Colonel Lamb said, 'The Londoner, it is alleged, is not wanted. The Canadian is full of self-assertiveness, and theCockney has some of that too; he does not hesitate to express hisviews, and you have conflicting spirits at once. The Cockney willarrive at the conclusion in about twenty-four hours that he could runCanada better than it is now being run. The Scotchman will take a weekto arrive at the same conclusion, and holds his tongue about it. TheCockney says what he thinks on the first day of arrival, and theresult is--fireworks. He and the Canadians do not agree to begin with;but when they get over the first passage of arms they settle downamicably. The Cockney is finally appreciated, and, being industriousand amenable to law and order, if he has got a bit of humour he getson all right, but not at first. '

Colonel Lamb informed me that in Australia the Labour Party is afraidof the Army because it believes 'we will send in people to bring downwages. ' Therefore, the Labour Party has sidetracked General Booth'sproposals. Now, however, it alleges that it is not opposed toemigration, if not on too large a scale. 'They don't mind a few girls;but they say the condition that must precede emigration is thebreaking up of the land. '

Colonel Lamb appeared to desire that an Emigration Board should beappointed in England, with power and funds to deal with thedistribution of the population of the Empire and to systematizeemigration. To this Imperial Board, individuals or Societies, such asthe Salvation Army, should, he thought, be able to submit theirschemes, which schemes would receive assistance according to theirmerits under such limitations as the Board might see fit to impose. Tosuch a Board he would even give power to carry out land-settlementschemes in the British Isles. 

This is a great proposal, but one wonders whence the money is to come. Also how long will it be before the Labour Parties in the variousColonies, including Canada, gain so much power that they will refuseto accept emigrants at all, except young women, or agriculturalistswho bring capital with them?

But all these problems are for the future. Meanwhile it is evidentthat the Salvation Army manages its emigration work with extraordinarysuccess and business skill. Those whom it sends from these shores fortheir own benefit are invariably accepted, at any rate in Canada, andprovided with work on their arrival in the chosen Colony. That theselection is sound and careful is shown, also, by the fact that theArmy recovers from those emigrants to whom it gives assistance aconsiderable percentage of the sums advanced to enable them to startlife in a new land. 

THE WOMEN'S SOCIAL WORK IN LONDON

At the commencement of my investigation of this branch of theSalvation Army activities in England, I discussed its general aspectswith Mrs. Bramwell Booth, who has it in her charge. She pointed out tome that this Women's Social Work is a much larger business than it wasbelieved to be even by those who had some acquaintance with theSalvation Army, and that it deals with many matters of greatimportance in their bearing on the complex problems of ourcivilization. 

Among them, to take some that she mentioned, which recur to my mind, are the questions of illegitimacy and prostitution, of maternity homesfor poor girls who have fallen into trouble, of women thieves, of whatis known as the White Slave traffic, of female children who have beenexposed to awful treatment, of women who are drunkards or drug-takers, of aged and destitute women, of intractable or vicious-minded girls, and, lastly, of the training of young persons to enable them to dealscientifically with all these evils, or under the name of SlumSisters, to wait upon the poor in their homes, and nurse them throughthe trials of maternity. 

How practical and efficient this training is, no one can know who hasnot, like myself, visited and inquired into the various Institutionsand Refuges of the Army in different cities of the land. It is awonderful thing, as has happened to me again and again, to see somequiet, middle-aged lady, often so shy that it is difficult to extractfrom her the information required, ruling with the most perfectsuccess a number of young women, who, a few weeks or months before, were the vilest of the vile, and what is stranger still, reforming asshe rules. These ladies exercise no severity; the punishment, which, perhaps necessarily, is a leading feature in some of our GovernmentInstitutions, is unknown to their system. I am told that no one isever struck, no one is imprisoned, no one is restricted in diet forany offence. As an Officer said to me:--

'If we cannot manage a girl by love, we recognize that the case isbeyond us, and ask her to go away. This, however, very seldomhappens. '

As a matter of fact, that case which is beyond the regenerating powersof the Army must be very bad indeed, at any rate where young peopleare concerned. In the vast majority of instances a cure is effected, and apparently a permanent cure. In every one of these Homes there isa room reserved for the accommodation of those who have passed throughit and gone out into the world again, should they care to return therein their holidays or other intervals of leisure. That room is alwaysin great demand, and I can imagine no more eloquent testimony to themanner of the treatment of its occupants while they dwelt in theseHomes as 'cases. '

In truth, a study of the female Officers of the Salvation Army iscalculated to convert the observer not only to a belief in the rightof women to the suffrage, but also to that of their fitness to ruleamong, or even over men. Only I never heard that any of these ladiesever sought such privileges; moreover, few of the sex would care towin them at the price of the training, self-denial, and sternexperience which it is their lot to undergo. 

Mrs. Bramwell Booth pointed out to me that although the actual work ofthe Army on these women's questions is 'more than just a little, ' ithad, as it were, only touched their fringe. Yet even this 'fringe' hasmany threads, seeing that over 44, 000 of these women's cases have beenhelped in one way or another since this branch of the home work beganabout twenty years ago. 

She added that scarcely a month goes by in which the Army does notbreak out in a new direction, open a new Institution, or attempt toattack a new problem; and this, be it remembered, not only in theseislands but over the face of half the earth. At present its sphere ofinfluence is limited by the lack of funds. Give it enough money, shesaid, and there is little that it would not dare to try. Everywherethe harvest is plentiful, and if the workers remain comparatively few, it is because material means are lacking for their support. Given themoney and the workers would be found. Nor will they ask much formaintenance or salary, enough to provide the necessary buildings, andto keep body and soul together, that is all. [4]

What are these women doing? In London they run more than a score ofHomes and Agencies, including a Maternity Hospital, which I willdescribe later, where hundreds of poor deceived girls are taken induring their trouble. I believe it is almost the only one of the sort, at any rate on the same scale, in that great city. 

Also they manage various Homes for drunken women. It has always beensupposed to be a practical impossibility to effect a cure in suchcases, but the lady Officers of the Salvation Army succeed in turningabout 50 per cent of their patients into perfectly sober persons. Atleast they remain sober for three years from the date of theirdischarge, after which they are often followed no further. 

Another of their objects is to find out the fathers of illegitimatechildren, and persuade them to sign a form of agreement which has beencarefully drawn by Counsel, binding themselves to contribute towardsthe cost of the maintenance of the child. Or failing this, should theevidence be sufficient, they try to obtain affiliation orders againstsuch fathers in a Magistrates' Court. Here I may state that the amountof affiliation money collected in England by the Army in 1909 was£1, 217, of which £208 was for new cases. Further, £671 was collectedand paid over for maintenance to deserted wives. Little or none ofthis money would have been forthcoming but for its exertions. 

Mrs. Bramwell Booth informed me that there exists a class of youngmen, most of them in the employ of tradesfolk, who habitually amusethemselves by getting servant girls into trouble, often under apromise of marriage. Then, if the usual results follow, it is commonfor these men to move away to another town, taking their referenceswith them and, sometimes under a new name, to repeat the processthere. She was of opinion that the age of consent ought to be raisedto eighteen at least, a course for which there is much to be said. Also she thought, and this is more controversial, that when any younggirl has been seduced under promise of marriage, the seducer should beliable to punishment under the criminal law. Of course, one of thedifficulties here would be to prove the promise of marriage beyond allreasonable doubt. 

Also to bring such matters within the cognizance of the criminal lawwould be a new and, indeed, a dangerous departure not altogether easyto justify, especially as old magistrates like myself, who haveconsiderable experience of such cases must know, it is not always theman who is to blame. Personally, I incline to the view that if the ageof consent were raised, and the contribution exacted from the putativefather of an illegitimate child made proportionate to his means, andnot limited, as it is now, to a maximum of 5s. A week, the criminallaw might well be left out of the question. It must be rememberedfurther, as Mrs. Booth pointed out herself, that there is anotherremedy, namely, that of a better home-training of girls who should beprepared by their mothers or friends to face the dangers of the world, a duty which these too often neglect. The result is that many youngwomen who feel lonely and desire to get married, overstep the limitsof prudence on receipt of a promise that thus they may attain theirend, with the result that generally they find themselves ruined anddeserted. 

Mrs. Bramwell Booth said that the Army is doing its utmost to mitigatethe horrors of what is known as the White Slave traffic, both here andin many other countries. With this object it has a Bill beforeParliament at the present time, of which one of the aims is to preventchildren from being sent out of this country to France undercircumstances that practically ensure their moral destruction. Itseems that the state of things in Paris in this connexion is, in herown words, 'most abominable, too horrible for words. ' Children areprocured from certain theatre dancing schools, and their birthcertificates sometimes falsified to make it appear that they are overfourteen, although often they may be as young as twelve or even ten. Then they are conveyed to vile places in Paris where their doom issure. 

Let us hope that in due course this Bill will become law, for if girlsare protected up to sixteen in this country, surely they should not besent out of it in doubtful circumstances under that age. 

Needless to say abominations of this nature are not unknown in London. Thus a while ago the Army received a telegram from a German girlasking, 'Can you help?' Two of its people went at once to the addressgiven, and, contriving to get into the house, discovered there a youngwoman who, imagining that she had been engaged in Germany as a servantin an English family, found herself in a London brothel. Fortunately, being a girl of some character and resource, she held her own, and, having heard of the Salvation Army in her own land, persuaded amilkman to take the telegram that brought about her delivery from thisden of wickedness. 

Unfortunately it proved impossible to discover the woman who had hiredher abroad, as the victim of the plot really knew nothing about thatprocuress. This girl was restored to her home in Germany none theworse for her terrific adventure, and a few weeks later refunded hertravelling expenses. But how many must there be who have never heardof the Salvation Army, and can find no milkman to help them out oftheir vile prisons, for such places are no less. 

Another branch of the Army women's work is that of the rescue ofprostitutes from the streets, which is known as the 'Midnight Work. 'For the purpose of this endeavour it hires a flat in Great TitchfieldStreet, of which, and of the mission that centres round it, I willspeak later in this book. 

The Women's Social Work of the Salvation Army began in London, in theyear 1884, at the cottage of a woman-soldier of the Army who lived inWhitechapel. This lady, who was interested in girls without character, took some of them into her home. Eventually she left the place whichcame into the hands of the Army, whereon Mrs. Bramwell Booth was sentto take charge of the twelve inmates whom it would accommodate. Theseed that was thus sown in 1884 has now multiplied itself intofifty-nine Homes and Agencies for women in Great Britain alone, to saynothing of others abroad and in the Colonies. But this is only abeginning. 

'We look forward, ' said Mrs. Bramwell Booth to me, 'to a greatincrease of this side of our work at home. No year has passed withoutthe opening of a new Women's Home of some kind, and we hope that thiswill continue. Thus I want to build a very big Maternity Hospital if Ican get the money. We have about £20, 000 in hand for this purpose; butthe lesser of the two schemes before us will cost £35, 000. '

Will not some rich and charitable person provide the £15, 000 that arelacking?

THE HEADQUARTERS OF THE WOMEN'S SOCIAL WORK

LOWER CLAPTON ROAD

The Women's Social Headquarters of the Salvation Army in England issituated at Clapton. It is a property of nearly three acres, on whichstand four houses that will be rebuilt whenever funds are forthcomingfor the erection of the Maternity Hospital and Training Institutionfor nurses and midwives which I have already mentioned. At presentabout forty Officers are employed here, most of whom are women, underthe command of Commissioner Cox, one of the foremost of the 600women-Officers of the Salvation Army in the United Kingdom who givetheir services to the women's social work. 

It is almost needless for me to add that Commissioner Cox is a lady ofvery great ability, who is entirely devoted to the cause to which shehas dedicated her life. One of the reasons of the great success of theSalvation Army is that only able people exactly suited to theparticular work in view are put in authority over that work. Herethere are no sinecures, no bought advowsons, and no freehold livings. Moreover, the policy of the Army, as a general rule, is not to allowany one to remain too long in any one office, lest he or she shouldbecome fossilized or subject to local influences. 

I remember when I was in America hearing of a case in which a veryleading Officer of the Army, who chanced to be a near relative ofGeneral Booth, declined to obey an order to change his command foranother in a totally different part of the world. The order wasrepeated once or twice, and as often disobeyed. Resignation followedand an attempt to found a rival Organization. I only mention thismatter to show that discipline is enforced in this Society withoutfear, favour, or prejudice, which is, perhaps, a principal reason ofits efficiency. 

HILLSBOROUGH HOUSE INEBRIATES' HOME

Under the guidance of Commissioner Cox I inspected a number of theLondon Women's Institutions of the Army, first visiting theHillsborough House Inebriates' Home. This Home, a beautifully cleanand well-kept place, has accommodation for thirty patients, twenty-nine beds being occupied on the day of my visit. The lady incharge informed me that these patients are expected to contribute 10s. Per week towards the cost of their maintenance; but that, as a matterof fact, they seldom pay so much. Generally the sum recovered variesfrom 7s. To 3s. Per week, while a good many give nothing at all. 

The work the patients do in this Home is sold and produces somethingtowards the cost of upkeep. The actual expense of the maintenance ofthe inmates averages about 12s. 6d. A week per head, which sumincludes an allowance for rent. Most of the cases stay in the Home fortwelve months, although some remain for a shorter period. When thecure is completed, if they are married, the patients return to theirhusbands. The unmarried are sent out to positions as governesses, nurses, or servants, that is, if the authorities of the Home are ableto give them satisfactory characters. 

As the reader who knows anything of such matters will be aware, it isgenerally supposed to be rather more easy to pass a camel through theeye of a needle than to reclaim a confirmed female drunkard. Yet, as Ihave already said, the Salvation Army, on a three years' test in eachcase, has shown that it deals successfully with about 50 per cent ofthose women who come into its hands for treatment as inebriates ordrug-takers. How is this done? Largely, of course, by effectingthrough religious means a change of heart and nature, as the Armyoften seems to have the power to do, and by the exercise of gentlepersonal influences. 

But there remains another aid which is physical. 

With the shrewdness that distinguishes them, the Officers of the Armyhave discovered that the practice of vegetarianism is a wonderfulenemy to the practice of alcoholism. The vegetarian, it seems, conceives a bodily distaste to spirituous liquors. If they canpersuade a patient to become a vegetarian, then the chances of hercure are enormously increased. Therefore, in this and in the otherfemale Inebriate Homes no meat is served. The breakfast, which iseaten at 7. 30, consists of tea, brown and white bread and butter, porridge and fresh milk, or stewed fruit. A sample dinner at oneo'clock includes macaroni cheese, greens, potatoes, fruit pudding orplain boiled puddings with stewed figs. On one day a week, however, baked or boiled fish is served with pease pudding, potatoes, andboiled currant pudding, and on another, brown gravy is given withonions in batter. Tea, which is served at six o'clock, consists--totake a couple of samples--of tea, white and brown bread and butter, and cheese sandwiches with salad; or of tea, white and brown bread andbutter, savoury rolls, and apples or oranges. 

It will be observed that this diet is as simple as it well can be; butI think it right to add, after personal inspection, that the inmatesappear to thrive on it extremely well. Certainly all whom I saw lookedwell nourished and healthy. 

A book is kept in the Home in which the details of each case arecarefully entered, together with its record for two years afterdischarge. Here are the particulars of three cases taken by me athazard from this book which will serve to indicate the class ofpatient that is treated at this Home. Of course, I omit the names:--

 _A. B. _ Aged thirty-one. Her mother, who was a drunkard and gave A. B. Drink in her childhood, died some time ago. A. B. Drove her father, who was in good circumstances, having a large business, to madness by her inebriety. Indeed, he tried to commit suicide by hanging himself, but, oddly enough, it was A. B. Who cut him down, and he was sent to an asylum. A. B. Had fallen very low since her mother's death; but I do not give these details. All the members of her family drank, except, strange to say, the father, who at the date of my visit was in the asylum. A. B. Had been in the Home some time, and was giving every satisfaction. It was hoped that she will be quite cured. 

 _C. D. _ Aged thirty. C. D. 's father, a farmer, was a moderate drinker, her mother was a temperance woman. Her parents discovered her craving for drink about ten years ago. She was unable to keep any situation on account of this failing. Four years ago C. D. Was sent to an Inebriate Home for twelve months, but no cure was effected. Afterwards she disappeared, having been dismissed from her place, and was found again for the mother by the Salvation Army. At the time of my visit she had been six months in the Home, and was doing well. 

 _E. F. _ Aged forty-eight; was the widow of a professional man, whom she married as his second wife, and by whom she had two children, one of whom survives. She began to drink before her husband's death, and this tendency was increased by family troubles that arose over his will. She mismanaged his business and lost everything, drank heavily and despaired. She tried to keep a boarding house, but her furniture was seized and she came absolutely to the end of her resources, her own daughter being sent away to her relatives. E. F. Was nine months in the Hillsborough Home, and had gone as cook and housekeeper to a situation, where she also was giving every satisfaction. 

THE MATERNITY NURSING HOME

LORNE HOUSE, STOKE NEWINGTON

Her Royal Highness Princes Louise, the Duchess of Argyll, defrayed thecost of the purchase of the leasehold of this charming Home. Thelady-Officer in charge informed me that the object of theestablishment is to take in women who have or are about to haveillegitimate children. It is not, however, a lying-in Home, themothers being sent to the Ivy House Hospital for their confinements. After these are over they are kept for four or sometimes for sixmonths at Lorne House. At the expiration of this period situations arefound for most of them, and the babies are put out to nurse in thehouses of carefully selected women with whom the mothers can keep intouch. These women are visited from time to time by Salvation ArmyOfficers who make sure that the infants are well treated in every way. 

All the cases in this Home are those of girls who have fallen intotrouble for the first time. They belong to a better class than dothose who are received in many of the Army Homes. The charge for theirmaintenance is supposed to be £1 a week, but some pay only 5s. , andsome nothing at all. As a matter of fact, out of the twelve caseswhich the Home will hold, at the time of my visit half were making nopayment. If the Army averages a contribution of 7s. A week from them, it thinks itself fortunate. 

I saw a number of the babies in cradles placed in an old greenhouse inthe garden to protect them from the rain that was falling at the time. When it is at all fine they are kept as much as possible in the openair, and the results seem to justify this treatment, for it would bedifficult to find healthier infants. 

Five or six of the inmates sleep together in a room; for those withchildren a cot is provided beside each bed. I saw several of theseyoung women, who all seemed to be as happy and contented as waspossible under their somewhat depressing circumstances. 

THE MATERNITY RECEIVING HOME

BRENT HOUSE, HACKNEY

This Home serves a somewhat similar purpose as that at Lorne House, but the young women taken in here while awaiting their confinement arenot, as a rule, of so high a class. 

In the garden at the back of the house about forty girls were seatedin a kind of shelter which protected them from the rain, some of themworking and some talking together, while others remained apartdepressed and silent. Most of these young women were shortly expectingto become mothers. Certain of them, however, already had theirinfants, as there were seventeen babies in the Home who had beencrowded out of the Central Maternity Hospital. Among these were somevery sad cases, several of them being girls of gentle birth, taken inhere because they could pay nothing. One, I remember, was a foreignyoung lady, whose sad history I will not relate. She was found runningabout the streets of a seaport town in a half-crazed condition andbrought to this place by the Officers of the Salvation Army. 

In this house there is a room where ex-patients who are in service canbring their infants upon their holidays. Two or three of these womenwere here upon the occasion of my visit, and it was a pathetic sightto see them dandling the babies from whom they had been separated andgiving them their food. 

It is the custom in this and other Salvation Army Maternity Homes toset apart a night in every month for what is called a Social Evening. On these occasions fifty or more of the former inmates will arrivewith their children, whom they have brought from the various placeswhere they are at nurse, and for a few hours enjoy their society, after which they take them back to the nurses and return to theirwork, whatever it may be. By means of this kindly arrangement thesepoor mothers are enabled from time to time to see something of theiroffspring, which, needless to say, is a boon they greatly prize. 

THE MATERNITY HOSPITAL

IVY HOUSE, HACKNEY

This Hospital is one for the accommodation of young mothers on theoccasion of the birth of their illegitimate children. It is a humblebuilding, containing twenty-five beds, although I think a few more canbe arranged. That it serves its purpose well, until the largeMaternity Hospital of which I have already spoken can be built, isshown by the fact that 286 babies (of whom only twenty-five were notillegitimate) were born here in 1900 without the loss of a singlemother. Thirty babies died, however, which the lady-Officer in chargethought rather a high proportion, but one accounted for by the factthat during this particular year a large number of the births werepremature. In 1908, 270 children were born, of whom twelve died, sixof these being premature. 

The cases are drawn from London and other towns where the SalvationArmy is at work. Generally they, or their relatives and friends, orperhaps the father of the child, apply to the Army to help them intheir trouble, thereby, no doubt, preventing many child-murders andsome suicides. The charge made by the Institution for these lying-incases is in proportion to the ability of the patient to pay. Manycontribute nothing at all. From those who do pay, the average sumreceived is 10_s_. A week, in return for which they are furnished withmedical attendance, food, nursing, and all other things needful totheir state. 

I went over the Hospital, and saw these unfortunate mothers lying inbed, each of them with her infant in a cot beside her. Although theirimmediate trial was over, these poor girls looked very sad. 

'They know that their lives are spoiled, ' said the lady in charge. 

Most of them were quite young, some being only fifteen, and themajority under twenty. This, it was explained to me, is generally dueto the ignorance of the facts of life in which girls are kept by theirparents or others responsible for their training. Last year there wasa mother aged thirteen in this Hospital. 

One girl, who seemed particularly sad, had twins lying beside her. Hoping to cheer her up, I remarked that they were beautiful babies, whereon she hid her face beneath the bedclothes. 

'Don't talk about them, ' said the Officer, drawing me away, 'thatchild nearly cried her eyes out when she was told that there were two. You see, it is hard enough for these poor mothers to keep one, butwhen it comes to two--!'

I asked whether the majority of these unfortunate young women reallytried to support their children. The answer was that most of them tryvery hard indeed, and will use all their money for this purpose, evenstinting themselves of absolute necessaries. Few of them go wrongagain after their first slip, as they have learned their lesson. Moreover, during their stay in hospital and afterwards, the SalvationArmy does its best to impress on them certain moral teachings, andthus to make its work preventive as well as remedial. 

Places in service are found for a great number of these girls, generally where only one servant is kept, so that they may not betaunted by the others if these should find out their secret. This as arule, however, is confided to the mistress. The average wage theyreceive is about £18 a year. As it costs them £13, or 5_s_. A week, tosupport an infant (not allowing for its clothes), the struggle is veryhard unless the Army can discover the father, and make him contributetowards the support of his child, either voluntarily or through abastardy order. 

I was informed that many of these fathers are supposed to begentlemen, but when it comes to this matter of payment, they show thatthey have little title to that description. Of course, in the case ofmen of humbler degree, money is even harder to recover. I may add, that my own long experience as a magistrate goes to confirm thisstatement. It is extraordinary to what meanness, subterfuge, and evenperjury, a man will sometimes resort, in order to avoid paying solittle as 1_s_. 6_d_. A week towards the keep of his own child. Oftenthe line of defence is a cruel attempt to blacken the character of themother, even when the accuser well knows that there is not theslightest ground for the charge, and that he alone is responsible forthe woman's fall. [5] Also, if the case is proved, and the order made, many such men will run away and hide themselves in another part of thecountry to escape the fulfilment of their just obligations. 

In connexion with this Maternity Hospital, the Salvation Army has aTraining School for midwives and nurses, all of whom must pass theCentral Midwives Board examination before they are allowed topractise. Some of the students, after qualifying, continue to work forthe Army in its Hospital Department, and others in the SlumDepartment, while some go abroad in the service of other Societies. The scale of fees for this four months' course in midwifery variesaccording to circumstances. The Army asks the full charge of eighteenguineas from those students who belong to, or propose to serve otherSocieties. Those who intend to go abroad to work with medicalmissionaries, have to pay fifteen guineas, and those who are membersof the Salvation Army, or who intend to serve the Army in thisDepartment, pay nothing, unless, at the conclusion of their course, they decide to leave the Army's service. 

At the last examination, out of fourteen students sent up from thisInstitution, thirteen passed the necessary test. 

'THE NEST'

CLAPTON

When I began to write this book, I determined to set down all thingsexactly as I saw or heard them. But, although somewhat hardened insuch matters by long experience of a very ugly world, I find thatthere are limits to what can be told of such a place as 'The Nest' inpages which are meant for perusal by the general public. The houseitself is charming, with a good garden adorned by beautiful trees. Ithas every arrangement and comfort possible for the welfare of itschild inmates, including an open-air bedroom, cleverly contrived froman old greenhouse for the use of those among them whose lungs areweakly. 

But these inmates, these sixty-two children whose ages varied fromabout four to about sixteen! What can I say of their histories? Onlyin general language, that more than one half of them have been subjectto outrages too terrible to repeat, often enough at the hands of theirown fathers! If the reader wishes to learn more, he can applyconfidentially to Commissioner Cox, or to Mrs. Bramwell Booth. 

[Illustration: SOME OF THE CHILDREN AT 'THE NEST'. ]

Here, however, is a case that I can mention, as although it isdreadful enough, it belongs to a different class. Seeing a child often, whose name was Betty, playing about quite happily with theothers, I spoke to her, and afterwards asked for the particulars ofher story. They were brief. It appears that this poor little thing hadactually seen her father murder her mother. I am glad to be able toadd that to all appearance she has recovered from the shock of thisawful experience. 

Indeed, all these little girls, notwithstanding their hideous pasts, seemed, so far as I could judge, to be extremely happy at theirchildish games in the garden. Except that some were of stunted growth, I noted nothing abnormal about any of them. I was told, however, bythe Officer in charge, that occasionally, when they grow older, propensities originally induced in them through no fault of their ownwill assert themselves. 

To lessen this danger, as in the case of the women inebriates, allthese children are brought up as vegetarians. Before me, as I write, is the bill of fare for the week, which I tore off a notice board inthe house. The breakfast on three days, to take examples, consists ofporridge, with boiling milk and sugar, cocoa, brown and white breadand butter. On the other mornings either stewed figs, prunes, ormarmalade are added. A sample dinner consists of lentil savoury, bakedpotatoes, brown gravy and bread; boiled rice with milk and sugar. Fortea, bananas, apples, oranges, nuts, jam, brown and white bread andbutter and cocoa are supplied, but tea itself as a beverage is onlygiven on Sundays. A footnote to the bill of fare states that allchildren over twelve years of age who wish for it, can have bread andbutter before going to bed. 

Certainly the inmates of 'The Nest, ' if any judgment may be formedfrom their personal appearance, afford a good argument to theadvocates of vegetarianism. 

It costs £13 a year to endow a bed in this Institution. Amongstothers, I saw one which was labelled 'The Band of Helpers' Bed. Thisis maintained by girls who have passed through the Institution, andare now earning their livelihood in the world, as I thought, atouching and significant testimony. I should add that the children inthis Home are educated under the direction of a certificatedgoverness. 

My visit to this Refuge made a deep impression on my mind. No personof sense and experience, remembering the nameless outrages to whichmany of these poor children have been exposed, could witness theirpresent health and happiness without realizing the blessed nature ofthis work. 

THE TRAINING INSTITUTE FOR WOMEN SOCIAL WORKERS

CLAPTON

Colonel Lambert, the lady-Officer in charge of this Institution, informed me that it can accommodate sixty young women. At the time ofmy visit forty-seven pupils were being prepared for service in theWomen's Department of what is called 'Salvation Army Warfare. ' TheseCadets come from all sources and in various ways. Most of them havefirst been members of the Army and made application to be trained, feeling themselves attracted to this particular branch of its work. 

The basis of their instruction is religious and theological. Itincludes the study of the Bible, of the doctrine and discipline of theSalvation Army and the rules and regulations governing the labours ofits Social Officers. In addition, these Cadets attend practicalclasses where they learn needlework, the scientific cutting out ofgarments, knitting, laundry work, first medical aid, nursing, and soforth. The course at this Institution takes ten months to complete, after which those Cadets who have passed the examinations areappointed to various centres of the Army's Social activities. 

When these young women have passed out and enter on active Social workthey are allowed their board and lodging and a small salary to pay fortheir clothing. This salary at the commencement of a worker's careeramounts to the magnificent sum of 4s. A week, if she 'lives in' (aboutthe pay of a country kitchen maid); out of which she is expected todefray the cost of her uniform and other clothes, postage stamps, etc. Ultimately, after many years of service, it may rise to as much as10s. In the case of senior Officers, or, if the Officer finds her ownboard and lodging, to a limit of £1 a week. 

Of these ladies who are trained in the Home few leave the Army. Shouldthey do so, however, I am informed that they can generally obtain fromother Organizations double or treble the pay which the Army is able toafford. 

This Training Institution is a building admirably suited to thepurpose to which it is put. Originally it was a ladies' school, whichwas purchased by the Salvation Army. The dining-room of the Cadets wasvery well arranged and charmingly decorated with flowers, as was thatof the Officers beyond. There was also a Cadets' retiring-room, whereI saw some of them reading or otherwise amusing themselves on theirSaturday half-holiday. The Army would be glad to find and train moreof these self-sacrificing workers; but the conditions of the pay whichthey can offer and the arduous nature of the lifelong serviceinvolved, are such that those of a satisfactory class are not tooreadily forthcoming. 

Attached to this Training Institution is a Home for girls of doubtfulor bad antecedents, which I also visited. This Rescue Home is linkedup with the Training School, so that the Cadets may have theopportunity of acquiring a practical knowledge of the class of workupon which they are to be engaged in after-life. Most of the girls inthe Rescue Home have passed through the Police-courts, and been handedover to the care of the Army by magistrates. The object of the Army isto reform them and instruct them in useful work which will enable themto earn an honest living. 

Many of these girls have been in the habit of thieving from theirmistresses or others, generally in order to enable them to makepresents to their lovers. Indeed, it would seem that this mania formaking presents is a frequent cause of the fall of young persons witha natural leaning to dishonesty and a desire to appear rich andliberal. The Army succeeds in reclaiming a great number of them; butthe thieving instinct is one not easy to eradicate. 

All these girls seemed fairly happy. A great deal of knitting is doneby them, and I saw a room furnished with a number of knittingmachines, where work is turned out to the value of nearly £25 a week. Also I was shown piles of women's and children's underclothing andother articles, the produce of the girls' needles, which are sold tohelp to defray the expenses of the Home. In the workroom on thisSaturday afternoon a number of the young women were engaged in mendingtheir own garments. After their period of probation many of thesegirls are sent out to situations found for them by the Army. 

THE WOMEN'S INDUSTRIAL HOME

HACKNEY

This Home is one of much the same class as that which I have justdescribed. It has accommodation for forty-eight girls, of whom over1, 000 have passed through the Institution, where they are generallykept for a period of six months. Most of the young women in the Homewhen I visited it had been thieves. One, who was twenty-seven years ofage, had stolen ever since she was twelve, and the lady in charge toldme that when she came to them everything she had on her, and almostall the articles in her trunk were the property of former mistresses. 

In answer to my questions, Commissioner Cox informed me that theresult of their work in this Home was so satisfactory that theyscarcely liked to announce it. They computed, however, that taken on athree years' test--for the subsequent career of each inmate isfollowed for that period--90 per cent of the cases prove to bepermanent moral cures. This, when the previous history of these youngwomen is considered, may, I think, be accounted a great triumph. Nomoney contribution is asked or expected in this particular Home. Indeed, it would not be forthcoming from the class of girls who aresent or come here to be reformed, many of whom, on entering, aredestitute of underclothing and other necessaries, The needlework whichthey do, however, is sold, and helps to pay for the upkeep of theplace. 

I asked what was done if any of them refused to work. The answer wasthat this very rarely happened, as the women-Officers shared in theirlabours, and the girls could not for shame's sake sit idle while theirOfficers worked. I visited the room where this sewing was in progress, and observed that Commissioner Cox, who conducted me, was receivedwith hearty, and to all appearance, spontaneous clapping of hands, which seemed to indicate that these poor young women are happy andcontented. The hours of labour kept in the Home are those laid down inthe Factory Acts. 

While looking at the work produced by the inmates, I askedCommissioner Cox if she had anything to say as to the charges ofsweating which are sometimes brought against the Army, and ofunderselling in the markets. Her answer was:--

'We do not compete in the markets at all, as we do not make sufficientarticles, and never work for the trade or supply wholesale; we sellthe garments we make one by one by means of our pedlars. It isnecessary that we should do this in order to support our girls. Eitherwe must manufacture and sell the work, or they must starve. '

Here we have the whole charge of sweating by the Army in a nutshell, and the answer to it. 

In this Home a system has been devised for providing each girl with anoutfit when she leaves. It is managed by means of a kind of deferredpay, which is increased if she keeps up to the standard of workrequired. Thus, gradually, she earns her outfit, and leaves the placewith a box of good clothes. The first thing provided is a pair ofboots, then a suitable box, and lastly, the materials which they makeinto clothes. 

This house, like all the others, I found to be extremely wellarranged, with properly-ventilated dormitories, and well suited to itspurposes. 

THE INEBRIATES' HOME 

SPRINGFIELD LODGE, DENMARK HILL. 

This house, which has a fine garden attached, was a gentleman'sresidence purchased by the Salvation Army, to serve as an Inebriates'Home for the better class of patients. With the exception of a few whogive their services in connexion with the work of the place as areturn for their treatment, it is really a Home for gentlefolk. When Ivisited it, some of the inmates, of whom there are usually fromtwenty-five to thirty, were talented ladies who could speak severallanguages, or paint, or play very well. All these came here to becured of the drink or drug habit. The fee for the course ranges from aguinea to 10_s_. Per week, according to the ability of the patient topay, but some who lack this ability pay nothing at all. 

The lady in charge remarked drily on this point, that many peopleseemed to think that as the place belonged to the Salvation Army itdid not matter if they paid or not. As is the practice at HillsboroughHouse, a vegetarian diet is insisted upon as a condition ofthe patient receiving treatment at the Home. Often this is a cause ofmuch remonstrance, as the inmates, who are mostly persons in middle oradvanced life, think that it will kill them. The actual results, however, are found to be most satisfactory, as the percentage ofsuccesses is found to be 50 per cent, after a year in the Home andthree years' subsequent supervision. I was told that a while ago, SirThomas Barlow, the well-known physician, challenged this statement. Hewas asked to see for himself, he examined a number of the patients, inspected the books and records, and finally satisfied himself that itwas absolutely correct. 

The Army attaches much importance to what may be called the after-careof the cases, for the lack of which so many people who pass throughHomes and then return to ordinary life, break down, and become, perhaps, worse than they were before. The seven devils of Scriptureare always ready to re-occupy the swept and garnished soul, especiallyif they be the devils of drink. 

Moreover, the experience of the Army is that relatives and friends areextraordinarily thoughtless in this matter. Often enough they will, asit were, thrust spirituous liquors down the throat of thenewly-reformed drunkard, or at the least will pass them before theireyes and drink them in their presence as usual, with results that maybe imagined. One taste and in four cases out of six the thing is done. The old longings awake again and must be satisfied. 

For these reasons the highly-skilled Officers of the Salvation Armyhold that reclaimed inebriates should be safeguarded, watched, and, sofar as the circumstances may allow, kept under the influences thathave brought about their partial recovery. They say that they owe muchof their remarkable success in those cases to a strict observance ofsuch preventive methods for a period of three years. After that timepatients must stand upon their own feet. These remarks apply also tothe victims of the drug habit, who are even more difficult to dealwith than common drunkards. 

At this Home I had a conversation with a fine young woman, anex-hospital nurse, who gave me a very interesting account of herexperiences of laudanum drinking. She said that in an illness she hadgone through while she was a nurse a doctor dosed her with laudanum todeaden her pain and induce sleep. The upshot was that she could notsleep without the help of laudanum or other opiates, and thus thefatal habit was formed. She described the effects of the drug uponher, which appeared to be temporary exhilaration and freedom from allcare, coupled with sensations of great vigour. She spoke also ofdelightful visions; but when I asked her to describe the visions, shewent back upon that statement, perhaps because their nature was suchas she did not care to set out. She added, however, that the sleepwhich followed was haunted by terrible dreams. 

Another effect of the habit, according to this lady, is forgetfulness, which showed itself in all kinds of mistakes, and in the loss of powerof accurate expression, which caused her to say things she did notmean and could not remember when she had said them. She told me thatthe process of weaning herself from the drug was extremely painful anddifficult; but that she now slept well and desired it no more. 

To be plain, I was not satisfied with the truth of this laststatement, for there was a strange look in her eyes which suggestedthat she still desired it very much; also she seemed to me toprevaricate upon certain points. Further, those in charge of herallowed that this diagnosis was probably correct, especially as she isnow in the Home for the second time, although her first visit therewas a very short one. Still they thought that she would be cured inthe end. Let us hope that they were right. 

The Army has also another Home in this neighbourhood, run on similarlines, for the treatment of middle-class and poor people. 

THE WOMEN'S INDUSTRIAL HOME

SOUTHWOOD, SYDENHAM HILL

This is another of the Salvation Army Homes for Women. When I visitedSouthwood, which is an extremely good house, having been a gentleman'sresidence, with a garden and commanding a beautiful view, there wereabout forty inmates, some of whom were persons of gentle birth. Forsuch ladies single sleeping places are provided, with special diningand sitting-rooms. These are supposed to pay a guinea a week for theirboard and accommodation, though I gathered that this sum was notalways forthcoming. The majority of the other inmates, most of whomhave gone astray in one way or another, pay nothing. 

A good many of the cases here are what are called preventive; that isto say, that their parents or guardians being able to do nothing withthem, and fearing lest they should come to ruin, send them to thisplace as a last resource, hoping that they may be cured of their eviltendencies. 

Thus one girl whom I think I saw, could not be prevented from gaddingon the streets, and therefore had been placed here. Another youngwoman was a schoolmistress who would not get out of bed and refused towork. When she came to the Home she was very insolent andbad-tempered, and would do nothing. Now, I was informed, she riseswith the lark, at 6. 30 indeed, and works like a Trojan. I could nothelp wondering whether these excellent habits would survive herdeparture from the Home. Another lady, who had been sentenced forthefts, was the daughter of a minister. She horrified the Officers byregretting that she had gone to jail for so little, when others whohad taken and enjoyed large sums received practically the samesentence. She was reported to be doing well. 

Another, also a lady, was the victim of an infatuation which causedher to possess herself of money to send to some man who had followedher about from the time she was in a boarding school. Another was aforeigner, who had been sent to an American doctor in the East to betrained as a nurse. This poor girl underwent an awful experience, andwas in the care of the Salvation Army recovering from shock; but, ofcourse, hers is a different class of case from those which I havementioned above. Another was an English girl who had been turned outof Canada because of her bad behaviour with men. And so on. 

It only remains to say that most of these people appeared to be doingwell, while many of those in the humbler classes of life were beingtaught to earn their own living in the laundry that is attached to theInstitution. 

THE WOMEN'S SHELTER

WHITECHAPEL

This is a place where women, most of them old, so far as myobservation went, are taken in to sleep at a charge of 3_d. _ a night. It used to be 2_d_. Until the London County Council made the provisionof sheets, etc. , compulsory, when the Army was obliged to raise thepayment. This Shelter, which is almost always so full that people haveto be turned away, holds 261 women. It contains a separate room, wherechildren are admitted with their mothers, half price, namely1-1/2_d. _, being charged per child. There is a kitchen attached wherethe inmates can buy a large mug of tea for a 1/2_d. _, and a huge chunkof bread for a second 1/2_d. _; also, if I remember right, otherarticles of food, if they can afford such luxuries. 

The great dormitory in this Shelter, it may be mentioned, was once aswimming-bath. Some of the women who come to this place have slept init almost every night for eighteen or twenty years. Others make use ofit for a few months, and then vanish for a period, especially in thesummer, when they go hop or strawberry picking, and return in thewinter. Every day, however, fresh people appear, possibly to depart onthe morrow and be seen no more. 

I asked whether the aged folk had not been benefited by the Old AgePensions Act. The lady Officer in charge replied that it had been ablessing to some of them. One old woman, however, would not apply forher pension, although she was urged to take a room for herselfsomewhere. She said that she was afraid if she did so, she might beturned out and be lonely. 

I visited this Shelter in the late afternoon, before it was filled up. A number of dilapidated and antique females were sitting about in therooms, talking or sewing. One old lady was doing crochet work. Shetold me that she made her living by it, and by flower-selling. Anotherinformed me that it was years since she had slept anywhere else, andthat she did not know what poor women like her would do without thisplace. Another was cooking the broth. Her husband was a sea captain, and when he died, her father had allowed her _£1_ a week until hedied. Afterwards she took to drink, and drifted here, where, I wasinformed, she is doing well. And so on, and so on, _ad infinitum_. TheHanbury Street Women's Shelter is not a cheerful spot to visit on adull and rainy evening. 

THE SLUM SETTLEMENT

HACKNEY ROAD

Slum work is an important branch of the Social labours of theSalvation Army, Thus last year the Slum Sisters visited over 105, 000families, over 20, 000 sick, and over 32, 000 public-houses, in whichwork they spent more than 90, 000 hours of time. Also they attended 482births, and paid nearly 9, 000 visits in connexion with them. 

There are nine Slum Settlements and Posts in London, and nineteenothers in England, Scotland, and Ireland. The old system used to befor the Sisters and Nurses to live among the lowest class of the poor, lodging in the actual tenements in which their work was carried out. This, however, was abandoned as far as possible, because it was foundthat after the arduous toil of the day these ladies could get littlerest at night, owing to the noise that went on about them, acircumstance that caused their health to suffer and made theminefficient. Now out of the 117 Officers engaged in Slum work in GreatBritain, about one-half who labour in London live in five houses setapart for them in different quarters of the city; fifteen Officersbeing the usual complement to each house. 

The particular dwelling of which I write is a good specimen of themall, and from it the Sisters and Nurses who live there workShoreditch, Bethnal Green, Whitechapel, and the Hoxton and HackneyRoad districts. It is decently furnished and a comfortable place inits way, although, of course, it stands in a poor neighbourhood. Iremember that there was even the finishing touch of a canary in thewindow. I should add that no cases are attended in the house itself, which is purely a residence. 

To this particular Settlement two qualified midwives and a nurse areattached. While I was there one of the midwives came in, very tired, at about half-past eleven in the morning. Since three o'clock on thatsame morning she had attended three confinements, so no wonder she wastired. She said that one of her cases was utterly unprovided withanything needful as the father was out of work, although on theoccasion of a previous confinement they had all they wanted. Now theylived in a little room in which there was not space 'to swing a cat, 'and were without a single bite of food or bit of clothing, so that thebaby when it came had to be wrapped up in an old shawl and the womansent to the Infirmary. The Sister in charge informed me that if theyhad them they could find employment for twice their strength of nurseswithout overlapping the work of any other charity. 

The people with whom they deal are for the most part those who have arooted objection to infirmaries, although the hospitals are much moreused than was formerly the case. The system of the Army is to make acharge of 6_s_. 6_d_. For attending a confinement, which, if paid, isgenerally collected in instalments of 3_d_. Or 6_d_. A week. Often, however, it is not paid, and the charge remains a mere formality. Sheadded that many of these poor people are most improvident, and make noprovision whatsoever for these events, even if they can afford to doso. The result is that the Army has to lend them baby garments andother things. 

The Sister said in answer to my questions that there was a great dealof poverty in their district where many men were out of work, a numberof them because they could find nothing to do. She thought that thingswere certainly no better in this respect; indeed, the state ofdepression was chronic. Owing to the bad summer of 1909, whichaffected the hop-picking and other businesses, the destitution thatyear was as great during the warm months as it usually is in thewinter. 

The poor of this district, she said, 'generally live upon fried fishand chips. You know they cannot cook, anyway they don't, and what theydo cook is all done in the frying-pan, which is also a very convenientarticle to pawn. They don't understand economy, for when they have abit of money they will buy in food and have a big feast, not thinkingof the days when there will be little or nothing. Then, again, theybuy their goods in small portions; for instance, their coal by theha'p'orth or their wood by the farthing's-worth, which, in fact, worksout at a great profit to the dealers. Or they buy a farthing's-worthof tea, which is boiled up again and again till it is awful-lookingstuff. '

I asked her what she considered to be the main underlying cause ofthis misery. She answered that she thought it was due 'to the peopleflocking from the country to the city, ' thereby confirming an opinionthat I have long held and advanced. She added that the overcrowding inthe district was terrible, the regulations of the Public HealthAuthorities designed to check it being 'a dead letter. ' In one casewith which she had to do, a father, mother, and nine children lived ina room that measured 9 ft. By 9 ft. , and the baby came into the worldwith the children looking on!

The general weekly rent for a room containing a family is 5_s_. , or ifit is furnished, 7_s_. 6_d_. The Sister described to me the furnitureof one for the use of which this extra half-crown is charged. Itconsisted of a rickety bed, two chairs, one without a back and onewithout a seat, and a little shaky table. The floor was bare, and sheestimated the total value of these articles at about their weekly rentof 2_s_. 6_d_. , if, indeed, they were worth carrying away. In thischamber dwelt a coachman who was out of place, his wife, and three orfour children, I wonder what arrangement these poor folk make as tothe use of the one chair that has a bottom. To occupy the other mustbe an empty honour. With reference to this man the Sister remarkedthat as a result of the introduction of motor vehicles, busmen, cabmen, and blacksmiths were joining the ranks of her melancholyclientele in numbers. 

This and some similar stories caused me to reflect on the remarkablecontrast between rents in the country and in town. For instance, I ownabout a dozen cottages in this village in which I write, and thehighest rent that I receive is 2_s_. 5_d_. A week. This is paid for alarge double dwelling, on which I had to spend over £100 quiterecently to convert two cottages into one. Also, there is a largedouble garden thrown in, so large that a man can scarcely manage it inhis spare time, a pigsty, fruit trees, etc. All this for 1_d_. A weekless than is charged for the two broken chairs, the rickety bed, andthe shaky table! Again, for £10 a year, I let a comfortable farmhouse;that is, £3 a year less than the out-of-work coachman pays for hissingle room without the furniture. And yet, as the Sister said, peoplecontinue to rush from the country to the towns!

Nor, it seems, do they always make the best of things when they getthere. Thus the Sister mentioned that the education which the girlsreceive in the schools causes them to desire a more exalted lot inlife than that of a servant. So they try to find places in shops, orjam factories, etc. Some get them, but many fail; and of those whofail, a large proportion go to swell the mass of the unemployed, or torecruit the ranks of an undesirable profession. She went so far as tosay that most of the domestic servants in London are not Cockneys atall, but come from the country; adding, that the sad part of it wasthat thousands of these poor girls, after proper training, could findcomfortable and remunerative employment without displacing others, asthe demand for domestic servants is much greater than the supply. These are cold facts which seem to suggest that our system of freeeducation is capable of improvement. 

It appears that all this district is a great centre of what is knownas 'sweating. ' Thus artificial flowers, of which I was shown a finespecimen, a marguerite, are made at a price of 1_s_. Per gross, theworkers supplying their own glue. An expert hand, beginning at eightin the morning and continuing till ten at night, can produce a grossand a half of these flowers, and thus net 1_s_. 6_d_. , minus the costof the glue, scissors, and sundries. The Officers of the Army find itextremely difficult to talk to these poor people, who are invariablytoo busy to listen. Therefore, some of them have learnt how to makeartificial flowers themselves, so that when they call they can join inthe family manufacture, and, while doing so, carry on theirconversation. 

For the making of match-boxes and the sticking on of the labels thepay is 2-1/2_d_. Per gross. Few of us, I think, would care tomanufacture 144 matchboxes for 2-1/2_d_. I learned that it is notunusual to find little children of four years of age helping theirmothers to make these boxes. 

The Slum Sisters attached to the Settlement, who are distinct from theMaternity Nurses, visit the very poorest and worst neighbourhoods, forthe purpose of helping the sick and afflicted, and incidentally ofcleaning their homes. Also, they find out persons who are aboutsixty-nine years of age, and contribute to their maintenance, so as tosave them from being forced to receive poor-law relief, which wouldprevent them from obtaining their old-age pensions when they come toseventy. 

Here is an illustration of the sort of case with which these SlumSisters have to deal; perhaps, I should say, the easiest sort of case. An old man and his wife whom they visited, lived in a clean room. Theold woman fell sick, and before she died the Slum Sisters gave her abath, which, as these poor people much object to washing, caused allthe neighbours to say that they had killed her. After his wife'sdeath, the husband, who earned his living by selling laces on LondonBridge, went down in the world, and his room became filthy. The SlumSisters told him that they would clean up the place, but he forbadethem to touch the bed, which, he said, was full of mice and beetles. As he knew that women dread mice and beetles, he thought that thisstatement would frighten them. When he was out selling his laces, theydescended upon his room, where the first thing that they did was toremove the said bed into the yard and burn it, replacing it withanother. On his return, the old man exclaimed: 'Oh, my darlings, whatever _have_ you been doing?'

They still clean this room once a week. 

The general impression left upon my mind, after visiting this place atHackney Road and conversing with its guardian angels, is, that in someof its aspects, if not in all, civilization is a failure. Probablythoughtful people made the same remark in ancient Rome, and in everyother city since cities were. The truth is, that so soon as itschildren desert the land which bore them for the towns, these horrorsfollow as surely as the night follows the day. 

THE PICCADILLY MIDNIGHT WORK

GREAT TICHFIELD STREET

I visited this place a little before twelve o'clock on a summer night. It is a small flat near Oxford Street, in which live twowomen-Officers of the Army, who are engaged in the work of reclaimingprostitutes. I may mention that for the last fourteen years the Majorin charge, night by night, has tramped the streets with this object. The Titchfield Street flat is not in any sense a Home, but I saw asmall room in it, with two beds, where cases who may be rescued fromthe streets, or come here in a time of trouble, can sleep untilarrangements are made for them to proceed to one of the RescueInstitutions of the Army. 

This work is one of the most difficult and comparatively unproductiveof any that the Army undertakes. The careers of these unfortunatestreet women, who are nearly all of them very fine specimens of femalehumanity, for the most part follow a rocket-like curve. The majorityof them begin by getting into trouble, at the end of which, perhaps, they find themselves with a child upon their hands. Or they may havebeen turned out of their homes, or some sudden misfortune may havereduced them to destitution. At any rate, the result is that they taketo a loose life, and mayhap, after living under the protection of oneor two men, find themselves upon the streets. Sometimes, it may besaid to their credit, if that word can be used in this connexion, theyadopt this mode of life in order to support their child or children. 

The Major informed me that if they are handsome they generally beginwith a period of great prosperity. One whom she knew earned about £30a week, and a good many of them make as much as £1, 000 a year, and payperhaps £6 weekly in rent. 

A certain proportion of them are careful, open a bank account, savemoney, retire, and get married. Generally, these keep their bank-booksin their stockings, which, in their peculiar mode of life, they findto be the safest place, as they are very suspicious of each other, andmuch afraid of being robbed. The majority of them, however, are not soprovident. They live in and for the moment, and spend their ill-gottengains as fast as they receive them. 

Gradually they drift downwards. They begin in Piccadilly, andprogress, or rather retrogress, through Leicester Square on toTottenham Court Road and Oxford Street, and thence to the Euston Road, ending their sad careers in Bishopsgate and Whitechapel. The Majorinformed me that there are but very few in the Piccadillyneighbourhood whom she knew when she took up this work, and that, as arule, they cannot stand the life for long. The irregular hours, theexposure, the excitement, and above all the drink in which most ofthem indulge, kill them out or send them to a poorhouse or thehospital. 

She said, however, that as a class they have many virtues. Forinstance, they are very kind-hearted, and will always help each otherin trouble. Also, most of them have affection for their children, being careful to keep them, if possible, from any knowledge of theirmode of life. Further, they are charitable to the poor, and, in a way, religious; or, perhaps, superstitious would be a better term. Thus, they often go to church on Sundays, and do not follow their avocationon Sunday nights. On New Year's Eve, their practice is to attend theWatch Night services, where, doubtless, poor people, they make thosegood resolutions that form the proverbial pavement of the road toHell. Nearly all of them drink more or less, as they say that theycould not live their life without stimulant. Moreover, theirprofession necessitates their walking some miles every night. 

For the most part these women lodge in pairs in their own flats, wherethey pay about 35_s_. A week for three unfurnished rooms. The Officertold me that often some despicable man, who is called a 'bully, ' liveson them, following them round the streets, and watching them. Even thesmartest girls are not infrequently the victims of such a man, whoknocks them about and takes money from them. Occasionally he may be ahusband or a relative. She added that as a class they are much betterbehaved and less noisy than they used to be. This improvement, however, is largely due to the increased strictness of the police. These women do not decrease in number. In the Major's opinion, thereare as many or more of them on the streets as there were fourteenyears ago, although the brothels and the procuresses are lessnumerous, and their quarters have shifted from Piccadilly to otherneighbourhoods. 

The Army methods of dealing, or rather of attempting to deal with thisutterly insoluble problem are simple enough. The Officers walk thestreets every night from about twelve to two and distribute cards inthree languages according to the nationality of the girl to whom theseare offered. Here they are in English, French, and German:--

 Mrs. Booth will gladly help any Girl or Woman in need of a friend. _APPLY AT_ 79 Great Titchfield Street, or 259 Mare Street, Hackney, N. E. 

[Illustration: BONNES NOUVELLS. ]

 Vous avez une amie qui est disposée à vous aider. 

 (S addresser) Madame Booth 79 Great Titchfield Street, Oxford Street, Londres, W. 

 MADAM BOOTH will herzlich gerne Jedem Mädchen oder Jeder Frau helfen, die sich in Noth auf eine Freundin befinden. 

 259 Mare Street, Hackney, 70 Great Titchfield Street, W. 

Most of the girls to whom they are offered will not take them, but agood number do and, occasionally, the seed thus sown bears fruit. Thusthe woman who takes the card may come to Great Titchfield Street andbe rescued in due course. More frequently, however, she will give afalse address, or make an appointment which she does not keep, or willsay that it is too late for her to change her life. But this fact doesnot always prevent such a woman from trying to help others by sendingyoung girls who have recently taken to the trade to the TitchfieldStreet Refuge in the hope that they may be induced to abandon theirevil courses. 

Occasionally the Army has midnight suppers in its Regent Hall forthese women, who attend in large numbers, perhaps out of curiosity. Atthe last supper nearly 300 'swell girls' were present and listened tothe prayers and the exhortations to amend their lives. Sometimes, too, the Officers attend them when they are sick or dying. Once they buriedone of the women, who died whilst under their care, holding a midnightfuneral over her at their hall in Oxford Street. 

It was attended by hundreds of the sisterhood, and the Major describedthe scene as terrible. The women were seized with hysterics, and burstinto shrieks and sobs. They even tried to open the coffin in order tokiss the dead girl who lay within. 

Amongst many other cases, I was informed of a black girl calledDiamond, so named because she wore real diamonds on her dresses, whichdresses cost over £100 apiece. The Army tried to help her in vain, andwrote her many letters. In the end she died in an Infirmary, when allthe letters were found carefully hidden away among her belongings andreturned to the Major. 

The average number of rescues compassed, directly or indirectly, bythe Piccadilly Midnight work is about fifty a year. This is not a verygreat result; but after all the taking of even a few people from thishellish life and their restoration to decency and self-respect is wellworth the cost and labour of the mission. The Officers told me thatthey meet with but little success in the case of those women who arein their bloom and earning great incomes. It can scarcely beotherwise, for what has the Army to offer them in place of theirgaudy, glittering life of luxury and excitement?

The way of transgressors is hard, but the way of repentance is harder;at any rate, while the transgressor is doing well. On the one handjewels and champagne, furs and motors, and on the other prayers thattalk of death and judgment, plain garments made by the wearer'slabour, and at the end the drudgery of earning an honest livelihood, perhaps as a servant. Human nature being what it is, it seems scarcelywonderful that these children of pleasure cling to the path of 'roses'and turn from that of 'thorns. '

With those that are growing old and find themselves broken in body andin spirit, who are thrust aside in the fierce competition of theirtrade in favour of younger rivals; those who find the wine in theirtinsel cup turning, or turned, to gall, the case is different. Theyare sometimes, not always, glad to creep to such shelter from thestorms of life as the Army can offer, and there work out their moraland physical salvation. For what bitterness is there like to thatwhich must be endured by the poor, broken woman of the streets, asscorned, spat on, thrust aside, she sinks from depth to depth into thelast depth of all, striving to drown her miseries with drugs or drink, if so she may win forgetfulness even for an hour?

Sometimes, too, these patient toilers in the deep of midnight sinsucceed in dragging from the brink those that have but dipped theirfeet in its dark waters. _Nemo repente fuit turpissimus_--no onebecomes altogether filthy in an hour--runs the old Roman saying, whichis as true to-day as it was 2, 000 years ago, and whether it be spokenof body or of soul, it is easier to wash the feet than the wholebeing. When they understand what lies before them certain of the youngshrink back and grasp Mercy's outstretched arms. 

One night about twelve o'clock, together with Lieut. -Colonel Jolliffe, an Officer of the Army who was dressed in plain clothes, I accompaniedthe Major and the lady who is her colleague, to Leicester Square andits neighbourhood, and there watched their methods of work, followingthem at a little distance. Dressed in their uniform they mingled withthe women who marched the pavements, and now and again, with curiouslyswift and decisive steps glided up to one of them, whispered a fewearnest words into her ear, and proffered a printed ticket. Most ofthose spoken to walked on stonily as people do when they meet anundesirable acquaintance whom they do not wish to recognize. Somethrust past them rudely; some hesitated and with a hard laugh wenttheir way; but a few took the tickets and hid them among their laces. 

So far as the work was concerned that was all there was to see. Nothing dramatic happened; no girl fled to them imploring help orasking to be saved from the persecutions of a man; no girl eveninsulted them--for these Officers to be insulted is a thing unknown. All I saw was the sowing of the seed in very stony ground, where notone kern out of a thousand is like to germinate and much less to grow. Yet as experience proves, occasionally it does both germinate andgrow, yes, and bloom and come to the harvest of repentance andredemption. It is for this that these unwearying labourers scattertheir grain from night to night, that at length they may garner intotheir bosoms a scanty but a priceless harvest. 

It was a strange scene. The air was hot and heavy, the sky was filledwith black and lowering clouds already laced with lightnings. Themusic-halls and restaurants had given out their crowds, the midnightmart was open. Everywhere were women, all finely dressed, most of thempainted, as could be seen in the glare of the electric lights, some ofthem more or less excited with drink, but none turbulent or noisy. Mixed up with these were the bargainers, men of every degree, the mostof them with faces unpleasant to consider. 

Some had made their pact and were departing. I noticed one young girlwhose looks would have drawn attention anywhere, whispering an addressfrom beneath an enormous feathered hat to the driver of a taxicab, while her companion, a pleasant-looking, fresh-coloured boy, for hewas scarcely more, entered the vehicle, a self-satisfied air upon hisface. She sprang in also, and the cab with its occupants glided awayout of my ken for ever. 

Here and there stalwart, quiet policemen requested loiterers to moveon, and the loiterers obeyed and re-formed in groups behind them; hereand there a respectable woman pushed her way through the throng, gathering up her skirts as she did so and glancing covertly at thisunaccustomed company out of the corners of her eyes. 

While watching all these sights we lost touch of the Salvation Armyladies, who wormed their way through the crowd as easily and quicklyas a snake does through undergrowth, and set out to find them. Bigdrops began to fall, the thunder growled, and in a moment theconcourse commenced to melt. Five minutes later the rain was fallingfast and the streets had emptied. That night's market was at an end. 

No farmer watches the weather more anxiously than do these paintedwomen in their muslins and gold-laced shoes. 

Meanwhile, their night's work done, the Salvation Army ladies weretramping through the wet back to Titchfield Street, for they do notspend money on cabs, and the buses had ceased to run. 

THE ANTI-SUICIDE BUREAU

This is a branch of the Army's work with which I have been more orless acquainted for some years. 

The idea of an Anti-Suicide Bureau arose in the Army four or fiveyears ago; but every one seems to have forgotten with whom it actuallyoriginated. I suppose that it grew, like Topsy, or was discoveredsimultaneously by several Officers, like a new planet by differentastronomers studying the heavens in faith and hope. At any rate, theresults of the idea are remarkable. Thus in London alone 1, 064 caseswere dealt with in the year 1909, and of those cases it is estimatedthat all but about a dozen were turned from their fatal purpose. Letus halve these figures, and say that 500 lives were actually saved, that 500 men live to-day in and about London who otherwise would bedead by their own hands and buried in dishonoured graves. Or let useven quarter them, and surely this remains a wonderful work, especially when we remember that London is by no means the only placein which it is being carried on. 

How is it done? the reader may ask. I answer by knowledge of humannature, by the power of sympathy, by gentle kindness. A poor wretchstaggers into a humble little room at the Salvation Army Headquartersin Queen Victoria Street. He unfolds an incoherent tale. He is anunpleasant and disturbing person whom any lawyer or business man wouldget rid of as soon as possible. He vapours about self-destruction, hehints at dark troubles with his wife. He produces drugs or weapons--apoint at which most people would certainly show him out. But theOfficers in charge do nothing of the sort. They laugh at him or givehim a cup of tea. They bid him brace himself together, and tell themthe truth and nothing but the truth. Then out pours the awful tale, which, however bad it may be, they listen to quite unmoved though notunconcerned, for they hear such every day. When it is finished, theyask coolly enough why, in the name of all that their visitorreverences or holds dear, he considers it necessary to commit suicidefor a trifling job like that. A new light dawns upon the desperateman. He answers, because he can see no other way out. 

Why, exclaims the Officer, there are a dozen ways out. Let us find oneof them. You, A. , have been faithless to your wife. Well, when thematter is explained to her, I daresay she will forgive you. You, B. , have defrauded your employer. Well, employers are not alwaysrelentless. I'll call on him this evening and talk the matter over. You, C. , are hopelessly in debt through horse-racing or speculation. Well, at the worst you can go through the Court and start afresh. You, D. , have committed a crime. Go and own up to it like a man, stand yourtrial, and work out your sentence. I daresay it won't be so very heavyif you take that course, and we will look after you when it is over. You, E. , have been brought into this state through your miserablevices, drink, or whatever they may be. Cure yourself of thevices--we'll show you how--don't crown them by cutting your throatlike a cur. You, F. , have been afflicted with great sorrows. Well, those sorrows have some purpose and some meaning. There's always adawn beyond the night; wait for that dawn; it will come here orhereafter. 

And so on, and on, through all the gamut of human sin and misery. 

Of course, there are cases in which the Army fails. As I have said, there were about a dozen of these last year, six of which, if Iremember right, occurred with startling rapidity one after the other. The Suicide Officers of the Army always take up the daily paper withfear and trembling, and not infrequently find that the man whom theythought they had consoled and set upon a different path, has beendiscovered dead by drowning in the river, or by poison in the streets, or by whatever it may be. But everything has its proportion offailures, and where intending suicides are concerned 1 or 2 per cent, or on the quarter basis that I have adopted as beyond question ofsincerity of intent, 4 or 8 per cent is not a large average. Indeed, 20 per cent would not be large, or even 50 per cent. But these figuresdo not occur. 

Of course, it is suggested that many of those who drift into theAnti-Suicide Bureau have no real intention of making away withthemselves, but that they come there only to see what they can get inthe way of money or other comfort. As regards money, the answer isthat, except very occasionally, the Army gives none, for the simplereason that it has none to give. For the rest the fatal cases whichhappen show that there is a grim purpose at work in the minds of manyof the applicants. But I repeat, let us halve the figures, let us evenquarter them, which, as Euclid remarked, is absurd, and even then whatare we to conclude?

Before proceeding with my comments upon this work I ought to state, perhaps, that the Army has various branches of this Anti-SuicideCrusade. Thus, it is at work in almost all our big cities, and also inAmerica, in Australia, and in Japan. The Japanese Bureau was openedlast year with very good results. This is the more remarkable in acountry where ancient tradition and immemorial custom hallow thesystem of _hara-kiri_ in any case of trouble or disgrace. 

Moreover, the idea is spreading, Count Tolstoy is said to have beeninterested in it. Applications have been received from the Hague forparticulars of the Army methods in the matter. Similar work is beingcarried out in Vienna, not by the Army, but on its lines. The Army hasbeen informed that if it will open an Anti-Suicide Bureau in Budapest, office accommodation, etc. , will be found for it. And so forth. 

Colonel Unsworth who, until recently had charge of the Anti-SuicideBureau from its commencement, is of opinion that suicide is very muchon the increase, a statement that it would be difficult to dispute inview of the number of cases recorded daily in the local Press. Forinstance, I read one on this morning of writing, in a Norfolk paper, where a farmer had blown out his brains, to all appearance because hehad a difference of opinion with his wife as to whether he should, orshould not, take on another farm. 

Colonel Unsworth attributed this sad state of affairs to sundrycauses. The first of these was the intense and ever-increasing nervouspressure of our time. The second, the spread of fatalism, The third, the advance of materialistic ideas, and of the general disbelief inthe doctrine of future retribution. The fourth, a certain noticeablereturn in such matters to the standard of Pagan nations, especially ofancient Rome, where it was held that if things went wrong and lifebecame valueless, or even uninteresting, to bring it to an end was inno sense shameful but praiseworthy. In illustration of this point, hequoted a remark said to have been made by a magistrate not long ago, to the effect that in certain conditions a man was not to be blamedfor taking his own life. 

His fifth reason was that circumstances arise in which some peopleconvince themselves that their deaths would benefit their families. Thus, insurances may fall in, for, after one or two premiums have beenpaid, many offices take the risk of suicide. Or they may know thatwhen they are gone, wealthy relatives will take care of theirchildren, who will thus be happier and better off than these are whilethey, the fathers, live. Wrong as it may be, this, indeed, is anattitude with which it is difficult not to feel a certain sympathy. After all, we are told that there is no greater love than that of aman who lays down his life for his friend, though there ran be nodoubt that the saying was not intended to include this kind of layingdown of life. 

Colonel Unsworth's sixth cause was the increasing atrophy of thepublic conscience. He stated that suicide is rarely preached againstfrom the pulpit, as drunkenness is for instance. Further, a jury canseldom be induced to bring in a verdict of _felo-de-se. _ Even wherethe victim was obviously and, perhaps painfully sane, his act is putdown to temporary insanity. 

Other causes are drink, hereditary disposition, madness in all itsprotean shapes; incurable disease, unwillingness to face theconsequences of sin or folly; the passion of sexual love, which issometimes so mighty as to amount to madness; the effects of uttergrief such as result from the loss of those far more beloved thanself, of which an instance is at hand in the case of the Officer incharge of the Shelter at Great Peter Street, Westminster, mentionedearlier in this book, who, it may be remembered, tried to kill himselfafter the death of his wife and child; and lastly, where women areconcerned, terror and shame at the prospect of giving birth to achild, whose appearance in the world is not sanctioned by law orcustom. 

Suicide among women is, however, comparatively rare, a fact whichsuggests either that the causes which produce it press on or affectthem less, or that in this particular, their minds are better balancedthan are those of men. I was told, at any rate, that but few womenapply to the Suicide Bureau of the Army for help in this temptation;though, perhaps, that may be due to the greater secretiveness of thesex. 

Speaking generally, this magnitude of the evil to be attacked may begauged from the fact that about 3, 800 people die by their own hands inEngland and Wales every year, a somewhat appalling total. 

Intending suicides come into the hands of the Army Bureau in variousways. Some of them see notices in the Press descriptive of this branchof the Social Work. Some of them are found by policemen in desperatecircumstances and brought to the Bureau, and some are sent there fromdifferent localities by Salvation Army Officers. 

I have looked through the records of numbers of these cases, but, forobvious reasons, it is difficult to give a full and accuratedescription of any of them. The reader, therefore, must be content toaccept my assurance of their genuine nature. One or two, however, maybe alluded to with becoming vagueness. Here is an example of a notinfrequent kind, when a person arrives at the office having alreadyattempted the deed. 

A business man who had recently made a study of agnostic literature, had become involved in certain complications, which resulted in aquarrel with his wife. His means not being sufficient to the supportof a double establishment, he took the train to London with a bottleof sulphonal in his pocket (not a drug to be recommended for hispurpose) and swallowed tabloids all the way to town. When he had takenseventy-five grains, and the bottle, as I saw, was two-thirds empty, he found that the drug worked in a way he did not expect. Instead ofkilling him, it awoke his religious susceptibilities, which the courseof agnostic literature had scotched but not killed, and he began towonder with some earnestness whether, after all, there might not be aHereafter which, in the circumstances, he did not care to face. 

In this acute perplexity he bethought him of the Salvation Army, andarrived at the Bureau in a state of considerable excitement, asquickly as a taxicab could bring him. A doctor and a fortnight inhospital did the rest. The Army found him another situation in placeof the one which he had lost, and composed his differences with hiswife. They are now both Salvationists and very happy. So, in thisinstance, all's well that ends well. 

_Case Two. _--A man, in a responsible position, and of ratherextravagant habits, married a wife of more extravagant habits, andfound that, whatever the proverb may say, it costs more to keep twothan one. His money matters became desperately involved, but, beingafraid to confide in his wife, he spent a Sunday afternoon in tryingto make up his mind whether he would shoot or drown himself. While hewas thus engaged, a Salvation Army band happened to pass his door, andreminded him of what he had read about the Anti-Suicide Bureau. Postponing decision as to the exact method of his departure from thisearth, he called there, and was persuaded to make a clean breast ofthe matter to his wife. 

Afterwards the Army took up his extremely complicated affairs. I saw apile of documents relating to them that must have been at least 4 ins. Thick. The various money-lenders were interviewed, and persuaded toaccept payment in weekly or monthly instalments. The account wasalmost square when I saw it, and the person concerned extremely happyand grateful. I should say that, in this case, a lawyer's bill for thework which was done for nothing would have amounted to quite £50. 

In another somewhat similar case, that of an official who had tamperedwith moneys in his charge, though this was not discovered, some of thecreditors had placed the business in the hands ofdebt-collecting-agencies, than whom, said Colonel Unsworth, 'there areno harder or more cruel creditors. ' At any rate, they drove this poorman almost to madness, with the usual result. A friend brought him tothe Army, who shouldered his affairs, dealt with the debt-collectingagencies, obtained help from his connexions, and paid off what wasowing by instalments. He and his family are now again quitecomfortable. 

[Illustration: AT ONE OF THE ARMY FOOD DEPOTS. ]

_Case Three_. --A man was cursed with such a fearful temper that hecould keep no situation. He came to London in a state of fury, with arazor in his pocket. Happening to see the words 'Salvation ArmyShelter' on a building, it occurred to him to hear what the SuicideOfficers had to say before he cut his throat. They dealt with thematter, and showed him the error of his way. He is now in a very goodsingle-handed situation abroad where, as he cannot talk the language, he finds it difficult to quarrel with those about him. 

_Case Four_. --Telephone operator, who was driven mad by that dreadfulinstrument and by domestic worries. The Army Officers saved the manand smoothed over the domestic worries; but how he gets on with thetelephone instruments is not recorded. 

_Case Five_. --Unsuitable marriage and bad temper. The wife had becomeinvolved in some trouble in early life, and unwisely, as it proved, confessed to the husband, who brought it up against her every timethere was a quarrel between them. In this instance, also, suicide wasaverted and the domestic differences were arranged. 

_Case Six_--A man in a business firm, married, with children, wasthrough no fault of his own thrown out of work, owing to theappointment of a new manager. He came at last to the Embankment, andafterwards applied for a job in answer to an advertisement. Theadvertiser told him it was a pity that as he had been so near theriver he did not go into it. The man determined to commit suicide; butthe Officers dissuaded him from this course and helped him. Hereturned a year later in a condition of considerable prosperity, having worked his way to a Colony where he is now doing extremelywell, his visit to England being in connexion with the business inwhich he had become a partner. 

And so on _ad infinitum. _ I might tell many such stories, some of themof a much more tragic character than those I have instanced, butrefrain from doing so lest by chance they should be identified, especially where the individuals concerned belonged to the upperstrata of society. Perhaps enough has been said, however, to show whata great work is being done by the Army in this Department, where inLondon alone it deals with several would-be suicides every day. 

Of course, some of these people are frauds. For instance, one of theOfficers told me that not long ago a medical man, who was evidently adrunkard, called on him and said that he would commit suicide unlessmoney were given to him. He was informed that this was against therules; whereon the man produced a bottle and said that if the moneywere not forthcoming, he would drink its contents and make an end ofhimself in the office. As may be imagined the Officer went through ananxious moment, not quite knowing what to do. However, he looked theman over, summed him up to the best of his judgment and ability, andcoming to the conclusion that he was a bully and a braggart, said thathe might do what he liked. The man swallowed the contents of thebottle, exclaiming that he would be dead in a few minutes, and a pauseensued, during which the Officer confessed to me that he felt veryuncomfortable. The end of it was that his visitor said, with a laugh, that 'he would not like to cumber the Salvation Army with his corpse, 'and walked out of the room. The draught which he had taken wascomparatively harmless. 

As I have mentioned, however, a proportion of the cases are quiteirreclaimable. They come and consult the Army, then depart and do thedeed. Six that can be traced have been lost in this way during thelast few months. 

Colonel Unsworth explained to me what I had already guessed, that thisbusiness of dealing with scores and hundreds of despairing beingsstanding on the very edge of the grave, is a terrible strain upon anyman. The responsibility becomes too great, and he who has to bear itis apt to be crushed beneath its weight. Every morning he reads hispaper with a sensation of nervous dread, fearing lest among the policenews he should find a brief account of the discovery of some corpsewhich he can identify as that of an individual with whom he hadpleaded at his office on the yesterday and in vain. 

On former occasions when I visited him, Colonel Unsworth used to showme a small museum of poisons, knives, revolvers, etc. , which he hadtaken from those who proposed to use them to cut the Gordian knot oflife. 

Now, however, he has but few of these dreadful relics. I asked himwhat he had done with the rest. He answered that he had destroyedthem. 

'The truth is, ' he added, 'that after some years of this business Ican no longer bear to look at the horrid things; they get upon mynerves. '

If I may venture to offer a word of advice to the Chiefs of theSalvation Army, I would suggest that the very responsible position offirst Anti-Suicide Officer in London is not one that any man should beasked to fill in perpetuity. 

WORK IN THE PROVINCES

LIVERPOOL

When planning this little book I had it in my mind to deal at somelength with the Provincial Social Work of the Army, Now I find, however, that considerations of space must be taken into account; alsothat it is not needful to set out all the details of that work, seeingthat to do so would involve a great deal of repetition. 

The Salvation Army machines for the regeneration of fallen men andwomen, if I may so describe them, are, after all, of much the samedesign, and vary for the most part only in the matter of size. Thematerial that goes through those machines is, it is true, different, yet even its infinite variety, if considered in the mass, has acertain similitude. For these reasons, therefore, I will only speak ofwhat is done by the Army in three of the great Midland and Northerncities that I have visited, namely, Manchester, Liverpool, andGlasgow, and of that but briefly, although my notes concerning it runto over 100 typed pages. 

The lady in charge of the Slum Settlement in Liverpool informed methat the poverty in that city is very great, and during the pastwinter of 1919 was really terrible owing to the scarceness of work inthe docks. The poor, however, are not so overcrowded, and rents arecheaper than in London, the cost of two dwelling-cellars being about2_s_. 6_d_. , and of a room about 3_s_. A week. The sisterhood offallen women is, she added, very large in Liverpool; but most of thesebelong to a low class. 

In this city the Army has one Institution for women called the 'AnnFowler' Memorial Home, which differs a good deal from the majority ofthose that I have seen. It is a Lodging-Home for Women, and isdesigned for the accommodation of persons of a better class than thosewho generally frequent such places. This building, which was providedin memory of her mother by Miss Fowler, a local philanthropist, at acost of about £6, 000, was originally a Welsh Congregational chapel, that has been altered to suit the purpose to which it is now put. Itis extremely well fitted-up with separate cubicles made of oakpanelling, good lavatory accommodation, and kitchens in which is madesome of the most excellent soup that I ever tasted. 

Yet strange to say this place is not as much appreciated as it mightbe, as may be judged from the fact that although it is designed tohold 113 lodgers, when I visited it there were not more than betweenforty and fifty. This is remarkable, as the charge made is only 4_d_. Per night, or 2_s_. A week, even for a cubicle, and an excellentbreakfast of bread and butter, fish, and tea can be had for 2_d_. Other meals are supplied on a like scale, with the result that a womanemployed in outside work can live in considerable comfort in a room orcubicle of her own for about 8_s_. A week. 

The lady in charge told me, however, that there are reasons for thisstate of affairs. One is that it provides for people of a ratherhigher class than usual, who, of course, are not so numerous as thoselower in the social scale. 

The principal reason, however, is prejudice. It is known that most ofthe women accommodated in the Army Shelters are what are known as'fallen' or 'drunks. ' Therefore, occupants of a Home devoted to ahigher section of society fear lest they should be tarred with thesame brush in the eyes of their associates. 

Here is a story which illustrates this point which I remember hearingin the United States. A woman, whose inebriety was well known, waspicked up absolutely dead drunk in an American city and taken by anOfficer of the Army to one of its Homes and put to bed. In the morningshe awoke and, guessing where she was lodged from various signs andtokens, such as texts upon the wall, began to scream for her clothes. An attendant, who thought that she had developed delirium tremens, ranup and asked what was the matter. 

'Matter?' ejaculated the sot, 'the matter is that if I don't get outof this ---- place in double quick time, _I shall lose my character!_'

The women who avail themselves of this 'Ann Fowler' Home are of allages and in various employments. One, I was told, was a lady separatedfrom her husband, whose father, now dead, had been the mayor of alarge city. 

A Liverpool Institution of another class, known as 'The Hollies, ' isan Industrial Home for fallen women, drunkards, thieves, andincorrigible girls. It holds thirty-eight inmates and is always full, a good many of these being sent to the place from Police-courts whencethey are discharged under the First Offenders Acts. 

I saw these women at their evening prayers. The singing was hearty andspontaneous, and they all seemed happy enough. Still, the faces ofmost of them (they varied in age from forty-six to sixteen) showedtraces of life's troubles, but one or two were evidently persons ofsome refinement. Their histories, which would fill volumes, must beomitted. Suffice it to say that this Home, like all the others, isextremely well-arranged and managed, and is doing a most excellent andsuccessful work. 

When the women are believed to be cured of their evil habits, whateverthey may be, they are for the most part sent out to service. There aretwo rooms in the place to which they can return during their holidays, or when they are changing situations, at a charge of 5s. A week. Thismany of them like to do. 

Next door to 'The Hollies' is another Home where young girls withtheir illegitimate babies, and also a few children, are accommodated. It is arranged to hold twenty-four mothers, and is generally full. Acharge of 5s. A week is supposed to be made, but unless the cases aresent from the workhouse, when the Guardians pay, in practice little isrecovered from the patients. When they are well again, their babiesare put out to nurse, as at the London Maternity Home, and the girlsare sent to service, no difficulty being experienced in finding themplaces. During the two years that this Home had been open eighty-twogirls had passed through it, and of these, the Matron informed me, there were but ten who were not doing so well as they might. The restwere in employment of one sort or another, and seemed to be in the wayof completely regaining their characters. 

I visited this place late at night, and in the room devoted tochildren, as distinct from infants, saw one girl of nine with acurious history. This child had been twelve times in the hands of thepolice before her father brought her to the Army on their suggestion. Her mania was to run away from home, where it does not appear that shewas ill-treated, and to sleep in the streets, on one occasion for aslong as five nights. This child had a very curious face, and even inher sleep, as I saw her, there was about it something wild anddefiant. When the Matron turned her over she did not yawn or cry, bututtered a kind of snarl. I suppose that here is an instance ofatavism, that the child throw back for thousands or tens of thousandsof years, to when her progenitors were savages, and that theirprimitive instincts have reasserted themselves in her, although shewas born in the twentieth century. She had been ten months in the Homeand was doing well. Indeed, the Matron told me that they had taken herout and given her opportunities of running away, but that she hadnever attempted to avail herself of them. 

The Officer in charge informed me that there is much need for aMaternity Hospital in Liverpool. 

There are also Institutions for men in Liverpool, but these I mustpass over. 

THE MEN'S SOCIAL WORK

MANCHESTER

The Officer in charge of the Men's Social Work in Manchester told methe same story that I had heard in Liverpool as to the prevailingdistress. He said, 'It has been terrible the last few winters. I havenever seen anything like it. We know because they come to us, and thetrouble is more in a fixed point than in London. Numbers and numberscome, destitute of shelter or food or anything. The cause is want ofemployment. There is no work. Many cases, of course, go down throughdrink, but the most cannot get work. The fact is that there are moremen than there is work for them to do, and this I may say is a regularthing, winter and summer. '

A sad statement surely, and one that excites thought. 

I asked what became of this residue who could not find work. Hisanswer was, 'They wander about, die off, and so on. '

A still sadder statement, I think. 

The Major in charge is a man of great organising ability, force ofcharacter, and abounding human sympathy. Yet he was once one of themelancholy army of wasters. Some seventeen years ago he came into theArmy through one of its Shelters, a drunken, out-of-placecabinet-maker, who had been tramping the streets. They gave him workand he 'got converted. ' Now he is the head of the Manchester SocialInstitutions, engaged in finding work for or converting thousands ofothers. 

At first the Army had only one establishment in Manchester, which usedto be a cotton mill. Now it is a Shelter for 200 men. Then it tookothers, some of which are owned and some hired, among them a great'Elevator' on the London plan, where waste paper is sorted and sold. The turn-over here was over £8, 000 in 1909, and may rise to £12, 000. Iforget how many men it finds work for, but every week some twenty-fivenew hands come in, and about the same number pass out. 

This is a wonderful place, filled with what appears to be rubbish, butwhich is really valuable material. Among this rubbish all sorts ofstrange things are to be found. Thus I picked out of it, and kept as asouvenir, a beautifully-bound copy of Wesley's Hymns, published abouta hundred years ago. Lying near it was an early edition of Scott's'Marmion. ' This Elevator more than pays its way; indeed the Army issaving money out of it, which is put by to purchase other buildings. 

Then there are houses where the people employed in the paper-workslodge, a recently-acquired home for the better class of men, which wasonce a mansion of the De Clifford family, and afterwards a hospital, and a store where every kind of oddment is sold by Dutch auction. These articles are given to the Army, and among the week's collectionI saw clocks, furniture, bicycles, a parrot cage, and a crutch. Notlong ago the managers of this store had a goat presented to them, which nearly ate them out of house and home, as no one would buy it, and they did not like to send the poor beast to the butcher. 

In these various Shelters and Institutions I saw some strangecharacters. One had been an electrical engineer, educated underProfessor Owen, at Cardiff College. He came into money, and gambledaway £13, 000 on horse-racing, although he told me that he won as muchas £8, 000 on one Ascot meeting. His subsequent history is a story initself, one too long to set out; but the end of it, in his own words, was 'Four years ago I came here, and, thank God! I am going on allright. '

Why do not the writers of naturalistic novels study Salvation ArmyShelters? In any one of them they would find more material than couldbe used up in ten lifetimes; though, personally, I confess I amcontent to read such stories in the secret annals of the variousInstitutions. 

Another man, a very pleasant and humorous person, who was once aChurch worker and a singer in the choir, etc. , when, in his own words, he used 'to put on religion with his Sunday clothes and take it offagain with them, ' came to grief through sheer love of amusement, suchas that which is to be found in music-halls and theatres. His habitwas to spend the money of an insurance company by which he wasemployed, in taking out the young lady to whom he was engaged, to suchentertainments. Ultimately, of course, he was found out, and, whenstarving on the road, determined to commit suicide. The Salvationistsfound him in the nick of time, and now he is foreman of theirpaper-collecting yard. 

Another, at the ripe age of twenty-four, had been twenty-seven timesin prison. His father was in prison, his eldest brother committedsuicide in prison by throwing himself over the banisters. Also, he hadtwo brothers at present undergoing penal servitude, who, when he was alittle fellow, used to pass him through windows to open doors inhouses which they were burgling. 

I suggested that it was a poor game and that he had better give it up. He answered:--'I shall never do it again, sir, God helping me. 'Really I think he meant what he said. 

Another, in the Chepstow Street Shelter, where he acted asnight-watchman, was discharged from Portland, after serving a fifteenyears' sentence for manslaughter. His trouble was that he killed a manin a fight, and as he had fought him before and had a grudge againsthim, was very nearly hanged for his pains. This man earned £9 in someway or other during his sentence, which he sent to his wife. Afterwards, he discovered that she had been living with another man, who died and left her well off. But she has never refunded the £9, norwill she have anything to do with her husband. 

OAKHILL HOUSE

MANCHESTER

Oakhill House is a Rescue Home for women, which was given to the Armyby Mrs. Crossley, a well-known local lady. It deals with prison, fallen, inebriate, and preventive cases. At the time of my visit therewere sixty-three inmates, but when a new adjacent building iscompleted there will be room for more. There is a wonderful laundry inthis Home, where the most beautiful washing is done at extremelymoderate prices. The ironing and starching room was a busy sight, butwhat I chiefly remember about it was the spectacle of one melancholyold man, the only male among that crowd of women, seated by asteam-boiler that drove the machinery, to which it was his business toattend. (No woman can be persuaded to look after a boiler. ) In themidst of all those females he had the appearance of a superannuatedand disillusioned Turk contemplating his too extensive establishmentand reflecting on its monthly bills. 

The matron in charge informed me that even for these rough women thereis no system of punishment whatsoever. No girl is ever restricted inher food, or put on bread and water, or struck, or shut away byherself. The Army maxim is that it is its mission not to punish but totry to reform. If in any particular case its methods of gentlenessfail, which they rarely do, it is considered best that the case shoulddepart, very possibly to return again later on. 

She added that although many of these women had committed assaults, and even fought the Police, not one of them attacks another in theHome once in a year, and that during her twenty years of work, although she had lived among some of the worst women in England, shehad never received a single blow. As an illustration of what theSalvation Army understands by this word 'work' I may state thatthroughout these twenty years, except for the allotted annualfortnight, this lady has had no furlough. 

THE MEN'S SOCIAL WORK

GLASGOW

I saw the Brigadier in charge of the Men's Social Work in Glasgow at agreat central Institution where hundreds of poor people sleep everynight. The inscriptions painted on the windows give a good idea of itscharacter. Here are some of them: 'Cheap beds. ' 'Cheap food. ' 'Wastepaper collected. ' 'Missing friends found. ' 'Salvation for all. '

In addition to this Refuge there is an 'Elevator' of the usual type, in which about eighty men were at work, and an establishment calledthe Dale House Home, a very beautiful Adams' house, let to the Army ata small rent by an Eye Hospital that no longer requires it. This houseaccommodates ninety-seven of the men who work in the Elevator. 

The Brigadier informed me that the distress at Glasgow was very greatlast year. Indeed, during that year of 1909 the Army fed about 35, 000men at the docks, and 65, 000 at the Refuge, a charity which causedthem to be officially recognized for the first time by theCorporation, that sent them a cheque in aid of their work. Now, however, things have much improved, owing to the building ofmen-of-war and the forging of great guns for the Navy. At ParkheadForge alone 8, 000 men are being employed upon a vessel of theDreadnought class, which will occupy them for a year and a half. So itwould seem that these monsters of destruction have their peacefuluses. 

Glasgow, he said, 'is a terrible place for drink, especially ofmethylated spirits and whisky. ' Drink at the beginning, I need hardlyremark, means destitution at the end, so doubtless this failingaccounts for a large proportion of its poverty. 

The Men's Social Work of the Army in Glasgow, which is itsHeadquarters in Scotland, is spreading in every direction, not only inthat city itself, but beyond it to Paisley, Greenock, and Edinburgh. Indeed, the Brigadier has orders 'to get into Dundee and Aberdeen assoon as possible. ' I asked him how he would provide the money. Heanswered, 'Well, by trusting in God and keeping our powder dry. '

As regards the Army's local finance the trouble is that owing to thenational thriftiness it is harder to make commercial ventures pay inScotland than in England. Thus I was informed that in Glasgow theCorporation collects and sells its own waste paper, which means thatthere is less of that material left for the Salvation Army to dealwith. In England, so far as I am aware, the waste-paper business isnot a form of municipal trading that the Corporations of great citiesundertake. 

Another leading branch of the Salvation Army effort in Scotland is itsPrison work. It is registered in that country as a Prisoners' AidSociety, and the doors of every jail in the land are open to itsOfficers. I saw the Army's prison book, in which are entered thedetails of each prison case with which it is dealing. Awful enoughsome of them were. 

I remember two that caught my eye as I turned its pages. The first wasthat of a man who had gone for a walk with his wife, from whom he wasseparated, cut her head off, and thrown it into a field. The secondwas that of another man, or brute beast, who had taken his child bythe heels and dashed out its brains against the fireplace. It may bewondered why these gentle creatures still adorn the world. Theexplanation seems to be that in Scotland there is a great horror ofcapital punishment, which is but rarely inflicted. 

My recollection is that the Officer who visited them had hopes of thepermanent reformation of both these men; or, at any rate, that therewere notes in his book to this effect. 

I saw many extraordinary cases in this Glasgow Refuge, some of whomhad come there through sheer misfortune. One had been a medical manwho, unfortunately, was left money and took to speculating on theStock Exchange. He was a very large holder of shares in a SouthAfrican mine, which he bought at 1s. 6d. These shares now stand at £7;but, unhappily for him, his brokers dissolved partnership, and neitherof them would carry over his account. So it was closed down just atthe wrong time, with the result that he lost everything, and finallycame to the streets. He never drank or did anything wrong; it was, ashe said, 'simply a matter of sheer bad luck. '

Another was a Glasgow silk merchant, who made a bad debt of £3, 000that swamped him. Afterwards he became paralysed, but recovered. Hehad been three years cashier of this Shelter. 

Another arrived at the Shelter in such a state that the Officer incharge told me he was obliged to throw his macintosh round him to hidehis nakedness. He was an engineer who took a public-house, and helpedhimself freely to his stock-in-trade, with the result that he became afrightful drunkard, and lost £1, 700. He informed me that he used toconsume no less than four bottles of whisky a day, and suffered fromdelirium tremens several times. In the Shelter--I quote his ownwords--'I gave my heart to God, and after that all desire for drinkand wrongdoing' (he had not been immaculate in other ways) 'graduallyleft me. From 1892 I had been a drunkard. After my conversion, in lessthan three weeks I ceased to have any desire for drink. '

This man became night-watchman in the Shelter, a position which heheld for twelve months. He said: 'I was promoted to be Sergeant; whenI put on my uniform and stripes, I reckoned myself a man again. Then Iwas made foreman of the works at Greendyke Street. Then I was sent topioneer our work in Paisley, and when that was nicely started, I wassent on to Greenock, where I am now trying to work up a (SalvationArmy) business. '

Here, for a reason to be explained presently, I will quote a verysimilar case which I saw at the Army Colony at Hadleigh, in Essex. This man, also a Scotsman (no Englishman, I think, could have survivedsuch experiences), is a person of fine and imposing appearance, greatbodily strength, and good address. He is about fifty years of age, andhas been a soldier, and after leaving the Service, a gardener. Indeed, he is now, or was recently, foreman market-gardener at Hadleigh. Hemarried a hospital nurse, and found out some years after marriage thatshe was in the habit of using drugs. This habit he contracted also, either during her life or after her death, and with it that of drink. 

His custom was to drink till he was a wreck, and then take drugs, either by the mouth or subcutaneously, to steady himself. Chloroformand ether he mixed together and drank, strychnine he injected. At thebeginning of this course, threepennyworth of laudanum would sufficehim for three doses. At the end, three years later (not to mentionether, chloroform, and strychnine), he took of laudanum alone nearly atablespoonful ten or twelve times a day, a quantity, I understand, which is enough to kill five or six horses. One of the results wasthat when he had to be operated on for some malady, it was foundimpossible to bring him under the influence of the anaesthetic. Allthat could be done was to deprive him of his power of movement, inwhich state he had to bear the dreadful pain of the operation. Afterwards the surgeon asked him if he were a drug-taker, and he toldme that he answered:--

'Why, sir, I could have drunk all the lot you have been trying to giveme, without ever knowing the difference. '

In this condition, when he was such a wreck that he trembled from headto foot and was contemplating suicide, he came into the hands of theArmy, and was sent down to the Hadleigh Farm. 

Now comes the point of the story. At Hadleigh he 'got converted, ' andfrom that hour has never touched either drink or drugs. Moreover, heassured me solemnly that he could go into a chemist's shop or a barwith money in his pocket without feeling the slightest desire toindulge in such stimulants. He said that after his conversion, he hada 'terrible fight' with his old habits, the physical results of theirdiscontinuance being most painful. Subsequently, however, and bydegrees, the craving left him entirely, I asked him to what heattributed this extraordinary cure. He replied:--

'To the power of God. If I trusted in my own strength I shouldcertainly fail, but the power of God keeps me from being overcome. '

Now these are only two out of a number of cases that I have seenmyself, in which a similar explanation of his cure has been given tome by the person cured, and I would like to ask the unprejudiced andopen-minded reader how he explains them. Personally I cannot explainthem except upon an hypothesis which, as a practical person, I confessI hesitate to adopt. I mean that of a direct interposition from above, or of the working of something so unrecognized or so undefined in thenature of man (which it will be remembered the old Egyptians, a verywise people, divided into many component parts, whereof we have nowlost count), that it may be designated an innate superior power orprinciple, brought into action by faith or 'suggestion. '

That these people who have been the slaves of, or possessed by certaingross and palpable vices, of which drink is only one, are truly andtotally changed, there can be no question. To that I am able to bearwitness. The demoniacs of New Testament history cannot have been moretransformed; and I know of no stranger experience than to listen tosuch men, as I have times and again, speaking of their past selves asentities cast off and gone, and of their present selves as newcreatures. It is, indeed, one that throws a fresh light upon certaindifficult passages in the Epistles of St. Paul, and even upon thedarker sayings of the Master of mankind Himself. They do, in truth, seem to have been 'born again. ' But this is a line of thought that Iwill not attempt to follow; it lies outside my sphere and the scope ofthese pages. 

After the Officer who used to consume four bottles of whisky a day, and is now in charge of the Salvation Army work in Greenock, had leftthe room, I propounded these problems to Lieut. -Colonel Jolliffe andthe Brigadier, as I had done previously to Commissioner Sturgess. Ipointed out that religious conversion seemed to me to be a spiritualprocess, whereas the craving for drink or any other carnalsatisfaction was, or appeared to be, a physical weakness of the body. Therefore, I did not understand how the spiritual conversion couldsuddenly and permanently affect or remove the physical desire, unlessit were by the action of the phenomenon called miracle, which mankindadmits doubtfully to have been possible in the dim period of the birthof a religion, but for the most part denies to be possible in theselatter days. 

'Quite so, ' answered the Colonel, calmly, in almost the same wordsthat Commissioner Sturgess had used, 'it _is_ miracle; that is ourbelief. These men cannot change and purify themselves, their vices areinstantaneously, permanently, and miraculously removed by the powerand the Grace of God. This is the truth, and nothing more wonderfulcan be conceived. '

Here, without further comment, I leave this deeply interesting matterto the consideration of abler and better instructed persons thanmyself. 

To come to something more mundane, which also deserves consideration, I was informed that in Glasgow, with a population of about 900, 000, there exists a floating class of 80, 000 people, who live inlodging-houses of the same sort as, and mostly inferior to theSalvation Army Shelter of which I am now writing. In other words, outof every twelve inhabitants of this great city, one is driven to thatmethod of obtaining a place to sleep in at night. 

In this particular Refuge there is what is called a free shelter room, where people are accommodated in winter who have not even the fewcoppers necessary to pay for a bed. During the month before my visit, which took place in the summer-time, the Brigadier had allotted freebeds in this room to destitute persons to the value of £13. I may addthat twice a week this particular place is washed with a carbolicmixture!

THE ARDENSHAW WOMEN'S HOME

GLASGOW

I visited two of the Salvation Army's Women's Institutions in Glasgow. The first of these was a Women's Rescue Home known as Ardenshaw. Thisis a very good house, substantially built and well fitted up, thatbefore it was bought by the Army was the residence of a Glasgowmerchant. It has accommodation for thirty-six, and is always full. Theinmates are of all kinds, prison cases, preventive cases, fallencases, drink cases. The very worst of all these classes, however, arenot taken in here, but sent to the Refuge in High Street. Ardenshawresembles other Homes of the same sort that I have already dealt within various cities, so I need not describe it here. 

Its Officers visit the prisons at Duke Street, Glasgow, Ayr, andGreenock, and I saw a letter which had just arrived from the chaplainof one of these jails, asking the Matron to interest herself in thecase of a girl coming up for trial, and to take her into a Home if shewere discharged as a first offender. 

While I was eating some lunch in this house I noticed a young woman inSalvation Army dress coming up the steps with a child of particularlycharming appearance. At my request she was brought into the room, where I extracted from her a story which seems to be worth repeatingas an illustration of the spirit which animates so many members of theArmy. 

The young woman herself had once been an invalid who was taken intothe Home and nursed till she recovered, after which she was sent to asituation in a large town. Here she came in contact with a poor familyin which the mother is a drunkard and the father a respectable, hardworking man, and took a great fancy to one of the children, thelittle girl I have mentioned. This child, who is about five years ofage, it is her habit to supply with clothes and more or less to feed. Unfortunately, however, when the mother is on the drink she pawns theclothes which my Salvation Army friend is obliged to redeem, since ifshe does not, little Bessie is left almost naked. Indeed, beforeBessie was brought away upon this particular visit her protectress hadto pay 14_s_. To recover her garments from the pawnshop, aconsiderable sum out of a wage of about £18 a year. 

I asked her why she did not take away this very fascinating childaltogether, and arrange for her to enter one of the Army Homes. Sheanswered because, although the mother would be glad enough to let hergo, the father, who is naturally fond of his children, objected. 

'Of which the result may be, ' remarked Lieut. -Colonel Jolliffe grimly, 'that about a dozen years hence that sweet little girl will become astreet-walking drunkard. '

'Not while I live, ' broke in her foster-mother, indignantly. 

This kind-hearted little woman told me she had been six years inservice as sole maid-of-all-work in a large house. I inquired whetherit was a hard place. She replied that it would be easier if her fourmistresses, who are sisters and old maiden ladies, did not all taketheir meals at four different times, have four different teapots, insist upon their washing being sent to four different laundries, employ four different doctors, and sleep in four different rooms. 'However, ' she added, 'it is not so difficult as it was as there usedto be five, but one has died. Also, they are kind to me in other waysand about Bessie. They like me to come here for my holiday, as thenthey know I shall return on the right day and at the right hour. '

When she had left the room, having in mind the capacities of theaverage servant, and the outcry she is apt to make about herparticular 'work, ' I said that it seemed strange that one young womancould fulfil all these multifarious duties satisfactorily. 

'Oh, ' said the matter-of-fact Colonel, 'you see, she belongs to theSalvation Army, and looks at things from the point of view of herduty, and not from that of her comfort. '

It is curious at what a tender age children learn to note the habitsof those about them. When this little Bessie was given _2d_. Shelisped out in her pretty Scotch accent, 'Mother winna have this forbeer!'

THE WOMEN'S LODGING-HOUSE

GLASGOW

The last place that I visited in Glasgow was the Shelter for women, anInstitution of the same sort as the Shelter for men. It is aLodging-house in which women can have a bed at the price of 4_d_. Pernight; but if that sum is not forthcoming, they are not, as a rule, turned away if they are known to be destitute. 

The class of people who frequent this Home is a very low one; for themost part they are drunkards. They must leave the Shelter before teno'clock in the morning, when the majority of them go out hawking, selling laces, or other odds and ends. Some of them earn as much as2_s_. A day; but, as a rule, they spend a good deal of what they earn, only saving enough to pay for their night's lodging. This place hasbeen open for sixteen years, and contains 133 beds, which are almostalways full. 

The women whom I saw at this Shelter were a very rough-looking set, nearly all elderly, and, as their filthy garments and marredcountenances showed, often the victims of drink. Still, they have goodin them, for the lady in charge assured me that they are generous toeach other. If one of the company has nothing they will collect theprice of her bed or her food between them, and even pay her debts, ifthese are not too large. There were several children in the place, foreach woman is allowed to bring in one. When I was there many of theinmates were cooking their meals on the common stove, and very curiousand unappetizing these were. 

Among them I noted a dark-eyed lassie of about sixteen who was crying. Drawing her aside, I questioned her. It seemed that her father, adrunken fellow, had turned her out of her home that afternoon becauseshe had forgotten to give him a message. Having nowhere to go shewandered about the streets until she met a woman who told her of thisLodging-house. She added, touchingly enough, that it was not hermother's fault. 

Imagine a girl of sixteen thrown out to spend the night upon thestreets of Glasgow!

On the walls of one of the rooms I saw a notice that read oddly in aShelter for women. It ran:--

_Smoking is strictly prohibited after retiring_. 

THE LAND AND INDUSTRIAL COLONY

HADLEIGH, ESSEX

The Hadleigh Colony, of which Lieut. -Colonel Laurie is the Officer incharge, is an estate of about 3, 000 acres which was purchased by theSalvation Army in the year 1891 at a cost of about £20 the acre, theland being stiff clay of the usual Essex type. As it has chanced, owing to the amount of building which is going on in the neighbourhoodof Southend, and to its proximity to London, that is within fortymiles, the investment has proved a very good one. I imagine that ifever it should come to the hammer the Hadleigh Colony would fetch agreat deal more than £20 the acre, independently of its culturalimprovements. These, of course, are very great. For instance, morethan 100 acres are now planted with fruit-trees in full bearing. Also, there are brickfields which are furnished with the best machinery andplant, ranges of tomato and salad houses, and a large French gardenwhere early vegetables are grown for market. A portion of the land, however, still remains in the hands of tenants, with whom the Armydoes not like to interfere. 

The total turn-over of the land 'in hand' amounts to the large sum ofover £30, 000 per annum, and the total capital invested is in theneighbourhood of £110, 000. Of this great sum about £78, 000 is the costof the land and the buildings; the brickworks and other industriesaccount for £12, 000, while the remaining £20, 000 represents the valueof the live and dead stock. I believe that the mortgage remaining onthe place, which the Army had not funds to pay for outright, is nowless than £50, 000, borrowed at about 4 per cent, and, needless to say, it is well secured. 

Lieut. -Colonel Laurie informed me on the occasion of my last visit toHadleigh, in July, 1910, that taken as a whole even now the farm doesnot pay its way. [6] This result is entirely owing to the character ofthe labour employed. At first sight, as the men are paid but atrifling sum in cash, it would appear that this labour must beextremely cheap. Investigation, however, gives the story anothercolour. 

It costs the Army 10_s_. A week to keep a man at Hadleigh in food andlodgings, and in addition he receives a cash grant of from 6_d_ to5_s_. A week. 

Careful observation shows that the labour of three of these men, ofwhom 92 per cent, be it remembered, come to the Colony through theirdrinking habits, is about equal to that of one good agricultural handwho, in Norfolk, reckoning in his harvest and sundries, wouldearn--let us say, 18s. A week. Therefore, in practice where I, as afarmer, pay about 18s. , or in the case of carters and milkmen nearly£1, the Army pays £2, circumstances under which it is indeed difficultto farm remuneratively in England. 

The object of the Hadleigh Colony is to supply a place where brokenmen of bad habits, who chance in most cases to have had some connexionwith or liking for the land, can be reformed, and ultimately sent outto situations, or as emigrants to Canada. About 400 of such men passthrough the Colony each year. Of these men, Lieut. -Colonel Laurieestimates that 7-1/2 per cent prove absolute failures, although, headded that, 'it is very, very difficult to determine as to when a manshould be labelled an absolute failure. He may leave us an apparentfailure, and still come all right in the end. '

The rest, namely 91 per cent or so, regain their place as decent anduseful members of society, a wonderful result which is brought aboutby the pressure of discipline, tempered with kindness, and theinfluence of steady and healthful work. 

Persons of every class drift to this Colony. Thus, among the 230Colonists who were training there when I visited it in July, 1910, were two chemists and a journalist, while a Church of Englandclergyman had just left it for Canada. 

As a specimen of the ruck, however, I will mention the firstindividual to whom I happened to speak--a strong young man, who wasweeding a bed of onions. He told me that he had been a farm labourerin early life, and, subsequently, for six years a coachman in aprivate livery stables in London. He lost his place through drink, became a wanderer on the Embankment, was picked up by the SalvationArmy and sent to one of its Elevator paper-works. Afterwards, hevolunteered to work on the land at Hadleigh, where he had then beenemployed for nine months. His ambition was to emigrate to Canada, which, doubtless, he has now done, or is about to do. Such cases mightbe duplicated by the dozen, but for this there is no need. _Ex unodisce omnes_. 

All the labour employed, however, is not of this class. For instance, the next man to whom I spoke, who was engaged in ploughing up oldcabbage land with a pair of very useful four-year-olds, bred on thefarm, was not a Colonist but an agricultural hand, paid at the rate ofwages usual in the district. Another, who managed the tomato-houses, was a skilled professional tomato-grower from the Channel Islands. Theexperience of the managers of the Colony is that it is necessary toemploy a certain number of expert agriculturalists on the place, inorder that they may train the raw hands who come from London andelsewhere. 

To a farmer, such as the present writer, a visit to Hadleigh is anextremely interesting event, showing him, as it does, what can be doneupon cold and unkindly land by the aid of capital, intelligence, andlabour. Still I doubt whether a detailed description of all theseagricultural operations falls within the scope of a book such as thatupon which I am engaged. 

Therefore, I will content myself with saying that this business, likeeverything else that the Army undertakes, is carried out with greatthoroughness and considerable success. The extensive orchards areadmirably managed, and were fruitful even in the bad season of 1910. The tomato-houses, which have recently been increased at a capitalcost of about £1, 000, produce many tons of tomatoes, and the Frenchgarden is excellent of its kind. The breed of Middle-white pigs is tobe commended; so much so in my judgment, and I can give no bettertestimonial, that at the moment of writing I am trying to obtain fromit a pedigree boar for my own use. The Hadleigh poultry farm, too, isfamous all over the world, and the Officer who manages it was thePresident for 1910 of the Wyandotte Society, fowls for which Hadleighis famous, having taken the championship prizes for this breed andothers all over the kingdom. The cattle and horses are also good oftheir class, and the crops in a trying year looked extremely well. 

All these things, however, are but a means to an end, which end is theredemption of our fallen fellow-creatures, or such of them as comewithin the reach of the work of the Salvation Army at this particularplace. 

I should add, perhaps, that there is a Citadel or gathering hall, which will seat 400, where religious services are held and concertsare given on Saturday nights for the amusement of the Colonists. I maymention that no pressure is brought to bear to force any man in itscharge to conform to the religious principles of the Army. Indeed, many of these attend the services at the neighbouring parish church. Notwithstanding the past characters of those who live there, disturbances of any sort are unknown at Hadleigh. Indeed, it isextremely rare for a case originating on the Colony to come before thelocal magistrates. 

THE SMALL-HOLDINGS SETTLEMENT

BOXTED, ESSEX

General Booth and his Officers are, as I know from variousconversations with them, firmly convinced that many of the great andpatent evils of our civilization result from the desertion of the landby its inhabitants, and that crowding into cities which is one of themost marked phenomena of our time. Indeed, it was an identity of viewupon this point, which is one that I have advanced for years, thatfirst brought me into contact with the Salvation Army. But to preachthe advantages of bringing people back to the land is one thing, andto get them there quite another. Many obstacles stand in the way. Ineed only mention two of these: the necessity for large capital andthe still more important necessity of enabling those who are settledon it to earn out of Mother Earth a sufficient living for themselvesand their families. 

That well-known philanthropist, the late Mr. Herring, was anotherperson much impressed with the importance of this matter, and Iremember about five years ago dining with him, with General Booth asmy fellow-guest, on an occasion when all this subject was gone into indetail. So lively, indeed, was Mr. Herring's interest that he offeredto advance a sum of £100, 000 to the Army, to be used in an experimentof land-settlement, carried out under its auspices. Should thatexperiment prove successful, the capital repaid by the tenants was togo to King Edward's Hospital Fund, and should it fail, that capitalwas to be written off. Of this £100, 000, £40, 000 has now been investedin the Boxted venture, and if this succeeds, I understand that thebalance will become available for other ventures under the provisionsof Mr. Herring's will. A long while must elapse, however, before theresult of the experiment can be definitely ascertained. 

The Boxted Settlement is situated In North Essex, about three milesfrom Colchester, and covers an area of 400 acres. It is a flat place, that before the Enclosures Acts was a heath, with good road frontagesthroughout, an important point where small-holdings are concerned. Thesoil is a medium loam over gravel, neither very good nor very bad, sofar as my judgment goes, and of course capable of great improvementunder intensive culture. 

This estate, which altogether cost about £20 per acre to buy, hasbeen divided into sixty-seven holdings, varying in size from 4-1/2acres to 7 acres. The cottages which stand upon the holdings have beenbuilt in pairs, at a cost of about £380 per pair, which priceincludes drainage, a drinking well, and, I think, a soft-watercistern. These are extremely good dwellings, and I was much struckwith their substantial and practical character. They comprise threebedrooms, a large living-room, a parlour, and a scullery, containing asink and a bath. Also there is a tool-house, a pigstye, and a movablefowl-house on wheels. 

On each holding an orchard of fruit trees has been planted inreadiness for the tenant, also strawberries, currants, gooseberries, and raspberries, which in all occupy about three-quarters of an acre. The plan is that the rest of the holding should be cultivatedintensively upon a system that is estimated to return £20 per acre. 

The arrangement between the Army and its settlers is briefly asfollows: In every case the tenant begins without any capital, and isprovided with seeds and manures to carry him through the first twoyears, also with a living allowance at the rate of 10_s_. A week forthe man and his wife, and 1_s_. A week for each child, which allowanceis to cease after he has marketed his first crops. 

The tenancy terms are, that for two years the settler is a tenant atwill, the agreement being terminable by either party at any timewithout compensation. At the end of these two years, subject to theapproval of the Director of the Settlement, the settler can take a 999years' lease of his holding, the Army for obvious reasons retainingthe freehold. After the first year of this lease, the rental payablefor forty years is to be 5 per cent per annum upon the capitalinvested in the settlement of the man and his family upon the holding, which rent is to include the cost of the house, land, andimprovements, and all moneys advanced to him during his period ofprobation. 

It is estimated that this capital sum will average £520 per holding, so that the tenant's annual rent for forty years will be £26, afterwhich he will have nothing more to pay save a nominal rent, and theremainder of the lease will be the property of himself, or rather, ofhis descendants. This property, I presume, will be saleable. 

So, putting aside all legal technicalities and complications, it comesto this: the tenant is started for two years after which he pays about£4 a year rent per acre for the next forty years, and therebyvirtually purchases his holding. The whole question, which time alonecan answer, is whether a man can earn £4 per acre rent per annum, and, in addition, provide a living for himself and family out of afive-acre holding on medium land near Colchester. 

The problem is one upon which I cannot venture to express any decisiveopinion, even after many years of experience of such matters. I trust, however, that the answer may prove to be in the affirmative, and I amquite sure that if any Organization is able to cause it to work outthis way, that Organization is the Salvation Army, whose brilliantbusiness capacity can, as I know, make a commercial success of themost unpromising materials. 

I should like to point out that this venture is one of great andalmost of national importance, because if it fails then it will bepractically proved that it is impossible to establish small holders onthe land by artificial means, at any rate, in England, and at thepresent prices of agricultural produce. It is not often that a sum of£40, 000 will be available for such a purpose, and with it thedirection of a charitable Organization that seeks no profit, theoversight of an Officer as skilled and experienced as Lieut. -ColonelHiffe, and, in addition, a trained Superintendent who will affordadvice as to all agricultural matters, a co-operative society ready tohire out implements, horses and carts at cost price, and, if sodesired, to undertake the distribution or marketing of produce. Still, notwithstanding all these advantages, I have my misgivings as to theultimate result. 

The men chosen to occupy these holdings by a Selection Committee ofSalvation Army Officers, are for the most part married people who wereborn in the country, but had migrated to the towns. Most of them havemore or less kept themselves in touch with country life by cultivatingallotments during their period of urban residence, and precedence hasbeen given to those who have shown a real desire to return to theland. Other essentials are a good character, both personal and as aworker, bodily and mental health, and total abstention from any formof alcohol. No creed test is required, and there are men of variousreligious faiths upon the Settlement, only a proportion of them beingSalvationists. 

I interviewed two of these settlers at hazard upon their holdings, and, although the year had been adverse, found them happy and hopeful. No. 1, who had been a mechanic, proposed to increase his earnings bymending bicycles. No. 2 was an agriculturist pure and simple, andshowed me his fowls and pigs with pride. Here, however, I found alittle rift within the rural lute, for on asking him how his wifeliked the life he replied after a little hesitation, 'Not very well, sir: you see, she has been accustomed to a town. '

If she continues not to like it 'very well, ' there will, I think, bean end to that man's prospects as a small holder. 

I had the pleasure of bring present in July, 1910, at the formalopening of the Boxted Settlement, when the Salvation Army entertainedseveral hundred guests to luncheon, many of them very well-knownpeople. The day for a wonder was fine, General Booth spoke for over anhour in his most characteristic and interesting way; the Chairman, Earl Carrington, President of the Board of Agriculture, blessed theundertaking officially and privately; everybody seemed pleased withthe holdings, and, in short, all went merrily as a marriage bell. 

As I sat and listened, however, the query that arose in my mindwas--What would be the state of these holdings and of the tenants orof their descendants on, say, that day thirty years? I trust and hopethat it will be a good state in both instances; but I must confess tocertain doubts and fears. 

In this parish of Ditchingham, where I live, there is a man with a fewacres of land, an orchard, a greenhouse, etc. That man works hislittle tenancy, deals in the surplus produce of large gardens, whichhe peddles out in the neighbouring town, and, on an average, takespiecework on my farm (at the moment of writing he and his son arehoeing mangolds) for two or three days a week; at any rate, for agreat part of the year. He is a type of what I may call the naturalsmall holder, and I believe does fairly well. The question is, can theartificially created small holder, who must pay a rent of £4 the acre, attain to a like result?

Again, I say I hope so most sincerely, for if not in England 'back tothe land' will prove but an empty catchword. At any rate, the countryshould be most grateful to the late Mr. Herring, who provided thefunds for this intensely interesting experiment, and to the SalvationArmy which is carrying it out in the interests of the landless poor. 

IMPRESSIONS OF GENERAL BOOTH

It has occurred to the writer that a few words descriptive of WilliamBooth, the creator and first General of the Salvation Army, set downby a contemporary who has enjoyed a good many opportunities ofobserving him during the past ten years, may possibly have a future ifnot a present value. 

Of the greatness of this man, to my mind, there can be no doubt. Whenthe point of time whereon we stand and play our separate parts hasreceded, and those who follow us look back into the grey mist whichveils the past; when that mist has hidden the glitter of thedecorations and deadened the echoes of the high-sounding titles ofto-day; when our political tumults, our town-bred excitements, andmany of the very names that are household words to us, are forgotten, or discoverable only in the pages of history; when, perhaps, theSalvation Army itself has fulfilled its mission and gone its road, Iam certain that the figure of William Booth will abide clearly visiblein those shadows, and that the influences of his work will remain, ifnot still felt, at least remembered and honoured. He will be one ofthe few, of the very few enduring figures of our day; and even if ourcivilization should be destined to undergo eclipse for a period, asseems possible, when the light returns, by it he will still be seen. 

For truly this work of his is fine, and one that appeals to theimagination, although we are so near to it that few of us appreciateits real proportions. Also, in fact, it is the work that should beadmired rather than the man, who, after all, is nothing but theinstrument appointed to shape it from the clay of circumstance. Theclay lay ready to be shaped, then appeared the moulder animated withwill and purpose, and working for the work's sake to an end which hecould not foresee. 

I have no information on the point, but I should be surprised to learnthat General Booth, when Providence moved him to begin his laboursamong the poor, had even an inkling of their future growth within theshort period of his own life. He sowed a seed in faith and hope, and, in spite of opposition and poverty, in spite of ridicule and ofslander, he has lived to see that seed ripen into a marvellousharvest. Directly, or indirectly, hundreds of thousands of men andwomen throughout the world have benefited by his efforts. He has beena tool of destiny, like Mahomet or Napoleon, only in this case onefated to help and not to harm mankind. Such, at least, is my estimateof him. 

A little less of the spirit of self-sacrifice, a different sense ofresponsibility, and the same strength of imagination and power ofpurpose devoted to purely material objects, might have raised upanother multi-millionaire, or a mob-leader, or a self-seeking despot. But, as it happened, some grace was given to him, and the river hasrun another way. 

Opportunity, too, has played into his hands. He saw that therecognized and established Creeds scarcely touched the great, sordid, lustful, drink-sodden, poverty-steeped masses of the city populationsof the world: that they were waiting for a teacher who could speak tothem in a tongue they understood. He spoke, and some of them havelistened: only a fraction it is true, but still some. More, as itchanced, he married a wife who entered into his thoughts, and was ableto help to fulfil his aspirations, and from that union were borndescendants who, for the most part, are fitted to carry on hislabours. 

Further, like Loyola, and others, he has the power of rule, being aborn leader of men, so that thousands obey his word without questionin every corner of the earth, although some of these have never seenhis face. Lastly, Nature endowed him with a striking presence thatappeals to the popular mind, with a considerable gift of speech, withgreat physical strength and abounding energy, qualities which haveenabled him to toil without ceasing and to travel far and wide. Thusit comes about that as truly as any man of our generation, when hishour is ended, he, too, I believe, should be able to say with a clearconscience, 'I have finished the work that Thou gavest me to do':although his heart may add, 'I have not finished it as well as I couldwish. '

Now let me try to convey my personal impressions of this man. I seehim in various conversations with myself, when he has thought that hecould make use of me to serve his ever-present and impersonal ends, trying to add me up, wondering how far I was sincere, and to whatextent I might be influenced by private objects; then, at last, concluding that I was honest in my own fashion, opening his heartlittle by little, and finally appealing to me to aid him in hislabours. 

'I like that man; _he understands me!_' I once heard him say, mentioning my name, and believing that he was thinking, not speaking. 

I tell this story merely to illustrate his habit of reflecting aloud, for as he spoke these words I was standing beside him. When I repeatedit to his Officers, one of them remarked horrified:--

'Good gracious! it might just as well have been something much lesscomplimentary. One never knows what he will say. '

He is an autocrat, whose word is law to thousands. Had he not been anautocrat indeed, the Salvation Army would not exist to-day, for itsprang from his brain like Minerva from the head of Jove, and has beendriven to success by his single, forceful will. 

Yet this quality of masterfulness is tempered and illuminated by anunfailing sense of humour, which he is quite ready to exercise at hisown expense. Thus, a few years ago he and I dined with the late Mr. Herring, and, as a matter of fact, although I had certain things tosay on the matters under discussion, his flow of most interestingconversation did not allow me over much opportunity of saying them. Itis hard to compete in words with one who has preached continually forfifty years!

When General Booth departed to catch a midnight train, for theContinent I think, Mr. Herring went to see him to the door. Returningpresently, much amused, he repeated their parting words, which were asfollows:--

GENERAL BOOTH: 'A very good fellow Haggard; but a talker, you know, Herring, a talker!'

MR. HERRING (looking at him): 'Indeed!'

GENERAL BOOTH (laughing): 'Ah! Herring, you mean that it was _I_ whodid the talking, not Haggard. Well, _perhaps I did_. '

Some people think that General Booth is conceited. 

'It is a pity that the old gentleman is so vain, ' a highly-placedperson once said to me. 

I answered that if he or I had done all that General Booth has done, we might be pardoned a little vanity. 

In truth, however, the charge is mistaken, for at bottom I believe himto be a very humble-minded man, and one who does not in the leastoverrate himself. This may be gathered, indeed, from the tenor of hisremarks on the subject of his personal value to the Army, that I haverecorded at the beginning of this book. 

What people of slower mind and narrower views may mistake for pride, in his case, I am sure, is but the impatient and unconsciousassertiveness of superior power, based upon vision and accumulatedknowledge. Also, as a general proposition, I believe vanity to bealmost impossible to such a man. So far as my experience of life goes, that scarce creature, the innately, as distinguished from theaccidentally eminent man, he who is fashioned from Nature's gold, notmerely gilded by circumstance, is never vain. 

Such a man knows but too well how poor is the fruit of his supremesteffort, how marred by secret weakness is what the world calls hisstrength, and when his gifts are in the balance, how hard it would befor any seeing judge to distinguish his success from common failure. It is the little pinchbeck man, whom wealth, accident, or cheapcleverness has thrust forward, who grows vain over triumphs that arenot worth having, not the great doer of deeds, or the seer whoseimagination is wide enough to enable him to understand his own utterinsignificance in the scale of things. 

But to return to General Booth. Again I hear him explaining to me vastschemes, as yet unrealized, that lurk at the back of his vivid, practical, organizing brain. Schemes for settling tens of thousands ofthe city poor upon unoccupied lands in sundry portions of the earth. Schemes for great universities or training colleges, in which men andwomen might be educated to deal with the social problems of our age ona scientific basis. Schemes for obtaining Government assistance toenable the Army to raise up the countless mass of criminals in manylands, taking charge of them as they leave the jail, and byregenerating their fallen natures, saving them soul and body. 

In the last interview I had with him, I read to him a note I had madeof a conversation which had taken place a few days before between Mr. Roosevelt and myself on the subject of the Salvation Army. Here is thenote, or part of it. 

MR. ROOSEVELT: 'Why not make use of all this charitable energy, nowoften misdirected, for national ends?'

MYSELF: 'What I have called "the waste forces of Benevolence. " It isodd, Mr. Roosevelt, that we should both have come to that conclusion. '

MR. ROOSEVELT: 'Yes, that's the term. You see the reason is that weare both sensible men who understand. '

'That is very important, ' said General Booth, when he had heard thisextract. '"Make use of all this charitable energy, now oftenmisdirected for national ends!" Why not, indeed? Heaven knows it isoften misdirected. The Salvation Army has made mistakes enough. Ifonly that could be done it would be a great thing. But first we havegot to make other people "understand" besides Roosevelt and yourself. '

That, at least, was the sense of his words. 

Once more I see him addressing a crowded meeting of City men inLondon, on a murky winter afternoon. In five minutes he has grippedhis audience with his tale of things that are new to most of them, quite outside of their experience. He lifts a curtain as it were, andshows them the awful misery that lies often at their very officedoors, and the duty which is theirs to aid the fallen and thesuffering. It is a long address, very long, but none of the hearersare wearied. 

At the end of it I had cause to meet him in his office about a certainmatter. He had stripped off his coat, and stood in the red jersey ofhis uniform, the perspiration still streaming from him after theexertion of his prolonged effort in that packed hall. As he spoke heate his simple meal of vegetables (mushrooms they were, I remember), and tea, for, like most of his family, he never touches meat. Eitherhe must see me while he ate or not at all; and when there is work tobe done, General Booth does not think of convenience or of rest;moreover, as usual, there was a train to catch. One of hispeculiarities is that he seems always to be starting for somewhere, often at the other side of the world. 

Lastly, I see him on one of his tours. He is due to speak in a smallcountry town. His Officers have arrived to make arrangements, and arewaiting with the audience. It pours with rain, and he is late. Atlength the motors dash up through the mud and wet, and out of thefirst of them he appears, a tall, cloaked figure. Already that day hehas addressed two such meetings besides several roadside gatherings, and at night he must speak to a great audience in a city fourteenmiles away; also stop at this place and at that before he gets there, for a like purpose. He is to appear in the big city at eight, andalready it is half-past three. 

Five minutes later he has been assisted on to the platform (for thiswas before his operation and he was almost blind), and for nearly anhour pours out a ceaseless flood of eloquence, telling the history ofhis Organization, telling of his life's work and of his heart's aims, asking for their prayers and help. He looks a very old man now, mucholder than when first I knew him, and with his handsome, somewhatJewish face and long, white beard, a very type of some prophet ofIsrael. So Abraham must have looked, one thinks, or Jeremiah, orElijah. But there is no weariness in his voice or his gestures; and, as he exhorts and prays, his darkening eyes seem to flash. 

It is over. He bids farewell to the audience that he has never seenbefore, and will never see again, invokes a fervent blessing on them, and presently the motors are rushing away into the wet night, bearingwith them this burning fire of a man. 

Such are some of my impressions of William Booth, General of theSalvation Army. 

THE CHIEF OF THE STAFF

No account of the Salvation Army would be complete without some wordsabout Mr. Bramwell Booth, General Booth's eldest son and right-handman, who in the Army is known as the Chief of the Staff. Beingconvinced of this, I sought an interview with him--the last of themany that I have had in connexion with the present work. 

In the Army Mr. Bramwell Booth is generally recognized as 'the powerbehind the throne. ' He it is who, seated in his office in London, directs the affairs and administers the policy of this vastOrganization in all lands; the care of the countless Salvation Armychurches is on his shoulders, and has been for these many years. Hedoes not travel outside Europe; his work lies chiefly at home. Iunderstand, however, that he takes his share in the evangelicallabours of the Army, and is a powerful and convincing speaker, although I have never chanced to hear any of his addresses. 

[Illustration: MR. BRAMWELL BOOTH, Chief of the Staff. ]

In appearance at his present age of something over fifty, he is talland not robust, with an extremely sympathetic face that has about itlittle of his father's rugged cast and sternness. Perhaps it is thisevident sympathy that commands the affection of so many, for I havebeen told more than once that he is the best beloved man in the Army, and one who never uses a stern word. 

I found him busy and pressed for time, even more so, if possible, thanI was myself; he had but just arrived by an early train from someprovincial city. In fact, he was then engaged upon his annualvisitation to all the Field Officers in the country, which, as heexplained, takes him away from London for three days a week for aperiod of six weeks, and throws upon him a considerable extra strainof mind and body. The diocese of the Salvation Army is very extensive!

I said to Mr. Bramwell Booth that I desired from him his views of theArmy as a religious and a social force throughout the wide world, inevery land where it sets its foot. I wished to hear of the workconsidered as a whole, likewise of that work in its various aspects, and of the different races of mankind among which it is carried on. Also, amongst others, I put to him the following specific questions:--

 In what way and by what means does the Army adapt itself to the needs and customs of the various peoples among whom it is established?

 What is its comparative measure of success with each of these peoples, and what future is anticipated for it among them respectively?

 Where is the work advancing, where does it hang in the balance, and where is it being driven backwards?

 What are your views upon the future of the Army as a religious and social power throughout the world, bearing in mind the undoubted difficulties with which it is confronted?

 Do you consider that now, after forty-five years of existence, it is, speaking generally, on the downward or on the upward grade?

 What information can you give me as to the position of the Army in its relations with other religious bodies?

At this point Mr. Bramwell Booth inquired mildly how much time I hadto spare. The result of my answer was that we agreed together that itwas clearly impossible to deal with all these great matters in aninterview. So it was decided that he should take time to think themover, and should furnish his replies in the form of a writtenmemorandum. This he has done, and I may say without flattery that thepaper which he has drawn up is one of the most clear and broad-mindedthat I have had the pleasure of reading for a long while. Since it istoo long to be used as a quotation, I print it in an appendix, [7]trusting sincerely that all who are interested in the Salvation Armyin its various aspects will not neglect its perusal. Indeed, it is avaluable and an authoritative document, composed by perhaps the onlyperson in the world who, from his place and information, is equal tothe task. 

Personally I venture upon neither criticism nor comment, whose rôlethroughout all these pages is but that of a showman, although I trustone not altogether devoid of insight into the matter in hand. 

To only one point will I call attention--that of the general note ofconfidence which runs through Mr. Bramwell Booth's remarks. Clearly heat least does not believe that the Salvation Army is in danger ofdissolution. Like his father, he believes that it will go on from goodto good and from strength to strength. 

There remain, however, one or two other points that we discussedtogether to which I will allude. Thus I asked him if he had anythingto say as to the attacks which from time to time were made upon theArmy. He replied as his father had done: 'Nothing, except that theywere best left to answer themselves. '

Then our conversation turned to the matter of the resignation ofcertain Officers of the Army which had caused some passing publicremark. 

'We have an old saying here, ' he said, with some humour, 'that we donot often lose any one whom we very much desire to keep. '

I pointed out that I had heard allegations made to the effect that theArmy Officers were badly paid, hardly treated, and, when they provedof no more use, let go to find a living as best they could. 

He replied that, as to the matter of money, the Army had established aPension fund in all the Western countries, which now amounts to alarge total. In this country the sum was about £44, 000, and during1909 about £1, 800 had been paid here in pensions. This, however, wasonly a beginning, but he thought that the effort was being made on theright lines, and that, notwithstanding their poverty, a reallyadequate Pension fund would be built up in due course. 

Then of a sudden he became eloquent. He said he admitted that the Armyhad little to offer. Those who came into its service knew that thiswas so; that they had no hope of temporal reward; that thenceforth thegreat feature of their life and work was that it must be filled withlabour and self-denial. The whole business of helping and saving ourfellow-creatures was one of struggle and suffering. Sacrifice was thekey-note of Christianity as laid down by its Founder. Those who soughtmoney and temporal honour must look elsewhere than to the SalvationArmy. Its pride and glory was that thousands were willing to sufferand deny themselves from year to year, and to find their joy and theirrecompense in the consciousness that they were doing something, however little, to lighten the darkness and relieve the misery of theworld. 

Here are some of his actual words upon this matter that I will quote, as I cannot better them:--

'The two facts of real consequence about our Officers are these:First, that their numbers go on increasing year by year, and second, that they remain devoted to their work, very poor, and absolutely benton obtaining a reward in Heaven. But let me quote here from GeneralBooth on this matter:--

'"I resolved that no disadvantage as to birth, or education, or socialcondition should debar any one from entering the list of combatants solong as he was one with me in love for God, in faith for the salvationof men, and in willingness to obey the orders he should receive fromme and from those I authorized to direct him. I have, of course, hadmany disappointments--not a few of them very hard to bear at thetime--but from the early days of 1868, when I engaged my firstrecognized helper, to 1878, when the number had increased by slowdegrees to about 100, and on to the present day, when their number israpidly approaching 20, 000, there has not been a single year withoutits increase, not only in quantity, but in quality. 

'"I am sometimes asked, What about those who have left me? Well, I amthankful to say that we remain in sympathetic and friendly relationswith the great bulk of them. It was to be expected that in work suchas ours, demanding, as it does, not only arduous toil and constantself-denial and often real hardships of one kind or another, someshould prove unworthy, some should grow weary, and others should faintby the way, whilst others again, though very excellent souls, shouldprove unsuitable. It could not be otherwise, for we are engaged inreal warfare, and whoever heard of war without wounds and losses? Buteven of those who do thus step aside from the position of Officers, alarge proportion--in this country nine out of ten--remain with us, engaged in some voluntary effort in our ranks. "'

'But, ' continued Mr. Bramwell Booth, 'I would be the last person tominimize our losses. They may be accounted for in the most naturalway, and yet we cannot but feel them and suffer from them. And yet itis all just a repetition of the Bible stories of all ages; nay, of allstories of genuine fighting in any great cause. The great feature ofour present experience in this matter is that the number who go outfrom us grows every year smaller in proportion to the whole, and that, as the General says in the above extract, a very large proportion ofthose continue in friendly relations with us. 

'The triumph of these splendid men and women, in the face of everykind of difficulty in every part of the world is, however, really atriumph of their faith. It is not the Army, it is not their leaders, it is not even the wonderful devotion which many of them manifest, which is the secret of their continued life and continued success, noris it any confidence in their own abilities. No! The truerepresentative of the Army is relying at every turn upon the presence, guidance, and help of God in trying to carry out the Father's purposewith respect to every lost and suffering child of man. By that test, alike in the present and future, we must ever stand or fall. The Armyis either a work of faith or it is nothing at all. 

'Everything throughout all our ranks can really be brought to thattest, and I regard with composure every loss and attack, every puzzleand danger, chiefly because I rely upon my comrades' trust in Godbeing responded to by Him according to their need. '

Perhaps I may be allowed to add a few remarks upon this subject. Agreat deal is made of the resignation of a few Salvation Army Officersin order that they may accept excellent posts in other walks of life;indeed, it is not uncommon to see it stated that such resignationsherald the dissolution of the Society. Inasmuch as the number of theArmy's Officers is nearing 20, 000 it would seem that it can very wellspare a few of them. What fills me with wonder is not that some go, but that so many remain. _This_ is one of the facts which, amongstmuch that is discouraging, convinces me of the innate nobility of man. An old friend of mine of pious disposition once remarked to me that_he_ could never have been a Christian martyr. At the first twist ofthe cord, or the first nip of the red-hot pincers, he was sure that_he_ would have thrown incense by the handful upon the altar of anyheathen god or goddess that was fashionable at the moment. His spiritmight have been willing, but his flesh would certainly have provedweak. 

I sympathized with the honesty of this confession, and in the same wayI sympathize with those Officers of the Salvation Army who, in racingslang, cannot 'stay the course. '

Let us consider the lot of these men. Any who have entered on even asecular crusade, something that takes them off the beaten, officialpaths, that leads them through the thorns and wildernesses of a new, untravelled country, towards some distant goal seen dimly, or not seenat all except in dreams, will know what such an undertaking means. Itmeans snakes in the grass; it means savages, or in other words veiledand poisonous hatreds and bitter foes, or, still worse, treacherousfriends. The crusader may get through, in which case no one will thankhim except, perhaps, after he is dead. Or he may fail and perish, inwhich case every one will mock at him. Or he may retreat discouragedand return to the official road, in which case his friends will remarkthat they are glad to see that his insanity was only of theintermittent order, and that at length he has learned his place in theworld and to whom he ought to touch his cap. 

Well, these are official roads to Heaven as well as to the House ofLords and other mundane goals, a fact which the Salvation Army Officerand others of his kind have probably found out. On the official road, if he has interest and ability--the first is to be preferred--he mighthave become anything, and with ordinary fortune would certainly havebecome something. 

But on the path that he has chosen what is there for him to gain? Aninheritance of dim glory beyond the stars, obscured doubtless fromtime to time, if he is like other men, by sudden and sickeningeclipses of his faith. And meanwhile the daily round, the insolentgibe, and the bitter ingratitude of men that leaves him grieving. Alsonot enough money to pay for a cab when it is wet, and considerableuncertainty as to the future of his children, and even as to his ownold age. Few comforts for him, not even those of a glass of wine tostimulate him, or of tobacco to soothe his nerves, for these areforbidden to him by the rules of his Order. Unless he can reach thevery top of his particular tree also, which it is most unlikely thathe will, no public recognition even of his faithful, strenuous work, and who is there that at heart does not long for public recognition?In short, nothing that is desirable to man save the consciousness of avirtue which, after all, he must feel to be indifferent (being wellaware of his own secret faults), and the satisfaction of having helpeda certain number of lame human dogs over moral or physical stiles. 

In such a case and in a world which we must admit to be selfish andimperfect, the wonder is not that certain Salvation Army Officers, being trained men of high ability, yield to tempting offers and go, but that so many of them remain. 

'Look at my case, ' said one of them to me. 'With my experience andorganizing ability I am worth £2, 000 a year as the manager of any bigbusiness, and I could have it if I liked. Here I get about £200!'

This was one of those who remain. I say all honour to such noblesouls, for surely they are of the salt of the earth. 

NOTE ON THE RELIGION OF THE SALVATION ARMY

The religious faith of the Salvation Army, as I have observed andunderstand it (for little has been said to me on this matter), isextremely simple. It believes in an eternal Heaven for the righteousand--a sad doctrine this, some of us may think--in a Hell, equallyeternal, for the wicked. [8] Its bedrock is the Bible, especially theNew Testament, which it accepts as true without qualification, fromthe first word to the last, troubling itself with no doubts orcriticisms. Especially does it believe in the dual nature of theSaviour, in Christ as God, and in Christ as man, and in thepossibility of forgiveness and redemption for even the most degradedand defiled of human beings. Love is its watchword, the spirit of loveis its spirit, love arrayed in the garments of charity. 

In essentials, with one exception, its doctrines much resemble thoseof the Church of England, and of various dissenting Protestant bodies. The exception is, that it does not make use of the Sacraments, even ofthat of Communion, although, on the other hand, it does not deny theefficacy of those Sacraments, or object to others, even if they bemembers of the Army, availing themselves of them. Thus, I have knownan Army Officer to join in the Communion Service. The reason for thisexception is, I believe, that in the view of General Booth, theSacraments complicate matters, are open to argument and attack, andare not understood by the majority of the classes with which the Armydeals. How their omission is reconciled with certain prominentpassages and directions laid down in the New Testament I do not know. To me, I confess, this disregard of them seems illogical. 

The motto of the Army is 'Salvation for all, ' and, as I have hinted inthese pages, it has a sure conviction of the essential persistence ofmiracle in these modern days. It holds that when a man kneels at thePenitent-Form and 'gets converted, ' a miracle takes place within him, if his repentance is true, and that thenceforward some Grace from onHigh will give him the power to overcome the evil in his heart andblood. 

It believes, too, in the instant efficacy of earnest prayer, and inthe possibility of direct communication by this means between man andhis Maker. 

Here is an instance of this statement. While inspecting the Sheltersin one of the provincial cities, I was shown a certain building whichhad recently passed into the possession of the Army. The Officer whowas conducting me said that the negotiations preliminary to theacquisition of the lease of this building had been long and difficult. I remarked that these must have caused him anxiety. 'Oh, no, ' heanswered, simply. 'You see I had talked with the Lord about it, and Iknew that we should get the place in the end. '

This reply may cause some to smile, but I confess I find suchchildlike faith touching and even beautiful. 

There is small doubt that consciously or unconsciously, the SalvationArmy has followed St. Paul's example of being all things to all men, if 'by all means' it may save some. This is the reason of its methodswhich to many seem so vulgar and offensive. Once I spoke to an Officerhigh up in the Army of this matter, instancing, amongst other things, its brass bands and loud-voiced preaching at street corners. 

'My dear sir, ' he replied, 'if we came to convert _you_, we should notbring a brass band or send a missionary who shouted out sacred namesevery minute. Possibly, if we thought that you were open to theinfluences of music, we might send a first-rate violinist to playpieces from the classical masters, and we should certainly send a manwhom we knew to be your intellectual equal, and who could thereforeappeal to your reason. But our mission at present is not so much toyou and your class, as to the dregs of humanity. The folk we deal withlive in a state of noise of which you have no conception, and if wewant to force them to listen to us, we must begin by making a greaternoise in order to attract their attention at all. In the same way itis of no use wasting subtleties on them; we have to go straight to themain points, which are clear and sharp enough to pierce theirdrink-besotted intelligences, or to reach any fragment of consciencethey may have remaining in them. '

I thought the argument sound and well put, and results have proved itsforce, since the Salvation Army undoubtedly gets a hold of people thatfew other forms of religious effort seem able to grasp, at least toany considerable extent. 

I wish to make it clear, however, that I hold no particular brief forthe Army, its theology, and its methods. I recognize fully, as I knowit does, the splendid work that is being done in the religious andsocial fields by other Organizations of the same class, especially byDr. Barnardo's Homes, by the Waifs and Strays Society, by the ChurchArmy, and, above all, perhaps, by another Society, with which I havehad the honour to be connected in a humble capacity for many years, that for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. Still it remains truethat the Salvation Army is unique, if only on account of the colossalscale of its operations. Its fertilizing stream flows on steadily fromland to land, till it bids fair to irrigate the whole earth. What Ihave written about is but one little segment of a work whichflourishes everywhere, and even lifts its head in Roman Catholiccountries, although in these, as yet, it makes no very great progress. 

How potent then, and how generally suited to the needs of stained andsuffering mankind, must be that religion which appeals both to theWest and to the East, which is as much at home in Java and Korea as itis in Copenhagen or Glasgow. For it should be borne in mind that thebasis of the Salvation Army is religious, that it aims, aboveeverything, at the conversion of men to an active and lively faith inthe plain, uncomplicated tenets of Christianity to the benefit oftheir souls in some future state of existence and, incidentally, tothe Reformation of their characters while on earth. 

The social work of which I have been treating is a mere by-product orconsequence of its main idea. Experience has shown, that it is oflittle use to talk about his soul to a man with an empty stomach. First, he must be fed and cleansed and given some other habitationthan the street. Also the Army has learned that Christ still walks theearth in the shape of Charity; and that religion, after all, is bestpreached by putting its maxims into practice; that the poor are alwayswith us; and that the first duty of the Christian is to bind theirwounds and soothe their sorrows. Afterwards, he may hope to cure themof their sins, for he knows that unless such a cure is effected, temporal assistance avails but little. Except in cases of puremisfortune which stand upon another, and, so far as the Army work isconcerned, upon an outside footing, the causes of the fall must beremoved, or that fall will be repeated. The man or woman must be bornagain, must be regenerated. Such, as I understand it, is at once thebelief of the Salvation Army and the object of all its efforts. Therefore, I give to this book its title of 'Regeneration. '

THE NEED IS GREAT!

 * * * * *

_The principal items of the Salvation Army's expenditure for SocialWork during the financial year ending September 30, 1911, are asfollows, and help is earnestly asked to meet these, the work beingentirely dependent upon Voluntary Gifts_. 

For Maintenance of Work amongst the Destitute and Outcast Men and Women, including Shelters for Homeless Men and Women, Homes for Children, Rescue Homes, etc. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. £15, 000

For Maintenance of the Slum Sisterhood and Nurses for the Sick Poor. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. £3, 000

For Prison Visitation Staff and Prison-Gate Work. .. .. .. . £5, 000

For Work among Youths and Boys. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . £2, 000

For Special Relief and Distress Agencies. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . £5, 000

For Development of the Work and Agricultural Departments of the Hadleigh Colony. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . £3, 000

For Assistance and Partial Maintenance of the Unemployed and Inefficient. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . £5, 000

For Assisting suitable Men and Women to Emigrate. .. .. .. . £3, 000

Towards the provision of New Institutions for Men and Boys in London and various provincial Cities. .. .. . £10, 000

For the General Management and Supervision of all the above Operations. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . £2, 000 ------- £53, 000

Cheques and Postal Orders should be made payable to WILLIAM BOOTH, crossed 'Bank of England, Law Courts Branch, ' and sent to MRS. BOOTH, 101 Queen Victoria Street, London, E. C. Clothes for the poor andarticles for sale are always needed. 

LEGACIES

 * * * * *

Ladies and Gentlemen are earnestly asked to remember the needs of theSalvation Army's Social Work (the 'Darkest England' Social Scheme), inconnexion with the preparation of their wills. 

 * * * * *

All kinds of property can now be legally bequeathed for charitablepurposes, and the following form of legacy is recommended. Where alegacy does not consist of a certain amount of money, care should betaken to identify clearly the property, shares, stock, or whatever itmay be intended to be bequeathed. 

_'I GIVE AND BEQUEATH TO WILLIAM BOOTH, or other the General for thetime being of the Salvation Army, and Director of the "DarkestEngland" Social Scheme, the sum of £. .. .. .. .. .. . _ (or) _MY TWOfreehold houses known as Nos. .. .. .. .. . In the countyof. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . _ (or) _my £. .. .. .. .. .. . Ordinary stock of theLondon and North-Western Railway Company_ (or) _my sharesin. .. .. .. .. .. . Limited_ (or as the case may be) _to be used or appliedby him, at his discretion, for the general purposes of the "DarkestEngland" Social Scheme. And I direct the said last-mentioned Legacy tobe paid within twelve months after my decease. '_

 * * * * *

DIRECTIONS FOR EXECUTION OF WILL

 * * * * *

The Will must be executed by the Testator in the presence of twowitnesses, who must sign their names, addresses, and occupations atthe end of the Will in the presence of the Testator. The best methodto adopt for a Testator to be quite sure that his Will is executedproperly, is for him to take the Will and his two witnesses into aroom, lock the door, and tell the witnesses that he wishes them toattest his Will. All three must sign in the room and nobody must goout until all have signed. 

GENERAL BOOTH will always be pleased to procure further advice for anyfriends desiring to benefit the Salvation Army's work in any of itsdepartments, by Will or otherwise, and will treat any communicationsmade to him on the subject as strictly private and confidential. Letters dealing with the matter should be marked Private, andaddressed to GENERAL BOOTH, 101 QUEEN VICTORIA STREET, LONDON, E. C. 

APPENDIX A

NOTES ON THE ARMY'S FUTURE

(Following My Conversation with Mr. Rider Haggard)

BY BRAMWELL BOOTH

When asked to give my own view of the present and probable futureinfluence of the Salvation Army upon the world, I feel in no danger ofexaggeration. If any one could imagine what it has been for me to sitat its centre almost without intermission for more than thirty-fiveyears, receiving continual reports of its development and progress inone nation after another, studying from within not only its strengthand vitality, but its weaknesses and failures, and labouring to deviseremedies and preventatives, until what was a little unknown Mission inthe East End of London has become the widely, I might almost say, theuniversally recognized Army of to-day, he could perhaps understandsomething of my great confidence. 

Curious indeed seem to be the thoughts of many people aboutus!--people, I mean, who have only had a glance at one of our open-airmeetings, or have only heard some wild challenge of General Booth'sgood faith, and have then more or less carefully avoided any closeracquaintance with us. They often appear to be under the impressionthat you have only to persuade a few people to march through anycrowded thoroughfare with a band, to gather a congregation, and, ifyou please, to form out of it an Army, and from that again to secure avast revenue! I often wish that such people could know the strugglesof almost every individual, even amongst the very poorest, between themoment of first contact with us and that of resolving to enlist in ourranks. How few, even now, seem aware of the fact that so far frompaying or rewarding any one for joining in our efforts, all who do soare from the first called upon daily not only to give to our funds, but by sacrifice of time, labour, money, and often of health as well, to constitute themselves efficient soldiers of their Corps, and assistin providing it with every necessity. 

Every one of the 3, 000, 000 meetings held annually, even in thiscountry, depends upon the voluntary giving up of the time and effortof working-men and women who have in most cases to hurry from work tohome, and from home to meeting-place, after a hard day's labour. Muchthe same may be said of the 450, 000 meetings held annually on theContinent of Europe; with this difference, that our people there havemostly to begin work earlier in the day, and to conclude much laterthan is the case here. Their evening meetings, in conformity with thehabits of the country concerned, must needs be begun, therefore, later, and conclude much later than similar gatherings in the UnitedKingdom. 

A cursory glance through the seventy-four newspapers and periodicalspublished by the Army--generally weekly--in twenty-one languages, would show any one how variously our people everywhere are seeking tomeet the different habits of life in each country, and how constantlynew plans are being tried to attain the supreme object of all ourmultitudinous agencies--the arousing of men's attention to the claimsof God and their ingathering to His Kingdom. 

The original plan adopted in this country of going to the people bymeans of meetings and marches in the streets, is in many lands notlegally permissible, while in others it is almost useless. Ourleaders, therefore, have always to be finding out other means ofattaining the same end. This has resulted in very great gains ofliberty in several ways. On the Continent, for example, though it isnot possible to get a general permission to hold open-air meetings inthe streets, it is becoming more and more usual to let our people holdsuch gatherings in the large pleasure-grounds, provided within or onthe outskirts both of the great cities and the lesser towns. In somecases the announcements of further meetings, made somewhat after thestyle of the public crier, develops into a series of short open-airaddresses. In other cases, conspicuously in Italy, where our work isonly as yet in its infancy--the sale of our paper, both by individualhawkers and by groups of comrades singing the songs it contains inmarketplaces, largely makes up for the want of the more regularizedopen-air work. 

And in the courts of the great blocks of buildings which abound incities like Berlin, Copenhagen, Stockholm, and elsewhere, meetings areheld which are really often more effective in impressing wholefamilies of various classes than any of our open-air proceedings incountries like England and the United States. 

But everywhere the Army seeks especially, though not by any meansexclusively, for those who are to be found frequenting thepublic-houses, cafes, beer gardens, dives, saloons, and otherdrinking-places of the world. In all countries our people sell ourpapers amidst these crowds, as well as at the doors of the theatresand other places of amusement, and the mere offer of these papers, nowthat their unflinching character as to God and goodness is well known, constitutes an act of war, a submission to which in so many millioncases is no slight evidence of confidence among the masses of thepeople in our sincerity, and, so far, a sign of our success. 

But 'The War Cry' seller is in the countries of more scatteredpopulation, such as Switzerland, some of the colonies, and large partsof India, much more than is the case in the big cities, therepresentative of every form of helpfulness. He, or she, not merelyoffers the paper for sale to those who have neither opportunity norinclination to attend religious services of any kind, but entershimself where no paper ever comes, holds little meetings with groupsof those who have never prayed, heartens those who are sinking downunder pressure of calamity, visits the sick-room of the friendless, and often becomes the intermediary of the suffering and destitute andthose who can help them in their dismal necessities. 

Of the persistent hopefulness with which our people everywhere go tothe apparently abandoned, I will only say that it constitutes a storeof moral and material help, not only for those people themselves, butfor all who become acquainted with it, the value of which in thepresent it is difficult to exaggerate, and the influence of which onthe future it is equally difficult to over-estimate. 

While leaving the utmost possible freedom for initiative to ourleaders, we are seeking everywhere to solidify and regularize everyeffort that has once been shown to be of any practical use. Any oneamongst us, down to the youngest and poorest in any part of the world, may do a new thing next week which will prove a blessing to hisfellows, and some one will be on the watch to see that that goodthing, once done, be repeated, and, so far as may be, kept up inperpetuity. 

Where special classes of needs exist, we must of course employ specialagencies. The vitality and adaptability of the Army in the presence ofnew opportunities is one of the happy auguries for the future. Whileall that is virile and forceful in it increases, there is less andless of the rigid and formal. 

Fourteen or fifteen years ago some Officers were set apart to visitthe Lapps who range over all the Territories to the north ofScandinavia. This meant at first only months of solitary travellingduring the summer, and no little suffering in the winter, with littleapparent result. But gradually a system of meetings was established, the people's confidence was gained, and at length it has been foundpossible to group together various centres of regular activity amongstthese interesting but little-known people, and now experienced leaderswill see both to the permanence of all that has already been begun, and to the further extension of the work. 

In Holland, where our work has assumed the proportions of a nationalmovement, the beneficent effects of which are recognized by allclasses, the canal population is helped by means of a small sailingship, on which are held regular meetings for them. Our Norwegianpeople also have a life-boat called the _Catherine Booth_ stationedupon a stormy and difficult part of the coast, which not only goes outto help into safety boats and boats' crews, but whose crew also holdsmeetings on islands in remote fisher hamlets where no other religiousvisitors come. 

The same principle of adaptation to local conditions and requirementswill, I doubt not, quickly ensure success for the small detachment ofOfficers we have just sent to commence operations in Russia. 

In Dutch India we have not only a growing Missionary work amongst bothJavanese and Chinese, but Government Institutions have been placedunder our care, where lepers, the blind, and other infirm natives, aswell as neglected children, are medically cared for and helped inother ways. 

In South Africa, both English and Dutch-speaking peoples are unitedunder one Flag, and give themselves up to work amongst the nativeraces round them--races which constitute so grave a problem in theeyes of all thoughtful men who know anything of the true position inSouth Africa. One of the latest items of news is that an Angoni hasaccepted salvation at one of our settlements in Mashonaland, and onreturn to his own home and work--lying away between Lake Nyassa andthe Zambezi--has begun to hold meetings and to exercise an influenceupon his people which cannot but end in the establishment of our workamongst them. 

But, to my mind, one of the most important features of our work in allEastern and African lands is our development of the native power underexperienced guidance to purely Salvationist and thereforenon-political purposes. Surely the most potent possible corrective forthe sort of half rebel influence that has grown or is growing up inAfrica under the name of Ethiopianism, as well as for much of thestrange uneasiness among the dumb masses of India, is the completeorganization of native races under leaders who, whilst of their ownpeople, are devoted to the highest ethical aims, and stand in happysubjection to men of other lands who have given them a training indiscipline and unity which does not contemplate bloodshed. 

We are now beginning both in India and Africa, as well as in the WestIndies, to find experienced native Officers capable of taking Staffpositions; that is, of becoming reliable leaders in large districtswhere we are at work. These men have not merely all the advantages oflanguage and of fitness for the varieties of climate which are sotrying to Westerners, but they show a courage and tenacity andtact--in short, a capacity for leadership and administration such asno one--at any rate, no one that I know of--expected to find in them. Here is opened a prospect of the highest significance. 

More than can be easily estimated has been done in spreadinginformation about us for some years past by Salvationists belonging tovarious national armies and navies. We encourage all such men to groupthemselves into brigades, so far as may be allowed, in their variousbarracks and ships. Thus united, they work for their mutualencouragement, and for the spreading of good influences among others. It was such a little handful that really began our work in the WestIndies, and we have now a Corps in Sierra Leone, on the west coast ofAfrica, formed by men of a West Indian regiment temporarily quarteredthere. The same thing has happened in Sumatra by means of Dutch andJavanese soldiers. 

For British India we naturally felt ourselves first of all, as to theheathen world, under obligation to do something. And no inconsiderableresults have followed the efforts which were first commenced theretwenty-eight years ago. Our pioneers, though they greatly disturbedthe official white world, won the hearts of the people at a stroke, bywearing Indian dress, living amongst and in the style of the poorervillages. Soon Indian converts offered themselves for service, andafter training; were commissioned as Officers, and it was at once seenthat they would be far more influential than any foreigners. From thepoint at which that discovery was really made, the work assumedimportant proportions, passing at once in large measure from theposition of a foreign mission to being a movement of the peoplethemselves. 

The vastness of the country and the difference of language have led toour treating it as five separate commands, now under the general leadof one headquarters. Incidentally, this has helped us in dealing withsome of the difficulties connected with caste, as it has been possibleto remove Indian Officers from one part of India to another, and wehave made some efforts which have, I admit, proved less successful insome districts than in others, to deal with castes which, within theirown lines, are often little more than Trade Unions with a mixture ofsuperstition. 

Meanwhile, the practical character of our work has shown itself inefforts to help in various ways the lowest of the people to improvetheir circumstances. The need for this is instantly apparent when onereflects that some 40, 000, 000 of the inhabitants of India are alwayshungry. A system of loan banks, which has now been adopted in part bythe Government, has been of great service to the smallagriculturalists. The invention of an extremely simple and yet greatlyimproved hand loom has proved, and will prove, very valuable to theweavers. New plans of relief in times of scarcity and famine have alsogreatly helped in some districts to win the confidence of the people. Industrial schools, chiefly for orphan children, have also been afeature of the work in some districts. 

Recently the Government, having seen with what success our people havelaboured for the salvation of the lower castes, have decided to handover to us the special care of several of the criminal tribes, who arereally the remnants of the Aborigines. Although this work is atpresent only in its experimental stage, all who have examined theresults so far have been delighted at the rapidity with which we havebrought many into habits of self-supporting industry, who, with theirfathers before them, had been accustomed to live entirely by plunder. About 2, 000 persons of this class are already under our care. 

There are some 3, 000, 000 of these robbers in different parts of India. They are only kept under anything like control at great cost forpolice and military supervision; but we are satisfied that, ifreasonable support be given, a great proportion of them can bereclaimed from their present courses of idleness and crime, and in anycase their children can be saved. 

We have been able in India, perhaps more than in any other part of theworld, to realize the international character of our work by linkingtogether Officers from England, Germany, Holland, and the Scandinaviancountries, as well as from America, in the one great object of helpingthe heathen peoples. But most of all we have rejoiced in being able toblend East and West, European Officers having often been placed undermore experienced Indian comrades, as well as vice versa. The greatcommon purpose dominating all sections of the Army, and the influencesof the Spirit of God, have united men of different levels ofintelligence, and knit them together in the same fellowship, withoutany unwise mingling of races. We have now 2, 000 Officers in India, andthat alone is a testimony of the highest significance to the successof our efforts, and to the possibilities which lie before us. But evenmore important in its bearing upon the future, in my estimation, isthe wonderful ambition dominating our people there to reach everyclass, but most of all to deal with the low caste, or outcast, as theyare sometimes called. Many of our Indian Officers have followed in thesteps of our pioneers in the country, and, consumed by an enthusiasmamounting to a passion for their fellows, have literally sacrificedtheir lives in the ceaseless pressing forward of their work. 

In America we have had to deal, perhaps, with the other extreme ofhuman needs. Throughout Canada there is very little to be seen ofpoverty and wretchedness. In the United States the great cities beginindeed to have areas of vice and misery not to be surpassed in any ofthe older cities of the world. But everywhere we have found people whohave become forgetful of God, neglectful of every higher duty, andabandoned to one or other form of selfishness. Our work in the UnitedStates especially has been confronted with difficulties peculiar tothe country, its widespread populations and their cosmopolitancharacter being not the least of these. Nevertheless, we have now inthe States and Canada nearly 4, 000 Officers leading the work in 1, 380Corps and Societies, and 350 Social Institutions. I ought to say thatit has not been found easy to raise large numbers in many places, butof the generosity and devotion of those who have united themselveswith us, and the immense amount of work which they accomplish fortheir fellows, it is impossible to speak too highly. 

I look with confidence to the future in both these great countries. Governments and local Authorities are beginning to grant us thefacilities and help we need to deal effectually with their abandonedclasses, as well as to attack some other problems of a difficultnature. Within the last few years, we have placed in Canada more than50, 000 emigrants, chiefly from this country. Their characteristics, and their success in their new surroundings, have won for us thehighest commendation of the Authorities concerned. 

In the vast fields of South America, we have as yet only small forces, but we have established a good footing with the various populations, and have already received no inconsiderable help for our purelyphilanthropic work from several of the Governments. Our latest newextensions, Chile, Paraguay, and Peru, and Panama, seem to offerprospects of success, even greater than we have been able to record inthe Argentine or Uruguay. Before your book is published, we shallprobably have made a beginning also in both Bolivia and Brazil. 

The South American Republics--chiefly populated by the descendants ofthe poorest classes of Southern Europe--are professedly RomanCatholic. The influence of the priesthood, however, owing to variouscauses, seems to be on the wane, and a habit of abandoning allreligious thought is much on the increase. But the realization thatour people never attack any Church, or quibble about details of creedand ceremonial, has won their way to the hearts of many, and there canbe no doubt that we have a great future amongst these peoples. In Peruthe law does not allow any persons not of the Romish Church to offerprayer in public places, but when it was found that our Officers madeno trouble of this, but managed all the same to hold open-air andtheatre services very much in our usual style, great numbers of thepeople were astonished at the 'new religion, ' and so many had soonbegun to pray 'in private' that we have little doubt about the futureof our work there. 

In thinking of the future, I cannot overlook our plans of organizationwhich have, I am persuaded, much to do with the proper maintenance andcontinuance of the work we have taken in hand. 

While striving as much as possible to avoid red tape, or indeed anymethods likely to hinder initiative and enterprise, we are careful toapply a systemization comprehensible to the most untrained minds, sothat we may make every one feel a proper degree of responsibility, aswell as guard them from mere emotionalism and spasmodic activity, accompanied as that kind of thing often is, by general neglect. 

Thus no one can join the Army until after satisfying the local Officerand some resident of the place during a period of trial of thesincerity of his profession. He must then sign our Articles of War. These Articles describe precisely our doctrines, our promise toabstain from intoxicants, worldly pleasures, and fashions, bad orunworthy language, or conduct, and unfairness to either employer oremployé, as well as our purpose to help and benefit those around us. (See Appendix B. )

Some local voluntary worker becomes responsible for setting eachrecruit a definite task in connexion with our efforts, and all areplaced under the general oversight of their Captain. A Corps, which isthe unit of our Organization, is organized under a Captain andLieutenant who have been trained in the work they have to do asleaders. Corps are linked together into divisions under Officers, who, in addition to seeing that they regularly carry out their work, havethe oversight of a considerable tract of country, with the duty ofextending our operations within that area. In some countries a numberof divisions are sometimes grouped into provinces with an Officer incharge of the whole province, and each country has its nationalheadquarters under a Territorial Commissioner, all being under thelead of the International Headquarters in London. 

No time is wasted in committee-ing or debating amongst us, and yet inall matters of finance and property there is such arrangement thatseveral individuals are cognizant of every detail, and that no oneperson's fault or neglect shall necessarily involve permanent injuryor loss. The central accounts in each country, including those inLondon, are under the care of public auditors; but we have also ourown International Audit Department, whose representatives visit everyheadquarters from time to time, so as to make sure, not only that theaccounts are kept on our approved system, but that all expenditure isrigidly criticized. All who really look into our financial methods areimpressed by their economy and precision. The fact is that almost allour people have been well schooled in poverty. They have learned thevalue of pence. 

All this seems to me to have great importance in connexion withestimates of our future. On the one hand we are ever seeking toimpress on all our people the supreme need of God's spirit of love andlife and freedom, without whose presence the most carefully managedsystem could not but speedily grow cold and useless. But at the sametime, we insist that the service of God, however full of love andgladness, ought to be more precise, more regular, nay, more exactingthan that of any inferior master. 

II

As to your question whether we are generally making progress, I thinkI can say that, viewing the whole field of activity, and taking intoaccount every aspect of the work, the Army is undoubtedly on theup-grade. Naturally progress is not so rapid in one country asanother, nor is it always so marked in one period as in another inparticular countries, nor is it always so evident in some departmentsof effort as in others; but speaking of the whole, there is, as indeedthere has been from the very beginnings, steady advance. 

In some countries, of course, there is more rapid development of ourpurely evangelistic propaganda, while in others our philanthropicagencies are more active. Progress in human affairs is generallytidal. It has been so with us. A period of great outward activity issometimes followed by one of comparative rest, and in the same way thespirit of advance in one department sometimes passes from that for atime to others. A period of great progress in all kinds of pioneerwork, for example in Germany, is just now being followed there by oneof consolidation and organization. A time of enormous advance in allour departments of charitable effort in the United States is now beingsucceeded by a wonderful manifestation of purely spiritual fervour andawakening. 

In this, the old country, our very success has in some ways militatedagainst our continued advance at the old rate of progress. Not onlyhas much ground already been occupied, but innumerable agencies, modelled outwardly, at least, after those we first established, havesprung into existence, and are working on a field of effort which wasat one time largely left to us. And yet during the last five years theArmy has enormously strengthened its hold on the confidence of allclasses of the people here, increased its numbers, developed in aremarkable degree its internal organization, greatly added to itsmaterial resources, as well as maintained and extended its offering ofmen and money for the support of the work in heathen countries. 

But even in places where we have appeared to be stagnant, in the senseof not undertaking any new aggressive activities, we are constantlymaking as a part of our regular warfare new captures from the enemy ofsouls, maintaining the care of congregations and people linked withus, working at full pressure our social machinery, training thechildren for future labour, raising up men and women to go out intothe world as missionaries of one kind or another, and doing it allwhile carrying on vigorous efforts to bring to those who are mostneedy in every locality both material and spiritual support. 

Like all aggressive movements, the Army is, of course, peculiarlysubject to loss of one kind or another. That arising from the removalsof its people alone constitutes a serious item. Any one who knowsanything of religious work amongst the working-classes will understandhow great a loss may be caused--even where the population is, generally speaking, increasing--by the removal of one or two zealouslocal leaders. But such losses are trifling compared with those whichfollow from some stoppage of employment when large numbers of workmenmust either migrate or starve. 

Similar results often occur from the change of leadership. The removalof our Officers from point to point, and even from country to country, is one of our most indispensable needs; but, of course, we have to payfor it, chiefly in the dislocation and discouragements and losseswhich it often necessarily entails. 

So far from such variations being in any way discreditable to us, wethink them one of the most valuable tests of the vitality and courageof our people, both Officers and Soldiers, that they fight onunflinchingly under such circumstances--fight on happily, to provethat while fluctuations of this character are very trying, they oftenalso open the way both to the wider diffusion of our work elsewhereand to the breaking up of entirely new ground in the old centres. 

In brief, it is with us at all times a real warfare wherein triumphscan only be secured at the cost of struggles that are very oftenpainful and unpleasant. You cannot have the aggression, the advance, the captures of war without the change, the alarms, the cost, thewounds, the losses, which are inseparable from it. 

A very striking and thoughtful description of some of the work done atone of our London Corps has recently been issued by a well-knownwriter. I refer to 'Broken Earthenware, ' by Mr. Harold Begbie. No onecan read the book without being impressed by the sense of personalinsight which it reveals. But how few take in its main lesson, thatthe Army is in every place going on, not only with the recovery butwith the development of broken men and women into more and morecapable and efficient servants and rescuers of their fellows. 

That this should be so is remarkable enough as applied to Westerners, broken by evil habits and more or less surrounded by wreckage, but howmuch more valuable when applied to the teeming populations of theEast! There in so many cases there is no past of criminality or evenof vice as we understand it to forget, but only an infancy of darknessand ignorance as to Christ and the liberty He brings. 

Many of our best Indian Officers have been snatched from one form orother of outrageous selfishness, but thousands of our people there aregradually emerging from what is really the prolonged childhood of arace to see and know how influential the light of God can make eventhem amongst their fellows. Ten years ago in Japan a SalvationistOfficer was a strange if not an unknown phenomenon, but with everyincrease of the Christian and Western influences in that country, every capable witness to Christ becomes, quite apart from any effortof his own, a much more noticed, consulted, and imitated example thanhe was before. In Korea, after a couple of years' effort, we have seenmost striking results of our work, and have just sent, to work amongtheir own people, our first twenty married Koreans, after apreliminary period of training for Officership. It is most difficultto realize the revolution involved in the whole outlook on life to menwho have been looked upon as little more than serfs, without anyprospect of influence in their country. 

The same processes of inner and outer development which have made ofthe unknown English workman or workwoman of twenty years ago, therecognized servants of the community, welcomed everywhere by mayorsand magistrates to help in the service of the poor, will, out of theclever Oriental, I believe, far more rapidly develop leaders in thenew line of Christian improvement in every sphere of life. It isconsiderations such as these which make me say sometimes that thedanger in the Army is not in the direction of magnifying, but ratherof minimizing the influences that are carrying us upward and outwardin every part of the world. 

But in our own estimation there is another reason which perhaps equalsall these for calculating upon a wider development of the Army'sfuture influence. During the last twenty years we have been pressingforward amongst a very large number of Church and missionary efforts. Our speakers have notoriously been amongst the most unlearned andungrammatical, and therefore often despised, while so many thousandsof university men were preaching and writing of Christ. But no one nowdisputes the fact that the old-fashioned proclamation of the doctrineof Jesus Christ as a Divine Saviour of the lost has largely gone outof fashion. The influence of the priest, of the clerk in holy orders, of the minister, has been so largely undermined that candidates forthe ministry are becoming scarce in many Churches, just while we areseeing them arise in steadily increasing numbers from among the verypeople who know the Army and its work best, and who have mostcarefully observed the demands of sacrifice and labour it makes uponits leaders. 

One cannot but rejoice when one hears ever and anon of some conferenceor congress at which various efforts are made to recover, at any rate, the appearance of a forward movement in the Churches. But the mostserious fact of all, perhaps, is the mixture amongst theseChristianizing plans, whether in one country or another, of theunbelieving leaven, so that it is possible for men to go forth as theemissaries of Christianity who have ceased to believe in the Divinenature of its Founder, and who look for success rather to schemes ofeducation and of social and temporal improvement than to that newcreation of man by God's power, wherein lies all our hope, as indeedit must be the hope of every true servant of Christ. 

But I call attention to these facts not to reproach any Church. Farfrom it. I simply desire to point out one reason for thinkingourselves justified in anticipating for the Army a future influencefar beyond anything we have yet experienced. 

Recent 'defences' of Christian revelation have, in our view, been farmore seriously damaging than any attacks that have ever been made fromthe hostile camp. In the hope--a vain hope--of conciliatingopposition, there has too often been a timid surrender of much thatcan alone give authority to Christian testimony. If Jesus Christ wasnot competent to decide the truth or untruth of the Divine revelation, which He fully and constantly endorsed as such, how absurd it is tosuppose that any eulogies of His character can save Him from the justcontempt of all fearless thinkers, no matter to what nationality theybelong. 

The Army finds itself already, and every year seems more and morelikely to find itself, the only firm and unalterable witness to thetruth of Christ and of His redeeming work in many neighbourhoods anddistricts, among them even some wide stretches of Christian territory. And the times can only bring upon us, it seems to me, more and morethe scrutiny of all who wish to know whether the declarations of theScriptures as to God's work in men are or are not reliable. This, then, however melancholy the reflection may be--and to me it is insome aspects melancholy indeed--assures to us a future of far widerimportance and influence than any we have dreamed of in the past. 

Our strength, as your book eloquently shows, in dealing with thedeepest sunken, the forgotten, the outcasts of society, the pariahsand lepers of modern life; has ever been our absolute certainty withregard to Christ's love and power to help them. How much greater mustof necessity be the value and influence of our testimony where thevery existence of Christ and His salvation becomes a matter of doubtand dispute! Here, at any rate, is one reason which leads me tobelieve that the Salvation Army has before it a future of the highestmoment to the world. 

III

In relation to other religious bodies, our position is marvellouslyaltered from the time when they nearly all, if not quite all, denounced us. 

I do not think that any of the Churches in any part of the world dothis now, although no doubt individuals here and there are stillbitterly hostile to us. In the United States and in many of theBritish Colonies the Churches welcome our help, and generally speakwell of our work; and even many Roman Catholic leaders, as well asauthorities of the Jewish faith, may be included in this statement. Onthe Continent there are signs that they are slowly turning the sameway. 

Now, I confidently expect a steady extension of this feeling towardsus as the Churches come more and more to recognize that we not only donot attack them, but that we are actually auxiliaries to their forces, not only gaining our audiences and recruits from those who are outsidetheir ministrations, but even serving them by doing work for theiradherents which for a variety of reasons they find it very difficult, if not impossible, to accomplish themselves. 

At the same time it would be a mistake to think that we have anydesire to adopt any of their methods or ceremonials. We keepeverywhere to our simple and non-ecclesiastical habits, and while wecertainly have some very significant and impressive ceremonials of ourown, the way our buildings are fitted, the style of our songs andmusic, and the character of our prayers and public talking areeverywhere entirely distinctive, and are nowhere in any danger ofcoming into serious competition with the worship adopted by theChurches. 

Some of our leading Officers think that in one respect our relationsto the Churches, their pastors, and people are unsatisfactory. In theUnited States it is customary for the clergy and leaders of everyChurch to treat our leaders with the most manifest sympathy andrespect. But there is far too marked a contrast between that treatmentand that which we receive in many other countries. There are, ofcourse, splendid exceptions. Still few members of any Church arewilling to be seen in active association with us. 

I daresay this is very largely a question of class or caste, and I amvery far from making it a matter of complaint. We would, in fact, farrather that our people should be regarded as outcasts, than that theyshould be tempted to tone down the directness of their witness, orthat they should come under the influence of those uncertainties andmisgivings to which I have already made reference. Nevertheless, it iscertainly no wish of ours that there should remain any distancebetween us and any true followers of Christ by whatever name they maybe called. And so we keep firmly, even where it may seem difficult orimpolitic to do so, to our original attitude of entire friendlinesswith all those who name the Name of Christ. 

I give a few figures bearing upon the present extent of ouroperations:--

 Number of Countries and Colonies occupied by the Salvation Army 56 Languages in which the Work is carried on 33 Corps, Circles, and Societies of Salvationists 8, 768 Number of persons wholly supported by and employed in Salvation Army Work 21, 390 Of those, with Rank 16, 220 Without Rank 5, 170 Number of Training Colleges for Officers and workers 35 Providing accommodation for 1, 866 SOCIAL OPERATIONS. -- Number of Institutions 954 Number of Officers and Cadets employed 2, 573 Number of Local Officers, voluntary and unpaid 60, 260 NUMBER OF PERIODICALS 74 These Periodicals are published in twenty-one languages, and have a total circulation per issue of about one million copies. 

APPENDIX B

THE SALVATION ARMY'S ARTICLES OF WAR

HAVING received with all my heart the salvation offered to me by thetender mercy of Jehovah, I do here and now publicly acknowledge God tobe my Father and King, Jesus Christ to be my Saviour, and the HolySpirit to be my Guide, Comforter, and Strength; and that I will, byHis help, love, serve, worship, and obey this glorious God throughtime and through eternity, BELIEVING solemnly that the Salvation Army has been raised up by God, and is sustained and directed by Him, I do here declare my fulldetermination, by God's help, to be a true Soldier of the Army till Idie. 

 I am thoroughly convinced of the truth of the Army's teaching. 

 I believe that repentance towards God, faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, and conversion by the Holy Spirit are necessary to salvation, and that all men may be saved. 

 I believe that we are saved by grace, through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, and he that believeth hath the witness of it in himself. I have got it. Thank God!

 I believe that the Scriptures were given by inspiration of God, and that they teach that not only does continuance in the favour of God depend upon continued faith in and obedience to Christ, but that it is possible for those who have been truly converted to fall away and be eternally lost. 

 I believe that it is the privilege of all God's people to be wholly sanctified, and that 'their whole spirit and soul and body' may 'be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, ' That is to say, I believe that after conversion there remain in the heart of the believer inclinations to evil, or roots of bitterness, which, unless overpowered by divine grace, produce actual sin; but these evil tendencies can be entirely taken away by the Spirit of God, and the whole heart, thus cleansed from anything contrary to the will of God, or entirely sanctified, will then produce the fruit of the Spirit only. And I believe that persons thus entirely sanctified may, by the power of God, be kept unblameable and unreprovable before Him. 

 I believe in the immortality of the soul; in the resurrection of the body; in the general judgment at the end of the world; in the eternal happiness of the righteous; and in the everlasting punishment of the wicked. 

THEREFORE, I do here and now, and for ever, renounce the world with all its sinful pleasures, companionships, treasures, and objects, and declare my full determination boldly to show myself a soldier of Jesus Christ in all places and companies, no matter what I may have to suffer, do, or lose, by so doing. 

 I do here and now declare that I will abstain from the use of all intoxicating liquors, and from the habitual use of opium, laudanum, morphia, and all other baneful drugs, except when in illness such drugs shall be ordered for me by a doctor. 

 I do here and now declare that I will abstain from the use of all low or profane language; from the taking of the name of God in vain; and from all impurity, or from taking part in any unclean conversation, or the reading of any obscene book or paper at any time, in any company, or in any place. 

 I do here declare that I will not allow myself in any falsehood, deceit, misrepresentation, or dishonesty; neither will I practise any fraudulent conduct in my business, my home, nor in any other relation in which I may stand to my fellow-men, but that I will deal truthfully, fairly, honourably, and kindly with all those who may employ me, or whom I may myself employ, I do here declare that I will never treat any woman, child, or other person, whose life, comfort, or happiness may be placed within my power, in an oppressive, cruel or cowardly manner, but that I will protect such from evil and danger so far as I can, and promote to the utmost of my ability their present welfare and eternal salvation. 

 I do here declare that I will spend all the time, strength, money, and influence I can in supporting and carrying on this war, and that I will endeavour to lead my family, friends, neighbours, and all others whom I can influence, to do the same, believing that the sure and only way to remedy all the evils in the world is by bringing men to submit themselves to the Government of the Lord Jesus Christ. 

 I do here declare that I will always obey the lawful orders of my Officers, and that I will carry out to the utmost of my powers all the orders and regulations of the Army; and further that I will be an example of faithfulness to its principles, advance to the utmost of my ability its operations, and never allow, where I can prevent it, any injury to its interests, or hindrance to its success. 

AND

 I do here and now call upon all present to witness that I enter into this undertaking, and sign these Articles of War of my own free will, feeling that the love of Christ, who died to save me, requires from me this devotion of my life to His service for the salvation of the whole world, and therefore wish now to be enrolled as a Soldier of the Salvation Army. 

 _Signed_. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. 

 _Image (full Christian and Surname)_

 _Address_. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . 

 _Date_. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. .. . _Corps_. .. .. .. .. .. .. 

APPENDIX C

COPY OF THE SALVATION ARMY BALANCE SHEET, EXTRACTED FROM THEFORTY-THIRD ANNUAL STATEMENTS OF ACCOUNT FOR THE YEAR ENDINGSEPTEMBER 30, 1909. 

_Copies of this Balance Sheet with Statements of Account can be hadupon application. The Balance Sheet and Statements of Account for theyear ending September 30, 1910, will be posted from the press earlynext year. The Balance Sheet of The Army's Social Fund can be obtainedfrom the Secretary. _

LIABILITIES

 DR. £ s. D. TO LOANS UPON MORTGAGE, including accrued Interest 540, 277 3 11

" LOANS FOR FIXED PERIODS, including accrued Interest 121, 958 8 1

" RESERVE FUNDS, including General and Special Reserves 176, 143 15 ½

" SUNDRY CREDITORS 10, 359 3 2

" COLONIAL AND FOREIGN TERRITORIES FUND 55, 219 10 7

" SELF-DENIAL FUND (Balance) 3, 463 12 3

 ----------------Carried Forward £907, 621 13 1/2

ASSETS

 CR. £ s. D. £ s. D. BY FREEHOLD and LEASEHOLD PROPERTY (at or below cost) in the United Kingdom, as on September 30, 1908 1, 066, 923 16 2-1/2" Additions during the year 23, 271 4 6 -------------------- 1, 090, 195 2 8-1/2" Freehold Estate in Australia 10, 375 3 6 ----------------- 1, 100, 571 6 4-1/2" INVESTMENTS, including Investment of Reserve and Sinking Funds 196, 412 9 2" FURNITURE and FITTINGS at Headquarters, Officers' Quarters, and Training College, as on September 30, 1908 5, 412 16 1" Additions during the year 2, 768 9 5-1/2 --------------- 8, 181 5 6-1/2 _Less_ Depreciation 2, 433 19 9 --------------- 5, 748 5 9-1/2 -----------------Carried forward £1, 802, 732 1 4

BALANCE SHEET--_continued_

DR. 

Brought forward 907, 621 13 0-1/2

To The Salvation Army Fund, as per last Balance Sheet 411, 701 0 6-1/4

" Donations and Subscriptions For Capital Purposes(including buildingContributions, £20, 044 0s. 2d. ) 37, 044 6 2

" General Income and Expenditure Account(Balance) 1, 309 17 8-1/2

----------------------------------------------------------------------

 450, 064 18 4-1/2 -----------------

 £1, 357, 706 11 5

CR. 

Brought forward 1, 302, 732 1 4

By Loans

" Trade Headquarters Fund 27, 902 16 5

" Sundry Colonial and Foreign Territories 8, 606 16 0 ------------

 34, 506 12 5

" Sundry Debtors 18, 360 10 4

" Cash at Bank 2, 107 7 4

 --------------- £1, 357, 706 11 5

We have examined the above Statement with the Books, Accounts, andVouchers relating thereto, and certify the same to be correct. We havealso verified the Bank balances and Investments. 

KNOX, CROPPER & CO. , _Chartered Accountants. _

16 FINSBURY CIRCUS, E. C. 

_December_ 31, 1909. 

APPENDIX D

A FEW FIGURES SHOWING SOME OF THE WORK OF THE DARKEST ENGLAND SCHEMEIN THE UNITED KINGDOM. 

 TO SEPTEMBER 30, 1909 DURING TOTAL TO 1910 SEPT. 30, 1910Number of Meals supplied at Cheap Food Dépôts 69, 784, 480 6, 869, 897 76, 654, 377Number of Cheap Lodgings for the Homeless 27, 850, 674 2, 445, 300 30, 295, 974Number of Meetings held in Shelters 140, 747 8, 660 149, 407Number of Applications from Unemployed registered at Labour Bureaux 302, 538 13, 009 315, 547Number received into Factories 63, 694 6, 754 70, 448Number for whom Employment (temporary or permanent) has been found 249, 453 20, 210 269, 663Number of Ex-Criminals received into Homes 8, 840 416 9, 256Number of Ex-Criminals assisted, restored to Friends, sent to situations, etc. 7, 886 1, 166 9, 052Number of Applications for Lost Persons 44, 001 2, 120 46, 121Number of Lost Persons found 13, 710 398 14, 108Number of Women and Girls received into Rescue Homes 44, 417 3, 679 48, 096Number of Women and Girls received into Rescue Homes who were sent to Situations, restored to Friends, etc. 37, 168 3, 346 40, 514Number of Families visited in Slums 998, 079 109, 750 1, 107, 829Number of Families prayed with 577, 550 64, 141 641, 691Number of Public-houses visited 630, 021 33, 188 663, 209Number of Lodging-houses visited 17, 330 3, 457 20, 787Number of Lodging-house Meetings held 7, 319 1, 792 9, 111Number of Sick People visited and nursed 93, 233 21, 912 115, 145

NOTES:

[1: See Appendix C]

[2: The following extract from the recently issued 'Report ofthe Commissioners of Prisons and the Directors of Convict Prisons, 'for the year ended March 31, 1910, Part I [Cd. 5360], published sincethe above was written, sets out the present views of the Authoritieson this important matter:--

 'Out of the present inmates of convict prisons over 40 per cent have been previously in penal servitude, viz. Out of 3, 046 male convicts in convict prisons, 1, 253 had been previously sentenced to penal servitude, 672 once, 271 twice, 196 three times, and 114 four times or more. Mr. Secretary Churchill has referred to us the question whether, and in what way, it would be possible to make any impression on this roll of recidivism--this unyielding _corpus_ of habitual crime. The problem is never absent from the minds of those responsible for the administration of prisons and the treatment of crime, and during recent years great efforts have been made to improve the machinery of assistance on discharge, fully impressed as we are with the truth of the old French saying, "_Le difficile ce n'est pas emprisoner un homme, c'est de le relâcher_. " We have tried to avail ourselves fully of the resources offered by such powerful agencies as the Church Army, Salvation Army, as well as other societies who have for years operated in this particular field of charitable effort. We recognize the ready help given by all these agencies. No doubt by their efforts many difficult and unpromising cases have been rehabilitated; but after full consideration we have come to the opinion that the task of rehabilitation in the case of men returning to freedom after a sentence of penal servitude is too difficult and too costly to be left entirely to voluntary societies, unaided by any grant of public funds, and working independently of each other at a problem where unity of method and direction is above all things required. Mr. Secretary Churchill, to whom these views have been represented, at once agreed that the difficulty lay in this question of discharge, and that the official authority, acting in close and friendly co-operation with the voluntary societies must take a more active part than hitherto in controlling the passage into free life of a man emerging from penal servitude. . .. A plan is now under consideration for establishing a Central Agency of Control for Discharged Convicts, on which both the official and unofficial element will be represented, with a subsidy from public funds, the purpose of which will be to take in hand the guidance and direction of every convict on the day of discharge' (pp. 15, 16). ]

[3: See Parliamentary Blue Book [Cd. 2562]. ]

[4: The scale of pay in the Salvation Array for Officers in charge ofCorps (or Stations) is as follows:--For Single Men: Lieutenants, 16s. Weekly; Captains, 18s. Weekly. For Single Women: Lieutenants, 12s. Weekly; Captains, 15s. Weekly. For Married Men, 27s. Per week and 1s. Per week for each child under 7 years of age, and 2s. Per week foreach child between the ages of 7 and 14. Furnished lodgings areprovided in addition. ]

[5: But the day before this proof came into my hands it was my duty tohelp to try a case illustrative of these remarks. In that case a girlwhen only just over the age of sixteen had been seduced by a young manand borne a son. First the father admitted parentage and promisedmarriage. Then he denied parentage, and, apparently without a shadowof evidence, alleged that the child was the result of an incestuousintercourse between its mother and a relative. At the trial, having, it seemed, come to the conclusion that this wicked slander would notenable him to escape an affiliation order, he again frankly admittedhis parentage. In the country districts, at any rate, such examplesare common. --H. R. H. ]

[6: The loss is being reduced annually, that for the financial yearwhich has just closed being the lowest on record. ]

[7: See Appendix A]

[8: On this and other points see the Salvation Army's 'Articles ofWar, ' Appendix B. ]

INDEX

Affiliation Orders, 91, 109-110. 

'Ann Fowler' Home, 166, 168. 

Anti-Suicide Bureau, 151-164. 

Ardenshaw Women's Home, Glasgow, 188. 

Argyll, Duchess of, 103. 

'Articles of War, ' 257. 

Australia, 14, 83. 

Balance-sheet for 1909, 260-261. 

Barlow, Sir Thomas, 123. 

Barnardo, The late Dr. , 71, 73, 233. 

Blackfriars Shelter, 41. 

Booth, General, 7, 10-12, 14-18, 57, 61, 63, 85, 97, 200-201, 206, 208-217, 223. 

Booth, Mr. Bramwell, 218-225. 

Booth, Mrs. Bramwell, 87, 89, 91-93, 95, 144. 

Boxted Small Holdings, 69, 200-207. 

British Government, The, and Colonial Land Scheme, 82. 

Canada, 14, 82-86. 

Carrington, Earl, 206. 

Central Labour Bureau, 75. 

Chief of the Staff, The: see Mr. Bramwell Booth. 

Cox, Commissioner, 96, 98, 119, 120. 

Criminals in England, 61. 

Crossley, Mrs. , 176. 

Drink, 37. 

Duke Street, Glasgow, 188. 

Edinburgh, 179. 

Embankment Soup Distribution, 22, 39, 40. 

Emigration Department, 80; Emigration Board, 85. 

Employers' Liability Act, 38. 

Ex-Criminals, 54. 

First Offenders Act, 168. 

Free Breakfast Service, 41. 

Future of the Salvation Army, Notes on, 237. 

Glasgow, 165, 178-182, 192. 

Government Labour Bureaux, 75-76. 

Government Subsidy, 57. 

Great Peter St. Shelter, 33, 157. 

Great Titchfield St. , 94, 140, 150. 

Hadleigh Land Colony, 76, 182, 184, 194, 198, 199. 

Hanbury St. Workshop, 65-70. 

Herring, The late Mr. George, 19, 200, 201, 207, 212. 

Hillsborough House Inebriates' Home, 98, 102, 122. 

Hollies, ' 'The, 168, 169. 

Home Office, The, 55. 

Iliffe, Lieut. -Colonel, 204. 

Impressions of General Booth, 208. 

India, 23. 

Inebriates' Home, The, Springfield Lodge, 122. 

International Investigation Department, 77. 

Ivy House Maternity Hospital, 107. 

Java, 233. 

Jolliffe, Lieut. -Colonel, 41, 148, 185-186, 190-191. 

King Edward Hospital Fund, 201. 

Labour Bureau, Central, Whitechapel, 75; Statistics, 76. 

Labour Party and Trade. Unions, 65, 85-86. 

Lamb, Colonel, 81, 83-85. 

Lambert, Colonel, 115. 

Land Colony, Hadleigh, 194. 

Laudanum-drinking, 124, 183. 

Laurie, Lieut. -Colonel, 194-196. 

Laurier, Sir Wilfrid, 82. 

Liverpool, 165. 

London County Council, 129. 

London Maternity Home, 169. 

Lorne House, 103, 105. 

Manchester, 165; Social Institutions, 172. 

Maternity Home, Lorne House, Stoke Newington, 103. 

Maternity Home, Brent House, Hackney, 105-106. 

Maternity Hospital, Hackney, 105, 107; Liverpool, 171. 

Maternity Hospital, New, required, 170. 

Men's Social Work, Glasgow, 178; London, 19, 65; Manchester, 171. 

Middlesex Street Shelter, 19. 

Midnight Work, Social, 94. 

Needs, Our, 235. 

Nest, ' 'The, Clapton, 112. 

Oakhill House, Manchester, 176. 

Old-Age Pensions Act, 130. 

Paris, 93. 

Parliamentary Committee of the Trade Unions, 65. 

Penitent Form, The, 46-48, 51, 230. 

Pentonville Prison, 56. 

Piccadilly Midnight Work, 140. 

Prevention of Cruelty to Children, Society for the, 233. 

Princess Louise, H. R. H. , 103. 

Prison Act, The New, 63. 

Prison Reform, 62, 63 (note). 

Prison Visitation, 55, 188. 

Prisoners' Aid Society, 180. 

Quaker Street, 54. 

Religion of the Salvation Army, Note on the, 229. 

Rescue Home, The, 117. 

'Revivalism!' 49. 

Roosevelt, Mr. 214-215. 

'Rural England, ' 10. 

Sacraments, The, 230. 

Salvation Army, Some Statistics of the, 9-10. 

Scale of pay, Officers', 90 (note). 

Scotland, 131, 179. 

Slum Settlement, The Hackney Road, 131. 

Slum Sisters, 88; Some Statistics of their work, 131. 

Small Holdings, 200-207. 

Southwood, Sydenham, 126. 

Spa Road Elevator, 27, 46, 79. 

Sturge House, 71-74. 

Sturgess, Commissioner, 19, 36, 47, 54, 55, 57, 186. 

Sweating, Charges of, refuted, 28, 66, 120-121. 

Titchfield Street Home, The, 140, 145, 150. 

Trade Unions and rate of Wages, 15-16. 

Training Institute for Women Social Workers, The, 115. 

Unsworth, Colonel, 155, 157, 160, 164. 

Vegetarianism, 99, 113-114. 

Visitation of prisoners by Salvation Army Officers, 55-56. 

Wandsworth Prison, 56. 

Waste Paper Department, Spa Road, 27, 31, 52; Manchester, 172; Glasgow, 180. 

White Slave Traffic, 87, 93. 

Whitechapel, 72, 75, 95, 132, 142. 

Women's Industrial Home, Hackney, 119; Sydenham, 126. 

Women's Shelter, 129. 

Women's Social Work, London, 87; Headquarters, 96.