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 CATHERINE BOOTH -1882
 
 THE LIFE 
 
 OF 
 
 CATHERINE BOOTH 
 
 THE 
 
 MOTHER OF THE SALVATION ARMY 
 
 BY 
 
 F. DE L. BOOTH-TUCKER 
 
 VOLUME I. 
 
 FLEMING H. REVELL COMPANY. 
 
 NEW YORK: 
 30 Union Square, East. 
 
 CHICAGO: 
 148-150 Madison Street. 
 
 Publishers of Evangelical Literature.
 
 Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1893, by 
 
 WILLIAM BOOTH, 
 in the office of the Librarian at Washington.
 
 THE PREFACE. 
 
 MY task is completed. Imperfectly? Alas, none 
 could be more conscious of that fact than myself ! I 
 have longed unspeakably for inspiration 's pen to write 
 the record of a life inspired, no matter whose the 
 hand that held the pen ! I have wept with disappoint- 
 ment as I have struggled to describe the indescrib- 
 able ! A thousand times, in the lonely solitude of my 
 room, I have turned from pen to prayer, and then 
 again from prayer to pen. My whole soul has 
 yearned unspeakably to enshrine our Army Mother's 
 memory fittingly, and to enable her in these pages 
 to live her life again. 
 
 I have not criticised ? No! I could not, for I loved. 
 With the love of a son the respect, the admiration, 
 the enthusiasm of a disciple. For critical biography 
 I have neither time nor taste. 
 
 / have exaggerated ? No ! Inquire from those who 
 knew her best her family, her friends, the Army. 
 I have sought to tell " the truth, the whole truth, and 
 nothing but the truth ; " to let facts and letters speak 
 for themselves, and to surround the picture with but 
 a framework of such explanations as have seemed 
 necessary for the occasion. 
 
 / claim for Mrs. Booth infallibility? No! Only
 
 iv THE PREFACE. 
 
 sanctified common sense. " Jesus Christ made unto 
 her wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemp- 
 tion." 
 
 She made mistakes ? Undoubtedly ! But I have not 
 found many to record. As a Mother her family 
 speak for her in the gates. As a Wife her husband 
 lives and testifies. As an Apostle thousands of her 
 spiritual children are scattered through the world. 
 
 / have been too laudatory ? Nay, verily ! Press and 
 pulpit have combined to set their seal on every word, 
 and the highest praise proceeds from other lips. My 
 own opinion eight years' intimacy has entitled me to 
 express. Of the General and the living members of 
 the family I have left unsaid the appreciation and 
 admiration which my heart has felt ; .but of the subject 
 of these memoirs I have claimed the liberty to say that 
 which I feel, and to testify that which I know. Sen- 
 sitive to a fault of what the public might think, the 
 General would have preferred that I should underdraw 
 rather than overdraw her character. He would have 
 been even willing that I should sprinkle a few blots 
 I will not say of my own manufacture over the can- 
 vas, lest any should charge me with claiming perfec- 
 tion for the picture. I have asserted may I call it 
 the artistic privilege? of dispensing with the blots 
 which my imagination refused to invent or my re- 
 searches to discover. I have assumed the editorial 
 responsibility of saying what I think, of saying it in 
 the way that I desire, and of distributing my adjec- 
 tives where they seemed most to be required, and I
 
 THE PREFACE. v 
 
 certainly must have declined the task had I not been 
 allowed this, in my estimation, legitimate freedom. 
 
 Are there no shadows, then ? Oh, yes! Alas, almost 
 too many ! Victory shadowed by defeat, joy by sor- 
 row, strength by weakness, warfare by suffering, life 
 by death. A mighty intellect, an iron will, an ocean 
 soul, encased in an " earthen vessel " so frail that a 
 touch seemed sufficient to shatter it. A barque tossed 
 upon the waves of a perpetual tempest of opposition, 
 persecution, criticism, from the day when it was 
 launched on its perilous life-voyage to the day when 
 it cast anchor in the eternal Haven. 
 
 But the sources of my information f The entire 
 private correspondence of Mrs. Booth from 1847 on- 
 wards has been placed at my disposal. Never has 
 biographer been more privileged to peer with prying 
 eye behind the scenes and ransack the minutest de- 
 tails of a life. Litera scripta manet. The written 
 records have spoken for themselves, and on their 
 silent testimony, more than on the memories of living 
 witnesses, this Life is based. The facts have been 
 carefully corrected by the General ; for the opinions, 
 where they are not those of Mrs. Booth, I assume the 
 entire responsibility. 
 
 / have been helped? Yes, by my dear wife, Mrs. 
 Booth's second daughter, Emma. [She does not 
 think I have spoken too highly of her mother, and 
 verily she ought to know. Nevertheless, the opinions 
 are mine, not hers.~\ Piles of hurriedly-written, ill- 
 digested manuscripts, which but for her I would fain
 
 vi THE PREFACE. 
 
 have hurled impatiently at the printer's head, or have 
 consigned to the depths of the waste-paper basket, 
 have been dissected page by page, sentence by sen- 
 tence, almost word by word. Dissected yes, that is 
 the word ; dissected at home till I almost feel criticism- 
 proof abroad ! 
 
 / have taken a long time? Not very. I received 
 my material the end of July, 1891. I sit writing 
 these lines on the 2d of the same month, barely 
 eleven months afterwards. The life of a Salvationist 
 is a life of interruption. Wherever he goes there are 
 " lions in the way. " Telegrams and letters follow him 
 to every retreat. Seclusion, privacy, and the quietude 
 supposed to be necessary for literary enterprise the 
 words have been obliterated from his dictionary, 
 the very ideas have almost faded from his mind. His 
 table is a keg of spiritual gunpowder, his seat a can- 
 non-ball ; and he writes as best he may amid the whiz 
 and crash of flying shot and shell, the rush and ex- 
 citement of a never-ending battle, in which peace and 
 truce are words unknown, and rest, in the ordinary 
 sense of the word, is relegated to heaven. 
 
 Again, it has not been like writing a novel, where 
 the author can give the heroine free scope to say 
 and do as she pleases, or, rather, as he may please. 
 A biography has meant a history of facts, and those 
 facts have had to be verified and arranged. Thou- 
 sands of letters, articles, speeches, and reports have 
 required to be studied, till my head has fairly reeled 
 and my eyes have ached.
 
 THE PREFACE. vil 
 
 But I said, / have been helped. Yes, I have been 
 helped by God helped by the remembrance that she 
 of whom I wrote was indeed a prophet of the Most 
 High, and that it could not but please Him that the 
 messages which had been uttered through her lips 
 and life should be repeated through the medium of 
 these pages ; helped by the thought that it would be a 
 comfort to her family, and an inspiration to our Army, 
 and to tens of thousands outside our ranks, to read a 
 record of such devoted service. 
 
 It has been a labor of love. I undertook it with re- 
 luctance, owing to a deep sense of my insufficiency. 
 I conclude it with regret, realising how greatly God 
 has blest it to my soul. I send it forth with the sin- 
 cere prayer that it may be made an equal blessing to 
 all who read, and that they may be enabled to re-live, 
 at least in miniature, the life of Catherine Booth. 
 
 F. DE L. BOOTH-TUCKER. 
 
 101 QUEEN VICTORIA ST., LONDON, E. C., 
 2d July, 1892.
 
 GENERAL CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 SHADOWLAND. 1820-1829. 
 
 PAGE 
 Future greatness foreshadowed. A modern pilgrimage. Mrs. 
 
 Booth's mother. A tragic love-story. "I believe in the 
 forgiveness of sins." The Siren's melody. A remarkable 
 conversion. Divinely healed. "This way to the pit." 
 Mrs. Booth's grandfather. A stormy scene. John Mum- 
 ford. Turned out of home. Sarah Milward's marriage. 
 A touching reconciliation. The grandfather's death. "Be- 
 yond the river," i 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 CHILDHOOD. 1829-1834. 
 
 Mrs. Booth's birth-place. A death-bed scene. A wise 
 mother. About nurseries. And playmates. A mother's 
 girl. Sensitive conscience. The weeping child. Brothers 
 gone before. Eschewing French. Jeanne d'Arc. Bible 
 studies. The doll family. A dark shadow. Restoration, 13 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 EARLY DAYS. 1834-1841. 
 
 Removal to Boston. The child politician and temperance sec- 
 retary. Contributing to magazine. Catholic emancipation 
 question. Sense of responsibility. Sympathetic charac- 
 ter. The child and the criminal. First open-air pro- 
 cession. Death of favourite dog. Love for dumb ani- 
 mals. Kindness to donkeys. Feeding horses by night. 
 Saving a donkey from ill-treatment. Love for religious 
 meetings. "Over the Bible to Hell." Love of Method- 
 ism. Self-sacrifice. Collecting for missions, . . .22
 
 x GENERAL CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 SCHOOL LIFE. 1841-1843. 
 
 PAGE 
 Modern system of education. Its evils. Mrs. Booth's views. 
 
 "One language enough for the devil." Mrs. Booth at 
 school. Character for truthfulness. Appointed monitor. 
 Helping others with their studies. Estimate of Napoleon 
 and Caesar. Spinal complaint. Knowledge of church his- 
 tory. Notes on Butler's "Analogy." "Pilgrim's Prog- 
 ress. " In the wilderness, 33 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 YOUTH. 1844-1847. 
 
 A love episode. Removal to London. The Metropolis. Car- 
 riage accident. Mrs. Booth's conversion. Joins the Wes- 
 leyan Church. Indefinite preaching. Praying in the class- 
 meeting. Mechanical testimonies. Class-leader's daugh- 
 ter. Worldly conformity, ....... 42 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 HER DIARY. 1847-1848. 
 
 Serious illness. Visit to Brighton. Letter to mother. Praying 
 for her father. Early correspondence. Visiting the sick. 
 Sunday-school. A tragic incident. Inward struggles. 
 Perfect love. Trusting, ....... 53 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 THE REFORMERS. 1844-1852. 
 
 Reform agitation. Wesley's successors. The Legal Hun- 
 dred. The Fly Sheets. The men in masks. The brotherly 
 question. The Weslcyan Times. Acrimonious disputes. 
 Caughey's banishment. Wanted, an Elisha. Miss Mum- 
 ford a radical. Her sympathy with the Reformers. Retal- 
 iatory measures. Miss Mtimford expelled from the Wesley- 
 an Church. Joins the Reformers. Becomes a class-lead- 
 er. Disappointed with the Reformers, . ~. * . . 63 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 WILLIAM BOOTH. 1829-1852. 
 
 Born in Nottingham loth April, 1829. His mother. His 
 father. Converted at fifteen. His friend Sansom. Cottage 
 meetings. Processions and open-airs. Please go to the
 
 GENERAL CONTENTS. xi 
 
 PAGE 
 
 back-door. Sunday toil. A local preacher at seventeen. 
 Called to the ministry at nineteen. The doctor's objec- 
 tion. Worshipped John Wesley. Goes to London in 1849. 
 "The only son of my mother." His earliest extant letters 
 to John Savage. Not a single "Amen." His plan of cam- 
 paign. "A ministry of the talents." Too much of the 
 shroud. A stirring letter. Preachers are not wanted. 
 No interest in the Reformers. Resigns his local preacher- 
 ship. His ticket of membership withheld. A heresy-hunt- 
 ing superintendent. Joins the Reformers. His friend Mr. 
 Rabbitts. Binfield House. Meets Miss Mumford. The 
 best sermon yet. Meeting at Mr. Rabbitts'. "The Grog- 
 sellers' Dream." Water was the favoured drink, . . 72 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 THE ENGAGEMENT. 1852. 
 
 loth April, 1852. Mr. Booth becomes a minister. Passing rich 
 on fifty pounds a year. Democratic tyranny. The party 
 of reconciliation. Mrs. Booth's love-letters. "I will tram- 
 ple on the desolations of my own iieart. " isth of May. 
 A memorable engagement. An eloquent betrothal letter. 
 "Don't sit up singing till midnight." The Ganges and 
 the Jumna, . . 88 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 THE CONGREGATIONALISTS. 1852. 
 
 Mr. Booth tired of debates. Proposes to join the Congregation - 
 alists. Calls on Dr. Campbell. Offers for Cotton End. 
 Studies the "Reign of Grace" with Miss Mumford. Cannot 
 swallow Calvinism. Declines a call to Ryde. Gives his last 
 sixpence to a dying girl, . . . . . .98 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 LONDON AND SPALDING. 1852. 
 
 Mr. Booth rejoins the Reformers. Spalding Circuit. Engage- 
 ment letters. Admirable advice. Fear of man. Prayer. 
 Ambition. Study. Teetotalism. "Spalding will not be 
 your final destination," . -- . -. . . . . . 107 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 WOMAN. 1853. 
 
 Preparation for future duties. Woman's sphere. A parlour 
 skirmish. Letter to Dr. Thomas on woman's equality. 
 Scriptural evidence. Intellectual and moral heroines.
 
 xii GENERAL CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 " Those who rock the cradle rule the world. " Woman and 
 the press. Mrs. Booth converted to woman's right to 
 preach. Ministers' wives. Tattle and tea-parties. "Light 
 reading." Novels, 116 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 VIEWS ON COURTSHIP AND MARRIAGE. 1853. 
 
 Mrs. Booth's originality. A good hater. Broken vows. The 
 evils of hurry. No doubts. Act on principle. Congeni- 
 ality of temperament. Friend and counsellor rather than 
 breadwinner and housekeeper. Refinement linked to drudg- 
 ery. Truly converted. An indispensable qualification. 
 The root of three-fourths of matrimonial misery. Lordship 
 lost in love. No physical repugnance. Natural instinct 
 too strong for reason. Mere physical attractions useless. 
 A teetotaller from conviction. Preferences of taste. Rules 
 for married life. No secrets. One purse. Unity of 
 thought and action. No controversy before the children, . 130 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 METHODIST NEW CONNEXION. 1854. 
 
 The first Salvation Army Captain. Mr. Booth's popularity. 
 His first journal. Swineshead Bridge revival. Caistor re- 
 vival. The Methodist New Connexion. Their origin. 
 Alexander Kilham. Mr. Booth urges the Reformers to join 
 them. Abortive negotiations. Correspondence with Dr. 
 Cooke. The Spalding Circuit will not join. An evangel- 
 istic career opens out. Joins the New Connexion, . . 139 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 CORRESPONDENCE AND CONFLICTS. 1854. 
 
 Conflicting views. Sacrificing a present fora future good. No 
 friends to martial law. These Jehus were Jehus still. The 
 course of genius never did run smooth. Manufacturing an 
 aggressive force inside the church. A fossilised past. The 
 Caesars of the past the Moltkes of the present. The spirit 
 of the times 152 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 LONDON. 1854. 
 
 Mr. Booth's reception by Dr. Cooke. Studying for the min- 
 istry. A revival in the East End. Unanimously accepted 
 by the Conference. Letter from Miss Mumford. Caistor
 
 GENERAL CONTENTS. xiii 
 
 PAGE 
 
 revisited. Sermon sketches by Miss Mumford. She visits 
 Burnham. Some beautiful letters. An Irvingite Chapel. 
 No hobbies. Nor fanaticism. A beautiful scene, . . 162 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 MRS. BOOTH'S FIRST PUBLISHED ARTICLE. 1854. 
 How to take care of new converts. A simple analogy. Con- 
 genial food. A pure and invigorating atmosphere. A cold 
 church. Cleansing of impurities. Freedom from undue 
 restraint. Dangers of inactivity. Serving God by proxy. 
 Women's work. Talents are meant to be used, . . 171 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 FIRST EVANGELISTIC TOUR. 1854-1855. 
 
 London as a field for work. Hard soil. Conditions of life. 
 Poverty and wealth. London successes. Guernsey revival. 
 An unpromising beginning. A grand finish. Two hun- 
 dred and sixty conversions. Longton and Hanley revi- 
 vals. Four hundred and sixty penitents. A touching letter 
 from Miss Mumford. No fear of loving too much, . . 178 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 THE WEDDING. 1855. 
 
 A striking contrast. A great opportunity. A quiet ceremony. 
 i6th June, 1855. Married by Dr. Thomas. A congrega- 
 tionless chapel. Craving for privacy. Talent-tiding ten- 
 dencies. The pictureless frame, and the frameless picture. 
 A brief honeymoon. Guernsey again. The old auto- 
 graphs . . , .190 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 REVIVALS AND CORRESPONDENCE. 1855. 
 
 One thousand seven hundred and thirty-nine penitents seek sal- 
 vation. Jersey visited. The first separation. Letters. 
 Mr. Booth at York. Rejoined by Mrs. Booth at Hull. 
 The Hull revival. Caistor revisited. A country scene. 
 The taking of Sebastopol, .-,.-. 198 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 SHEFFIELD. CHATSWORTH. CORRESPONDENCE. 1855. 
 Six hundred and sixty-three conversions in a month. The prog- 
 ress of the work described by Mrs. Booth in letters to her
 
 xiv GENERAL CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 mother. The General's mother. A remarkable love-feast. 
 A forest of heads. Seventy-six penitents. "Do not 
 worry." Luke Tyerman. Visit to Chatsworth. Her na- 
 tive county. Romantic scenery. The rocks of Middleton 
 Dale. Mark Firth. The designer of the Crystal Palace, . 206 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 DEWSBURY. 1855. 
 
 Mrs. Booth seriously ill. Studies homoeopathy. Revival in 
 Dewsbury. Four hundred and forty converts. The IVes- 
 leyan Times. Helping the penitents. Letters to mother. 
 The Pilot. A triumphant farewell. The Wesleyans wel- 
 come Mr. Booth, ..... . . . . . 218 
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 LEEDS. 1855-1856. 
 
 A Christless Christmas. The Hunslet revival. Mrs. Booth de- 
 scribes the work. Singing like larks. Pretty sermons. 
 Getting the truth home to the heart. A bazaar. Refusal 
 to visit. A watch-night service. A councillor converted. 
 Ebenezer chapel. Eight hundred penitents. A curtain 
 lecture, . 226 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 HALIFAX. MACCLESFIELD. YARMOUTH. 1856. 
 Dr. Stacey reports six hundred and forty-one conversions at 
 Halifax. Three thousand persons spiritually awakened in 
 seven months. Mr. Booth's capacity for hard work. Sub- 
 jugating mankind's Niagaras. The dangers of lack- 
 leaderism contrasted with the tyrannies of unsanctified 
 genius. Birth of Bramwell Booth. A Bible for the baby. 
 
 Mrs. Booth on sudden conversions. "There go 's 
 
 mushrooms." The devil's toadstools. Thirty babies bap- 
 tised with her son Bramwell. A holiness preacher. Re- 
 newal of Mr. Booth's evangelistic commission by the Con- 
 ference. Yarmouth. Mrs. Booth on spiritual children, . 241 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 SHEFFIELD. 1856. 
 
 Sheffield characteristics. National and provincial peculiarities. 
 Good and bad soil. Tendency of civilisation to neglect the 
 heart for the head. Restoration of heart pulsation needed. 
 The intellectual hero of the day. Mrs. Booth's quarrel
 
 GENERAL CONTENTS. xv 
 
 PAGE 
 
 with modern education. A warm welcome.' Six hundred 
 and forty-six names taken. Keeping the converts. Why 
 the Salvation Army was started. The farewell tea. A 
 proud position. The lithographic portrait of Mr. Booth. 
 The presentation meeting. The labourer not worthy of 
 his hire. Why testimonials were abolished, . . .251 
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 BIRMINGHAM. NOTTINGHAM. CHESTER. 1856-1857. 
 The Birmingham campaign. Mrs. Booth on religious excite- 
 ment. The meetings in Nottingham. Seven hundred and 
 forty conversions. The chapel filled. Every sitting let. 
 Mr. Wright's opposition. Mr. Booth's diary. Mrs. Booth 
 proceeds to London while Mr. Booth goes to Chester. 
 Newspaper opposition. First signs of rowdyism. "The 
 words seemed like jagged daggers." "What must I do to 
 be damned?" Icy-hearted, all-brained people. Mr. Regi- 
 nald Radcliffe at an execution. Makes Mr. Booth an offer. 
 The country people. A poacher converted. Correspond- 
 ence. Mr. Booth on homoeopathy. Not a congenial soul, 
 except the disembodied one's that dwell in books, . . 262 
 
 CHAPTER XXVII. 
 
 BRISTOL. TRURO. ST. AGNES, 1857. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Booth meet in London. Start for Bristol. A 
 hard struggle. Thwarted by circumstances. The mys- 
 terious element of liberty in public speaking. Advantages 
 of the pulpit over the political platform and the stage. 
 Mrs. Booth's influence on an audience. Oblivious to time. 
 Musical cadences of her voice. First visit to Cornwall. 
 A land of chapels. Difficult to be moved. Pure children 
 of emotion. A hurricane of excitement. St. Agnes. 
 "Going off." The woman who jumped. Decency and or- 
 der. Mrs. Booth on manifestation of feeling. Afraid of a 
 kind-hearted grandmother. Ominous rumours, . . . 275 
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 THE CONFERENCE OF 1857. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Booth at Stafford. The nest and the beetle. Is 
 it an omen? The Conference stop the evangelistic work 
 by a majority of four, after a five-hour debate. Mr. Wright 
 leads the opposition. Mr. Booth asks for an explanation. 
 Mrs. Booth indignant. The expenses guaranteed. A
 
 xvi GENERAL CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 jealous clique. Mrs. Booth would have resigned. But 
 Mr. Booth loves the Connexion. And agrees to take a 
 circuit. A characteristic letter from another evangelist. " I 
 could wish to be your shoeblack." "You're as square as a 
 brick." The value of organisation. Mrs. Booth more of a 
 free-lance Whitefield than an organising Wesley. A happy 
 design of Providence 287 
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 
 BRIGHOUSE. 1857. 
 
 A sad year. A difficult cause. But many are converted. And 
 her son Ballington is born. The embryo of the Salvation 
 Army within the four corners of a family. General Booth's 
 first recruits. He wishes there had been eighty instead of 
 eight. Israel a family affair. The mysteries of criticism. 
 " I will not have a wicked child. " Paganini and the violin. 
 Putting the children into the movement. Mrs. Booth 
 leads a class. Her first public effort. She addresses the 
 Band of Hope. Proposes to give temperance lectures. 
 But is prevented by illness. A letter, .... 298 
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 BRIGHOUSE. 1858. 
 
 Serious illness of Mrs. Booth. Her son Ballington is baptised by 
 Mr. Caughey. Mrs. Booth on factory legislation. The 
 annual conference at Hull. Mr. Booth is ordained at the 
 end of his four years' probation. Winning golden opinions 
 by keeping quiet. Continued opposition to the evangelistic 
 work. A compromise proposed. Mr. Booth consents to 
 take Gateshead circuit, 308 
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 GATESHEAD, THE CONVERTING SHOP. 1858-1859. 
 
 The circuit in a low state. But a large chapel. The members 
 warm-hearted. The best appointment. The minister's 
 wife leads off in prayer. The attendance increases. Many 
 are converted. The chapel crowded. The converting 
 shop. Popular nomenclature. Taproom phraseology. A 
 Gelavoonkaraya. The Ratchagar caste. Pedantic phrase- 
 ology. Theology wedded to the language of bygone days. 
 Christopher Columbus and the greyhounds of the At-
 
 GENERAL CONTENTS. xvii 
 
 PAGE 
 
 lantic. Birth of La Marechale. A powerful revival. 
 Three hundred converts. The town stirred. Another ba- 
 zaar. Mrs. Booth on church bazaars, ..... 317 
 
 CHAPTER XXXII. 
 GATESHEAD. 1858-1859. 
 
 A narrow escape. No distinctions, such as forty kisses for Willie 
 and twenty for the baby. No coat of many colours. Mrs. 
 Mumford's needle-work. Mrs. Booth on dress. Not only 
 be separate, but appear so. A lesson in generosity. 
 Visiting the poor. Work among drunkards. An interest- 
 ing scrap of autobiography. "Have you ever tried lard 
 isted o' booter?" Washing the twins in a pie-dish, . . 327 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIII. 
 
 GATESHEAD. MRS. BOOTH'S FIRST PAMPHLET. 1859. 
 The Annual Conference meets at Manchester. Mr. Booth re- 
 appointed to Gateshead. Mr. Booth attends the Confer- 
 ence. He proposes a resolution in favour of teetotalism. 
 But is defeated. Dissatisfaction with conferences. Ad- 
 vantages of military organisation. Mrs. Booth writes her 
 pamphlet on Female Ministry in defence of Mrs. Phoebe 
 Palmer. The value of women's work to the church. Per- 
 fection not necessary, 339 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 
 GATESHEAD. 1860. 
 
 Necessity for conflict. Impossible to improve the future with- 
 out disturbing the present. A life-long warfare on behalf 
 of women. A skirmish with Dr. Stacey. A grievous 
 wrong inflicted on spirit-baptised disciples. Mrs. Booth 
 opened the door for thousands, 350 
 
 CHAPTER XXXV. 
 
 GATESHEAD. MRS. BOOTH COMMENCES PREACHING. 1860. 
 The birth of Emma. A call to public work. Whit-Sunday at 
 the Converting Shop. Mrs. Booth breaks the ice. Mr 
 Booth announces her for the night meeting. The servant 
 dances round the kitchen table. An enthusiastic reception 
 at night. "Be filled with the Spirit." Invitation from 
 Newcastle. The Annual Conference. Mr. Booth consents 
 to remain at Gateshead for another year. His illness. Mrs. 
 Booth supplies his place nine weeks. Some autobiograph-
 
 xviii GENERAL CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 ical letters. Harmony among the officials. Mrs. Booth's 
 administrative ability. The iron hand in the velvet glove. 
 A headless community like a riderless horse. The govern- 
 ment of the best. The rule of all is the rule of none. 
 Ability recognised, not deified. Knowledge subordinated 
 to holiness and power sanctified by love, .... 357 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVI. 
 GATESHEAD. 1860-1861. 
 
 Mr. Booth's illness. The children ill with whooping-cough. 
 The frock is too smart. Capacity for dealing with trivial- 
 ities of life. Mrs. Booth in the nursery. Preparing ser- 
 mons under difficulties. " We lacked a General." A 
 unanimous resolution. Mr. Booth returns from his fur- 
 lough. Careful, but not mean. Financial struggles, . 371 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVII. 
 
 GATESHEAD. MRS. BOOTH ON HOLINESS. 1861. 
 A believer's privilege. Wesley's teaching. Theory and prac- 
 tice. Mrs. Booth preaches on Holiness. Seeks the bless- 
 ing. The question of the evangelistic work. The contro- 
 versy settled. A beautiful experience. The twin pillars, 
 Jachin and Boaz. "How much like God can we be?" 
 Purity the central idea of the Gospel. Do not measure 
 others' privilege by your faith, 381 
 
 CHAPTER XXXVIII. 
 
 GATESHEAD. "JusT BEFORE THE BATTLE." 1861. 
 A turning-point. The Cross the shibboleth of the hypo- 
 crite. Mr. and Mrs. Booth appeal to the Conference for the 
 fulfilment of their pledges regaiding the evangelistic 
 sphere. The Annual Committee send a cool reply. Pre- 
 paring for the worst. A revival in Gateshead. Two hun- 
 dred names taken. The district meeting memorialise the 
 Conference in favour of the evangelistic work. Mr. Joseph 
 Love, the millionaire, supports the proposal. Promises 
 to answer for all expenses. Mrs. Booth visits Hartlepool. 
 Extraordinary revival. Two hundred and fifty penitents 
 in ten days. Letter to her mother, 390 
 
 CHAPTER XXXIX. 
 THE RESIGNATION. 1861. 
 
 The Conference meets in Liverpool. Mr. -and Mrs. Booth at- 
 tend it together. They anticipate some sharp fighting. Mr.
 
 GENERAL CONTENTS. xix 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Rabbitts supports them. Mrs. Booth disappointed with 
 the Conference. Fatal mistake in church government. 
 The rule of books. Dr. Cooke. Cowardice a prevailing sin. 
 Dr. Crofts becomes President. Rev. P. J. Wright again 
 heads the opposition. A remarkable debate. A compro- 
 mise proposed. Mrs. Booth protests from the gallery. 
 "Order ! order !" A thrilling scene. Mr. and Mrs. Booth 
 leave the Conference. The ark is launched, . . . 405 
 
 CHAPTER XL. 
 THE RESIGNATION. 1861. 
 
 Dr. Cooke and the compromise. The Newcastle circuit. A 
 gloomy Sunday. The last sitting of the Conference. 
 " Without a friend and without a farthing. " The ultimatum 
 rejected. A last attempt to come to terms. The Circuit 
 willing. But the President objects. Alnwick. Mr. Booth 
 starts for London 414 
 
 CHAPTER XLI. 
 THE RESIGNATION. 1861. 
 
 Mr. Booth in London. Measuring accomplishments by pos- 
 sibilities. Letters from London. Mr. Hammond. Mr. 
 Pearse. The Garrick Theatre. Undenominational mis- 
 sions. Dr. Forbes Winslow. William Carter. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Booth at Nottingham. The letter from Dr. Crofts. 
 The last link severed. Resignation placed in the hands of 
 the President. Mrs. Booth returns to London. Mr. Booth 
 brings the children by sea from Newcastle. A new depar- 
 ture. Waiting for the moving of the fiery pillar, . . 422 
 
 CHAPTER XLII. 
 THE CORNISH CAMPAIGN. 
 
 Reviving the Churches. Reaching the masses via the Chris- 
 tians. The "regions beyond." The Cornish plan of cam- 
 paign. How to "seat" a congregation. A glorious 
 commencement. With the Wesleyans again. An emotion- 
 al people. "Decently and in order." A remarkable 
 manifestation. Salvation the universal theme. Monster 
 tea-meeting on the Towans. A touching farewell, . . 433
 
 xx GENERAL CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XLIII. 
 
 THE CORNISH CAMPAIGN. 1862. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 St. Ives and its pilchards. A temperance movement. The 
 churches and teetotalism. Mrs. Booth on the liquor 
 traffic. Letter from Mrs. Palmer. The revival in St. 
 Ives. More than a thousand conversions. Public-houses 
 deserted. "Is there mercy for such a wretch?" Conver- 
 sions noisy and quiet. Do they stand? .... 449 
 
 CHAPTER XLIV. 
 THE CORNISH CAMPAIGN. 1862. 
 
 St. Just. Rev. Robert Aitken of Pendeen. Charles Wesley 
 and the country squire. The penitent-form controversy. 
 An unfinished sermon. Glorious irregularity. Miners 
 leaving their work to get saved. The Police Inspector's 
 testimony. A sacred corner, ...... 461 
 
 CHAPTER XLV. 
 
 THE CORNISH CAMPAIGN. 1862. 
 
 Mrs. Booth's first service for women. Her views on fashion. 
 On orphanages. On timidity. The king of the Wesley- 
 ans. His opinion of Mrs. Booth. Mrs. Booth at home. 
 The Wesleyan Chapel. "What about the revival?" The 
 volunteers leave their drill. The suspension of business. 
 "One and all." The Lelant church and its legend. The 
 angel- visits. Sailing under black colors, .... 473 
 
 CHAPTER XLVI. 
 THE THREE CONFERENCES. 1862. 
 
 The Methodists New Connection accept Mr. Booth's resignation. 
 Without a "thank you." Not a "split." The Cornish 
 Wesleyans. An increase of 4,247. Their Conference. 
 "The perambulations of the male and female." Boycotted 
 again. A pitiful apology. The Primitive Methodists fol- 
 low suit. Conflict between pastoral and evangelistic 
 agencies. Raising of the blockade. An Australian tri- 
 umph 485 
 
 CHAPTER XLVII. 
 GOOD-BYE TO CORNWALL. 1862. 
 
 Mousehole. Penzance. Birth of Herbert Booth. The sweet 
 psalmist and musician. "Dod b'ess de lady and make her
 
 GENERAL CONTENTS. xxi 
 
 PAGE 
 
 bery dood." "Me not 'peakin' to oo." Redruth. Putting 
 up the barriers. 7,500 conversions in eighteen months, . 493 
 
 CHAPTER XLVIII. 
 CARDIFF. 1863. 
 
 Undenominational effort. Mrs. Booth's first meetings in a 
 circus. Her views on the state of the world. A physician 
 and his wife. No faith without obedience. Mr. Booth at 
 Pontypridd. Five hundred conversions. Messrs. John and 
 Richard Cory. The S. S. William Booth. How to deal 
 with cavil, 503 
 
 CHAPTER XLIX. 
 THE PROVINCES. 1863. 
 
 Newport. Mr. and Mrs. Billups. An intimate friendship. 
 Walsall. Upsetting the meetings. The prize-fighter, 
 the horse-racer, and the thief. "I linked my arm in that 
 of a navvy with a white slop on." The saved chim- 
 ney-sweep. A monster camp-meeting. The Hallelujah 
 Band. The future foreshadowed, . . . . . 513 
 
 CHAPTER L. 
 THE PROVINCES. 1863-1864. 
 
 The General meets with an accident. Mr. Bramwell Booth's 
 conversion. Mrs. Booth leads the meetings. Hydrop- 
 athy. Birmingham. Old Hill. Hasbury. Mrs. Booth at 
 the Lye. "I never saw so much weeping." An outside 
 testimony. Leeds. Lady Lane. Meadow Lane. Gates- 
 head. Birth of Miss Marian Booth. A letter from 
 Caughey. Mrs. Booth atBatley; Pudsey and Woodhouse 
 Carr. Five hundred conversions. "We can't get at the 
 masses in the chapels, " 527 
 
 CHAPTER LI. 
 
 LONDON. 1865. 
 
 The metropolis and the provinces. Mrs. Booth's first meet- 
 ings in London. Rotherhithe. "Come and hear a woman 
 preach." The daughters of the landlord of the Europa. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Booth settle in Hammersmith. Mr. Morgan 
 questions female ministry. But is convinced. The Chris- 
 tian. A letter regarding Holiness. Bermondsey. The
 
 xxii GENERAL CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Gospel Guide describes Mrs. Booth. The Midnight 
 movement, 538 
 
 CHAPTER LII. 
 FOUNDATION OF THE SALVATION ARMY. 1865. 
 
 The Quaker Burial Ground in Whitechapel. A valley of dry 
 bones. The East End Bethlehem. The meetings in the 
 tent. The formation of the "'Christian Revival Associa- 
 tion." The lowest level of the social strata. Mr. Booth 
 and Feargus O'Connor. "My arms are not long enough." 
 Mrs. Booth and the upper classes. The syrup without 
 the sulphur. His Grace the Duke of Rackrent. Mrs. Booth 
 denounces the cruelty of hunting. On War. Poverty and 
 vulgarity synonymous with sin. Miss Booth visiting the 
 prison. "She's all there." The criminal classes. Mr. 
 Moneymaker. Mrs. Booth on "sweating." Mrs. Booth in 
 the kitchen. Among the wealthy, 548 
 
 CHAPTER LIII. 
 
 MR. MORLEY AND THE EAST LONDON MISSION. 
 
 Mrs. Booth at Deptford. Her first West End Campaign. The 
 Polytechnic. Kensington Assembly Rooms. Islington. 
 Removal of home from Hammersmith to Hackney. The 
 tent blown down. The East End heathen. Another new 
 departure. "We have trusted the Lord once and we can 
 trust him again." Mr. Samuel Morley. The meeting of 
 the Stanley and the Livingstone of Darkest England. A 
 sleeping partner. Some letters from Mr. Morley. A gene- 
 rous donation. The dancing-saloon. Some early con- 
 verts 561 
 
 CHAPTER LIV. 
 THE EAST LONDON MISSION. 1866. 
 
 Birth of Miss Eva Booth. Walking the waters. The spirit of 
 Calvary. Beating the Good Samaritan. Mrs. Booth at 
 Peckham. A severe illness. Mr. Henry Reed of Dunor- 
 lan. Mrs. Booth at Dunorlan. Makes Mr. Reed her time- 
 keeper. "Never mind the time! Go on." Nervous col- 
 lapse. Heaven's gifts in strange wrappers. A lifelong 
 martyrdom. The family homes. Each room an office. 
 A latter-day Bethel, . . . . ..'.". . 573
 
 GENERAL CONTENTS. xxiii 
 
 CHAPTER LV. 
 
 MARGATE. 1867. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 St. John's Wood. The Eyre Arms Assembly Rooms. Mrs. 
 Newenham. A remarkable offer. Larger than Spurgeon's 
 Tabernacle. Birth of Miss Lucy Booth. Musical ability. 
 A visit to Ramsgate. The Royal Assembly Rooms, Mar- 
 gate. A successful campaign. Mr. and Mrs. Freeman. 
 Miss Billups. Mr. Knight, the publisher, offers to report 
 Mrs. Booth's sermons. Her plan of preaching. A false 
 and a real love. With Jesus in the mud, . . . .584 
 
 CHAPTER LVI. 
 BEHIND THE PIGEON SHOP. 1866-67. 
 
 Early struggles in the East End. Holywell Mount. The stable 
 and the sparring-club. The carpenter's shop and pig- 
 styes. The skittle-alley. Behind the pigeon shop. The 
 East End Thermopylae. The Hare Street bird market. 
 A strange contrast. Muggins and the linnet. "A finch 
 wot'll peg." Two early converts now in heaven. Jack 
 Price. Carry Berry. Unexpected help. The Effingham 
 Theatre. The Eastern Star. First headquarters of the 
 Salvation Army, ......... 593 
 
 CHAPTER LVII. 
 PLYMOUTH BRETHRENISM. 
 
 The five leading doctrines of the Brethren. Mrs. Booth joins 
 issue on four of them. Declines controversy regarding 
 the Second Coming. "Free from the Law." The two na- 
 tures. One soul in hell and another in heaven. Regenera- 
 tion. A doctrinal hodge-podge. Imputed righteous- 
 ness. Standing in Christ. A substitutionary Saviour. 
 Christ a deliverer from sin, not a protection in sin. Only- 
 believism. Right opinions do not make right hearts. Com- 
 plete in Christ. A mock salvation, . . . . 606 
 
 CHAPTER LVIII. 
 
 THE PROGRESS OF THE MISSION. 1868. 
 
 Mrs. Booth in Norwood. Little Missions. Neither exogen, 
 endogen, nor acrogen. Isolated efforts. One-idea'd- 
 ness. Self-invited defeat. The first balance-sheet. The 
 Mission Council. 4,000 penitents during the year.
 
 xxiv GENERAL CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Launching of the first magazine. The East London Evan- 
 gelist. Mrs. Booth's articles. The spiritual armada. 
 Joel's vision, 616 
 
 CHAPTER LIX. 
 
 CORRESPONDENCE. 1868. 
 
 Mrs. Booth on vaccination. The "immortal Jenner." Deception 
 the great forte of the devil. Faith and unbelief. "On the 
 incline as a nation." Illness and depression. Lying 
 wounded in the camp. "The Booths will be difficult to 
 hold, but they are worth the trouble. " Mr. Reed proposes 
 to build a hall. The offer falls through. The first great 
 anniversary celebration. 1,420 Missioners visit Dunor- 
 lan. Hearty reception by Mr. Reed, 629 
 
 CHAPTER LX. 
 CROYDON, EDINBURGH, BRIGHTON. 1869. 
 
 Mrs. Booth at Croydon. David and Jonathan. An invitation 
 from Edinburgh. The amalgamation ceremony. Mrs. 
 Booth's reception by the Scotch. Prejudices vanish. A 
 Covenanter in the land of Covenanters. A woman- Wal- 
 lace. A powerful meeting. Mrs. Booth at Brighton. The 
 Dome. Father Ignatius, 642 
 
 CHAPTER LXI. 
 THE CHRISTIAN MISSION. 1869-1870. 
 
 Death of Mrs. Booth's mother. Her countenance illumined. 
 The East London Mission takes the name of the Christian 
 Mission. Purchase of the People's Market, Whitechapel. 
 All-Nights of prayer. The first experiments in the Social 
 Scheme. Now a food and shelter depot. The East End 
 Shiloh and the London Zions. A second trip to Dunorlan, 652
 
 THE LIFE OF MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 SHADOWLAND. 1820-1829. 
 
 " Coming events cast their shadows before. " 
 
 THE early days of those who have achieved great- Foreshad. 
 
 ness, and who have left their mark, either for good 
 or evil, upon the world, constitute a sort of shadow- f uture - 
 land, which possesses a peculiar fascination of its 
 own. The arrival of a new actor upon the world's 
 vast stage is not always heralded, it is true, by blast 
 of trumpet and beat of drum, however important may 
 be the part that is about to be enacted. The sur- 
 roundings and circumstances are often surprisingly 
 trivial and contemptuously commonplace. As with 
 the equinoctial gales, such lives frequently come in 
 like a lamb, although they are destined to go out like 
 a lion. And yet there is a something a. self -assertive- 
 ness, shall we call it? about true genius, which en- 
 forces recognition and extorts admiration, so that, 
 even in the undeveloped bud of early life, we find 
 ourselves involuntarily exclaiming : The child is verit- 
 ably father to the man ! 
 
 True, at the time, few eyes are keen enough to dis- Retro- 
 cern the substance, of which these shadows are but spet 
 the type and promise. The great To BE is still 
 enveloped in the mists of futurity. Its shadow falls
 
 MJ?S. BOOTH. 
 
 for a moment with startling distinctness across our 
 path, only to disappear with equal suddenness from 
 our sight. And yet, viewed in the light of retro- 
 spect, much that was once obscure and difficult be- 
 comes luminously plain. Shadows are converted into 
 substance, possibilities into actualities, fugitive ex- 
 pectations into sober accomplishment. To look for- 
 ward and anticipate the future requires a prophet, to 
 look back and appreciate the past is possible to all, 
 so that even he who runs may read. And thus we are 
 impelled to explore every nook and cranny of the 
 child-life, confident that it contains abundant prom- 
 ise of the great hereafter. The little cloudlet, no 
 bigger than a man's hand, assumes a new interest, 
 above and beyond the many others that we have seen, 
 because we know that it betokens coming showers 
 and a sound of abundance of rain for the parched and 
 famine-stricken earth. 
 
 inklings. And yet the search is often a very disappointing 
 one. The facts on which we can rely are few and far 
 between. The witnesses are mostly gone to their 
 reward, or can remember scarcely anything beyond 
 the ordinary humdrum of life. There is frequently 
 little, or nothing in the shape of written record to 
 which we may turn, and the meagre items we are 
 able to gather are just enough to make us wish for 
 more. In short, we can obtain but tantalizing 
 glimpses, when what our heart would crave is a long 
 satisfying look. 
 
 Mountain \Ve are told there is a mountain peak in Africa, 
 
 peaks. * 
 
 towering high above the rest, which forms the most 
 conspicuous landmark for scores of miles ; and yet so 
 perpetually is it hidden in mists and clouds, that 
 explorers have been within a few miles without so 
 much as discovering its existence. Indeed, the same
 
 SHADOWLAND. 3 
 
 traveller, who lias at one time passed the spot and 
 noted nothing remarkable, has been surprised when, 
 on a later occasion, the clouds have suddenly un- 
 folded, the sun shone forth, and a snowy summit of 
 surprising height and surpassing grandeur has dis- 
 closed itself to view. For a time it seems so near 
 and so real that he is astonished at his own previous 
 obtuseness. And then the wind changes, the mist 
 rolls swiftly down the mountain-side, and he is 
 tempted to wonder whether, after all, the bewitching 
 vision he has just gazed upon may not have been some 
 fancy of his mind, similar to the water-mirage of the 
 desert or the deceitful will-o'-the-wisp of the fens. 
 
 Just so with this shadowland of life. The glimpses 
 we obtain are so scanty and brief, that we are bound 
 in some measure to be disappointed. And yet their 
 very fewness and fleetingness perhaps add something 
 to their attraction, while the distance through which 
 we are obliged to gaze only serves to " lend enchant- 
 ment to the view," and what we do see stands out in 
 vivid distinctness, like the peaks of some mountain 
 range against the background of the sky. 
 
 For those who stood in the valley of childhood, the 
 horizon was so limited that they could see but little 
 beyond their own immediate surroundings. To us, 
 who have climbed the mountain-side of life, it is 
 different. We are able to look down upon the land- 
 scape. Every turn in the road, every inch of up- 
 ward ascent, brings some fresh surprise. Here is a 
 tiny cascade leaping down the rocks, little more than 
 a silver thread amongst the surrounding foliage of 
 the forest. Yonder flows a stately river that sweeps 
 for hundreds of miles through the plains, and bears 
 on its bosom the largest ocean-going craft. It is 
 difficult to realise, as we stand beside the one, that it
 
 4 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 will ever develop to the size and power of the other. 
 And yet we cannot doubt the evidence of our senses. 
 The impossible has already come to pass before our 
 eyes. 
 
 And so we turn to explore the shadowland of a life 
 of which each type has been realised, and every 
 promise fulfilled. Thousands and tens of thousands 
 to whom the stream has borne its rich merchandise 
 of spiritual blessing will desire, no doubt, to trace 
 the river to its rise. Like Hindoo pilgrims, not con- 
 tent with bathing in the portion of the stream that 
 happens to flow past their dwelling, they will be eager 
 to follow its course from the spot where their sky- 
 born Ganges descends from the heavens to the broad- 
 ening of its waters in the trackless ocean of Eternity. 
 Mrs.^ At a very early age flashes of the spirituality, genius, 
 
 mother, and energy, that were destined to make so indelible 
 a mark upon the world, surprised and gladdened 
 Catherine's mother, as she watched with tender care, 
 and reared with difficulty, the fragile girl who be- 
 came, almost from infancy, her chief companion and 
 comforter. Mrs. Mumford was herself a remarkable 
 woman, and some of the leading traits in the daugh- 
 ter's character were no doubt inherited from the in- 
 tensely practical and courageous mother. 
 A painful At the very threshold of her life, an event occurred 
 
 episode, ^.^jc^ serves to illustrate the high principle by which 
 Mrs. Mumford was ever actuated. She had become 
 
 
 
 engaged to a gentleman of good position. Her 
 mother had died some years previously. Her father 
 was one who felt that his duty to his daughter had 
 ended in supplying her temporal needs. The aunt, 
 who kept house for him, was a being of harsh, un- 
 sympathetic material. No doubt these loveless sur- 
 roundings helped Miss Milward to think the more of
 
 SHADOWLAND. 
 
 her choice, and she fancied herself upon the eve of 
 life-long felicity. To her friends the match seemed 
 a desirable one, and had met with their unhesitating 
 approbation. The prospects were brilliant, and the 
 wedding day had been fixed, when, on the very eve 
 of the marriage, certain circumstances came to her 
 knowledge which proved conclusively that her lover 
 was not the high-souled, noble character she had 
 supposed him to be, indeed that he was unworthy 
 of the womanly love and confidence she had so un- 
 reservedly reposed in him. With the same prompt- 
 ness and decision which afterward characterised her 
 daughter, Miss Milward's mind was made up, and the 
 engagement was immediately broken off. 
 
 It was in vain that day after day her lover called 
 at the house, in the hope that he might persuade her 
 to relent. She dared not trust herself even to see 
 him, lest she should fall beneath the still keenly 
 realised temptation, and lest her heart should get the 
 better of her judgment. At length, seized with de- 
 spair, he turned his horse's head from the door and 
 galloped away, he knew not, cared not, whither 
 galloped till his horse was covered with foam gal- 
 loped till it staggered and fell, dying, beneath him, 
 while he rose to his feet a hopeless maniac! The 
 anxiety had been too much for his brain; and the 
 next news that Miss Milward received was that he 
 had been taken to an asylum, where he would prob- 
 ably spend the rest of his days. 
 
 The shock was a terrible one ! Not that she ever Miss MH- 
 allowed herself to regret for a moment, either then illness. 
 or subsequently, the step that she had taken. Her 
 sense of the claims of righteousness prevented this. 
 Nevertheless, she had not anticipated, far less desired, 
 that so swift and terrible a retribution should over-
 
 6 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 take him. She was overwhelmed by the catastrophe, 
 and, shutting herself into her room, lay for sixteen 
 weeks hovering between life and death. 
 
 Her extremity was God's opportunity. Whatever 
 man might think of her action in the matter, however 
 much she might be misunderstood and misjudged by 
 those around her, the bold, brave stand she had taken 
 for that which was pure and good could only be viewed 
 in one light by the Supreme Authorities of Heaven. 
 And so it came to pass, that, following on this deluge 
 of sorrow, and athwart its darkest cloud, was printed 
 the rainbow promise of salvation which was to glad- 
 den and console her after life, assuring her of abated 
 floods, of returning sunshine, and of " joy unspeak- 
 able and full of glory. " 
 She is un- Sickness gave Miss Milward the opportunity to 
 
 converted. ... .. . . 
 
 think, while sorrow and suffering combined to force 
 her attention in the direction of those spiritual inter- 
 ests which in seasons of health and vigour all are so 
 prone to neglect. Cradled in the Church of England, 
 at a time when vital godliness was rarer than is now 
 happily the case, Miss Milward knew little or nothing 
 of the plan of salvation. True, she possessed, in a 
 specially vivid degree, the instinct that made her ab- 
 hor that which was wrong, cruel, or cowardly. Her 
 conscience, moreover, was particularly sensitive. But 
 this only helped to increase the misery of her po- 
 Con- sition, since it enabled her to realise more acutely 
 
 vinced of . . . . 
 
 sin. ' the sins to which she might otherwise have been 
 blind, and rendered impossible the false peace which 
 serves as a treacherous lullaby to so many sinful 
 hearts, luring them on, like the siren's melody, 
 only too swiftly and surely to their doom. 
 
 With Miss Milward this was now impossible. The 
 Spirit of God had striven with her. She had listened
 
 SHADOWLAND. 7 
 
 to His voice. She realised her guilt and danger as a 
 sinner. To be a respectable one was no longer in 
 her eyes any palliation of her sin. On the contrary 
 her position seemed the less excusable. Hell itself 
 appeared too good for one so unworthy as she felt 
 herself to be. 
 
 She turned in her misery to her Prayer-Book. Turns to 
 
 Opening its pages, her eyes fell upon the passage, prayer- 
 book. 
 " 1 believe in the forgiveness of sins. In some way or 
 
 other these words, which had never before possessed 
 any special power or meaning, now fastened them- 
 selves upon her mind. Continually she heard them 
 ringing in her ears, " / believe in the forgiveness of 
 sins." For hours she lay with her fingers placed 
 upon the line. " And yet," she would say to herself, 
 " what good is this forgiveness, if I cannot obtain it 
 here and now if I have to wait, as I am told, till after 
 death for the assurance. This, ah this, is just what 
 my soul craves ! Alas, that it should be so far beyond 
 my reach !" 
 
 The question preyed upon her mind to such an The 
 extent as to render her recovery impossible. The verdict. 
 doctor who had been attending her seized an oppor- 
 tunity for telling Mr. Milward that some secret sor- 
 row was evidently affecting his daughter, arid neu- 
 tralising all the efforts made for her restoration. It 
 was important, he added, that the difficulty should be 
 discovered, and if possible removed. 
 
 Naturally enough her father ascribed everything 
 to the unhappy occurrences which had been the orig- 
 inal cause of her illness, little thinking that the 
 grounds for her mental anxiety had undergone so 
 radical a change* Desiring to comfort her, he mani- 
 fested a tenderness and solicitude to which the 
 motherless girl had hitherto been a stranger. And
 
 8 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 yet to unburden her heart to him would, she knew, be 
 useless. Although a regular church-goer, her father 
 could not understand the experiences through which 
 she was passing. 
 Hears of By a remarkable coincidence, which was surely 
 
 the Meth- J J 
 
 odists. more than accidental, the Methodists had at this 
 time commenced to hold meetings in the town, buy- 
 ing from Mr. Milward a piece of land on which to 
 erect their chapel. The news that many had received 
 the very forgiveness for which she had been so eagerly 
 seeking, soon reached Miss Milward. Oh ! how she 
 wished that she had been well enough to attend the 
 services! Nothing should have withheld her! But 
 this was impossible, as she was unable to rise, and 
 there seemed little prospect of her recovery. En- 
 couraged, however, by her father's kindness, she 
 asked that the new minister might be allowed to visit 
 their house, and Mr. Milward, only too pleased to 
 find his daughter once more interesting herself in 
 matters which had no reference to the recent sad 
 event, gave his hearty consent. 
 Her con- The minister gladly responded to the call. If 
 
 version. . J A 
 
 ever a thirsty soul welcomed the living waters of the 
 Gospel, it was surely Miss Milward. To know that 
 she could be forgiven, not after death, but on the 
 spot, without even waiting to attend a meeting, filled 
 her with new hope and longing. The plan of salva- 
 tion flashed in upon her soul in all its glorious sim- 
 plicity. The same Holy Spirit, Who had previously 
 convicted her so deeply in regard to her sinfulness, 
 now revealed to her the immediate and all-prevailing 
 efficacy of the blood shed, not merely for the salva- 
 tion of the world, "but for her own individual soul. 
 
 For a time it seemed too good to be true. Her sins 
 were too many and great, her heart too hard and cold,
 
 SHADOWLAND. 9 
 
 for the guilt of a life to be blotted out in a moment. 
 The preacher's recipe, "repentance toward God and 
 faith in our Lord Jesus Christ," was almost too simple 
 to be trusted. It appeared at first incredible. But 
 at length she grasped the truth. It was too precious, 
 too potent, too necessary to be doubted or denied. 
 With all her heart she embraced it, and was able to 
 realise during that first interview that her sins were 
 forgiven. 
 
 Wonderful to relate, scarcely had the minister left, Healed in 
 when Miss Milward was able to rise, dress, and leave 
 her room, healed in body as well as in soul. 
 
 With Miss Milward the change was not one of mere This way 
 creed or sentiment. It penetrated every fibre of her 
 being. It shone through her every capacity. It 
 revolutionised her life, and marked indelibly her 
 whole career. Amid the worldly amusements and 
 fashionable follies to which she had been accustomed, 
 she had often heard the warning voice of God. While 
 playing cards or joining in the giddy dance, her mirth 
 had been continually damped by thoughts of death 
 and a sense of condemnation. Frequently as she 
 went to the theatre of her native town, when her 
 eyes fell upon the words " This way to the pit," con- 
 science had shuddered. But now such pleasures were 
 forever abandoned, and from that moment she never 
 cast upon them a single backward glance. 
 
 Even to the details of her dress was the change A thor- 
 manifest. Her hat was stripped of its adornments change. 
 and made to resemble, as closely as possible, that of 
 some pious Methodist dame, whose godliness and self- 
 denial she had learned to admire. Her wayward locks 
 of hair were plastered into similar soberness. Her 
 relentless scissors made havoc of ball-dresses, the 
 remnants of which in after years served to furnish
 
 10 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 frocks for her daughter's dolls! With heart and soul 
 she set to work to please God in everything, embrac- 
 ing the cross of an out-and-out Methodist, and this 
 at a time when it meant very much what it now 
 means to become a Salvationist. The consciousness 
 that she was doing right, together with the realised 
 smile of God, enabled her to face unflinchingly the 
 contempt and opposition of those who would have 
 held her ba'ck. 
 
 For some time Mr. Milward humoured what he 
 looked upon as the fanciful caprices of his daughter. 
 He even went so far as to accompany her to some of 
 the meetings, though he had but little sympathy with 
 what he considered to be the eccentricities and noisy 
 performances of the revivalists. Occasionally Miss 
 Milward even succeeded in cajoling her aunt to en- 
 dure the familiar vulgarities and loud Amens, with 
 which the proceedings of Methodism were in its early 
 days commonly enlivened. 
 
 Engaged From time to time special preachers came to con- 
 to Mr. duct the services. One of the most popular of these 
 
 Mum ford. 
 
 was John Mumford. Even the Gorgonian aunt was 
 constrained to appreciate him, and was heard to de- 
 clare in an unguarded moment that he was certainly 
 the finest young man in the town. For a time all 
 went well. But dire was the wrath, and boundless 
 the indignation of Mr. Milward, when he learned 
 that John Mumford had dared to aspire to the hand 
 of his daughter. Not only was the young preacher 
 ordered out of the house, but, as the door slammed 
 behind him, Mr. Milward with his own hand turned 
 the key in the lock, as though to make his return 
 doubly impossible. 
 
 Homeless! He then sternly called upon his daughter to choose 
 between her lover and her home. Either the proposed
 
 12 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 engagement must be forever abandoned, or she must 
 leave at once her father's, roof, and face the conse- 
 quences, be they what they might. The ordeal was 
 a trying one, but her courage did not waver. 
 
 True to his word, and urged on by the aunt, Mr. 
 Mil ward at length commanded his daughter to leave 
 the house. She went forth penniless, without so much 
 as a change of clothing, sacrificing every worldly pro- 
 spect. Few would have had on the one hand the cour- 
 age to stand firm, or on the other hand the patience and 
 faith to wait till the barriers should be swept away, 
 not by her own, but by a Higher Power. Her confi- 
 ^ ence ^ n God was rewarded, and within a few months 
 ford. s h e was married to John Mumford with her father's 
 
 full consent and blessing. 
 
 concilia- ^ n ^ s dying ^ e( ^ ^ r - Milward sent for John to pray 
 tion. with him. "Let us pray with you," volunteered a 
 relative, who was in the room. " No, you are not com- 
 petent," replied the dying man. "Fetch me John." 
 And so the Methodist son-in-law was brought. What 
 a contrast was there between this visit and the previ- 
 ous one, when he had been driven ignominiously from 
 the house, with no apparent likelihood of ever being 
 able to return! Death, the universal leveller, had 
 opened the door, which Mr. Milward thought he had 
 forever closed. And so, with a heart overflowing with 
 gratitude, the once exiled daughter watched her hus- 
 band kneel beside her dying father's bed and point 
 him to the " Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin 
 of the world." And how triumphant must have been 
 the final reunion, when, some fifty years later, father 
 and daughter met 
 
 " Beyond the river, 
 Where the surges cease to roll. "
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 CHILDHOOD. 1829-1834. 
 
 CATHERINE MUMFORD, or, as she is more familiarly Mrs. 
 known, Catherine Booth, was born at Ashbourne in birthplace 
 Derbyshire on the i/th January, 1829. She was the 
 only daughter in a family of five. Of her brothers 
 the youngest, John, alone survived, the three elder 
 having died during infancy. 
 
 " One of the earliest recollections of my life, in fact He r earl j-' 
 
 est recol- 
 
 the earliest," says Mrs. Booth, "is that of being taken lection. 
 into a room by my mother, to see the body of a little 
 brother who had just died. I must have been very 
 young at the time, scarcely more than two years old. 
 But I can remember, to this day, the feelings of awe 
 and solemnity with which the sight of death impressed 
 my baby-mind. Indeed, the effect produced on that 
 occasion has lasted to this very hour. I am sure that 
 many parents enormously under-estimate the capacity 
 of children to retain impressions made upon them in 
 early days." 
 
 Mrs. Mumford was a wise mother. She realised An, "- 
 
 pression- 
 
 that it was during the tender years of life that the able age. 
 human clay would respond most readily to the mould- 
 ing hand of the maternal potter. The damp and 
 impressionable material could be shaped almost ab- 
 solutely according to the mother's will, whereas, once 
 baked and hardened at the furnace fires of sin and 
 worldliness, it would defy the most powerful influ- 
 
 13
 
 . BOOTH. 
 
 1831, ences that could be brought to bear upon it, or shiver 
 ge 2 * in pieces beneath severities which timely firmness 
 
 would have rendered unnecessary, and which were of 
 
 no avail, because applied too late. 
 Nursery Nor was Kate relegated to the dull monotony of a 
 
 monotony 
 
 mere nursery existence. Mrs. Mumford felt instinc- 
 tively that the moral germ could no more dispense 
 with light and air than could the bud of any tree or 
 plant. While on the one hand it must be guarded 
 from those outward storms of temptation and worldly 
 companionship which have, alas, wrecked so many, 
 yet to place it in the dark, with little or no chance 
 for heart-expansion and mind-development, would 
 be to stunt its growth, and to produce a sickly weak- 
 ling, incapable of dealing with the momentous re- 
 sponsibilities and opportunities of life. Just as the 
 same bud would under one set of influences expand 
 and fructify, while under another it would droop and 
 die, so the same character might be made or marred 
 according to the treatment it received. 
 
 its fatal Who can estimate how many beautiful blossoms 
 ar ^ blighted, how many noble natures spoiled, by 
 being abandoned to a ceaseless association with un- 
 suitable or careless inferiors? In what a multiplicity 
 of cases are the lambs left to the hireling, while the 
 one whom God intended to play the part of the 
 shepherd is busying herself with a thousand trivial- 
 ities, such as will matter little enough when she stands 
 with her flock to give an account of her stewardship 
 before the Throne! In later life Mrs. Booth em- 
 phatically declared her conviction that, however 
 devoted or clever a nurse might be, she could not 
 take the place of the mother, and that nothing could 
 compensate for the loss of the companionship, train- 
 ing, and care of the latter. Speaking on this subject
 
 CHILDHOOD. 1 5 
 
 with all the advantages of her matured experience, 1831, 
 Mrs. Booth says: 
 
 " Confining 1 children strictly to the nursery is, I 
 
 J 
 
 er 'scom- 
 
 . mistake. 
 
 think, a great mistake. God has set us in families, 
 and intercourse with their elders over the ordinary 
 affairs of life must be improving to the young. In 
 fact, topics of general conversation, providing they 
 be large and elevating, constitute an education such 
 as no books can supply. In my own family, of 
 course, the conversation was always such as had to 
 do with the salvation of the world. Nevertheless, I 
 have been present at many dinner tables where 
 
 J talk. 
 
 ennobling subjects were never mentioned, and the 
 veriest trifles occupied tongue and thought. Perhaps 
 it is best for children to be kept from such." 
 
 From an incredibly early age, Catherine, or Kate, Her moth- 
 
 ^ '- 
 
 aS she was usually called, became her mother s com- 
 panion and confidante. With the exception of her 
 brother, who went to America when only sixteen, she 
 had no playmates. Children, as a rule, were so badly 
 brought up, that Mrs. Mumford dreaded their con- 
 taminating influence upon her daughter. To some 
 this may appear too harsh a rule, but it was one which 
 Mrs. Booth herself adopted in bringing up her fam- 
 ily, and the result has surely justified its wisdom. 
 On one of the few occasions when she allowed two of 
 her children to visit the house of a particular friend, 
 they returned expressing their astonishment that 
 fathers and mothers could disagree and that brothers 
 and sisters could quarrel, or be jealous of each other. 
 
 But what Kate lacked in outside companionship was A careful 
 abundantly compensated by the close and intimate 
 ties which linked mother and daughter in bonds that 
 grew stronger year by year, and that death itself could 
 but for the moment sever. The sapling, which was
 
 1 6 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1833, one day to outstrip and overshadow the parent tree, 
 throve well those early years under the sheltering 
 foliage of a mother's love, and abundantly rewarded 
 the ceaseless solicitude and unwearying care of which 
 it was the object. The conscience, which might have 
 been blunted by undue and premature familiarity with 
 evil, appealed to and cultivated became keenly sen- 
 sitive, responding like an aeolian harp to the slightest 
 whisperings of the Spirit. 
 
 A tender Catherine was but four years old, when Mrs. Mum- 
 con- J 
 
 science, ford heard her crying bitterly after being tucked up 
 for the night in her little crib. With sobs and tears 
 she poured forth into her mother's sympathetic ear 
 the confession of some falsehood, which had so trou- 
 bled her conscience as to render sleep impossible. 
 Mrs. Mumford did not attempt to excuse the fault, 
 or to reason the impression away, but talked and 
 prayed with her, not leaving her until she felt herself 
 forgiven. Then conscience satisfied, the tired curly 
 head quickly nestled on its pillow, and little Kate was 
 soon asleep. 
 My moth- "The longer I live," Mrs. Booth writes, "the more 
 
 er's char- 
 
 acter. I appreciate my mother s character. She was one 
 of the Puritan type. I have often heard my husband 
 remark that she was a woman of the sternest principle 
 he had ever met, and yet the very embodiment of 
 tenderness. To her right was right, no matter what 
 it might entail. She could not endure works of 
 fiction. 'Is it true?' she would ask, refusing to waste 
 her time or sympathies upon anything of an imag- 
 inary character, however excellent the moral intended 
 to be drawn. She had an intense realisation of spirit- 
 The real- ual things. Heaven seemed quite near, instead of 
 Heaven, being, as with so many, a far-off unreality. It was a 
 positive joy to her that her three eldest children were
 
 CHILDHOOD. i/ 
 
 there. I never heard her thank the Lord for any- 1833, 
 thing so fervently as for this, although they were fine ge 4 * 
 promising boys. ' Ah, Kate, ' she used to say, ' I would 
 not have them back for anything ! ' 
 
 The stirring example of such a life, and the per- 
 petual influence of such deep spirituality, could not 
 but produce a profound impression upon Catherine. 
 "I cannot remember the time," she tells us, "when 
 I had not intense yearnings after God." 
 
 While, however, the soul had the first place in Mrs. Mental 
 
 develop- 
 
 Mumford's consideration, this did not prevent her ment. 
 commencing in good time to develop her daughter's 
 mental powers. It was true she had her own ideas 
 in regard to education. French she abominated, and No 
 she would not allow Kate to study a language which French - 
 she argued would open the door to the infidel and 
 impure novelistic literature with which she knew it 
 to abound, and which she regarded with peculiar hor- 
 ror. Little did she think that her granddaughter 
 was destined not only to master the language, but to 
 take France upon her heart, and to go forth to its 
 people as its Marechale and spiritual " Jeanne d' Arc." 
 Strange, too, that the nation which had burned the 
 ancient championess should have sent for the service 
 of their old antagonist one who laid claim to similar 
 divine inspiration, though striving to liberate her 
 adopted people from the thraldom of sin and Satan, 
 instead of from that of a foreign yoke. 
 
 In each case the instinct of humanity, so similar the 
 world over, recognises the Spirit of the Supreme, al- 
 though, as in so many remarkable instances, the mani- 
 festation is through a woman rather than a man ! 
 
 Referring in later years to her mother's ideas with A mis- 
 regard to French, Mrs. Booth remarks : " I cannot 
 but think that on this point my dear mother was mis-
 
 i8 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1833, 
 Age 4. 
 
 Thou- 
 sands 
 ruined. 
 
 Child 
 studies. 
 
 Intensely 
 nervous. 
 
 Bible les- 
 sons. 
 
 Eight 
 
 times 
 
 through. 
 
 taken, and that she might have allowed me the oppor- 
 tunity of acquiring the language, while guarding me 
 from the evils she so dreaded. I have found this to 
 be possible in the case of my own children, having 
 taken every care that they should read no French 
 books concerning the purity and safety of which I 
 was not perfectly satisfied. At the same time I be- 
 lieve that thousands have indirectly been ruined, 
 both for this world and the next, owing to the use in 
 schools and academies of the works of Voltaire, and 
 other brilliant but ungodly French writers." 
 
 If, however, Mrs. Mumford's prejudices obliged 
 Kate to eschew French, she at least made an early 
 beginning with her English education. "My mother 
 has told me," she says, "that I not only knew my let- 
 ters, but could read short words very soon after I was 
 three. I cannot myself remember a time when I did 
 not find pleasure and consolation in reading, or hear- 
 ing others read, either the -Bible, or some religious 
 book. I was a very highly nervous and delicate 
 child from the beginning, and the fact that I was not 
 strong enough to occupy my energies and time like 
 other children doubtless had something to do with 
 this rather unusual precocity. 
 
 Especially was Mrs. Mumford anxious to encourage 
 her daughter in the study of the Book which she 
 looked upon as the supreme fountain of wisdom. It 
 was from the Bible that Kate received her earliest 
 lessons. Many a time would she stand on a foot- 
 stool at her mother's side, when but a child of five, 
 reading to her from its pages. Before she was 
 twelve years old she had read the sacred Book from 
 cover to cover eight times through, thus laying the 
 foundation of that intimate knowledge and excep- 
 tional familiarity with the divine revelation which
 
 CHILDHOOD. 19 
 
 made so profound an impression upon all who knew 1833, 
 her. Age4 ' 
 
 Thirty years later the position was reversed, and Thirty 
 the weeping mother sat in a densely crowded chapel, later. 
 listening for the first time to her daughter, as with 
 power and demonstration of the Spirit' she expounded 
 from the pulpit to her eagerly listening audience 
 those same Scriptures which she had studied at her 
 mother's knee, and which had become indeed, when 
 breathed from her lips, "quick and powerful, and 
 sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even 
 to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of 
 the joints and marrow, a discerner of the thoughts 
 and intents of the heart." "Was it for this that I 
 nursed her?" exclaimed Mrs. Mumford, amid her 
 tears, as she grasped the hand of a lady who had ac- 
 companied her to the meeting. 
 
 To the end of life, Catherine maintained this in- Her last 
 
 gift. 
 tense love and reverence for the Scriptures, and her 
 
 last and most valued gift to each member of her 
 family, from the very banks of the Jordan, was that 
 of a Bible, into which, with the greatest pain and 
 difficulty, she traced her name, as "the last token of 
 a mother's love." 
 
 And yet Kate was not unchildlike. True, she was Partiality 
 prevented by her delicate health from engaging in 
 active sports. But her humanity and naturalness 
 manifested itself in a thousand ways, especially in 
 her extreme partiality for dolls. Indeed so devoted 
 was she to her miniature family, and in so practical 
 a manner did she labor for them, that with her it al- 
 most ceased to be play, and rather became a pleasing 
 education for the heavy and responsible maternal 
 duties which fell to her lot in after life. She must practical. 
 feed them, dress them, put them to bed, and even
 
 20 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1833, pray with them, before her mother-heart could be 
 satisfied. And in her spare moments she might be 
 seen, with earnest face and bended back, eagerly 
 plying needle and thread, thus accquiring a skill which 
 she turned to such good account in after life, that 
 ladies in admiring her handiwork would beg to be 
 told the name of her tailor, in order that they might 
 go to the same place for their children's clothes. 
 
 A cioud k ^ was Curing Kate's early childhood, in fact while 
 she was but three or four years old, that a dark cloud 
 overshadowed the little home. Mr. Mum ford was no 
 longer the earnest preacher he had once been. His 
 love for God and souls grew cold. He lost the old 
 fire. He had never joined the regular ministry of 
 the Wesleyan body, although for years he had been 
 an accredited and successful lay preacher. He was 
 a coach builder by profession, and as an unpaid honor- 
 ary official he earned his support from his business, 
 devoting his spare time to fulfilling such preaching 
 engagements as were marked out for him by his min- 
 ister. Mr. Mumford ought, without doubt, to have 
 
 Ought to been a minister. His remarkable eloquence, repro- 
 
 hai-e been ... 
 
 duced in his daughter, his spiritual power, his popu- 
 larity as a preacher, his natural predilections, and the 
 happy possession of a partner in life thoroughly like- 
 minded with himself , all pointed in the one direction. 
 Repeatedly, as he afterward acknowledged, the Spirit 
 of God strove with him on the subject. But he re- 
 sisted. The beacon-light of conscience was quenched. 
 Little by little, almost insensibly at first, and after- 
 wards with more rapid strides, he turned toward the 
 world, and at length gave up even the profession of 
 religion . 
 
 Mrs. Mumford was filled with grief, but with her 
 wonted tenacity of purpose she held on, refusing to
 
 CHILDHOOD. 2 1 
 
 despair. Long into the nights she would pray for 1834, 
 her husband, and indeed made it the goal of her ex- 
 istence to win him back to the blessed experiences A pray- 
 
 ,. . , inq wife. 
 
 of the past. 
 
 At length, after a season of sorrow which left its Restored. 
 life-mark upon her, prayer was, in measure, an- 
 swered, and Mr. Mumford turned from the pursuits 
 and pleasures of the world to find his satisfaction in 
 higher things. True, he was not what he had been 
 when Sarah Milward first met him, the fiery enthusi- 
 astic preacher of salvation, with whom she had fallen 
 so spontaneously in love. Nevertheless, the change 
 was great and was hailed with joy. 
 
 Thirty years later, in one of Mrs. Booth's first pub- Fuiicon- 
 
 J J * secration. 
 
 lie meetings, she had the exceptional happiness of 
 leading her father back to the full enjoyment of God's 
 favour. 
 
 It was a beautiful sight, in after-years, to watch Father 
 the fine, venerable, white-haired old man in his daughter. 
 daughter's meetings, as with the humility and sim- 
 plicity of a child he assisted her in the management 
 of the services, held up his watch to remind her of 
 the too often forgotten time, or prayed with a fervency 
 and unction that few could surpass.
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 EARLY DAYS. 1834-1841. 
 
 f alr| ily removed in 1834 to Boston, in Lincoln- 
 shire, Mr. Mumford's native town. During his stay 
 here he commenced to take an active part in the Tem- 
 perance movement, his home becoming a centre round 
 which many of the leading Temperance luminaries 
 revolved. Catherine, with her curly locks and flashing 
 black eyes, together with her brilliant conversational 
 powers, was before long one of the most interesting 
 features of her father's table, taking her share in the 
 parlor debates, which were to prove so valuable a 
 training for her future career. 
 
 Her early She could do nothing by halves. Eagerly she de- 
 voured all the Total Abstinence publications of the 
 day, familiarising herself, by the time she was twelve, 
 with every detail of the question. When evening 
 came she would lock herself into her bedroom, and 
 by the light of her candle would pour out her heart 
 upon paper, writing letters to the various magazines 
 to which her father subscribed. In doing this she 
 was careful to conceal her identity beneath some nom- 
 de-plume, giving her manuscripts to a friend to be 
 ^ v copied and sent to the editor with his card, lest they 
 should be rejected if it were known they had been 
 written by so mere a child. Little did she then think 
 that the day was coming when newspaper reporters 
 would attend her meetings, the general public hang 
 upon her lips, and her writings be circulated through-
 
 EARLY DAYS. 23 
 
 out the world. Nor was Kate content with merely 
 speaking and writing. The wonderful after-activities 
 of life were foreshadowed in the twelve-year-old 
 secretary of a Juvenile Temperance Society, who 
 arranged meetings, raised subscriptions, and with all 
 her might pushed forward the interests of the cause. 
 
 1838. 
 
 Temper- 
 ance sec- 
 retary. 
 
 CATHERINE AT THE SIDE CK THE DRUNKARD. 
 " If I were asked for the main characteristics that Her sense 
 
 of respon- 
 
 have helped me through life, I should give a high sibiiity. 
 place among them to the sense of responsibility 
 which I have felt from my earliest days in regard to 
 everybody who came in any way under my influence. 
 The fact that I was not held responsible was no relief
 
 24 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1838. at all. 'Why trouble? It is not your affair!' friends 
 constantly say to me even now. But how can I help 
 troubling, I reply, when I see people going wrong? 
 I must tell the poor things how to manage !" 
 
 An early illustration of thjs trait in Catherine's 
 character was one day manifested. 
 
 Her t^ m ' While running along the road with hoop and stick, 
 with a she saw a prisoner being dragged to the lock-up by a 
 
 prisoner. . . f . 
 
 constable. A jeering mob was hooting the unfortu- 
 nate culprit. His utter loneliness appealed power- 
 fully to her. It seemed that he had not a friend in 
 the world. Quick as lightning Catherine sprang to his 
 side, and marched down the street with him, deter- 
 mined that he should feel that there was at least one 
 stands by heart that sympathised with him, whether it might 
 be for his fault or his misfortune that he was suffer- 
 ing. The knight-errant spirit which Kate manifested, 
 when, as a mere child, she threw down the gauntlet 
 to the mocking crowd, and dared to take the part of 
 the lonely hustled criminal, was peculiarly typical of 
 the woman who afterward stood by the side of her 
 husband and General, helping him to face the scorn 
 of his day and generation, until unitedly, with char- 
 acter vindicated and name be-blessed, they had 
 climbed to a position of successful achievement, 
 unique in the history of the world. 
 
 Her first It was Catherine's first open-air procession; indeed, 
 P sion S may we not legitimately call it the first ever held by 
 the Salvation Army ? But it was destined to be multi- 
 plied a million-fold all over the world, and she was to 
 have the joy of sweeping the slums of every consider- 
 able city in the United Kingdom, not alone, but at 
 the head of devoted and well-disciplined bands of 
 Salvation warriors, till at length the glorious past was 
 focussed in the mammoth funeral march which stirred
 
 EARLY DAYS. 25 
 
 Christendom to its centre, when the very harlots 1839, 
 hushed each other in the streets, and the rough un- ge I0 ' 
 accustomed cheeks of the poorest and most depraved 
 were wet with tears, as they watched the speechless, 
 yet eloquently silent body pass by of the woman who 
 from her very childhood had held their cause first at 
 heart, and who had so unwearyingly fought their bat- 
 tles. We scarce know which touches our hearts the 
 more deeply, the cloudless sunrise of the child-cham- 
 pion, or the glowing sunset of the soldier-saint. 
 
 One form of sensitiveness which manifested itself Her sym- 
 in Kate's childhood, and which caused her the keenest P animai r 
 pain to the very end of life, was her intense and un- 
 usual sympathy with the sufferings of the brute cre- 
 ation. She could not endure to see animals ill-treated 
 without expostulating and doing her utmost to stop Hatred 
 the cruelty. Many a time she would run out into the cruelty. 
 street, heedless of every personal risk, to plead with 
 or threaten the perpetrator of some cruel act. On one 
 occasion, when but a little girl, the sight of the cruel 
 goading of some sheep so filled her soul with indig- 
 nation and anguish, that she rushed home and threw 
 herself on the sofa in a speechless paroxysm of grief. 
 
 "My childish heart," she tells us, "rejoiced greatly Their pos- 
 in the speculations of Wesley and Butler with regard future. 
 to the possibility of a future life for animals, in which 
 God might make up to them for the suffering and 
 pain inflicted on them here. 
 
 "One incident, I recollect, threw me for weeks into Her re- 
 the greatest distress. We had a beautiful retriever, 
 named Waterford, which was very much attached to 
 me. It used to lie for hours on the rug outside my 
 door, and if it heard me praying or weeping, it would 
 whine and scratch to be let in, that it might in some 
 way manifest its sympathy and comfort me. Where-
 
 26 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1839, 
 Age 10. 
 
 ever I went the dog would follow me about as my 
 self-constituted protector in fact we were insepar- 
 able companions. One day Waterford had accom- 
 panied me on a message to my father's house of bus- 
 iness. I closed the door, leaving the dog outside, 
 when I happened to strike my foot against something, 
 and cried out with the sudden pain. Waterford 
 heard me, and without a moment's hesitation came 
 crashing through the large glass window to my res- 
 cue. My father was so vexed at the damage done 
 its death, that he caused the dog to be immediately shot. For 
 months I suffered intolerably, especially in realising 
 that it was in the effort to alleviate my sufferings the 
 beautiful creature had lost its life. Days passed be- 
 fore I could speak to my father, although he after- 
 ward greatly regretted his hasty action, and strove 
 to console me as best he could. The fact that I had 
 no child companions doubtless made me miss my 
 speechless one the more." 
 
 Like her other benevolences, Mrs. Booth's kindness 
 to animals took a practical turn. "If I were you," 
 she would say to the donkey-boys at the sea-side 
 resorts, where in later years she went to lecture, " I 
 should like to feel, when I went to sleep at night, that 
 I had done my very best for my donkey. I would 
 like to know that I had been kind to it, and had given 
 it the best food I could afford ; in fact, that it had had 
 as jolly a day as though I had been the donkey and 
 the donkey me." And she would enforce the argu- 
 ment with a threepenny or a sixpenny bit, which 
 helped to make it palatable. 
 
 Then turning to her children she would press the 
 lesson home by saying, " That is how I should like to 
 see my children spend their pennies, in encouraging 
 the boys to be kind to their donkeys." 
 
 The don- 
 key-boys 
 at the 
 seaside.
 
 EARLY DAYS. 27 
 
 If, in her walks or drives, Mrs. Booth happened to 1840, 
 notice any horses left out to graze which looked over- ge "' 
 worked and ill-fed, she would send round to the deal- 
 ers for a bushel of corn, stowing it away in some tuck-In. 
 part of the house. Then, when evening fell, she 
 would sally forth with a child or servant carrying a 
 vsupply of the food to the field in which the poor creat- 
 ures had been marked, watching with the utmost 
 satisfaction while they had a "real good tuck-in." 
 It is not to be wondered at that the horses were soon 
 able to recognise her, and would run along the hedge 
 whenever their benefactors passed by, craning their 
 necks and snorting their thanks, to the surprise and 
 perplexity of those who were not in the secret. 
 
 Again and again has Mrs. Booth rushed to the win- 
 dow, flung up the heavy sash, and called out to some 
 tradesman who was ill-treating his animal, not resting 
 till she had compelled him to desist. 
 
 "Life is such a puzzle!" she used to say, "but we Life a 
 
 puzzle. 
 
 must leave it, leave it with God. I have suffered so 
 much over what appeared to be the needless and in- 
 explicable sorrows and pains of the animal creation, 
 as well as over those of the rest of the world, that if 
 I had not come to know God by a personal revelation 
 of Him to my own soul, and to trust Him because I 
 knew Him, I can hardly say into what scepticism I 
 might not have fallen." 
 
 On one occasion when driving; out with a friend, Rescuing 
 
 a donkey. 
 
 Mrs. Booth saw a boy with a donkey a little way 
 ahead of them. She noticed him pick up something 
 out of the cart, and hit the donkey with it. In the 
 distance it appeared like a short stick, but to her hor- 
 ror she perceived, as they drove past, that it was a 
 heavy-headed hammer, and that already a dreadful 
 wound had been made in the poor creature's back.
 
 AfltS. BOOTH. 
 
 1840, 
 Age ii. 
 
 She seizes 
 the reins. 
 
 Faints 
 away. 
 
 Oblivious 
 to conse- 
 quences. 
 
 She called to the coachman to stop ; but before it was 
 possible for him to do so, or for those in the carriage 
 with her to guess what was the matter, she had flung 
 herself at the risk of her life into the road. Her dress 
 caught in the step as she sprang, and had it not been 
 torn with the force of her leap, she must have been 
 seriously injured if not killed. 
 
 As it was, she fell on her face and was covered with 
 the dust of the hot and sandy road. Rising to her 
 feet, however, she rushed forward and seized the 
 reins. The boy tried to drive on, but she clung per- 
 sistently to the shaft, until her friends came to her 
 assistance. After burning words of warning, fol- 
 lowed by tender appeals of intercession, such as from 
 even the hard heart of the donkey-driver would not 
 easily be effaced, she at last induced him to hand 
 over his hammer and succeded in obtaining his name 
 and address. Then overcome with the excitement 
 and exertion she fainted away, and was with difficulty 
 carried home. 
 
 To some this may appear to have been an unwise 
 expenditure of a valuable life on behalf of so compar- 
 atively worthless an object, but such was the effect of 
 cruelty upon her whole being that Mrs. Booth became 
 at times like these oblivious to consequences, and was 
 often rendered for the moment speechless, being 
 quite unable even to explain herself to those around 
 her. Indeed, it seemed a physical impossibility, 
 when her soul was thus stirred with sympathy, to 
 subdue her feelings, or calmly "to pass by on the 
 other side." And, after all, is not the world full of 
 people who are so bent on taking care of themselves 
 that they cannot be persuaded to sacrifice anything 
 in the cause of humanity? If Mrs. Booth, both as 
 a child and in after years, went too far, are there not
 
 EARLY DAYS. 29 
 
 tens of thousands who do not go far enough, and 1841. 
 would not the world be the better for infinitely more 
 of the same Christ-like, reckless spirit, which, in its 
 anxiety to save others, cannot, even in voicing the 
 groans of the dumb creation, save itself? Of her how 
 truly might it have been said : 
 
 " Let others look and linger, 
 
 And wait for beck and nod ! 
 I ever see the finger 
 Of an onward-urging God!" 
 
 But perhaps we have lingered too long in describ- NO hobby- 
 ing this interesting feature of Catherine's child-char- 
 acter and in tracing it onward through her later life. 
 And yet, intensely as she felt on the subject, her sound 
 judgment prevented her from making a hobby .of it, 
 or from developing this side of her sympathies to the 
 neglect of other questions of still greater importance. 
 Catherine early realised and throughout life acted 
 consistently upon the principle that, even for the 
 sufferings of the animal creation, the sovereign rem- 
 edy was the salvation of its oppressors. She had no 
 sympathy with those who hoped to accomplish the 
 redemption of the world independently of the Gospel. 
 "Jesus Christ and Him crucified" was her perpetual 
 and untiring theme; His salvation her one great 
 panacea for all the evils that exist. 
 
 As a child Kate delighted in attending religious Her love 
 meetings. "Be sure and wake me in good time," meetings. 
 were her last words on one occasion, when her mother 
 was leaving her bedroom after bidding her daughter 
 an affectionate "good-night." It was the end of the 
 year, and Mrs. Mumford had promised, as a special 
 treat, that Kate should go with her to the watch- 
 night service. But an aunt, who held different views
 
 30 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1841 on the training of children, happened to step in dur- 
 ing the evening, and, as Kate was soundly asleep 
 when the time arrived for going to the meeting, the 
 mother was persuaded into leaving her behind. " I 
 cried bitterly, when I awoke the next morning," she 
 tells us, "and it was a long time before I could be con- 
 soled. This was the only occasion I can ever re- 
 member, when my mother broke her promise, and 
 the unexpected nature of the disappointment perhaps 
 helped to make me feel it the more keenly." 
 
 An intel- No doubt Kate's peculiar disposition and training 
 
 chlid-iis- enabled her to appreciate and enjoy meetings such as, 
 tener. ^ Q or( }j nar y children, would have been dull and un- 
 interesting. By the time she was twelve it was quite 
 usual for her to give her mother an outline of the 
 sermon. The Wesle)^ans had several earnest preach- 
 ers in Boston, and their child-hearer had often some 
 interesting accounts to bring home regarding their 
 sayings and doings. On one occasion, for instance, 
 
 A mbie to* tne speaker laid his Bible across the door-step of the 
 hell. Chapel, and then, turning to address the sinners pres- 
 ent, cried out in tones that thrilled the audience: 
 " Now which of you have made up your minds to walk 
 over that book to hell?" 
 Her at- Kate and her mother were deeply attached to Meth- 
 
 toMeth- odism. Its literature was their meat and drink; its 
 history was their pride its heroes and heroines their 
 admiration. They had no other idea than to spend 
 in its ranks the whole of their life, and to devote to 
 the advancement of its cause their every effort. Lit- 
 tle Catherine used to watch with profound pity the 
 members of other denominations who passed the 
 house on the way to their various places of worship. 
 She wished, from the depths of her heart, that they 
 could enjoy the same happy experiences as those of
 
 EARL Y DA VS. 3 1 
 
 Methodists. No higher idea of holiness and devotion 1841. 
 seemed possible to her. 
 
 A subject which deeply engaged her interest and And far- 
 attention, and for which amongst her many self- missions. 
 imposed duties she managed to find time, was that 
 of foreign missions. Some of her happiest hours 
 were spent in meetings organised on their behalf. 
 The stories of the needs and dangers of the heathen 
 world made a powerful impression upon her deep and 
 impulsive heart. All her sympathies were enlisted. 
 on behalf of the coloured races of the earth. The 
 negroes especially appealed to her, seeming to be the 
 most oppressed, and the least capable of defending 
 themselves. 
 
 Nor could she rest satisfied with doing less than Collecting 
 her small utmost to speed forward the cause. Gladly 
 she renounced her sugar and in various ways stinted 
 herself to help the work, and when she had practised 
 all the self-denial possible, she would collect subscrip- 
 tions amongst her friends, often realising, to her un- 
 speakable delight, quite a surprising sum. It must 
 have been difficult indeed to say "no" to the ardent Hard to 
 
 say no. 
 
 little enthusiast, and even those who felt but scant 
 interest in the foreign field would find it hard to re- 
 sist the appeal that in later years bowed the hearts of 
 so many thousands. And the little girl-missionary, 
 who saved and begged for the heathen, lived to see 
 the institution of an annual week of self-denial 
 throughout the world, singularly enough closing her 
 ministry of sacrifice and love on the last day of such 
 a week. A missionary, did we say?' A still higher 
 privilege was to be hers, as joint- founder with her 
 husband of the largest missionary society in the 
 world. 
 
 The dreams of the child-politician, who so early
 
 1841. 
 
 Dreams 
 realised. 
 
 32 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 fought the battles of the people across her family 
 table, were to be more than realised, in the rescuing, 
 during her life-time, of tens of thousands from drink, 
 debauchery, poverty, and crime, and in the scheme 
 of social salvation launched after her death by the 
 one with whom she had proved for nearly forty years 
 so able a co-worker. A scheme which has startled the 
 
 THE WESLEY AN CHAPEL IN BOSTON. 
 
 civilized world inspiring with fresh enthusiasm the 
 heart of every well-wisher of mankind and with new 
 hope the despairing outcasts of society ; promising at 
 no distant date the peaceful solution of a problem 
 that has threatened to convulse empires, and .for 
 which no settlement has hitherto seemed possible 
 save in an ocean of blood.
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 SCHOOL LIFE. 1841-1843. 
 
 CATHERINE'S school experiences were of compara- Hermoth- 
 tively brief duration. Her mother preferred that her e ukl far 
 education should be pursued at home, dreading the schools - 
 effects of unsuitable companionships. Still stronger 
 were the views arid more unqualified the antipathy 
 with which Mrs. Booth afterward regarded the entire 
 fabric of modern schooldom. 
 
 The tendency of the age to dissolve the natural ties Shared by 
 
 \/**e 
 
 of blood, and to abolish parental responsibility, by Booth. 
 herding children together under the care of those 
 who are too often totally unsuited to prepare them 
 for the responsibilities of life, could not be, she 
 argued, in accordance with God's plan. The mental 
 culture, the general information, or the social veneer 
 they might thus obtain are dearly paid for by the 
 sacrificial holocaust of innocence, virtue, and spirit- 
 uality that this educational Taganath demands. " Let The edu- 
 cational 
 thy gifts be to thyself and give thy rewards to an- Jaganath 
 
 other," she would say to this latter-day Moloch, who 
 fattens year by year on the youth, the talent, and 
 the beauty of the nation, marking out for his victims 
 the choicest in the land, fascinating with his glitter- 
 ing eye, and encircling within his deadly coils prince, 
 prelate, and people alike, till few are left who have 
 not in his honour passed through the fatal fires. 
 
 To Mrs. Booth the great pasteboard image set up Thepaste- 
 in the plains of Christendom by the nineteenth cen- image. 
 3 33
 
 34 
 
 MXS. BOOTH. 
 
 1841, 
 Age 12. 
 
 Educated 
 fiends. 
 
 One lan- 
 guage 
 enough 
 for the 
 devil. 
 
 A warn- 
 ing to 
 parents. 
 
 tury Nebuchadnezzars of her day had no attraction. 
 Like the three Hebrew heroes, she stubbornly re- 
 fused to bow the knee before it. "Better," she said, 
 "be cast into the sevenfold- heated fires of poverty 
 and worldly oblivion, than purchase the favour of 
 monarchs at a cost that should imperil the soul." 
 
 She never wearied in warning parents against a 
 system, which had proved so destructive of spirituality, 
 turning many of the purest and most hopeful children 
 into educated fiends, whose power for evil had been 
 only increased by the intellectual weapons with which 
 they had been armed. "What are you going to do 
 with your education?" she would ask her children in 
 piercing tones. " If you mean to serve the devil with 
 it, you had better let me know. One language is 
 quite enough for /tim." And when tempting offers 
 came from rich friends to mjet the expenses of a 
 college training, time after time she put from her the 
 dazzling chance, and this at a period when the future 
 looked particularly dark, and there was no Salvation 
 Army to afford scope for the development of the 
 brilliant gifts with which she realised they were by 
 nature endowed. 
 
 In one of her published addresses* she refers to this 
 question as follows: "I cannot close these remarks 
 without lifting up my voice against the practice now 
 so prevalent amongst superior people, of sending 
 children to boarding-schools before their principles 
 are formed, or their characters developed. Parents 
 are led away by the professedly religious character 
 of the schools, forgetting that, even supposing the 
 master or mistress may be all that can be desired, a 
 school is a little world, where all the elements of 
 
 * Practical Religion, p. 24.
 
 SCHOOL LIFE. 35 
 
 unredeemed human nature are at work, and that 1841, 
 with as great variety, subtlety, and power as in the ge I2 ' 
 larger world outside. You would shrink from ex- 
 posing your child to the temptation and danger of as- 
 sociation with unconverted, worldly men and women. 
 Why, then, should you expose them to the influence 
 of children of the same character, who are not un- 
 frequently sent to these" schools because they have 
 become utterly vitiated and unmanageable at home? 
 I have listened to many a sad story of the consequen- 
 
 ces of these school associations, and early made up Her 
 
 exper- 
 
 my mind to keep my children under my own influ- ence. 
 ence, at least until they attained such maturity in 
 grace and principle, as would be an effectual safe- 
 guard against ungodly companionships. To this end 
 I have rejected several very inviting offers in the way 
 of educational advantage, and every day I am increas- 
 ingly thankful for having been enabled to do so. 
 God has laid on you, as parents, the responsibility of 
 training your children, and you cannot possibly dele- 
 gate that responsibility to another without endanger- 
 ing their highest interests for time and for eternity." 
 
 Nor can it be denied that Mrs. Booth's own sue- He c e c ~ 
 cessful experiment in this direction has placed her in 
 a position to speak with authority on the subject. As 
 monuments of God's blessing on her disinterested and 
 self-sacrificing efforts, her family stand round her 
 and speak for her "in the gates." 
 
 Mrs. Booth's personal school-experience was an A system 
 
 11 r TT 1 n n t JUSti- 
 
 unusually fortunate one. Her mother s influence fied by 
 combined with her natural strength of character to 
 guard her against the ill-consequences from which 
 she might otherwise have suffered. But even had it 
 been otherwise, she argued that the system could 
 not be justified by the existence of an occasional ex-
 
 36 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1841, ception, nor by the fact that some few might pass 
 through the ordeal unscathed. 
 
 It was to be judged by its general effect on persons 
 But by its of ordinary moral calibre, who were incapable of re- 
 
 CKsflC-fCtt 
 
 effect, sisting the evil influences by which they found them- 
 selves surrounded, rather than by its influence on 
 characters of an unusual hardihood, who overcame 
 their unpropitious surroundings, but were certainly 
 not bettered by them. It has been said, in regard to 
 the social problem, that God made the country, man 
 made the town ; and it might be added, with equal 
 
 God made truth, that God made the family, man made the 
 
 aneTnion- school. And just as the remedy for the one evil is to 
 
 schools. turn the current backward from town to country, so 
 
 Mrs. Booth was convinced that the wholesale juvenile 
 
 immigration should be resolutely stemmed and turned 
 
 from school to family. 
 
 Mrs. Mrs. Mumford's views were by no means so decided 
 
 waives her and vehement as were afterward those of her daughter. 
 tions. Nevertheless, her leanings were all in the same di- 
 rection. Hence it was some time before she could 
 bring herself to send Catherine to school. It hap- 
 pened, however, that, amongst the members of the 
 chapel in Boston to which Mrs. Mumford belonged, 
 there was a lady of unusual devotion and ability. 
 Acquaintance quickly ripened into friendship, and at 
 length Mrs. Mumford was persuaded to overcome her 
 usual scruples, and to send her daughter to the school, 
 of which from all directions she received such favour- 
 able reports. Certainly the children were of a supe- 
 rior character. Not only was discipline observed, 
 but, what she valued infinitely more, many of the 
 girls gave evidence of genuine conversion. 
 
 Catherine was twelve years old when she began to 
 
 at school, attend this school, and she continued her studies there
 
 SCHOOL LIFE. 37 
 
 during the next two years. She soon established 1842, 
 such a character for truth, diligence, and ability, that 
 she was appointed to act as a monitor, and was 
 commonly appealed to for the real version of what 
 had happened during the occasional absences of the 
 principal and her assistants. Every one knew that 
 nothing could induce her to tell a falsehood, be the 
 consequences what they might. 
 
 Her sensitive nature and intense aversion to caus- Averse to 
 ing pain made her reluctant to go above others in c uon. * 
 class. She preferred rather to help them to surpass 
 herself, when her natural capacity and love of study 
 would have easily enabled her to take the lead. In 
 later years she was consistently opposed to the general 
 idea of competition, believing that it excited a selfish 
 and uncharitable spirit, and gave an undue priority to 
 ability over righteousness. Her bookish and retiring 
 disposition, together with the special favor manifested , 
 by the principal, led to her being teased at times by 
 her schoolmates, and, though she was naturally good- 
 tempered, she would occasionally give way to violent 
 bursts of anger, for which she afterward manifested 
 the deepest contrition. 
 
 She had a keen realisation of the value of time, 
 and would spend her leisure hours in pacing up and 
 down a shady lane near her home poring over some 
 book. 
 
 History was one of her favorite studies. She ex- Her 
 perienced special pleasure in reading about those 
 whose great deeds had served to benefit others. 
 Their moral character and achievements on behalf of 
 suffering humanity attracted her attention, rather 
 than their talents, wealth, or position. "Were they bono?" 
 clever? What use then had they made of their 
 ability?" inquired the child-philosopher. "Was it
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1842, 
 Age 13. 
 
 Her esti- 
 mate of 
 Napoleon. 
 
 Com- 
 pared 
 
 with 
 Ccesar. 
 
 Other 
 studies. 
 
 to aggrandise themselves, or to benefit others ? Were 
 they rich? How did they spend their money? Was 
 it in idle pomp and self -gratification, or in extrava- 
 gance and luxury? If so, they were too despicable 
 to be admired. Their wealth perish with them, or 
 go to those who would expend it on the poor!" 
 
 "Napoleon," she tells us, "I disliked with all my 
 heart, because he seemed to me the embodiment of 
 selfish ambition. I could discover no evidence that 
 he had attempted to confer any benefit upon his own 
 nation, much less on any of the countries he had con- 
 quered with his sword. Possibly this may have been 
 in some measure due to the prejudice of the English 
 historians whose works I studied, and who doubtless 
 strove to paint his character in the darkest colors. 
 Be this as it may, my dislike to him was not based on 
 any national antipathy, but on what I reckoned to be 
 the supremely selfish motives that actuated his life. 
 
 " I could not but contrast him with Caesar, who, 
 though by no means an attractive character, accord- 
 ing to my notions, yet appeared desirous of benefit- 
 ting the people whom he conquered. His efforts for 
 their civilisation, together with the laws and public 
 works he introduced on their behalf, seemed to me 
 to palliate the merciless slaughter of his wars, and 
 the loss of life and property that accompanied his 
 operations. He appeared to me to desire the good 
 of his country, and not merely his own aggrandise- 
 ment." 
 
 Amongst other studies Catherine had, as might 
 have been expected, a special aptitude for composition. 
 Geography she liked, longing to be able to visit the 
 countries and nations about which she had read. 
 Arithmetic was her bugbear, but this she afterward 
 attributed to the senseless way in which it was taught,
 
 SCHOOL LIFE. 39 
 
 since to her logical and mathematical mind figures 1843, 
 had afterward a considerable attraction. 
 
 In 1843, Catherine's school-days were brought A severe 
 abruptly to a close, by a severe spinal attack which 
 compelled her to spend most of her time in a recum- inter- 
 bent position, but even then her active nature would Rolling; 
 not permit her to rest, and her time was divided be- 
 tween sewing, knitting, and her beloved books. 
 
 No doubt there was a divine purpose in this illness, 
 for it was during the next few years of comparative 
 retirement from the ordinary activities of life, that 
 she acquired the extensive knowledge of church his- But she 
 tory and theology which proved so useful in later 
 years, and for the prosecution of which her multitudi- 
 nous duties would otherwise have left her no time. 
 
 Her powerful mind fairly revelled in grappling 
 with the deepest theological problems, nor was she 
 satisfied with a mere superficial acquaintance with 
 her subject. The accompanying fac-simile of her 
 notes on "Butler's Analogy," written when she was a 
 girl of sixteen, will suffice to show how careful and 
 thorough was her study. Wesley, Finney, Fletcher, 
 Mosheim, and Neander were taken up in turn, and 
 in some cases carefully epitomised. Finney 's lec- 
 tures on theology she specially appreciated. 
 
 "The Pilgrim's Progress, " she tells us, "I had read Pilgrim's 
 with great interest long before, but even at that time 
 I could not help entertaining a strong antipathy to the 
 Calvinistic tendency of some of its teachings." 
 
 " Another book which I carefully studied was New- views re- 
 ton on Prophecy. After noting and vainly striving to prophecy. 
 reconcile the various interpretations, each supported 
 by quotation of chapter and verse, I can definitely re- 
 member deciding, that since so many learned and 
 able people differed regarding the matter, it would be
 
 40 
 
 MS. BOOTH. 
 
 1843, 
 Age 14. 
 
 Freed 
 from 
 scholas- 
 tic tram- 
 mels. 
 
 The 
 
 wilder- 
 ness of 
 suffering. 
 
 unwise for me to spend time and effort in striving to 
 come to any clearer conclusion. I believed that I 
 could better please God by devoting my attention to 
 preparing people for Christ's coming, than by fixing 
 the date when it was to take place, and to this po- 
 sition I have ever since adhered." 
 
 It was perhaps a happy design of Providence that 
 suddenly liberated the girl student from her scholas 
 tic cage and left her master-mind unfettered to folio ,v 
 the bent of its own instinct, instead of being forced 
 into the routine ruts which would undoubtedly have 
 been marked out for it by others. 
 
 How inscrutable are the ways of God ! Little did 
 the lonely sufferer think, as she lay upon her couch, 
 that this was her Heavenly Father's chosen training 
 ground, His college, of which He was Himself to be 
 the sole Principal and Professor, she the sole student. 
 Often was she tempted to repine at a lot so sad and 
 mysterious for one so young. Yet, to us who look 
 back, it is evident that this was the best, perhaps the 
 only preparation for such a life. There was no other 
 wilderness for the nineteenth -century prophetess, no 
 other Galilee of the Gentiles for the latter-day apostle, 
 where, apart from the old-fashioned dicta of priest 
 and Pharisee, the Holy Ghost could fashion His new 
 material suitably to the exigencies of the time. And 
 thus, that which appeared to be a terrible affliction 
 is discovered in the end to be a blessing in disguise, 
 and we are constrained to say : 
 
 "Sickness, thou ante-chamber 
 
 Of heaven approach to God 
 Ladder by which we clamber 
 
 From earth Our Father's rod! 
 Welcome ! Since thou dost bring me 
 
 Sweet messengers of love, 
 Angelic songs to sing me 
 
 Fresh from my Home above.
 
 CATHERINE: MUMFORD.
 
 SCHOOL LIFE. 41 
 
 "As when the winds are shaking 1843, 
 
 The dead leaves from some tree, Age 14. 
 
 Fresh buds and flowers are making 
 
 More bright its greenery ; 
 So thou my soul art storming, 
 
 To make it holier still, 
 My wilfulness transforming, 
 
 Creating good from ill."
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 An early 
 incident. 
 
 A worldly 
 suitor. 
 
 The con- 
 troversy 
 
 Settled. 
 
 YOUTH. 1844-1847. 
 
 THE Boston days closed in 1844 with an incident 
 very characteristic of Catherine. Previous to their 
 departure for London, Mr. and Mrs. Mumford were 
 visited by some cousins from Derby. One of them, a 
 young man of somewhat striking appearance, and 
 with more then ordinary capacity, was deeply attached 
 to Catherine. They had known each other from 
 childhood, and, although she was not the most ardent 
 of the two, she could not prevent her heart respond- 
 ing in some measure to his love. 
 
 But he was worldly and irreligious, and conscience 
 warned her that, however kind and genial he might 
 be, he would make no fit partner for her in life. 
 True, he would go with her to the chapel, but while 
 she was endeavouring to enter into the spirit of the 
 service, he would be scratching pictures on the pew 
 in order to divert her attention. 
 
 For some time there was a considerable controversy 
 in her mind. She felt she ought to break off all cor- 
 respondence, and tell her cousin plainly that she 
 could never make him the object of her affections. 
 On the other hand, she dreaded to give him pain, and 
 was open to the temptation that, when continually 
 under her influence, he might become in spiritual 
 matters all she could desire. Ultimately, however, 
 she took her stand upon the verse, " Be ye not un- 
 equally yoked together with unbelievers." And al- 
 
 42
 
 YOUTH. 
 
 43' 
 
 though, as she afterward said, "it cost me a consider- 
 able effort at the time, I have far from regretted the 
 step I then decided upon, and have lived to see that 
 the whole course of my life might have been altered, 
 had I chosen to follow the inclinations and fancies of 
 my own heart rather than the express command of 
 God, which so unmistakably reveals His will to us in 
 this matter." 
 
 And further she adds: "So much is lost at such 
 crises through vacillation, through not acting up to the 
 light as God gives it. A girl cannot easily talk about 
 these things. Perhaps there is no one suitable to 
 whom she can turn for advice, and so a false position 
 is drifted into, which too often culminates in an un- 
 happy marriage and a useless career." 
 
 In 1844 the Mumfords removed to London, settling 
 down finally in Brixton. This was Catherine's first 
 visit to the great metropolis, and she was considerably 
 disappointed at its appearance. Girl-like, she had 
 been castle-building in her imagination, picturing to> 
 herself the sort of model city that this brick and mor- 
 tar colossus of the universe must be, with palatial 
 residences and mammoth edifices. To find it a pro- 
 miscuous mass of humanity sandwiched, so to speak, 
 between soot and mud, with countless acres of very 
 ordinary-looking dwellings, and interminable miles 
 of streets, very much resembling those to which she 
 had been accustomed in Boston, was an unexpected 
 termination to her dreams. She was, however, 
 deeply impressed with some of its principal sights, 
 such as St. Paul's, Westminster Abbey, and the Nat- 
 ional Gallery. 
 
 But it was the seething cauldron of humanity 
 which more and more engrossed her attention as time 
 went on, leaving her but little leisure or inclination 
 
 1844, 
 Age 15. 
 
 Her sub- 
 sequent 
 views. 
 
 Removal 
 
 to 
 London. 
 
 Her dis- 
 appoint- 
 ment. 
 
 Forty-six 
 years in a 
 nutshell.
 
 44 
 
 MAS. BOOTH. 
 
 1844, 
 Age 15. 
 
 A car- 
 riage ac- 
 cident. 
 
 Presence 
 
 *L 
 
 mind. 
 
 to consider any other subject than how to benefit their 
 condition and combat their miseries. With a few 
 inconsiderable intervals London became, during the 
 next forty-six years, the principal scene of her activ- 
 ities. By dint of dauntless faith in God and weight 
 of worth, unaided by wealth or influence, the girl- 
 listener of Exeter Hall fought her way up to be one 
 of London's most popular and effective platform 
 speakers, crowding the largest buildings with her 
 audiences, and worthily closing her grand public 
 career with a meeting in its far-famed City Temple, 
 such as none who were present could ever forget. 
 
 Yet at the very commencement of this period, an 
 incident occurred, which reminds us on how slender 
 a thread the most valuable of lives may hang. Mr. 
 Mumford had driven his wife^and children to visit a 
 friend living at a village some six miles distant. On 
 the way back the horse took fright and bolted. Mr. 
 Mumford held on to the reins with all his might, but 
 was unable to pull up. Catherine, who was in the 
 back seat, managed to scramble out, running back to 
 the village as fast as she could to obtain help. Look- 
 ing over her shoulder, the last glimpse she caught of 
 the scene was the horse rearing in mid-air with her 
 father hanging on to its head. After running a mile, 
 she became so exhausted that she fell fainting on the 
 sward by the roadside, but soon recovered herself 
 sufficiently to struggle on to the house of their recent 
 host. Without a moment's delay the pony was put 
 into their chaise, and Catherine was enabled to return 
 to the scene of the accident. Great was her relief to 
 find her father, mother, and brother unhurt. They 
 had run into a ditch, but had miraculously escaped 
 from injury, and were able to return home in safety, 
 praising God for their deliverance.
 
 YOUTH. 45 
 
 To those who have read thus far in Mrs. Booth's 1845, 
 life it will probably cause no small surprise to learn 
 that it was not until she was sixteen that she believed 
 herself to have been truly converted. " About this 
 time," she tells us, " I passed through a great contro- 
 versy of soul. Although I was conscious of having 
 given myself up fully to God from my earliest years, 
 and although I was anxious to serve Him and often 
 realised deep enjoyment in prayer, nevertheless I had 
 not the positive assurance that my sins were forgiven, 
 and that I had experienced the actual change of heart 
 about which I had read and heard so much. I was 
 
 / 
 
 determined to leave the question no longer in doubt, 
 but to get it definitely settled, cost what it might. 
 For six weeks I prayed and struggled on, but ob- Six 
 
 L J under 
 
 tained no satisfaction. True, my past life had been conmc- 
 outwardly blameless. Both in public and private I 
 had made use of the means of grace, and up to the 
 very limit of my strength, and often beyond the 
 bounds of discretion, my zeal had carried me. Still, 
 so far as this was concerned, I realised the truth of 
 the words: 
 
 ' Could my zeal no respite know, 
 Could my tears forever flow 
 These for sin could not atone. ' 
 
 I knew, moreover, that ' the heart is deceitful above 
 all things and desperately wicked. ' I was terribly 
 afraid of being self-deceived. I remembered, too, 
 the occasional outbursts of temper when I was at 
 school. Neither could I call to mind any particular 
 place or time when I had definitely stepped out upon 
 the promises, and had claimed the immediate forgive- 
 ness of my sins, receiving the witness of the Holy 
 Spirit that I had become a child of God and an heir of 
 heaven.
 
 46 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1845, " It seemed to me unreasonable to suppose that I 
 
 could be saved, and yet not know it. At any rate, I 
 
 could not permit myself to remain longer in doubt re- 
 
 surance garding the matter. If in the past I had acted up to 
 
 tion. a ~ the light I had received, it wns evident that I was 
 now getting new light, and unless I obeyed it, I 
 realised that my soul would fall into condemnation. 
 Ah, how many hundreds have I since met, who have 
 spent years in doubt and perplexity, because, after 
 . consecrating themselves fully to God, they dared not 
 venture out upon the promises and believe ! 
 Agony of " I can never forget the agony I passed through. 
 I used to pace my room till two o'clock in the morn- 
 ing, and when, utterly exhausted, I lay down at 
 length to sleep, I would place my Bible and hymn- 
 book under my pillow, praying that I might wake up 
 with the assurance of salvation. One morning as I 
 opened my hymn-book, my eyes fell upon the words : 
 
 'My God, I am Thine! 
 What a comfort Divine, 
 What a blessing to know that my Jesus is mine !' 
 
 Scores of times I had read and sung these words, but 
 
 now they came home to my inmost soul with a force 
 
 and illumination they had never before possessed. It 
 
 impoKsi- was as impossible for me to doubt, as it had before 
 
 doubt, been for me to exercise faith. Previously not all the 
 
 promises in the Bible could induce me to believe, 
 
 now not all the devils in hell could persuade me to 
 
 doubt. I no longer hoped that I was saved, I was 
 
 shf certain of it. The assurances of my salvation seemed 
 
 testifies, to flood and fill my soul. I jumped out of bed, and, 
 
 without waiting to dress, ran into my mother's room 
 
 and told her what had happened. 
 
 " Till then I had been very backward in speaking
 
 YOUTH. 47 
 
 even to her upon spiritual matters. I could pray be- 1845, 
 fore her, and yet could not open my heart to her about 
 my salvation. It is a terrible disadvantage to people 
 that they are ashamed to speak freely to one another 
 upon so vital a subject. Owing; to this, thousands are Thou- 
 
 J sands in 
 
 kept in bondage for years, when they might easily bondage. 
 step into immediate liberty and joy. I have myself 
 met hundreds of persons who have confessed to me 
 that they had been church members for many years 
 without knowing what a change of heart really was, 
 and without having been able to escape from this 
 miserable condition of doubt and uncertainty to one 
 of assurance and consequent satisfaction. 
 
 " For the next six months I was so happy that I A joyful 
 
 expen- 
 
 felt as if I was walking on air. I used to tremble, ence. 
 and even long to die, lest I should backslide, or lose 
 the consciousness of God's smile and favour." 
 
 Catherine now joined the Wesleyan Church in Joins the 
 Brixton, of which her mother had for some time been cms. 
 a member. So strict was her conscientiousness, and 
 so determined had she been not to play the part of a 
 hypocrite, that she would not give in her name pre- 
 viously to this, although she had been one of the 
 most regular attendants and earnest listeners. 
 
 The society had in London at this time some able and A cold 
 eloquent preachers, such as Luke Tyerman, the well- 
 known author of the " Life of John Wesley. " And yet 
 while the sermons were often of a stirring and pointed 
 character, bringing the truths of the Gospel to bear 
 mightily upon the consciences of the people, they 
 were unaccompanied by the signs and wonders that 
 had marked the early days of Methodism. Moreover 
 the members were in a much more cold, worldly, and 
 backslidden condition than those at Boston. 
 
 Both Catherine and her mother were greatly dis- pointed.
 
 48 MAS. BOOTH. 
 
 I 845 appointed at this. They were jealous for the honour 
 of their church, and longed for a return of its higher 
 spiritual life, of its separation from the world and 
 effort on behalf of souls. It was a constant source of 
 grief to them that so few were being saved. And yet 
 this was hardly to be wondered at, since there was 
 comparatively little attention or effort bestowed upon 
 the prayer-meeting which followed the sermon. 
 A spirit- " At this very time," she afterward tells us, " I can 
 lr * meet- remember often leaving the chapel burdened at heart 
 that more had not been accomplished of a practical 
 character. I could often see that a powerful impres- 
 sion had been made upon the people, that their con- 
 sciences had been awakened and their judgment en- 
 lightened. Many of them were evidently on the verge 
 of decision. And then at the critical moment, when 
 it seemed to me every power should have been sum- 
 moned to help them to act upon the light, and then 
 to give their hearts to God, the prayer-meeting was 
 either dispensed with altogether, or conducted in 
 such a pointless and half-hearted style that as a rule 
 the opportunity was lost, and the people streamed 
 out, leaving little or no visible results to chronicle. 
 Her views i did so long on such occasions for some means of 
 
 on faith- 
 ful deal- getting at the congregation in a direct and personal 
 
 manner. I felt certain that the reason for much of 
 this lack of straight dealing on the part of ministers 
 sprang from a fear lest they should lose their repu- 
 tation and the friendship of their hearers. And yet I 
 could see that this was very short-sighted, even for 
 this world, to say nothing of the world to come. For 
 I was very sure then, and my subsequent experience 
 has fully borne it out, that by dealing faithfully with 
 souls, while they might have alienated some, they 
 would have won a far larger number of converts,
 
 YOUTH. 49 
 
 whose love, sympathy, and devotion would have much 1846, 
 more than compensated for those they might have 
 lost." 
 
 So deep and permanent was the impression produced Her own 
 upon Catherine in regard to this matter that in later in later 
 years, when she herself occupied the pulpit, she lost yea 
 no opportunity for compelling her hearers to an im- 
 mediate decision, and after delivering an address that 
 would occupy from one to two hours, and this with a 
 passionate energy which would bathe her in perspir- 
 ation from head to foot, she would step from the plat- 
 form, conduct her own prayer-meeting, and person- 
 ally deal with the long row of kneeling penitents, 
 attending to each one's individual circumstances, 
 character, and need. No matter how select or critical 
 the audience might be, in faithful dealing, courage, 
 and directness she was the same. Indeed, she seemed 
 scarcely able to restrain herself at times, while the 
 preliminaries were being gone through, perhaps by 
 too prolix a chairman, so impatient would she be for 
 the opportunity of pouring out upon her listeners the 
 lava-like truths which seemed pent up in her volcano 
 soul. 
 
 But the time for her public ministry had not come, joins a 
 and Catherine had yet much to learn by personal ex- meeting. 
 perience. She now joined a Bible class which was 
 conducted by the wife of a supernumerary minister of 
 the circuit. This class she continued to attend for 
 the next five years. " Mrs. Keay used to insist upon 
 my praying," she tells us, "and would often keep the 
 class five minutes upon their knees waiting for me 
 to begin. When I told her one day that the excite- 
 ment and exertion had made me ill, she replied, 
 ' Never mind ! you will be of use by and by, if you 
 overcome this timidity, and employ your gifts. But 
 4
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1846, 
 Age 17. 
 
 Wesley's 
 intention. 
 
 The insti- 
 tution 
 
 degener- 
 ated. 
 
 Mechan- 
 ical testi- 
 monies. 
 
 if you don't, you won't.' And yet I do not suppose 
 that she had for me in her mind a more extended 
 sphere of usefulness than that of praying and testify- 
 ing in class meetings, or at the most of leading one. 
 Certainly I had no higher ambition for myself." 
 
 The class meeting was designed by Wesley to sup- 
 ply to the members of each society individual over- 
 sight, together with an opportunity for mutual con- 
 fession and communion. Indeed, we might almost 
 describe it as the Protestant equivalent for the Roman 
 Catholic confessional. The class consisted of some 
 twenty or thirty persons, who met weekly under 
 the direction of a lay leader. 
 
 Mrs. Booth seems to have fully appreciated this 
 institution, although she expresses disappointment in 
 regard to the particular class of which she was a mem- 
 ber. "I can see," she remarks, "that if our leader 
 had been faithful to her duty and opportunities, most 
 of her class would either have been converted, or 
 would have left. As it was, the teaching they re- 
 ceived was quite compatible with lives of mere self- 
 indulgence. Their testimonies were mostly of a me- 
 chanical stamp, one after another getting up and 
 saying that they had met with great difficulties and 
 trials, but that they praised God for having brought 
 them through another week, without saying how they 
 had come through, whether triumphantly or other- 
 wise. The exhortations of the leader were usually to 
 the effect that they were to look away from them- 
 selves to Christ, He being so presented in many in- 
 stances as to become a minister of sin, and the chief 
 design appearing to be to make them comfortable in 
 their souls, although they might be living just like 
 their neighbours." 
 
 "There can be no doubt," Mrs. Booth adds, "that
 
 YOUTH. 5 1 
 
 the class meeting, as originally intended by Wesley, 1846, 
 was an excellent arrangement, but the mere asking 
 of empty questions as to how a person is getting on, HOW to 
 and the leaving them to answer by the platitudes class- * 
 usual on such occasions, is to daub them with untem- 
 pered mortar, and to lead them forth in the way of 
 hollow profession and uncertainty. Pointed questions some 
 should be put, such as: Have you enjoyed private questions. 
 prayer during the week? How far have you been 
 enabled to obey the precepts of Jesus Christ in dealing 
 with your family or your business? Have you main- 
 tained a conscience void of offence toward men as 
 well as toward God in these matters? Have you 
 faithfully made use of your opportunities for doing 
 good? How many have you spoken to about their 
 souls? Have you succeeded in leading anybody to 
 decision for salvation or consecration? Have you 
 practised any self-denial in order to extend the King- 
 dom of Christ? 
 
 "Such questions pressed home with the aid of the The lead- 
 Holy Spirit would compel confession, and involve a come up 
 repentance and reconsecration productive of real re- standard. 
 suits. But of course questions of this kind pre- 
 suppose that those who ask them are themselves liv- 
 ing up to the standard which they set before others, 
 and this, alas, is too often not the case!" 
 
 The leader of Catherine's class was an exception- Mrs - 
 
 Booth' 1 s 
 
 ally pious and devoted person. She had the oversight leader. 
 of three classes, was an active visitor, and took a 
 prominent part in all the work connected with the 
 chapel. Yet while she herself dressed with studied 
 plainness, her daughter was allowed to follow the 
 fashions of the world, and to become engaged with 
 her mother's approval to a young man who, though 
 belonging to a Methodist family, did not even profess
 
 52 MJ?S. BOOTH. 
 
 1846, conversion. Catherine could not help feeling that 
 ge l f' these inconsistencies paralysed the power and contra- 
 dicted the teachings of her leader, and that, with such 
 an example before their eyes, little permanent good 
 could be accomplished among the members of the 
 class. For the " don't-do-as-I-do, but do-as-I-tell-you" 
 kind of religion, she entertained throughout life a 
 positive horror, and to find in her beloved Methodism 
 such symptoms of decay caused her the deepest sor- 
 row and concern. Nevertheless, sad though she 
 might feel, the thought of separation from its ranks 
 did not so much as suggest itself to her mind.
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 HER DIARY. 1847-1848. 
 
 LIKE too many of those, the record of whose inner Brief and 
 life would be both precious and instructive, M'rs. ir ^ g ^ r 
 Booth did not keep a diary. She used afterward to 
 say, that she had been too busy making history to find 
 time in which to record it. This fact lends added 
 interest to the only fragment of a journal which 
 exists. 
 
 The entries are brief and irregular, dating from 
 I2th May, 1847, to 2 4-th March, 1848. Intended as 
 she tells us for her own eye alone, these early mus- 
 ings and heart-yearnings offer a valuable index to 
 her life and character. 
 
 The diary begins with her arrival in Brighton for A visit 
 a few weeks' change and rest. In the previous au- Brt v hton - 
 tumn serious symptoms of incipient consumption had 
 set in, and for six months she was almost entirely 
 confined to her room with violent pains in the chest and 
 back, accompanied with strong fever at night. With 
 the departing winter, however, her worst symptoms 
 subsided, and she was sufficiently recovered to travel, 
 though still very weak. "Mr. Stevens, my new doc- 
 tor," she writes, "came to see me on Tuesday last. 
 He is a very nice man, and a preacher in our society. 
 He sounded my chest, and thinks my left lung is 
 affected, but says there is no cavity in it, and hopes 
 to do me good. I hope, if it is for my God and His 
 
 53
 
 54 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1847, glory, the Lord will give His blessing to the means 
 Age 18. ,, 
 
 we are using. 
 
 in but The seriousness and severity of her illness may, 
 peaceful, however, be judged from another entry in which, 
 under date I3th June, 1847, she writes: "I went to 
 chapel in the morning, but felt very poorly with 
 faintness and palpitation, so that I spent the after- 
 noon in bed in reading and contemplation. At even- 
 ing I went again and stopped to receive the sac- 
 rament, but was so ill I could scarcely walk up to the 
 communion rail, and was forced to hold it to keep 
 myself from sinking. Mr. Heady, the minister, saw 
 I was ill, and held the cup for me. I afterward came 
 home, supported between Mr. Wells and another 
 gentleman. The pain was so violent I had to keep 
 stopping in the street. The cold sweat stood on my 
 forehead. But amidst all the pain and confusion 
 there was calm, peace, and joy." 
 
 Tortured on another occasion with toothache, she 
 called in at a dentist's, "but he feared I was too weak 
 to undergo the operation. He said my pulse was as 
 slow as an infant's, and the shock might be too much 
 for me." 
 
 yearn- The diary is full of intense yearnings after God and 
 ing o a d ter struggles to attain perfect holiness of life. 
 
 " i4th May, 1847. This morning, while reading 
 Rowe's Devout Exercises of the Heart, I was much 
 blessed, and enabled to give myself afresh into the 
 hands of God, to do, or to suffer, all His will. Oh, 
 that I may be made useful in this family ! Lord, they 
 know Thee not, neither do they seek Thee ! Have 
 mercy upon them, and help me to set an example, at 
 all times and in all places, worthy of imitation. Help 
 me to adorn the Gospel of God, my Saviour, in all 
 things.
 
 HER DIARY. 55 
 
 " I find much need of watchfulness and prayer, and 1847, 
 
 ,1 - -i .L 1 Age 18. 
 
 have this day taken up my cross in reproving sin. 
 
 Lord, follow with the conviction of Thy spirit all I Rebuking 
 
 1_ -j sin. 
 
 have said. 
 
 "I entered into fresh covenant this morning with Afresh 
 
 covenant. 
 
 my Lord to be more fully given up to Him. Oh,, to 
 be a Christian indeed! To love Thee with all my 
 heart is my desire. I do love Thee, but I want to 
 love Thee more. If Thou smile upon me, I am in- 
 finitely happy, though deprived of earthly happiness 
 more than usual. If Thou frown, it matters not 
 what I have beside. 
 
 'Thou art the spring of all my joys, 
 
 The life of my delights, 
 The glory of my brightest days 
 
 And comfort of my nights. ' 
 
 On reaching Brighton, Catherine received from her Her 
 mother the following letter, which throws an inter- m utter. * 
 esting light on the close spiritual communion that 
 existed between mother and daughter. After refer- 
 ring to her own and Catherine's health, Mrs. Mum- 
 ford says: 
 
 " Oh, may the Lord help me to hang on His faithfulness 
 alone, and when all seems gloomy without, ' still to endure as 
 seeing Him who is invisible.' The enemy tempts me to 
 doubt, because I do not/ee/ as I did before. But I say to my- 
 self : ' Thou knowest 
 
 'Other refuge have I none, 
 Hangs my helpless soul on Thee ! ' 
 
 May He help me to believe for a clearer manifestation of 
 His love and favour ! 
 
 'I would not my soul deceive, 
 Without the inward witness live ! ' 
 
 " I am glad you are getting on so well. Live close to Jesus
 
 $6 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1847, an ^ He will keep you to the end. Oh, may He bless you with 
 Age 18. all His fulness! You say I must pray for you! Do you think 
 I could approach the Throne of Grace without doing so? Oh, 
 no! You are ever in my mind as an offering to the Lord. 
 May He sanctify you wholly to Himself is the prayer of 
 " Your ever-loving mother, 
 
 " SARAH MUMFORD." 
 
 Mrs. To this letter Catherine sent the following reply, 
 earliest which is the earliest extant autograph letter that 
 exists: 
 
 " MY DEAREST MOTHER : I thank you very sincerely for your 
 kind, nice, long letter, and especially as I know what an effort 
 it is for you to write. [Mrs. Mumford's hand was crippled 
 with rheumatism.] Don't fear for a moment that I should 
 think you indifferent to my comfort. How could I possibly 
 think it, with so many proofs to the contrary? If I ever in- 
 dulged any hard thoughts, it has been my sin, for which I 
 need the forgiveness of God : it has been prompted by the 
 same spirit which has too often led me to 'charge God fool- 
 ishly. ' But so far from this feeling being the offspring of my 
 calmer moments and better judgment, it is only the effects of 
 an evil heart of unbelief, an impetuous will, and a momentary 
 loss of common sense, for I know ox^ firmly believe that God 
 will do all things well. Let us trust in Him. 
 
 " I thank you for your very kind and seasonable advice. I 
 do pray and read the Scriptures with Maria, and she prayed 
 aloud the other day, the first time she has ever done so in any- 
 body's presence. I hope the work is begun ; if not I tremble 
 for her. But charity hopeth all things believeth all things. 
 I have had a deal of talk to her about election and Christian 
 perfection, the last of which she would not admit to be possi- 
 ble. I never felt clearer light on these points than now. Oh, 
 the depth of the riches and the wisdom of God ! 
 
 " If I am able I shall go next Sunday to class in the after- 
 noon, and Maria is going with me to see what a class-meeting 
 is like. Her church holds Calvinistic doctrines. I went to 
 her chapel once, but could not receive all I heard,' though I 
 believe the minister was a true Christian. I am sorry she 
 has received these opinions, and am endeavouring by simple 
 Scripture, which is the best weapon, to show her the true ex- 
 
 Influenc- 
 others.
 
 HER DIARY. 
 
 57 
 
 Her love 
 of nature. 
 
 tent of the blessed Atonement. She says I have thrown much 
 
 light upon her mind, and she desires to be led into all truth. If Age 18. 
 
 so, the Spirit will guide her. May it be so. Amen ! " 
 
 In a subsequent letter she says: 
 
 " I have just returned from the beach. It is a lovely morn- 
 ing, but very rough and cold. The sea looks sublime. I 
 never saw it so troubled. Its waters " cast up mire and dirt," 
 and lash the shore with great violence. The sun shines with 
 full splendour, which makes the scene truly enchanting. It 
 only wants good health and plenty of strength to walk about 
 and keep oneself warm, for it is too cold to sit. There is a 
 meeting of the Evangelical Alliance in the Town Hall this 
 evening. If I feel able, I think of going, but I shall not stop 
 late. I am indignant at the Conference for their base treat- 
 ment of Mr. Burnett. But I quite expected it, when he gave 
 a conscientious affidavit in Mr. Hardy's case. Well, it will 
 all come down on their own pates. The Lord will reward 
 them according to their doings, if they only persevere a little 
 longer. Reform is certain. 
 
 " I wish I could see you, though I should be sorry to come 
 home just yet. The change is most agreeable to my feelings. 
 It is like a new world to me. I was heartily sick of looking at 
 brick and mortar. Oh, I love the sublime in nature ! It ab- 
 sorbs my whole soul. I cannot resist it, nor do I envy those 
 who can. There is nothing on earth more pleasing and pro- 
 fitable to me than the meditations and emotions excited by 
 such scenes as I witness here. I only want those I love best 
 to participate my joys, and then they would be complete. 
 For though I possess a share of that monstrous ugly thing 
 called selfishness in common with our fallen race, yet I can say 
 my own pleasure is always enhanced by the pleasure of others, 
 and always embittered by their sorrows. Thanks be to God, 
 for it is by His grace that I am what I am. Oh, for that ful- 
 ness of love which destroys self and fills the soul with Heaven- 
 born generosity ! 
 
 " Brighton is very full of company. Many a poor invalid is 
 here strolling about in search of that pearl of great price 
 health. Some, like the fortunate diver, spy the precious gem, 
 and, hugging it to their bosoms, return, rejoicing in the pos- 
 session of real riches. But many, alas, find it not, and return 
 only to bewail their misfortune. Whichever class I may be 
 
 A pleas- 
 ant 
 change. 
 
 Health- 
 seekers.
 
 58 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1847, amongst, I hope I shall not have cause to regret my visit. If I 
 Age 1 8. fi n d no t health of body, I hope my soul will be strengthened 
 with might, so that if the outward form should decay, the 
 inward may be renewed day by day. 
 
 The " I should like to spend another week or two here. It would 
 
 needful. b e delightful. One only wants the needful, and there seems 
 
 . to be plenty of it in Brighton, though I don't happen on it! 
 
 There are bills in all directions announcing the loss of gold 
 
 watches, seals, keys, brooches, boas, etc., and offering rewards 
 
 according to the value of the article, but, alas, I have not 
 
 been fortunate enough to find a mite yet ! 
 
 The Exhi- " I will write again on Monday, so that you may get it be- 
 
 bition. f ore y OU g j- t he Exhibition. Oh, I should like to see it 
 
 again so much. It seems a pity for such magnificence to be 
 
 disturbed.. I hope the closing ceremony will be worthy of 
 
 its history. 
 
 " There is one thing I trust will not be forgotten, that is, to 
 give God thanks for having so singularly disappointed our 
 enemies and surpassed the expectations of our friends. This 
 unparalleled production of art and science was born in good- 
 will, has lived in universal popularity, and will, no doubt, ex- 
 pire with majestic grandeur, lamented by all the nations of 
 the earth. 
 
 " Pray for me, my dear mother, and believe me with all my 
 faults and besetments 
 
 " Your affectionate and loving child, 
 
 " CATHERINE." 
 
 Praying There is a touching passage in the diary with 
 for her reference to her father: 
 
 father. 
 
 "I was much blessed in the morning at private 
 prayer, particularly in commending my dear parents 
 into the hands of God. I sometimes get into an 
 agony of feeling while praying for my dear father. 
 O my Lord, answer prayer, and bring him back to 
 Thyself! Never let that tongue, which once de- 
 lighted in praising Thee, and in showing others Thy 
 willingness to save, be engaged in uttering the lamen- 
 tations of the lost! O awful thought! Lord, have
 
 HER DIARY. 59 
 
 mercy! Save, oh, save him, in any way Thou seest 1847, 
 best, though it be ever so painful. If by removing 
 me Thou canst do this, cut short Thy work and take 
 me home. Let me be bold to speak in Thy name. 
 Oh, give me true Christian courage and lively zeal, 
 and when I write to him from this place, bless what 
 I say to the good of his soul !" 
 
 In a later entry she adds : 
 
 "I received a letter from my dear father, which 
 did me good telling me of some resolutions he had 
 half formed. I have written a long letter to him, and 
 feel much blessed in so doing. I believe I had the 
 assistance of the Spirit." 
 
 A good deal of Catherine's time was spent in writ- Personal 
 ing spiritual letters to her friends and relations, and 
 she found greater freedom in doing so than in the 
 hand-to-hand, personal conflict in which she became 
 afterward so successful. 
 
 "I have this day seen a lady," continues the diary, 
 "to whom I wrote a faithful and warning letter. I 
 wonder if it made any impression on her. . . . My 
 dear cousin Ann was here yesterday. I tried to im- 
 press upon her the importance of giving her heart to 
 God in her youth. But I feel myself most at liberty Mosf m 
 in writing. She promised to write and telt me the erti/in 
 
 c * writing. 
 
 state of her mind. Then I shall answer her. Oh, 
 may the Lord bless my humble endeavours for His 
 glory! . . . One of my dear cousins is very ill; I 
 think in a deep decline. She has three little children. 
 But the Lord graciously supports her, and often fills 
 her with His love. I frequently write long letters to 
 her on spiritual subjects, and the Lord owns my weak 
 endeavours by blessing them to her good." 
 
 The record of her first experiences in visiting the visiting 
 sick is extremely interesting. the sick '
 
 6o 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 A0 
 Age 1 8. 
 
 Praying 
 in class. 
 
 Love for 
 
 her 
 mother. 
 
 A painful 
 incident. 
 
 " This has been a blessed day to my soul. In the 
 morning I had much liberty in prayer. This afternoon 
 for the first time in my life I visited the sick, and 
 endeavoured to lead one poor young girl to Jesus. I 
 think, if spared, this will be a duty I shall greatly de-- 
 light in. But Thy will, O Lord, be done ! I have not 
 been blessed so much for weeks as I was to-night at 
 the class I engaged in prayer. The cross was great, 
 but so was the reward. My heart beat violently, but 
 I felt some liberty. Oh, how sweet is Christian com- 
 munion! Hail, happy day, when we shall meet to 
 part no more around the Throne!" 
 
 Although her absence from home was for so short a 
 time, there are some tender references to her mother : 
 
 " Home is particularly sweet to me. Who can tell 
 the value of a mother's attention and care, until de- 
 prived of it? But, blessed be God, we shall soon meet 
 again, and, after all our meetings and partings here 
 on earth, we shall meet to part no more in glory. . . . 
 My mind has been wounded to-day by several little 
 occurrences, and to-night my feelings vented them- 
 selves in tears. Oh, how I long to get home to my 
 dearest mother ! I feel greatly the loss of some kin- 
 dred spirit, some true bosom friend. My mind is re- 
 joiced at the thought of going home." 
 
 After her return to London, the journal refers to 
 the following striking but painful incident : 
 
 "Since last week we have been deeply moved by 
 circumstances of a very affecting nature. My dear 
 cousin has been here at times lately. She was ex- 
 pecting to be married next Thursday, and I was think- 
 ing of going down to Southampton with them. 
 They had a house prepared for their reception ; but 
 alas, how soon is the cup of happiness dashed from 
 our hands, and how quickly do our dreams vanish !
 
 HER DIARY. 
 
 61 
 
 The young man was taken suddenly ill on the Friday 
 and died on the Tuesday morning. Blessed be God ! 
 he died in peace, and I doubt not is now in Heaven. 
 He is to be buried on Thursday next, his intended 
 wedding day! Oh, that I may be found watching, 
 when my Lord shall come!" 
 
 On the 28th of November she writes : "This has 
 been an especially good day to my soul. I have been 
 reading the life of Mr. William Carvosso. Oh, what 
 a man of faith and prayer was he ! My expectations 
 were raised when I began the book. I prayed for the 
 Divine blessing on it, and it has been granted. My 
 desires after holiness have been much increased. 
 This day I have sometimes seemed on the verge of 
 the good land. Oh, for mighty faith ! I believe the 
 Lord is willing and able to save me to the uttermost. 
 I believe the blood of Jesus Christ cleanses from all 
 sin. And yet there seems something in the way to 
 prevent me from fully entering in. But to-day I be- 
 lieve at times I have had tastes of perfect love. Oh, 
 that these may be droppings before an overwhelming 
 shower of grace. My chief desire is holiness of 
 heart. This is the prevailing cry of my soul. To- 
 night 'sanctify me through Thy truth Thy word is 
 truth!' Lord, answer my Redeemer's prayer. I 
 see this full salvation is highly necessary in order for 
 me to glorify my God below and find my way to 
 heaven. For 'without holiness no man shall see the 
 Lord!' My soul is at times very happy. I have felt 
 many assurances of pardoning mercy. But I want a 
 clean heart. Oh, my Lord, take me and seal me to 
 the day of redemption." 
 
 Again she writes: 
 
 "This has been a good day to my soul. This 
 morning I felt very happy, and held sweet commun- 
 
 A I8 47, 
 Age 1 8. 
 
 Seeking 
 holiness. 
 
 Tastes of 
 
 perfect 
 
 love. 
 
 Happy!
 
 62 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1848, ion with my God. I feel very poorly, and excessively 
 
 ge I9 ' low, but I find great relief in pouring out my soul to 
 
 God in prayer. Oh, I should like to leave this world 
 
 of sin and sorrow, and go where I could not grieve 
 
 my Lord again!" 
 
 At the beginning of the New Year (i 848) she has the 
 following entry : 
 
 " I have been writing a few daily rules for the com- 
 ing year, which I hope will prove a blessing to me by 
 the grace of God. I have got a printed paper of rules 
 also, which I intend to read once a week. May the 
 Lord help me to adhere to them. But, above all, I 
 Searching am determined to search the Scriptures more atten- 
 th tures P tively, f r i n them I have eternal life. I have read 
 my Bible through twice during the last sixteen 
 months, but I must read it with more prayer for light 
 and understanding. Oh, may it be my meat and 
 drink ! May I meditate on it day and night ! And 
 then I shall 'bring forth fruit in season, my leaf also 
 shall not wither, and whatsoever I do shall prosper. ' ' 
 A few days later we have an interesting glimpse 
 behind the scenes: 
 
 s e if. " I have renewed my practice of abstaining from 
 denying. dj nner on a Friday, and from butter in the morning. 
 I had discontinued this for some time. O my Lord, 
 help me to be more fully decided in all things, and 
 not to confer with flesh and blood, but to be bold to 
 take up and firm to sustain the consecrated cross." 
 
 On the 1 7th January, 1848, she writes: 
 
 Her nine- " Nineteen years to-day I have lived in this world 
 birthday, of sin and sorrow. But oh, I have had many sweets 
 mingled with the bitter. I have very much to praise 
 my God for, more than I can conceive. May I for the 
 future live to praise Him, and to bring glory to His 
 name. Amen."
 
 CHAPTER Vll 
 THE REFORMERS. 1829-1852. 
 
 IT was at this period that a great agitation arose in The Re _ 
 the Wesleyan community, leading ultimately to the 
 withdrawal or expulsion of about one hundred thous- 
 and of its members. Miss Mumford became inter- 
 ested in the controversy, and, since her action in 
 regard to the matter affected the whole of her subse- 
 quent career, it will be necessary to explain briefly 
 its origin and history. 
 
 The Wesleyan Methodist Society was founded by The Wes- 
 John Wesley in 1739. Five years later he held his stffion"" 
 first conference of preachers. But it was not until 
 1783 that he drew up his Deed Poll, establishing an 
 annual conference, which consisted of one hundred 
 ministers, now known as the " Legal Hundred." The The Legal 
 members were appointed for life, the gaps caused by 
 death being annually filled up by the votes of the 
 conference. To this body Wesley delegated the au- Wesleyan 
 
 autocrat. 
 
 tocratic powers which, during his lifetime, he had 
 
 reserved in his own hands. The democratic element The dem- 
 ocratic 
 had, however, after Wesley's death, gradually gained element. 
 
 strength, claiming for itself a voice in the Connex- 
 ional government, and in the administration of its 
 revenues. How far the governmental question was 
 used as a catch-cry by a dissatisfied minority of the Was u a 
 
 J J J catch- 
 
 ministers who hoped, upon the shoulders of the peo- cry? 
 pie, to climb into office and dispossess the party then 
 
 63
 
 64 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1847, in power, it is not for us to say. It is certain, how- 
 ge l ' ever, that it gave rise to several agitations, in the 
 course of which the secessions occurred which led to 
 Origin of the establishment of the younger branches of Meth- 
 former's. odism. The most serious of these disputes com- 
 menced in 1844, with the publication of an anony- 
 The Fly mous pamphlet entitled " Fly Sheets from the Private 
 Correspondent," purporting to be issued "by order 
 of the Corresponding Committee for detecting, expos- 
 ing and correcting abuses." Wholesale charges of 
 maladministration were levelled against leading mem- 
 bers of the Connexion, and sweeping reforms were 
 advocated by the writer, in terms which were calcu- 
 lated to embitter the existing controversy. In 1846 
 the second number of the Fly Sheets appeared, and 
 in the three following years the third, fourth, and fifth 
 were published. 
 The men The Annual Conference of 1 847 decided that meas- 
 
 in masks. 
 
 ures should be taken for the discovery and punishment 
 of "the men in masks," who were the writers of 
 these pamphlets, since it was manifest that the mat- 
 ter could no longer be ignored, being calculated to 
 exercise a mischievous influence, subversive of confi- 
 dence and discipline. The authors of the Fly Sheets 
 were known to be ministers ; it was therefore resolved 
 that each minister in the Connexion should be re- 
 
 Ine Con- 
 ference quired to give a definite "Yes" or "No" answ r er, as 
 
 asserts its ,-,-,,. 
 
 author- to whether he had been in any way concerned in the 
 publication. The objection raised against such a pro- 
 ceeding, as unusual, unjustifiable, and inquisitorial in 
 its character, was over-ruled, and a declaration, re- 
 pudiating any connexion with the authorship of the 
 pamphlets, was drawn up for signature. 
 2? Seventy ministers refused to sign this document. 
 
 brotherly 
 
 question. Of these, however, some forty gave an implied denial.
 
 THE REFORMERS. 65 
 
 With regard to the others it was decided that those 1847, 
 who might be suspected should be called to appear ge * ' 
 before the Conference, when a "brotherly question" 
 should be put to them by the president, and that, in 
 case of their refusal to answer, they should be dealt 
 with for contumacy. The result of this course of 
 action was that, in 1849, three of the ministers, who 
 were looked upon as the leaders in the agitation, were 
 expelled from the society, while others, who had more 
 or less supported or sympathised with them, were 
 reprimanded. 
 
 But this firm attitude on the part of the Conference, The con- 
 instead of putting an end to the controversy, only Breads. 
 served to add fresh fuel to the flames, and converted 
 what had hitherto been to a large extent a ministerial 
 squabble into a widespread conflict, which convulsed 
 the entire denomination. The aggrieved party had 
 anticipated the probable result of its uncompromising 
 attitude, and had prepared itself for a prolonged 
 struggle by the issue of journals and pamphlets which 
 would advocate its policy of reform and ventilate its 
 grievances. The most important of these was The 
 Wesleyan Times, a weekly newspaper, of which the The Wes- 
 first number was issued on the 8th January, 1849. Times. 
 It purported to be a liberal and independent organ, 
 bound to no particular party, but representing the 
 true interests of the Wesleyan body. As a matter of 
 fact, it became the medium of the agitators who were 
 subsequently known as the Reformers, while the 
 Watchman was the mouthpiece of the conservatives. wa^tlh- 
 
 Certainly the acrimonious spirit which the con- man - 
 flict assumed reflected little credit on either the 
 one side or the other. The " Fly Sheets" were marked 
 by a personality and animosity which it would have teredfeei- 
 been all but impossible to tolerate within the ranks of 
 
 5
 
 66 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1849, any well-ordered organisation, and which were sadly 
 ge 20 ' antagonistic to the spirit of Christianity. 
 
 On the other hand, the orthodox party would have 
 done well to exercise greater patience and self-con- 
 trol. A few timely concessions, a resolute determi- 
 nation not to return railing for railing, and an exer- 
 cise of persistent love toward the malcontents and 
 their numerous friends would no doubt have saved 
 the Connexion from many of its heaviest losses. At 
 any rate, it would have been the soundest and most con- 
 vincing proof that the charges heaped upon the Con- 
 ference by its enemies were base and foundationless 
 calumnies, and that its leaders were still, what they 
 professed to be, the true representatives of John 
 Wesley's teachings, the veritable and worthy succes- 
 sors of their venerable apostle. Had such a course 
 
 A loss* been pursued, there is little doubt that they would at 
 least have happily retained within their pale two de- 
 voted members, who were destined, perhaps, to be the 
 most prominent figures in the religious history of the 
 nineteenth century. Unfortunately the disputants on 
 either side allowed themselves to be betrayed into 
 language which can scarcely be justified, however 
 righteous the cause it was intended to defend. 
 Some It cannot be denied, on the one hand, that the Re- 
 
 m com- formers had some reason for complaint. The conduct 
 
 pia.nt. o ^ e Conference had in several instances been 
 
 arbitrary and high-handed. The utmost stretch of 
 
 charity could hardly invent any justifiable motive for 
 
 The ban- their sudden banishment of the remarkable American 
 
 ishment , . . , 
 
 of Can- evangelist Caughey, and this at a time when he was 
 in the very zenith of his success. He was a Methodist 
 minister, and his doctrines agreed in every particular 
 with those of the Conference. Crowds flocked to his 
 meetings from all the country-side, thousands of
 
 THE REFORMERS. 67 
 
 souls sought salvation, and the revival was at its flood- 1850, 
 tide, when the Conference compelled his withdrawal, 
 causing wide-spread discontent among multitudes of 
 the most loyal ministers and members of the Connex- 
 ion, and exposing themselves to charges of envy and 
 jealousy to which it was very difficult to reply. 
 
 Nevertheless, the Reformers put themselves in the injurious 
 
 1 . A . , , . invect- 
 
 wrong by resorting to personalities and invectives i ves . 
 which no amount of provocation could palliate or ex- 
 cuse. Nor is it probable that the remedies which they 
 proposed would have served to eradicate the evils of 
 which they complained. In all likelihood they would 
 but have substituted another class of difficulties for 
 those which they were seeking to combat. Indeed it 
 is open to question whether an opposite policy might 
 not have been the best. 
 
 It cannot be doubted by any student of Methodist Wesley's 
 
 despot- 
 history that Wesley's own government was far more ism. 
 
 despotic than that of the "Legal Hundred." But 
 the conviction that he was actuated by the purest 
 motives, and supremely fitted for his post, enabled 
 him to hold the reins of his paternal monarchy with a 
 firm yet elastic hand, his authority unquestioned, and 
 his person to the last beloved. Had he, like Moses, should it 
 delegated his authority to some Joshua, or like Elijah aV con- er 
 dropped his falling mantle upon some Elisha, and had tinuedf 
 these in turn chosen similar successors, it is possible 
 that the interests of the Connexion would have been 
 better safeguarded, and its spirituality preserved, 
 than by the institution of the "Legal Hundred." On 
 this, opinions are certain to differ. 
 
 To substitute the rule of the sheep for that of the The rule 
 shepherds has, it is true, some obvious advantages. sheep. 
 But whether the counterbalancing dangers and draw- 
 backs are not of a still more serious character was and
 
 68 
 
 BOOTH. 
 
 1851, 
 
 yX rrA 22 
 
 Miss 
 
 mews - 
 
 Longing 
 
 fOT Ct &" 
 
 The po- 
 
 Retalia- 
 measures 
 
 Thou- 
 
 sands ex- 
 
 must be still open to grave controversy. Miss Mum- 
 ford's intense sympathy wth the people led her to re- 
 gard the controversy with more than ordinary interest. 
 Her views of church government subsequently under- 
 went a great change, but at the time of which we 
 write, although so staunch a Wesleyan she strongly 
 favoured the Congregational system. 
 
 She longed, moreover, to see a revival of old-time 
 Methodism with its deep spirituality and intense pas- 
 sion for souls. Hence she hailed the Reform move- 
 ment as the harbinger of a happier era when her 
 church should be restored to its first love, the souls of 
 the people revived, and the spirit of its founders should 
 reinspire both rank and file with the zeal and unction 
 which had constituted their attraction and power in 
 days of yore. 
 
 Miss Mumford studied with deep interest the re- 
 ports of the agitation, sitting up often till the small 
 hours of the night reading to her mother the accounts 
 of the so-called "popish test," and the expulsion of 
 the ministers. Her indignation was excited by what 
 she looked upon as the arbitrary action of the Con- 
 ference. She attended several of the meetings held 
 in London by the Reformers, the most important of 
 these being one in Exeter Hall at which addresses 
 were delivered by the expelled ministers and resolu- 
 tions adopted approving their attitude, and instituting 
 a committee to further the interests of the agitation. 
 
 As might be expected, the Conference responded to 
 the action of the Reformers by retaliatory measures. 
 Thousands of their sympathisers were expelled from 
 
 , ... , , 
 
 the ranks, whilst those who remained were required 
 to abstain from attending their gatherings. A clear, 
 sharp line was drawn, and those who persisted in cross- 
 ing it were visited with the penalties of interdiction.
 
 THE REFORMERS. 69 
 
 The outspoken manner in which she had expressed 1851, 
 her condemnation of the Conference and sympathy ge 22 ' 
 with the Reformers was naturally objected to by her Her ciass- 
 class-leader, who remonstrated with her on the folly ea p roves 
 
 of her course, reminding her that in identifying her- 
 self with the malcontents she would not only forfeit f rj/ - 
 her position in the church she loved, but seriously in- 
 jure her worldly prospects. Such considerations, 
 however, carried little weight with the high-spirited 
 girl. 
 
 The prospect was indeed a painful one. She still A painful 
 
 prospect. 
 
 loved Methodism with all her heart. But there was 
 something that she loved still better, her conception 
 of what was right. To her duty was duty, however 
 disagreeable it might be. Not a hair's-breadth would 
 she swerve from what she believed to be the cause of 
 righteousness. She never paused to consider whether 
 she would be in a minority. " Fiat justitia, mat coe- 
 lum" let justice be done, though the skies fall was 
 the principle on which she acted throughout life. Ms? 
 
 And on the present occasion she could not consent Mum- 
 
 ford ex- 
 
 to withhold her sympathy and countenance from the peiied. 
 cause of those who appeared to have been wronged. 
 Finding arguments of no avail, her class-leader re- 
 luctantly decided to withhold Miss Mumford's ticket 
 of membership. 
 
 It is customary in the Wesleyan body to grant to HOW u 
 each member a ticket, which is renewed from quarter 
 to quarter. A periodical revision of the rolls by the 
 office-bearers of each society is thus insured, the non- 
 renewal of the ticket being tantamount to expulsion. 
 From the decision of the superintending minister and 
 his staff there is practically no appeal. It was thus 
 that Miss Mumford found herself expelled from the 
 Wesleyan Church.
 
 70 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1852, "This was one of the first great troubles of my 
 
 Age 23 
 
 life," says Mrs. Booth, "and cost me the keenest 
 
 Her first anguish. I was young. I had been nursed and 
 
 trouble, cradled in Methodism, and loved it with a love which 
 has gone altogether out of fashion among Protestants 
 for their church. At the same time I was dissatis- 
 fied with the formality, worldliness, and defection 
 from what I conceived Methodism ought to be, judg- 
 ing from its early literature and biographies as well 
 as from Wesley's own writings and his brother's 
 hymns. I believed that through the agitation some- 
 thing would arise which would be better, holier, and 
 more thorough. Here were men who, in my simplic- 
 ity, I supposed wanted to bring back the fervour and 
 aggressiveness of by-gone days. In this hope and in 
 sympathy with the wrongs that I believed the Re- 
 formers had suffered, I drifted away from the Wes- 
 leyan Church, apparently at the sacrifice of all that 
 was dearest to me, and of nearly every personal 
 friend." 
 
 She takes It so happened that the Reformers had commenced 
 
 among to hold meetings in a hall near Miss Mumford's home. 
 
 formers. She was offered and accepted the senior class in the 
 Sunday-school, consisting of some fifteen girls, whose 
 ages ranged from twelve to nineteen. 
 
 For the next three years she threw her whole heart 
 into this effort, preparing her lessons with great care, 
 devoting at least two half-days every week to this 
 purpose, and striving to bring every lesson to a prac- 
 tical result. When the rest of the school had been 
 
 the 9 key. dismissed she would beg the key from the superin- 
 tendent, and hold a prayer-meeting with her girls. 
 This resulted in the conversion of several, one of 
 
 _ , whom died triumphantly. 
 
 Wonder- J 
 
 fui times. " I used to have some wonderful times with my
 
 THE REFORMERS. 71 
 
 class," she tells us. "I made them pray, and I am 1852, 
 sure that anybody coming into one of these meetings ge 23 ' 
 would have seen very much what a Salvation Army 
 consecration meeting is now. They usually all 
 stopped, and sometimes our prayer-meetings would 
 last an hour and a half. Often I went on till I lost , Lo^ng 
 
 her votce. 
 
 my voice, not regaining it for a day or two after. I 
 used to invite them to talk to me privately if anything 
 I said had struck them, and at such times they would 
 pour out their hearts to me, as if I had been their 
 mother. 
 
 " However, I was a great deal disappointed with D\S- 
 the Reformers. I had hoped that we were upon the 
 eve of a great spiritual revival. Instead of this every- 
 thing was conducted very much in the ordinary style, 
 and I soon became heartily sick of the spirit of de- 
 bate and controversy which prevailed to such a de- 
 gree as to cripple the life and power of the concern."
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 The Gen- 
 eral's 
 birth- 
 place. 
 
 His 
 mother. 
 
 His 
 father. 
 
 His con- 
 version. 
 
 He joins 
 the Wes- 
 leyans. 
 
 A zealous 
 band. 
 
 WILLIAM BOOTH. 1829-1852. 
 
 WILLIAM BOOTH was born in Nottingham on the 
 loth April, 1829. His mother was of so amiable a dis- 
 position and saintly a character that he regarded her 
 as the nearest approach to human perfection with 
 which he was acquainted. His father, an able and 
 energetic man of business, attained a position of 
 affluence, but subsequently suffered a reverse of for- 
 tune, and died prematurely, leaving his family to 
 struggle with adverse circumstances. William, the 
 sole surviving son, was apprenticed at an early age to 
 a firm, where it soon became manifest that he had in- 
 herited a double portion of his father's enterprise and 
 commercial skill. 
 
 Reared in the Church of England, he knew nothing 
 of conversion, until, happening to stray into a Wes- 
 leyan chapel, his attention was arrested by the nov- 
 elty and simplicity of the services. For some time he 
 continued to attend. The truths, tersely and power- 
 fully expounded, took an increasing hold of his mind, 
 and on one memorable evening, after days and nights 
 of anxious seeking he publicly and unreservedly gave 
 his heart to God. With his mother's consent, he 
 became immediately a member of the chapel, and, 
 though but a lad of fifteen, he gave proof in manifold 
 measure of the reality of his conversion. 
 
 Connected with the chapel was a band of zealous 
 young men with whom he associated, and whose 
 
 72
 
 WILLIAM BOOTH. 73 
 
 recognised leader he soon became. With one of 1844, 
 these, William Sansom, he was specially intimate, and ge IS * 
 when, a little later, this colleague ruptured a blood- Death of 
 vessel in a prayer-meeting and died, Mr. Booth ar- friend. 
 ranged a special funeral service, closely resembling 
 those subsequently held in the Salvation Army. 
 
 During these early days he was as indefatigable a A hard 
 worker as in later years. Unable to leave business 
 until eight o'clock, he would hurry away each evening 
 to hold cottage meetings, which usually lasted till 
 ten, and which were often succeeded by calls to visit 
 the sick and dying. 
 
 Open-air services were constantly held in connec- A bom 
 
 3 Salva- 
 
 tlOIi with these meetings, and processions were led tionist. 
 down the Goosegate and other thoroughfares, bring- 
 ing to the chapel such a tatterdermalion crowd as 
 
 Sent to 
 
 soon gave rise to a request from the minister that the the back- 
 
 door. 
 intruders should be conducted to the back entrance 
 
 and seated in the hinder part of the building, where 
 their presence would be less conspicuous and dis- 
 agreeable to the more respectable members of the 
 congregation. 
 
 However, without allowing himself to be discour- Toiling 
 aged by such rebuffs, Mr. Booth and his little band 
 toiled on, happy in each other's companionship, and 
 in the success with which their labours were crowned. 
 On the Sunday he would often walk long distances 
 into the country to fulfil some village appointment, 
 stumbling his way home late at night, alone and 
 weary, through dark muddy lanes, cheering himself 
 along by humming the prayer-meeting refrains which 
 during the day had gladdened the hearts of returning 
 sinners. When only seventeen he was promoted to 
 be a local preacher, and two years later his superintend- 
 ent, the Rev. Samuel Dunn, urged him to offer him- teen - 

 
 74 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1849, 
 Age 20. 
 
 Called to 
 the min- 
 istry at 
 nineteen. 
 
 Wor- 
 shipped 
 Method- 
 ism. 
 
 Cared 
 little for 
 creeds. 
 
 Removes 
 
 to 
 London. 
 
 self for the ministry. "I objected," he tells us, "on 
 the grounds of my health and youth." With regard 
 to the former, Mr. Dunn sent me to his doctor, who 
 after examination pronounced me totally unfit for the 
 strain of a Methodist preacher's life, assuring me that 
 twelve months of it would land me in the grave, and 
 send me to the throne of God to receive punishment 
 for suicide. I implored him not to give any such 
 opinion to Mr. Dunn, as my whole heart was set on 
 ultimately becoming a minister. He therefore prom- 
 ised to report in favour of the question being de- 
 layed for twelve months, and to this Mr. Dunn event- 
 ually agreed." 
 
 Referring to this time, Mr. Booth says: "I wor- 
 shipped everything that bore the name of Methodist. 
 To me there was one God, and John Wesley was his 
 prophet. I had devoured the story of his life. No 
 human compositions seemed to me to be comparable 
 to his writings, and to the hymns of his brother 
 Charles, and all that was wanted, in my estimation, for 
 the salvation of the world was the faithful carrying 
 into practice of the letter and spirit of his instruc- 
 tions. 
 
 " I cared little then or afterward for ecclesiastical 
 creeds or forms. What I wanted to see was an or- 
 ganization with the salvation of the world as its su- 
 preme ambition and object, worked upon the simple, 
 earnest principles which I had myself embraced, and 
 which, youth as I was, I had already seen carried into 
 successful practice." 
 
 In 1849, Mr- Booth removed from Nottingham to 
 London. There were temporal advantages in the 
 change. Nevertheless, it was his first absence from 
 home and he sorely missed his mother, by whom he 
 was idolised, and whose affection he ardently returned.
 
 WILLIAM SOOTH. 
 
 75 
 
 "I am the only son of my mother, and she is a 
 widow," was his pathetic introduction of himself to a 
 Methodist brother who, forty years later, remembers 
 the very tone in which the words were tittered. His 
 London life was, moreover, a lonely one. He missed 
 the association of the earnest young men in whose 
 company he had laboured since his conversion. 
 
 " How are you going on ? " He writes in his oldest extant 
 letter dated 3oth October, 1849, to his friend John Savage. 
 " I know you are happy. I know you are living to God, and 
 working for Jesus. Grasp still firmer the standard ! unfold 
 still wider the battle-flag ! Press still closer on the ranks of 
 the enemy, and mark your pathway still more distinctly with 
 glorious trophies of Emmanuel's grace, and with enduring 
 monuments of Jesus' power! The trumpet has given the sig- 
 nal for the conflict ! Your General assures you of success and 
 a glorious reward ; your crown is already held out ! Then why 
 delay! Why doubt ? Onward! Onward! Onward! Christ 
 for me! Be that your motto be that your battle-cry be 
 that your war-note be that your consolation be that your 
 plea when asking mercy of God your end when offering it to 
 man your hope when encircled by darkness your triumph 
 and victory when attacked and overcome by death ! Christ 
 for me! Tell it to men, who are living and dying in sin! 
 Tell it to Jesus, that you have chosen Him to be your Saviour 
 and your God. Tell it to devils, and bid them cease to harass, 
 since you are determined to die for the truth ! 
 
 " I preached on Sabbath last a respectable but dull and life- 
 less congregation. Notwithstanding I had liberty both pray- 
 ing and preaching, I had not the assistance of a single 'Amen' 
 or 'Hallelujah' the whole of the service! It is hard to work, 
 to preach, to labour for an hour and a half in the pulpit, and 
 then come down and, have to do the work of the prayer- 
 meeting as well! I want some Savages, and Proctors, and 
 Frosts, and Hoveys, and Robinsons, here with me in the 
 prayer-meetings, and, glory to God, we would carry all be- 
 fore us ! Praise God for living at Nottingham every hour you 
 are in it ! Oh, to live to Christ on earth, and to meet you 
 once more, never to part, in a better world ! " 
 
 1849, 
 Age 20, 
 
 The Gen- 
 eral's 
 earliest 
 extant let- 
 ter. 
 
 The Army 
 foreshad- 
 owed. 
 
 No 
 Amens!
 
 76 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1850, 
 ge 2I ' 
 His plan 
 
 His early 
 
 TOO much 
 shroud 
 
 Another 
 letter. 
 
 It is interesting to trace thus early what afterward 
 came to be a distinguishing feature of General Booth's 
 "plan of campaign," the utilising of every converted 
 person in some capacity, as distinguished from the 
 parson-do-everything system which he here so strongly 
 deprecates. Nothing perhaps more powerfully char- 
 acterises the Salvation Army of later years than its 
 "ministry of all the talents." This has meant noth- 
 ing short of a revolution in the religious world. But 
 we should hardly have expected the happy discovery 
 to have been made at so early a date. 
 
 There were not wanting, however, those who en- 
 deavoured to throw cold water upon his vehement 
 zeal. "Young man," said one of these critics, "there 
 * s * muc h f th e shroud in your preaching." Said 
 th ers "You are not sufficiently argumentative. 
 Your sermons do not display sufficient marks of 
 study!" 
 
 How disheartening he felt their remarks to be, we 
 i earn from some of the letters written to his friend, 
 John Savage. 
 
 On the 3Oth of March, 1850, he writes: 
 
 " Concerning my pulpit efforts, I am more than ever dis- 
 couraged. Upon becoming acquainted with my congrega- 
 tions, I am surprised at the amount of intellect which I have 
 endeavoured to address. I am waking up as it were from a 
 dream, and discover that my hopes are vanity, and that I lit- 
 erally know nothing." 
 
 In another letter he writes more cheerfully: 
 
 " I preached twice yesterday at Norwood a dear people. In 
 the morning, I trust, 'O Lord, revive Thy work,' was accom- 
 panied with blessing, and in the evening, 'Jesus weeping over 
 Jerusalem,' though not attended with pleasurable feelings to 
 myself, yet I hope went home to some heart. I saw nothing 
 done!
 
 WILLIAM BOOTH. ^^ 
 
 " Afterwards I had some conversation with one of our local 1850, 
 preachers respecting the subject with regard to which my Age 2I< 
 heart is still burning I mean the full work. He advises me 
 by all means to offer myself next March, and leave it in the 
 hands of God and the Church. What say you? You are my 
 friend, the chosen of my companions, the man after my own 
 heart. What say you ? I want to be a devoted, simple and 
 sincere follower of the Bleeding Lamb. I do not desire the 
 pastor's crust without having most distinctly received the 
 pastor's call. And yet my inmost spirit is panting for the 
 delightful employment of telling from morn till eve, from eve 
 to midnight, the glad tidings that mercy is free. 
 
 " Mercy ! Have you heard the word ? Have you felt its 
 power ? Mercy ! Can you describe its hidden, unfathomable 
 meaning ? Mercy ! Let the sound be borne on every breeze ! 
 Mercy ! Shout it the world around until there is not a sin- 
 unpardoned, a pollution-spotted, a hell-marked spirit, un- 
 washed, unsanctified ! until there is not a sign of the curse in 
 existence, not a sorrow unsoothed, not a tear unwiped away ! 
 until the world is flooded with salvation and all men are bath- 
 ing in its life-giving streams !" 
 
 What are we to think of the inconceivable blind- 
 ness of the superintendent, who could cold-bloodedly 
 tell the fiery young evangelist, when he proposed to 
 offer himself for the ministry, that "preachers were Preachers 
 not wanted by the Connexion !" We cannot help smil- wanted. 
 ing as we find William Booth writing to his friend, 
 that he was seriously thinking of tendering his services 
 as chaplain to a convict-ship, in order to work his way 
 out to Australia, as he had heard that it was easier to 
 enter the ministry there than in England. He adds 
 touchingly : 
 
 " And then my mother's image flits across my mind ! You 
 know I would prefer by far the home-work. But the difficul- 
 ties are so great. My ability is not equal to the task. 
 Preachers are not wanted. My superintendent told me so- 
 And to go to quarter-day and not succeed would break my 
 heart. Were my talents of a superior nature, were my at-
 
 78 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1851, tainments of a more elevated character, and my education 
 Age 22. more liberal and extensive, then might I calculate with some 
 degree of certainty on passing the scrutiny of the criticising 
 leaders, preachers, and trustees of the London fifth, or Lam- 
 beth circuit." 
 
 His atti- In 1851, the Reform movement was at its height. 
 
 im dsthe But the character which the agitation had assumed 
 
 licf crs m " possessed little interest for William Booth. To him 
 the all-absorbing question of his life was how best to 
 reach and save the masses. Certainly he had shared 
 the universal disappointment at the banishment of 
 Mr.Caughey from Nottingham, when the revival was at 
 its very height. Himself converted only a few months 
 previously, his heart fired with all the burning en- 
 thusiasm of its^ early love, he could not understand 
 the motives that prompted the Conference to put a 
 stop to so manifest a work of God. Still, like others, 
 he had bowed to the decision, and had accepted what 
 he could neither hinder nor approve. 
 
 The Rev. It was inevitable, however, that he should be in 
 
 Samuel j j . . -, . 
 
 Dunn, some measure concerned and interested in a move- 
 ment which involved the loss of nearly one-third of 
 its members to the Wesleyan Connexion. Several of 
 his personal friends were among those who seceded 
 or were expelled, and the Rev. Samuel Dunn, who 
 was the leading spirit in the agitation, had been for 
 three years his own superintendent in Nottingham, 
 had recognised his ability, admired his zeal, and di- 
 rected his studies for the ministry. But beyond at- 
 tending a few of the meetings held in London by the 
 Mr. Booth Reformers, Mr. Booth held studiously aloof from 
 a/oo/. them, neither preaching for them nor in any way 
 identifying himself with them. Nevertheless, in 
 the society to which he belonged there were already 
 twenty-two lay-preachers, and the pulpit work to be
 
 WILLIAM BOOTH. 79 
 
 divided among them was so trifling as to afford but 1851, 
 little scope for the intense activities and organizing 
 genius which already fired his heart and brain. Feel- 
 ing that his time would be better spent in open-air 
 work in the streets and greens of Kennington, he 
 tendered the resignation of his honorary post, request- 
 ingf at the same time that his name might be retained 
 
 6 ship. 
 
 among the list of members. 
 
 An agitation assuming the proportions and duration is sus- 
 of the Reform movement could hardly fail to be pec 
 marked by incidents of a regretable character. The 
 entire atmosphere seemed laden with doubt and sus- 
 picion. Innocent actions were misunderstood, and 
 inoffensive words misinterpreted. Nor would it be 
 just to blame the Conference for the over-zeal dis- 
 played by some of their well-meaning but too hasty 
 partisans. To uproot a field of wheat, in order to ex- 
 tirpate an occasional tare, is a temptation to which 
 human nature has been ever open. 
 
 It so happened that the minister in charge of Mr. And ex- 
 Booth's circuit was of an uncompromising heresy- 
 hunting disposition. It is scarcely to be wondered 
 at, therefore, that he viewed with suspicion the con- 
 duct of his lay assistant. Making sure that he had 
 discovered once more the cloven hoof of the Reform- 
 ers, and determined to purge his society from every 
 trace of the pernicious taint, he withheld the usual 
 ticket of membership, and thus practically expelled 
 from the Wesleyan body the most talented and bril- 
 liant Methodist of the day. Not a finger was lifted, 
 not an effort made, not a protest uttered, not a syl- 
 lable of kindly counsel offered, by this strangely 
 infatuated shepherd of the flock, who, with an as- 
 sumption of infallibility that the Pope himself could 
 scarcely have rivalled, wrapped himself in the cloak
 
 8o MRS, BOOTH. 
 
 1851, of his ecclesiastical dignity, and would deign no fur- 
 ther response beyond a curt letter refusing to acqui- 
 esce in Mr. Booth's proposal. 
 
 The Re- No sooner, however, had the Reformers heard of 
 this unjustifiable expulsion than they passed a resolu- 
 
 t( tilem. tion cordially inviting Mr. Booth to join their ranks. 
 
 The suggestion was warmly seconded by one of their 
 
 leaders, a Mr. Rabbitts, who had almost from the 
 
 time of his first arrival in London entertained a warm 
 
 His affection for Mr. Booth. Mr. Rabbitts was engaged 
 
 3fr"^a6- in the boot and shoe trade, owning three or four 
 
 biits - shops, which afterward developed into an enormous 
 
 concern with its headquarters in the Borough. He 
 
 was a good type of the shrewd, hard-headed, pushing 
 
 business man, combining with his worldly wisdom 
 
 boundless energy and a deep appreciation for true re- 
 
 ligion. Himself a man of consistent Christian char- 
 
 acter, he was not ashamed to show his colours wher- 
 
 ever he went, and took the lead in every good work. 
 
 A promt- When the agitation arose, Mr. Rabbitts embraced 
 
 former, very warmly the cause of the Reformers. He had 
 
 been dissatisfied for some time with what he consid- 
 
 ered to be the growing coldness and worldliness of 
 
 the Orthodox party, and had therefore hailed the 
 
 present movement with satisfaction, believing that it 
 
 would lead to a revival of the old life and fire. 
 
 Hears He had been present at the first sermon delivered 
 
 Mr 
 
 Booth's by Mr. Booth in the Walworth Road Wesleyan 
 Chapel. The latter had launched out in his usual 
 unconventional, earnest manner, strikingly in contrast 
 with the ordinary ministerial style. Some of those 
 present responded heartily, and the ordinary monot- 
 ony of the service was disturbed by quite a brisk fu- 
 siladeof " Amens." Mr. Rabbitts was delighted. He 
 met the preacher at the foot of the stairs, congratu-
 
 WILLIAM BOOTH. 8 1 
 
 lated him warmly on his sermon, and took him home 1851, 
 to dinner, forming on the spot a friendship which ge 22 ' 
 lasted to the end of his life. 
 
 "Why don't you become a minister?" said Mr. 
 
 Rabbi tts, as they walked toward his house. And on ministry. 
 discovering that this was Mr. Booth's most ardent de- 
 sire, he promised to use his influence among the Wes- 
 leyan ministers in London, with some of whom he 
 was on specially intimate terms. 
 
 Various obstacles had, however, arisen, which had Mr. Booth 
 
 1 c * -r -i joins the 
 
 prevented the realization of Mr. Booth s intentions, Reform- 
 until the circumstances just described combined to 
 cast him into the arms of the Reformers. It was in 
 June, 1851, that he joined them, preaching as fre- 
 quently as he was able to do without relinquishing 
 his business, and enjoying a considerably wider scope 
 for his energies than had previously been possible. 
 
 It was some months after he had joined the Reform- Preaches 
 ers that Mr. Booth was planned to preach at one of a jMd 
 their chapels known as Binfield House, and situated in House - 
 Binfield Road, Clapham. It was a nice little hall 
 holding some two or three hundred people. The 
 services were arranged on- the ordinary Wesleyan 
 model, and were conducted in turn by different local 
 preachers. Of this congregation, Mrs. Mumford and 
 her daughter were members, and it was here that 
 Catherine led the Bible class already referred to. 
 
 On the Sunday that Mr. Booth preached she was Miss 
 present, and although he was a perfect stranger to criticises 
 her, she was very much impressed with him at first 
 sight. The sermon was from the text, "This is in- 
 deed the Christ, the Saviour of the World." It so 
 happened that during the following week Miss Mum- 
 ford met Mr. Rabbitts, whom she had known for some 
 time, and was asked by him for her opinion of the 
 6
 
 82 
 
 MRS. BOOTH, 
 
 1851, 
 Age 22. 
 
 The Gen- 
 eral meets 
 
 Miss 
 Mumford 
 
 at Mr. 
 Babbitts'. 
 
 The tem- 
 perance 
 recital. 
 
 preacher. She expressed it freely, saying that she con- 
 sidered it the best sermon she had yet heard in Binfield 
 Hall. Little did she think, however, that Mr. Rabbitts, 
 who reckoned her one of the ablest judges of a sermon 
 in London, would pass it on to the preacher himself. 
 
 About a fortnight afterward, Mr. Rabbitts invited 
 the principal Reformers of the district to his house 
 for afternoon tea and conversation, hoping thus to 
 promote a spirit of love and unity and to advance the 
 interests of the agitation v Mrs. and Miss Mumford 
 were among the guests, and so was Mr. Booth. The 
 latter came in late, but was almost immediately 
 pounced upon by the host to recite an American tem- 
 perance piece, which he had heard him repeat some 
 days previously. Knowing that there were scarcely 
 any teetotallers in the room, Mr. Booth objected 
 strongly, on the ground that it was not worth while 
 occupying the time with it, when other important 
 subjects required to be discussed, adding that the 
 theme was also one which might disturb the harmony 
 of the gathering. However, Mr. Rabbitts was in- 
 exorable and would accept no excuse. He must and 
 would have the "Grogseller's Dream," and the fact 
 that he was not an abstainer himself would, he was 
 sure, prevent any one present from feeling uncom- 
 fortable. Amidst earnest attention and with all the 
 dramatic force that earned for him a little later the 
 title of the "John Gough of England," Mr. Booth re- 
 cited the ballad. We give it as quoted from his 
 memory, believing it will be of interest : 
 
 THE GROGSELLER'S DREAM. 
 
 "A grogseller sat by his bar-room fire, 
 His feet as high as his head and higher, 
 Watching the smoke as he puffed it out, 
 Which in spiral columns curved about,
 
 WILLIAM BOOTH. 83 
 
 Veiling his face 'neath its fleecy fold, 1851, 
 
 As lazily up from his lips it rolled, Age 22, 
 
 While a doubtful scent and a twilight gloom 
 
 Were slowly gathering to fill the room. 
 
 To their drunken slumbers, one by one, 
 
 Foolish and fuddled, his friends had gone, 
 
 To wake in the morn to a drunkard's pain, 
 
 With bloodshot eyes and a reeling brain. 
 
 Drowsily rang the watchman's cry, 
 
 'Past two o'clock and a cloudy sky!' 
 
 But our host sat wakeful still, and shook 
 
 His head and winked with a knowing look. 
 
 'Aha, ' said he, in a chuckling tone, 
 
 'I know the way the thing is done ! 
 
 Twice five are ten, and another V, 
 
 Two ones, two twos, and a ragged three, 
 
 Make twenty-four to my well-filled fob 
 
 I think it is rather a good night's job ! 
 
 The fools have guzzled my brandy and wine ! 
 
 Much good may it do them ! The cash is mine !' 
 
 And he winked again with a knowing look, 
 
 As from his cigar the ashes he shook. 
 
 'There's Gibson has murdered his child, they say 
 
 He was drunk as a beast here the other day ! 
 
 I gave him a hint, as I went to fill 
 
 His jug, but the brute would have his will. 
 
 Then folks blame me ! Why, bless their souls, 
 
 If I did not serve him, he'd go to Coles' ! 
 
 I've a mortgage too, on Tomkinson's lot, 
 
 What a fool he was to become a sot ! 
 
 But it's luck to me ! In a month or so, 
 
 I shall foreclose ! then the scamp must go ! 
 
 Oh, won't his wife have a taking on, 
 
 When she hears that his farm and his lot are gone ! 
 
 How she will blubber and sob and sigh ! 
 
 But business is business, and what care I? 
 
 Yet I hate to have women coming to me, 
 
 With their tweedle-de-dum and their tweedle-de-dee ; 
 
 With their swollen eyes and their haggard looks, 
 
 And their speeches learnt from Temperance books, 
 
 With their pale lean children the whimpering fools, 
 
 Why don't they go to the public schools? 
 
 I've a right to engage in a lawful trade, 
 
 And take my chance where there's cash to be made.' 
 
 And he rubbed his hands in his chuckling glee, 
 
 And loudly laughed, 'Aha ! Eehee ! '
 
 84 MRS. BOOTH. . 
 
 1851, 'Aha! Eehee!' 'twas an echoed sound! 
 
 Age 22. Amazed the grogseller looked around! 
 
 'Aha! Eehee!' 'twas a guttural note, 
 That seemed to come from an iron throat ! 
 And his knees they shook and his hair 'gan rise, 
 And he opened his mouth and strained his eyes, 
 And, lo, in a corner, dark and dim, 
 Stood an uncouth form with aspect grim ! 
 From his grizzly head, through his snaky hair, 
 There sprouted of hard rough horns a pair ; 
 Redly, his shaggy brows below, 
 Like sulphurous flames did his small eyes glow ; 
 His lips they were curled with a sinister smile, 
 And the smoke belched forth from his mouth the while ! 
 In his hand he bore, if a hand it was, 
 Whose fingers were shaped like vulture's claws, 
 A three-tined fork, and its prongs so dull 
 Through the sockets were thrust of a grinning skull ! 
 Gently he waved it to and fro, 
 And softly chuckled, ' Aha ! Oho ! ' 
 And all this while were his eyes, that burned 
 Like sulphurous flames, on the grogseller turned! 
 And how did he feel beneath that look? 
 Why, his jaw fell down and he shivered and shook, 
 And quivered and quaked in every limb, 
 As though the ague had hold of him ! 
 And his eyes to the monster grim were glued, 
 And his tongue was stiff as a billet of wood ! 
 'Come, come,' said the Devil, ' 'tis a welcome cold, 
 That you give to a friend so true and old ! 
 Who has been for years in your employ, 
 Running about like an errand boy ! 
 But we'll not fall out, for I plainly see 
 You are rather afraid 'tis strange of me ! 
 Why, what do you fear, my friend? ' he said, 
 And he nodded the horns of his grizzly head. 
 ' Do you think I've come for you f Never fear ! 
 You can't be spared for a long time here ! 
 There are hearts to break, there are souls to wir 
 From the paths of peace to the ways of sin ! 
 There are homes to be rendered desolate. 
 There is trusting love to be changed to hate, 
 Hands that murder must crimson red 
 There are lives to wreck there is blight to be shed, 
 O'er the young, o'er the old, o'er the pure and the fair, 
 Till their lives are crushed by the fiend Despair.
 
 WILLIAM BOOTH. S$ 
 
 The arm that shielded a wife from ill 1851, 
 
 In its drunken rage shall be raised to kill ! Age 22. 
 
 Where'er it rolls, that fiery flood, 
 
 'Tis swollen with tears, 'tis stained with blood! 
 
 Long shall it be, if I have my way, 
 
 Ere the night of death shall close your day ! 
 
 For to pamper your lust with the gold and pelf, 
 
 You rival in mischief the Devil himself ! ' 
 
 No more said the fiend, for, clear and high, 
 
 Rang out on the air the watchman's cry. 
 
 With a stifled sob and a half-formed scream 
 
 The grogseller woke ! It was all a dream. 
 
 Solemn and thoughtful his bed he sought, 
 
 And long on that midnight vision he thought ! " 
 
 The recital was followed by an awkward pause, MISS 
 which was broken by some one venturing an apology 
 on behalf of moderate drinking, perhaps as an excuse 
 for the numerous non-abstainers present. This af- 
 forded Miss Mumford an opportunity for replying, 
 much to the delight of Mr. Rabbitts, who knew and 
 appreciated her conversational and debating powers, 
 and who enjoyed hearing her demolish her opponent, 
 even when the lines of argument happened to militate 
 against himself. 
 
 From subsequent conversations it can be readily The Bible 
 imagined how ably Miss Mumford would measure 
 swords with her opponent. "The Bible permits it," 
 was commonly argued by the defenders of the mod- 
 eration faith. And of all pretexts used by those 
 who sought to bolster up the nation's curse, this was 
 the one with which she had the least sympathy. " I 
 think you are mistaken," she would reply, in the 
 silvery, yet emphatic tones with which she commonly 
 entered into such debates. "I have not'so read and 
 interpreted my Bible. At a first superficial glance 
 it might indeed appear so. But if you read with care, 
 you will observe that there are two kinds of wine re-
 
 86 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1851, 
 Age 22. 
 
 Making 
 people 
 
 sober by 
 Act of 
 Parlia- 
 ment. 
 
 The Rev- 
 enue. 
 
 Chris- 
 tians do 
 it. 
 
 The teeto- 
 tal sup- 
 per. 
 
 f erred to in the Bible, one intoxicating and the other 
 not. The former is generally spoken of as 'strong 
 drink,' or some equivalent term, and is invariably 
 coupled with language of condemnation, never used 
 in connexion with the other." 
 
 And then there was the argument, "but you cannot 
 make people sober by Act of Parliament." "lam 
 not so sure about that," she would reply; "by shut- 
 ting up the liquor dens, you can certainly minimise 
 the evil, since you remove the temptation from those 
 who are too weak to resist it. What is there to pre- 
 vent the government from doing this ? It has been 
 done in some places with the best possible results. 
 In the villages and districts where its use has been 
 prohibited, drunkenness is comparatively unknown, 
 thus proving by experience that people can be made 
 sober by Act of Parliament." 
 
 " But what would become of the Revenue?" have 
 further argued her objectors. "Revenue!" would 
 Mrs. Booth reply; " What would become of a man, if 
 he were to suck his own blood and eat his own flesh? 
 How can a kingdom flourish that lives upon the de- 
 struction of its subjects, and that draws its revenues 
 from their very graves?" 
 
 And to the plea that plenty of excellent Christians 
 do it and see no harm in it, has come the prompt re- 
 ply : " The more the pity, for as the American revival- 
 ist, Mr. Charles Finney, has said, it would be almost 
 as easy to get up a revival in Hell itself as in a church 
 whose members support the traffic, and some at least 
 of whom may well be supposed to be the slaves of the 
 evil." 
 
 But supper was announced, and the guests ad- 
 journed to the hospitable table of their host. How 
 far the company were convinced by the recitation and
 
 WILLIAM BOOTH. 
 
 debate to which they had listened, we cannot tell, 
 but for that night at least the wine offered remained 
 tmtasted, and water was the favoured drink. 
 
 More important and lasting, however, than the re- 
 sult of this discussion in its influence on the future 
 were the feelings of mutual respect, sympathy, and 
 
 REV. C. G. FINNEY, D.D. 
 
 admiration that it awakened in the hearts of Catherine 
 Mumford and William Booth. Mr. Rabbitts had un- 
 consciously helped to lay the foundation of a union 
 which should make possible the fulfilment of his most 
 cherished hopes, and which should gather together 
 and resurrect the dry bones, with which he saw the 
 religious valley to be so full, until they should stand 
 upon their feet, "an exceeding great army." 
 
 1851, 
 Age 22. 
 
 An un- 
 foreseen 
 result.
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 THE ENGAGEMENT. 
 
 The Gen- THE ioth of April, 1 852, was a memorable day in 
 birthday, the history of William Booth. It was his birthday 
 the day on which he finally relinquished business for 
 the ministry, and, as if to accentuate the significance 
 of the sacrifice, it was a Good Friday. Finally it was 
 on this day that the respect and admiration with 
 which he regarded Miss Mumford ripened into a life- 
 long love. 
 
 Becomes He was now practically her pastor. The Reformers 
 ter. had accepted him as their preacher, at the instance of 
 Mr. Rabbitts, who had undertaken to pay him his 
 salary. " How much will you require?" he asked, in 
 broaching the question. " Twelve shillings a week 
 will keep me in bread and cheese," responded the first 
 Salvation Army Captain. " I would not hear of such a 
 thing," replied his friend; "you must take at least a 
 pound." And so, with this modest remuneration, 
 Mr. Booth commenced his work as a preacher of the 
 Gospel, " Passing rich on fifty pounds a year!" 
 Again He had set apart the day to visit a relative, with a 
 view to interesting him in his new career, when Mr. 
 Rabbitts, happening to meet him, carried him off to 
 a service held by the Reformers in a school-room in 
 Cowper Street, City Road. Catherine was present, 
 and the casual 'acquaintance that commenced a few 
 weeks previously was renewed, Mr. Booth escorting 
 her home when the meeting was over.
 
 THE ENGAGEMENT. 89 
 
 Although a mutual and ardent affection sprang up, 1852, 
 
 which deepened on each succeeding interview, neyer- ge 23 ' 
 
 theless no engagement was entered into, until after An ar- 
 
 the most thorough and prayerful consideration. In- ' 
 
 deed, apart from the love and admiration which each 
 entertained for the other, the prospects were by no 
 means encouraging. Mr. Booth had left behind 
 him the business career, in which he would doubtless 
 have made good use of his energy and organising 
 abilities. In spite of flattering offers he had no de- 
 sire to return to it. His whole soul was aflame for 
 the ministry. But for this he imagined that he 
 should need years of study and preparation. The 
 door of the Wesleyan Church had been closed against 
 him. The post he held among the Reformers was Dissatis- 
 temporary and unreliable, and each week increased the^Re- 
 his dissatisfaction with their discipline and mode of 
 government. They had thrown off the yoke of what 
 they looked upon as a tyrannical priesthood, but, as is 
 often the case with human nature, the pendulum had 
 now swung from one extreme to the other. Having 
 first disputed the authority of their ordained pastors, 
 they now refused to acknowledge that of those whom 
 they had themselves appointed, and whom they were 
 likewise free at any moment to discharge. 
 
 This was no doubt a capital training for the future Dem- 
 General of the Salvation Army. He tasted by bitter despof- 
 experience that a democratic government could be as lsm ' 
 tyrannical as a paternally despotic one. Under the 
 name and cloak of liberty, he found himself fettered 
 hand and foot. 
 
 As a body the Reformers included within their Afac- 
 ranks many of the best and noblest spirits in Wes- clique. 
 leyan Methodism. Nevertheless, it will be easily 
 understood, that amid the turmoil of the agitation the
 
 9 o 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1852, 
 Age 23. 
 
 Power 
 
 vested in 
 
 wrong 
 
 hands. 
 
 Uncer- 
 tain fu- 
 ture of 
 the Re- 
 formers. 
 
 The 
 
 moderate 
 party. 
 
 more turbulent and demagogic characters pushed 
 their way to the front. This was particularly the case 
 in regard to the little group with whom Mr. Booth 
 had cast in his lot, and whom he always considered as 
 poorly representing the movement at large. 
 
 The power was vested in those who did not know 
 how properly to use it. His judgment was controlled 
 and his plans were thwarted by people who were too 
 brainless to think, too timid to act, or too destitute 
 of spirituality to appreciate his intense passion for 
 souls. This he was sure could not be God's plan for 
 leading His people to battle. "Order is Heaven's 
 first law," became henceforth a maxim that firmly 
 embedded itself in his mind. 
 
 Then again the future of the Reformers was 
 wrapped in uncertainty. Their original intention 
 was, without leaving the Wesleyan body, to organise 
 themselves as a radical democratic party, a sort of 
 constitutional opposition of a parliamentarian char- 
 acter. For a time they were content to be in a mi- 
 nority. Ultimately they believed their views would 
 prevail. But the action of the Conference, in expel- 
 ling them wholesale from the ranks of the Connexion, 
 had forced them to reconsider the question. Some 
 were for returning to the mother-church. These 
 formed an influential party of reconciliation, who 
 endeavoured this very year (1852) to approach the 
 orthodox portion of the society, and obtain some 
 moderate concessions, which would enable them to 
 return. But the Conference were inflexible, refus- 
 ing to receive the deputation that was sent to wait on 
 them. The memorial was certainly read, but the 
 answer sent denied the allegations made, and re- 
 jected the prayer of the petitioners. 
 
 A large number, however, among the Reformers
 
 THE ENGAGEMENT. $1 
 
 were opposed to mediation, and preferred to be or- 1852, 
 ganised into a separate church, whilst others desired 
 to cast in their lot with some of the more liberal Divided 
 Methodist denominations, which were waiting to re- 
 ceive them with open arms. 
 
 With such divided counsels, the future of the Re- 
 formers could not but be uncertain, and so far as 
 study for the duties of a regular ministry was con- 
 cerned it might be necessary to wait for years before 
 the organisation had sufficiently developed to make 
 this possible. 
 
 Mr. Booth doubted whether, with prospects so un- 
 satisfactory, he should be justified in allowing Miss Her gt 
 Mumford to enter into any engagement. Some of love - 
 the letters that were exchanged are so interesting, 
 and the spirit manifested so exemplary, that we can- 
 not do better than refer to them. The earliest is 
 dated nth May, 1852, when the question of the en- 
 gagement was still undecided : 
 
 " MY DEAR FRIEND : I have been spreading your letter be- 
 fore the Lord, and earnestly pleading for a manifestation of 
 His will to your mind. And now I would say a few words of 
 comfort and encouragement. 
 
 " If you wish to avoid giving me pain, don't condemn your- 
 self. I feel sure God does not condemn you, and if you could 
 look into my heart you would see how far I am from such a 
 feeling. Don t pore over the past! Let it all go! Your de- 
 sire is to do the will of God, and He will guide you. Never 
 mind who frowns, if God smiles. 
 
 "The words 'gloom, melancholy, and despair,' lacerate my Seekina 
 heart. Don't give way to such feelings for a moment. God to do 
 loves you. He will sustain you. The thought that I should w m 
 increase your perplexity and cause you any suffering, is al- 
 most intolerable. I am tempted to wish that we had never 
 seen each other ! Do try to forget me, as far as the remem- 
 brance would injure your usefulness or spoil your peace. If 
 I have no alternative but to oppose the will of God, or tram-
 
 9 2 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1852, 
 Age 23. 
 
 Taking 
 counsel 
 of God. 
 
 Never 
 mind the 
 circum- 
 stances. 
 
 pie on the desolations of my own heart, my choice is made ! 
 ' Thy will be done ! ' is my constant cry. I care not for my- 
 self, but oh, if I cause you to err, I shall never be happy again ! " 
 
 In the same letter she adds : 
 
 " It is very trying to be depreciated and slighted when you 
 are acting from the purest motives. But consider the char- 
 acter of those who thus treat you, and don 't overestimate their 
 influence. You have some true friends in the circuit, and 
 what is better than all, you have a Friend above, whose love 
 is as great as His power. He can open your way to another 
 sphere of usefulness, greater than you now conceive of." 
 
 Little did the writer think how prophetic was this 
 last sentence. How immeasurable would have been 
 their surprise had the veil been lifted for a moment, 
 and a glance into the distant future permitted to 
 the two doubt-bestricken, fear-beleaguered lovers, so 
 anxious to do right, and to obey the dictates of their 
 enlightened consciences, rather than to follow the 
 unbridled clamourings of their hearts. In looking 
 back we see the mighty issues that were then at stake, 
 and all around are spread the fruit unto eternity of 
 that sanctified resolution. Well would it be for 
 thousands if they paused similarly to take counsel of 
 God, before committing themselves to any decision 
 in so momentous a matter. 
 
 Two days later Miss Mumford writes again : 
 
 " MY DEAR FRIEND : I have read and re-read your note, 
 and fear you did not fully understand my difficulty. It was 
 not circumstances. I thought I had fully satisfied you on that 
 point. I thought I had assured you that a bright prospect 
 could not allure me nor a dark one affright me, if we are 
 only one in heart. My difficulty, my only reason for wishing 
 to defer the engagement, was that you might feel satisfied in 
 your own mind that the step is right. I dare not enter into 
 so solemn an engagement until you can assure me that you
 
 THE ENGAGEMENT. 93 
 
 feel I am in every way suited to make you happy, and that jge 2 
 you are satisfied that the step is not opposed to the will of Age 23. 
 God. If you are convinced on this point, irrespective of cir- 
 cumstances, let circumstances go, and let us be one, come 
 what may ; and let us on Saturday evening, on our knees be 
 fore God, give ourselves afresh to Him and to each other. 
 When this is done, what have we to do with the future ? We 
 and all our concerns are in His hands, under His all-wise and 
 gracious Providence. 
 
 " Again I commend you to Him. It cannot, shall not be 
 that you shall make a mistake. Let us besiege His Throne 
 with all the powers of prayer, and believe me, 
 " Yours affectionately, 
 
 " CATHERINE." 
 
 And so on that Sabbath eve, the 1 5th May, 1852, The 
 reason gave its sanction, and conscience set its seal, ev ^nt' 
 to an engagement which was fraught with results 
 that eternity will alone reveal. In the dim twilight 
 of that summer day the twin foundation stones were 
 laid of a living temple more blessed and beautiful 
 than that which crowned the summit of Moriah a 
 temple whose precious stones and costly timbers were 
 to be hewn without hands in the depths of darkest 
 fetishism, in the jungles of hopeless heathendom, 
 and in the civilised and educated, but beweaponed 
 and submerged mass of nihilism, socialism , and des- 
 potism, .which calls itself Christianity a temple 
 which was to be finally fitted and framed into one 
 harmonious, glorious, imperishable whole, without 
 sound of axe or hammer, by the heavenly craftsmen, 
 as a part and parcel of the New Jerusalem, and an 
 eternal monument of the wonder-working hand of 
 its divine Architect. 
 
 The following letter, written a few days subse- A 
 quently, might almost have been penned by a Han- 
 nah or Mary, when rejoicing over their answered 
 prayers, and deserves to be embalmed in memory:
 
 94 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1852, 
 Age 23. 
 
 A glad re- 
 sponse. 
 
 The high- 
 est earth- 
 ly bliss. 
 
 A mark 
 of disci- 
 pleship. 
 
 Bursting 
 
 the 
 bubbles. 
 
 " MY DEAREST WILLIAM : The evening is beautifully serene 
 and tranquil, according sweetly with the feelings of my soul. 
 The whirlwind is past, and the succeeding calm is propor- 
 tionate to its violence. Your letter your visit have hushed 
 its last murmurs and stilled every vibration of my throbbing 
 heart-strings. All is well. I feel it is right, and I praise God 
 for the satisfying conviction. 
 
 " Most gladly does my soul respond to your invitation to 
 give myself afresh to Him, and to strive to link myself closer 
 to you, by rising more into the likeness of my Lord. The 
 nearer our assimilation to Jesus, the more perfect and 
 heavenly our union. Our hearts are now indeed one, so one 
 that division would be more bitter than death. But I am satis- 
 fied that our union may become, if not more complete, more 
 Divine, and consequently capable of yielding a larger amount 
 of pure, unmingled bliss. 
 
 " The thought of walking through life perfectly united, to- 
 gether enjoying its sunshine and battling with its storms, by 
 softest sympathy sharing every smile and every tear, and with 
 thorough unanimity performing all its momentous duties, is 
 to me exquisite happiness ; the highest earthly bliss I desire. 
 And who can estimate the glory to God and the benefit to 
 man, accruing from a life spent in such harmonious effort to 
 do His will ? Such unions, alas, are so rare, that we seldom 
 see an exemplification of the Divine idea of marriage. 
 
 " If indeed we are the disciples of Christ, 'in the world we 
 shall have tribulation ; ' but in Him and in each other we may 
 have peace. If God chastises us by affliction, in either mind, 
 body, or circumstances, it will only be a mark of our disci- 
 pleship ; and if borne equally by us both, the blow will not 
 only be softened, but sanctified, and we shall be enabled to 
 rejoice that we are permitted to drain the bitter cup together. 
 Satisfied that in our souls there flows a deep undercurrent of 
 pure affection, we will seek grace to bear with the bubbles 
 which may rise on the surface, or wisdom so to burst them as 
 to increase the depth, and accelerate the onward flow of the 
 pure stream of love, till it reaches the river which proceeds 
 out of the Throne of God and of the Lamb, and mingles in 
 glorious harmony with the love of Heaven. 
 
 " The more you lead me up to Christ in all things, the more 
 highly shall I esteem you ; and if it be possible to love you
 
 THE ENGAGEMENT. 
 
 95 
 
 more than I now do, the more shall I love you. You are 
 always present in my thoughts. 
 
 " Believe me, dear William, as ever, 
 
 " Your own loving 
 
 " KATE." 
 
 One more letter we are tempted to quote : 
 
 " 22d MAY, 1852. 
 
 " MY DEAR WILLIAM : I ought to be happy after enjoying 
 your company all the evening. But now you are gone and 
 I am alone, I feel a regret consonant with the height of my 
 enjoyment. How wide the difference between heavenly and 
 earthly joys! The former satiate the soul and reproduce 
 themselves. The latter, after planting in our soul the seeds 
 of future griefs and cares, take their flight and leave an ach- 
 ing void. 
 
 " How wisely God has apportioned our cup ! He does not 
 give us all sweetness, lest we should rest satisfied with earth ; 
 nor all bitterness, lest we grow weary and disgusted with our 
 lot. But He wisely mixes the two, so that if we drink the one, 
 we must also taste the other. And perhaps a time is coming 
 when we shall see that the proportions of this cup of human 
 joy and sorrow are more equally adjusted than we now im- 
 agine that souls capable of enjoyments above the vulgar 
 crowd, can also feel sorrow in comparison with which theirs 
 is but like the passing April cloud in contrast with the long 
 Egyptian night. 
 
 " How wise an ordination this is, we cannot now discover. 
 It will require the light which streams from the Eternal 
 Throne to reveal to us the blessed effects of having the sen- 
 tence of death written on all our earthly enjoyments. I often 
 anticipate the glorious employment of investigating the mys- 
 terious workings of Divine Providence. Oh, may it be our 
 happy lot to assist each other in these heavenly researches in 
 that pure bright world above ! 
 
 " But I have rambled from what I was about to write. I 
 find that the pleasure connected with pure, holy, sanctified 
 love, forms no exception to the general rule. The very fact 
 of loving invests the being beloved with a thousand causes of 
 care and anxiety, which, if unloved, would never exist. At 
 least I find it so. You have caused me more real anxiety 
 
 1852, 
 Age 23. 
 
 The phil- 
 osophy of 
 earthly 
 joys. 
 
 The ca- 
 pacity to 
 
 enjoy is 
 
 the ca- 
 pacity to 
 
 suffer.
 
 96 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1852, than any other earthly object ever did. Do you ask why? 
 Age 23. j have already supplied you with an answer ! " 
 
 After referring to some domestic matters she gives 
 an interesting glimpse behind the scenes at the con- 
 clusion of her letter : 
 
 Don't sit " Don't sit up singing till twelve o'clock, after a hard day's 
 up sing- work. Such things are not required by either God or man, 
 and remember you are not your own. 
 " I remain, dear William, 
 
 " Yours in truth and the love of Jesus, 
 
 " CATHERINE." 
 
 The reference to the General as a young man of 
 twenty-three, after a hard day's work sitting up sing- 
 ing till midnight is one of those unmeant life-touches, 
 which vivify the picture of the past, reminding one 
 of the painter who in despair flung his sponge at the 
 canvas intending to obliterate the scene, but producing 
 by the merest accident the very effect which his ut- 
 most effort had failed to secure. The incident serves 
 as a side-light to a^life an " ecce homo" to the leader, 
 who was to girdle the earth with a belt of song, 
 till, to use the expression of a recent church divine, 
 the Salvation Army had sung its way round the world. 
 
 Among the sacred resorts of Indian pilgrims is All- 
 ahabad, the so-called "City of God." Here the waters 
 ms ' of the Jumna embosom themselves in those of the 
 Ganges, and the united streams wend their fertilising 
 course through the rich plains of Bengal. Each bank 
 is studded with countless villages, while at various 
 points arise crowded and thriving cities, the teeming 
 population depending largely for their subsistence 
 upon the river, whose volume of waters, undiminished 
 by the prodigious demands, rolls onward to the ocean. 
 
 Even such was to be the issue of the blending of
 
 THE ENGAGEMENT. 97 
 
 these two life-currents in a single channel, which was 1852, 
 thenceforth to become a source and centre of increas- ge 23 ' 
 ing spiritual blessing, extending to generations yet 
 unborn, and the sum total of which eternity will alone 
 reveal. In seeking first "the Kingdom of God," the 
 all things promised were indeed superabundantly 
 added, and Miss Mumford was able to write: 
 
 " As far as earthly happiness is concerned, I never knew so 
 much as now. I have just spent an hour or two of the purest 
 earthly bliss I ever enjoyed. Had I never drunk so co- 
 piously at the fountain, I might be in danger of resting satis- 
 fied with the streams. But I bless the Lord, He has made 
 it impossible for me to be rn.o.&e^satisfied with anything short 
 of a complete union and constant communion with Himself. 
 Oh that we may know the bliss of being fully one with God 
 (John xiv. 20)." 
 7
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 CONGREGATIONALISM. 1852. 
 Miss MUMFORD viewed without dismay the doc- 
 
 Perplex- 
 
 con- trinal and controversial labyrinths through which Mr. 
 
 Booth had now to pass. The clue once grasped, she 
 helped him to follow the thread through all the per- 
 plexing mazes, which seemed so hopelessly entangled. 
 The doors they would have entered seemed persist- 
 ently blocked. Orthodox Wesleyanism was too re- 
 spectable. The Reformers were too unsettled for 
 him to contemplate making a permanent home among 
 them. What with committees and votes, resolutions 
 and amendments, every one wanting to lead and no- 
 The body willing to follow, like the Indian bulbul, tied by 
 
 buibui. an invisible thread, he could only flutter from finger 
 to finger of his many-fingered master, and view with 
 chagrin the tantalising heaps of grain that lay just 
 beyond his reach. 
 
 Miss Mumford threw her whole heart into the ques- 
 tion. She realised that Mr. Booth possessed abilities 
 of no ordinary description. She was convinced that 
 he only needed a suitable opportunity for his genius 
 to assert itself, and that, providing he had fair play, 
 he would soon rise to a level that was impossible for 
 the mediocrities who surrounded him, and who only 
 maintained their superiority by suppressing or decap- 
 
 Proposai itatins: those whose gifts or graces eclipsed their own. 
 
 to join the 
 
 Cdngre- A possible way of deliverance at length suggested 
 itself to her. There was near her home a large Con- 
 
 9 8
 
 CONGREGA TIONALISM. 99 
 
 gregational chapel, which she frequently attended. 1852, 
 
 Its talented pastor, the Rev. David Thomas, was an 
 
 able preacher, whose intellectual and powerful ser- Dr. 
 
 mons she very much relished. Might it not be that 
 
 among this people the longed-for sphere of usefulness 
 
 was to be discovered ? Certainly the attempt seemed 
 
 worth making. " I argued," she afterward said, " that A modest 
 
 ambition. 
 
 with them William would be able to make a church 
 after his own heart, introducing such methods and 
 agencies as he might think likely to be useful. I 
 could not see why he should not combine all that was 
 precious to him in Methodism with the liberty of the 
 Independents, to whom my early studies in church his- 
 tory had somewhat inclined me." 
 
 But the effort, though spread over several months, Dr. 
 beginning in July and lasting till October, proved 
 ultimately abortive. True, Mr. Booth was most 
 kindly received by Dr. Campbell, an influential min- 
 ister of the denomination in London, pastor of one of 
 its principal churches, and editor of several religious 
 papers. 
 
 " I was not very sanguine as to the result of this Mr. 
 visit," says Mr. Booth. " A friend had informed me ^fin- 
 before that the doctor was a busy man, and that his termew - 
 usage was always to speak to strangers in the lobby, 
 in order to get them off as quickly as possible. True 
 to his custom, the doctor came out to me, but after a 
 few sentences he took me into his room. Pointing 
 to a chair, he said, 'Sit down and tell me your story,' 
 and after listening: to it volunteered the opinion: 'I "Hike 
 
 you." 
 
 like you, and believe the Congregational church is 
 just the place for you. You will make your way in 
 it, and I will help you all I can. ' I asked him whether 
 my views as to the universal love of God would be 
 any hindrance to my acceptance and success. To this
 
 100 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1852, 
 Age 23. 
 
 he replied: 'No, you will noi be troubled on that 
 
 score. Go to college, study your Bible, and then 
 The doc- come out and preach whatever doctrine you honestly 
 difficulty, believe you find there.' The doctor then gave me an 
 
 introduction to some other ministers whom he thought 
 
 likely to help me, and shook me affectionately by the 
 
 hand as I rose to leave." 
 
 The result of the interviews which followed we 
 
 learn from a letter to Dr. Campbell written a few 
 
 days later: 
 
 Letter to 
 
 Dr. 
 Campbell. 
 
 Dr. Mas- 
 sey dis- 
 courages 
 the Gen- 
 eral from 
 entering 
 the min- 
 istry. 
 
 " 25th JUNE, 1852. 
 " REVEREND SIR : 
 
 " The kind reception with which, although a perfect 
 stranger, you favoured me, the counsel you gave, and your 
 request that I should either call or write a fortnight from that 
 hour, is the excuse 1 offer for again intruding upon your 
 notice. Among other things you wished me, too, again to see 
 the Rev. W. Leask of Kennington, which I accordingly did, 
 stating that I had seen you. He told me that if I went to see 
 Mr. Edwards of the New Chapel, City Road, he would be able 
 to give me all the information I needed respecting the Train- 
 ing Institution at Cotton End. I therefore called upon the 
 Rev. W. S. Edwards, who received me very kindly and 
 directed me to Dr. Massey at the office of the Home Mission- 
 ary Society, saying that he would tell me all I wished to 
 know. From the latter I received, that which is nothing new 
 to me, some discouraging information. His advice was to 
 the following effect: 'You had better go back to business for 
 about two years, unite yourself with an Independent church, 
 sit under an intellectual minister, and then through that 
 church offer yourself to the society.' Dr. Massey further 
 stated 'the almost impossibility of my procuring admission 
 into the college, because of there being now more candidates 
 than vacancies. ' 
 
 " With this counsel I cannot see my way clear to comply. 
 To wait in uncertainty for one or two years, and then, after 
 that, to be two or three years longer in training, ere I could 
 settle down to a sphere of labour, is not in accordance with 
 my feelings or hopes. But even this, should I see it to be
 
 CONGREGATIONALISM. IOI 
 
 the path my Father points out, I am willing to walk therein. 1852, 
 All I can do now is to stand still and see the salvation of God. Age 23. 
 
 " Perhaps the ministry is not my way. He may have an- 
 other work for me to do. My prayer, my constant prayer is, Booth's 
 'Teach me Thy will, and bow my own in submission to it.' fears. 
 My only fear is, that I have not sufficient ability to be a suc- 
 cessful minister, or otherwise I would push the thing to its 
 utmost issue. I fear reaching a position which I should not 
 be able usefully to sustain. I fear having formed an erroneous 
 estimate of myself, my capacities and powers, and I tremble 
 at the consequences. But the God whom I serve, and whose 
 I am, lives to direct, and in Him I put my trust, and on Him 
 I only lean. 
 
 " I thank you with the gratitude of a sincere heart for your 
 kindness in giving me the direction you deem most judicious, 
 and which must have occupied a portion of your time, which 
 I know to be so valuable. 
 
 " I trust that God will make you more than ever useful in 
 diffusing light and truth and the knowledge of salvation in 
 our poor dying world, and praying for the blessing of the Holy 
 Spirit upon your labours, 
 
 " I remain, reverend sir, yours sincerely, 
 
 " WILLIAM BOOTH." 
 
 Rev. J. Campbell, D. D. 
 
 The Rev. Dr. Massey referred to in this letter was The Cot- 
 Secretary to the Home Missionary Society of the Con- ^nsut^- 
 gregational Union, which had a Training Institution ilon - 
 at Cotton End. Here Mr. Booth had reason to be- 
 lieve he would have the advantage of some months' 
 study, without being obliged to spend three or four 
 years at the dead languages and without going 
 through the ordinary ministerial curriculum, which, 
 he feared, would be more likely to hamper than help 
 him in his work of saving souls. 
 
 Backed up by Dr. Campbell and other influential Mr. Booth 
 members of the Union, and above all encouraged by 
 Miss Mumford, Mr. Booth persevered in his efforts to 
 enter the institution.
 
 102 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1852, 
 
 tes ' 
 
 opinions, 
 
 Commits 
 
 ford, 
 
 Her view 
 matter. 
 
 He frankly stated to the examining committee his 
 difficulty regarding the doctrine of election. In spite 
 of this, however, owing no doubt to Dr. Campbell's 
 influence, he was finally accepted, and was to start 
 for the Cotton End college the following day. 
 
 At the same time he was told that no such excep- 
 tion had previously been made, and the committee 
 expressed their conviction that at the expiration of 
 six months' study he would be able to conform to the 
 doctrines of the body, recommending him two rather 
 noted volumes on the controversy Booth's " Reign 
 of Grace," and Payne on "Divine Sovereignty." 
 
 This was so different to what Dr. Campbell had led 
 him to believe, that Mr. Booth was tempted to settle 
 the question on the spot and to inform the committee 
 that it was impossible for him to accept their nomina- 
 tion on such an understanding. However, he curbed 
 hi s impetuosity, and hurried home to tell Miss Mum- 
 ford what had transpired, and to seek with her Divine 
 guidance. From the time he first knew her, Mr. 
 Booth had learned to place great reliance in her 
 sound judgment, and to the end of her life he em- 
 barked on no important enterprise, nor struck out on 
 any new path, without consulting her, and enjoying 
 the full benefit of her statesmanlike and far-reaching 
 mental instinct. 
 
 Miss Mumford rose to the occasion. Indeed, like 
 a well-built vessel in a storm, these life tornadoes 
 only served to call into play the innate capacities of 
 her soul. Moreover, she took a more hopeful view 
 of the case than Mr. Booth was inclined to do. It 
 seemed evident to her, from what Dr. Campbell and 
 others had said, that the committee di not fairly rep- 
 resent the feelings of the Union. There was, at 
 least, an important and influential section of the body
 
 CONGREGA TIONALISM. 103 
 
 who, if they did not exactly agree with Mr. Booth's 1852, 
 views, would at any rate leave him free to think and ge 23 * 
 act according to the dictates of his conscience. Never- 
 theless, she trembled lest she should influence him 
 in the wrong direction. Fearing that anxiety for her 
 future well-being might influence him, she besought 
 him to exclude her from his' considerations, and to 
 decide as he would have done had he not known her. 
 "Don't think," she said, "I shall be disappointed or Urgeshtm 
 dissatisfied, if you settle against the college. I prom- hiscon- 
 ise you it will not cause me one hour's uneasiness, and 
 should it be afterward necessary, I will exert all my 
 ingenuity and influence to smooth and comfort your 
 mind under any misgivings as to the judiciousness 
 of the step, whatever path the Providence of God may 
 open before you. All my energies shall be thrown 
 into it, and, as far as I am able, I will be a help-meet 
 for you. So long as you are useful and happy, I shall 
 be satisfied under any circumstances." 
 
 On his way home, Mr. Booth had bought one of He studies 
 
 J the Reign 
 
 the books recommended to him by the committee, of Grace. 
 This he now opened with no ordinary interest and 
 curiosity, but he had not read many pages before he 
 flung the book across the room, saying that he never Flings the 
 could acquiesce in the doctrines which it set forth, away. 
 and that it would be a mere waste of time for him to 
 attempt to do so. 
 
 The more honourable and straightforward course 
 seemed to be to write to the committee and tell them 
 plainly that he could not accept the nomination, 
 coupled as it was with an understanding, or condition, 
 to which his heart would not consent. 
 
 "How can J go to an institution," he argued, Abandons 
 
 the 
 
 "where I shall be obliged to study such books and proposal. 
 expected to accept such doctrines? At present I am
 
 104 MJ?S. BOOTH. 
 
 1852, free. I am under no obligations to the committee. 
 
 ge 23 ' I can hold what opinions I like. But when once I 
 have received their favours, I shall feel as if I were 
 morally bound to accept their teachings. It is one 
 thing to forsake Methodism. It is quite another to 
 abandon a doctrine, which I look upon as a cardinal 
 point in Christ's redemption plan His universal 
 love, and the possibility of all being saved who will 
 avail themselves of His mercy." 
 
 And so the question was then and there settled, 
 and the letter written, which closed the ports of this 
 hoped-for haven against the storm-bound boat, leav- 
 ing it to drift for a time in mid-ocean, till after varied 
 experiences of tempest and calm it should at length 
 ride at anchor in a harbour of its own. 
 A friend- God had something vastly more important in store 
 
 ing. for William Booth and Catherine Mumford than the 
 pastoral care of an Independent church, to which they 
 were then aspiring as the ideal of a useful life. Never- 
 theless, the parting was a friendly one, and it was a 
 little remarkable that thirty-six years later Catherine 
 Booth closed her public career, and delivered her last 
 address, in perhaps the leading Congregational tem- 
 ple of the world. The " I like you" of Dr. Campbell 
 in 1852 was repeated by Dr. Parker in 1888, in fare- 
 welling from the public stage to higher spheres of 
 usefulness the greatest woman minister of the age. 
 It has fitly represented the attitude of the Union to 
 the organisation which Mrs. Booth mothered and in 
 the history of which she played so prominent a part. 
 Another While this controversy was still going on un- 
 decided, Mr. Booth received a warm invitation to 
 assist Dr. Ferguson of Ryde, with the ultimate possi- 
 bility of succeeding him as pastor of his congregation. 
 The offer was, however, declined. But the following
 
 CON GREG A TIONALISM. I o 5 
 
 letter, written to Miss Mutnford on the 28th July, and 1852, 
 referring to both the questions, will be read with in- 
 terest : 
 
 " MY OWN DEAR CATHERINE: 
 
 " I have just received a letter (three sheets of note-paper) 
 from my friend in the Isle of Wight. He says very plainly 
 that he cannot give me up, and prays me to reconsider the 
 determination expressed in my last. He calls upon me by 
 all that is sacred not to go to be whitewashed at college, but 
 to go to Ryde, where, as he says, I shall have superior oppor- 
 tunities for mental and moral training. 
 
 " While I do not feel disposed to alter my views in regard 
 to the position I should have to fill at Ryde, or even to recon- 
 sider my decision upon the subject, still I must say this im- 
 portunity considerably adds to my perplexity. He looks upon 
 our meeting as strictly providential. He beseeches me not to 
 go to college. I give you a quotation : ' We have a college 
 ministry already, and what are they doing in reference to the 
 salvation of souls? Their college whitewash is only garnish- 
 ing the sepulchre of dead souls. We want a quickening-, 
 soul-saving ministry, affectionately brought to bear upon the 
 consciences and hearts of sinners. ' Again he says : ' Here 
 is the place for your social, and I believe loving, heart to ex- 
 pand and quicken. Don't go to college. Your thoughts were 
 directed here. The experience of thousands of students says, 
 'Don't go to college.' Their theology has become stereo- 
 typed their social and moral nature has lost its vigour and 
 power, while immured within the college walls. ' What say 
 you to the matter? I hope you are not making yourself un- 
 happy. This is my reason for writing. I am not miserable; 
 do not fear that. I prayed earnestly all the way home last 
 night for guidance. I believe it will be given. I am reading 
 Finney and Watson on election and final perseverance, and I 
 see more than ever reason to cling to my own views of truth 
 and righteousness." 
 
 These negotiations appear to have fallen through, 
 simultaneously with the arrangement to enter the 
 Cotton End Institution, and Mr. Booth was again left
 
 106 MJ?S. BOOTH. 
 
 1852, in uncertainty. Although he had given away his 
 
 ge 23 ' last sixpence to a poor girl dying of consumption, 
 
 Giving yet the conviction that his decision was a conscientious 
 
 a iastsix l - S one, involving as it did the sacrifice of his almost 
 
 pence, accomplished ambition, filled him with satisfaction. 
 
 Nor was Miss Mumford one to repine over the past. 
 
 Cheerfully they faced the doubtful future, waiting on 
 
 God. to reveal what should be their course. They 
 
 were not left long in doubt.
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 SPALDING, LONDON. 1852. 
 THE determined attitude of the Wesleyan Confer- r ^f. 
 
 J Spalding 
 
 ence their open declaration of war with the mal- Reform- 
 contents their refusal to accept the advances made 
 during this year by the would-be mediators, and the 
 evident hopelessness of any prospective reconciliation, 
 compelled the Reformers to look elsewhere for minis- 
 ters. This was at least the predicament in which 
 the Spalding circuit had found itself placed. It was 
 a country district, some thirty miles in extent, grouped 
 round the town after which it had been named. Here 
 the Conference had hitherto possessed a flourishing 
 cause, but the cream of the laity had gone over to 
 the Reformers, who had now struggled on some time 
 without a minister. 
 
 Finding themselves unable to make satisfactory pro- They in- 
 
 vite Mr. 
 
 gress, they wrote to the central committee for a pastor, Booth. 
 who should organise and superintend their scattered 
 congregations. Mr. Booth was invited to fill the 
 post. This appeared to be a call from God, and in it 
 we can undoubtedly trace a Providential purpose. 
 Hitherto his labours had been confined to large cities, 
 which certainly furnished an admirable training- 
 ground and scope for effort. Nevertheless, it would 
 be difficult to over-estimate the value of the experi- 
 ence gained by fifteen months of active toil in a coun- 
 try district. The proportion of the world's population 
 which -is " cabined, cribbed, confined " in towns is, 
 
 107
 
 io8 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1852, 
 Age 23. 
 
 A useful 
 experi- 
 ence. 
 
 Studies 
 post- 
 poned. 
 
 The invi- 
 tation ac- 
 cepted. 
 
 A hearty 
 reception. 
 
 after all, comparatively small. The vast majority are 
 still settled on the land. It was as important that 
 Mr. Booth should understand by personal experience 
 their modes of living and habits of thought, as it was 
 that he should explore the miserable recesses of slum- 
 dom and familiarise himself with all the phases of 
 city life. 
 
 It was reported that the Spalding Reformers were 
 more docile and amenable to discipline than the little 
 knot with which Mr. Booth had associated in London. 
 He would doubtless, therefore, have more liberty of 
 action, and among the unconventional country peo- 
 ple there appeared to him a better prospect for an 
 ingathering of souls. 
 
 On the other hand Miss Mumford argued that it 
 would entail a further postponement of the prepar- 
 ation which seemed so necessary for a ministerial 
 career, and the unsettled state of the Reformers made 
 it doubtful whether the goal of ordination could be 
 reached within a reasonable time. Moreover, it in- 
 volved a separation from which they mutually shrank. 
 The ready access for communion and counsel, which 
 London afforded, had been especially prized, and they 
 could not but view the prospect of forfeiting it with 
 reluctance. 
 
 Mr. Booth, however, was so wearied with the in- 
 activity of the past few months, that it certainly ap- 
 peared worth while to give the new sphere a trial, 
 and to judge on the spot what probability there 
 might be for harmonious and successful effort. 
 Hence, after united and earnest prayer, it was decided 
 to accept the invitation to the Spalding circuit. 
 
 It was the end of November, 1852, when, the 
 preliminary negotiations being completed, he started 
 for his new field of labour. That he was agreeably
 
 SPALDING, LONDON. 109 
 
 surprised and much gratified with his reception is 1852, 
 evident in the following extracts from his letters to ge 23 ' 
 Miss Mumford: 
 
 " My reception has been beyond my highest anticipations. 
 Indeed my hopes have risen fifty per cent, that this circuit 
 will be unto me all that I want or need. 
 
 " I do think it was the hand of God that brought me here. 
 The fields are white unto the harvest. The friends are ex- 
 tremely affectionate, and I believe that many precious souls 
 will be gathered in unto God. I had a good day yesterday. 
 The people were highly satisfied, and I trust benefited. 
 
 " I know how pleased you will be when I tell you how kind 
 all are to me. The best they have is at my service. The 
 most talented, the most respectable, and the most holy men 
 in the circuit, so far as I can judge, are on our side, and 
 wherever I go, I am welcomed. 
 
 " On Sunday I preached at Holbeach from the ' faithful 
 saying. ' It went well. The people wept an excellent con- T ^ e P ef> - 
 gregation. Strong men were completely melted down. 
 It was a good time to my soul. In the afternoon Mr. 
 Hardy wished me to preach for him at Thet Fen a small 
 low house I could hardly stand upright in, but two rooms 
 were full of precious souls fifty I should think, and I stood 
 in the door-way and told how ready Jesus was to save to the 
 uttermost all who came unto God by Him. At night we were 
 full at Holbeach. I preached from Blind Bartimeus; some 
 little liberty. Four souls cried for mercy." 
 
 The letters abound with the deepest sentiments of 
 affection : 
 
 " I have brought with me to Spalding a far better likeness Better 
 than the daguerreotype namely, your image stamped upon than the 
 my soul. I press the dear outline of your features to my otype. 
 lips and yearn for the original to press to my heart. Heaven 
 smile upon thee, my dearest love." 
 
 To these letters Miss Mumford responded cor- 
 dially, at the same time sending the most practical 
 advice, and entering with keenest interest into all the 
 details of his life and work. She writes:
 
 no MS. BOOTH. 
 
 1852, " It affords me great pleasure to hear the minutiae of your 
 Age 23. proceedings, and of the prosperity and extension of Reform 
 principles in the circuit. I wish Mr. Hubbard and his coad- 
 jutors [Conference preachers from Boston] would stay at home 
 and let you have it all your own way, as I know you like that. 
 But perhaps we ought rather to rejoice that Christ is preached 
 even of contention. At all events I don't think Mr. Hubbard 
 will do the people much harm. He has not sufficient talent 
 to enrapture them with very eloquent eulogiums of Confer- 
 ence. And as to his spirit, unless .very much altered, I dare 
 almost venture my salvation on its Christlike character. I 
 am very sorry and surprised that he does not come out on the 
 side of Reform. But we must judge charitably. 
 
 How to " I perceive, my love, by your remarks on the services you 
 preach, have held, that you enjoy less liberty, when preaching in the 
 larger places before the best congregations, than in the smaller 
 ones. I am sorry for this, and am persuaded it is the fear of 
 man which shackles you. Do not give place to this feeling. 
 Remember you are the Lord's servant, and if you are a 
 faithful one, it will be a small matter with you to be judged 
 of man's judgment. Let nothing be wanting beforehand to 
 make your sermons acceptable, but when in the pulpit try to 
 lose sight of their worth or worthlessness, so far as composi- 
 tion is concerned. Think only of their bearing on the destiny 
 of those before you, and of your own responsibility to Him 
 who hath sent you to declare His gospel. Pray for the wisdom 
 which winneth souls, and never mind what impression the 
 preacher makes, if the word preached takes effect. May the 
 Lord bless you, my dearest love, and fit you to be His in- 
 strument in saving others without its entailing any harm to 
 your own soul." 
 
 In another letter she says : 
 
 " I was very pleased to hear you were going to read Mr. 
 Fletcher's life. I hope you will always keep some stirring 
 biography on the read. It is most profitable. 
 
 Hoio to " I am much encouraged by the accounts of your prospects 
 get on. j n thg c j rcu j t> an( j h ave no f ear about you suiting the people 
 
 providing your heart is filled with the love of God, and your 
 head stored with Scripture truth and useful knowledge. As 
 a preacher I am sure you have nothing to fear. With a
 
 SPALDING, L OND ON. 
 
 1 1 1 
 
 1852, 
 Age 2 3- 
 
 Apolo- 
 
 A favor- 
 He air. 
 
 reasonable amount of study, you are bound to succeed. 
 Whereas, if you give place to fear about your ability, it will 
 hamper you and make you appear to great disadvantage. 
 
 " Try and cast off the fear of man. Fix your eye simply on 
 the glory of God, and care not for the frown or praise of man. 
 Rest not till your soul is fully alive to God. 
 
 " You may justly consider me inadequate to advise you in 
 spiritual matters. After living at so great a distance from God 
 myself, I feel it deeply I feel as though I could lay myself 
 at the feet of any of the Lord's faithful followers, covered 
 with speechless shame for my unfaithfulness. But so great 
 is my anxiety for your soul's prosperity, that I cannot for- 
 bear to say a word sometimes, even though realizing that I 
 need your advice far more than you need, mine." 
 
 A few days later she writes : 
 
 " The post-boy is just going past, singing that tune you 
 lik'ed so, 'Why did my master sell me?' [a secular air to which 
 Mr. Booth had adapted spiritual words.] He frequently passes 
 my window humming it, and somehow it brings such a shade 
 over my heart, making me realize my loneliness, now that 
 I hear you sing it no longer ! 
 
 " I have felt it very good to draw nigh unto God. Oh to 
 live in the spirit of prayer ! I feel it is the secret of real re- 
 ligion, the mainspring of all usefulness. In no frame does 
 the soul so copiously receive and so radiantly reflect the rays 
 of the Sun of Righteousness as in this !" 
 
 The social qualities of the young preacher, from HIS early 
 the very first, found him a place in the hearts of the 
 people. His intense zeal was coupled with shrewd 
 common sense, and his ultra-pietism was totally de- 
 void of unnatural sanctimony. He had no patience for 
 the religious stilts which, while they appear to elevate 
 a minister from the level of his surroundings, fetter 
 his liberty and retard his speed, substituting an ar- 
 tificial superiority for that of spiritual life and power. 
 Mr. Booth made himself as much at home among the 
 pigs and poultry of his farmer audiences, as in their
 
 112 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1852, parlours or the pulpit. Hence he became a universal 
 ge 23 ' favourite, and the object of kindly attention and flat- 
 tering appreciation from all classes alike. 
 In referring to this Miss Mumford writes : 
 
 Miss 
 
 joices at 
 
 J11-S V&CVO 
 
 tion. 
 
 The dan- 
 popular- 
 
 And of 
 
 misdirect- 
 
 ed ambi- 
 
 tion. 
 
 Fix it on 
 the throne 
 
 Eternal, 
 
 No re- 
 proofs, 
 
 cautions, 
 
 " My heart swells with gratitude and praise to God for His 
 goodness in granting you such an auspicious commencement 
 to your labours, and in opening the hearts of so many friends 
 to receive and treat you kindly. To Mr. Hardy and Mr. and 
 Mrs. Congreve I would say : 
 
 ' Friends of my friend, I love you, though unknown, 
 And boldly call you, being his, my own. ' 
 
 " And yet I rejoice with trembling. I know how dangerous 
 such attentions would be to a heart even less susceptible of 
 its influence than yours. While a particle of the carnal mind 
 remained I feel how dangerous it would be to me. ' And it fills 
 me with tenderest anxiety for your spiritual* safety. You 
 have special need for watchfulness and for much private in- 
 tercourse with God. 
 
 " My dearest love, beware how you indulge that dangerous 
 element of character, ambition. Misdirected, it will be ever- 
 lasting ruin to yourself and perhaps to me also. O my love, 
 let nothing earthly excite it, let not self-aggrandisement fire 
 it. Fix it on the Throne of the Eternal, and let it find the 
 realization of its loftiest aspirations in the promotion of His 
 glory, and it shall be consummated with the richest enjoy- 
 ments and brightest glories of God's own Heaven. Those 
 that honour Him He will honour, and to them who thus seek 
 His glory, will He give to rule over the nations, and even to 
 judge angels, who through a perverted ambition, the exaltation 
 of self instead of God, have fallen from their allegiance and 
 overcast their eternity with the blackness of darkness for ever. 
 
 " I f ee l your danger. I could write sheets on the subject, 
 but my full soul shall pour out its desires to that God Who 
 has promised to supply all your need. In my estimation 
 faithfulness is an indispensable ingredient of all true friend- 
 ship. How much more of a love like mine: You say 'Re- 
 prove advise me as you think necessary !' I have no reproofs, 
 my dearest, but I have cautions, and I know you will con- 
 sider them."
 
 SPALDFNG, L OND ON. \ \ 3 
 
 Miss Mumford's anxiety in regard to the question 1852, 
 of study is expressed in the following passage : 
 
 " Do assure me, my own dear William, that no lack of energy Urges 
 or effort on your part shall hinder the improvement of those * v ' 
 talents God has intrusted to you, and which he holds you 
 responsible to improve to the uttermost. Your duty to God, 
 to His Church, to me, to yourself, demands as much. If you 
 really see no prospect of studying, then I think, in the highest 
 interests of the future, you ought not to stay. 
 
 " I have been revolving in my mind all day which will be How to 
 your wisest plan under present circumstances, and it appears 
 to me that as you are obliged to preach nearly every evening 
 and at places so wide apart, it will be better to do as the 
 friends advise, and stop all night where you preach. Do not 
 attempt to walk long distances after the meetings. With a 
 little management and a good deal of determination, I think 
 you might accomplish even more that way as to study, than 
 by going home each night. Could you not provide yourself 
 with a small leather bag or case, large enough to hold your 
 Bible and any other book you might require pens, ink, 
 paper, and a candle ? And presuming that you generally have 
 a room to yourself, could you not rise by six o'clock every 
 morning, and convert your bedroom into a study till breakfast 
 time? After breakfast and family devotion could you not 
 again retire to your room and determinedly apply yourself 
 till dinner time? Then start on your journey to your evening's 
 appointment, get there for a comfortable tea and do the same 
 again! I hope, my dearest love,. you will consider this plan, 
 and adhere to it, if possible, as a. general practice, admitting a 
 few exceptions which circumstances may occasion. Don't let 
 little difficulties prevent its adoption. I am aware you would 
 labour under many disadvantages, but once get the habit of 
 abstracting your mind from your surroundings and it will be- 
 come easy. Do not be over-anxious about the future. 
 Spalding will not be your final destination, if you make the best 
 of your ability" 
 
 Referring to her Sunday-school work she says : 
 
 " At Sunday-school I felt sadly annoyed and grieved at the school 'ex- 
 injudicious use made of time and opportunity which might periences. 
 
 8
 
 114 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1852, have been husbanded for so much good. It is a great trial for 
 23. me to g gut i (j on 't feel as though I could give it up at 
 present. They are all very anxious for me to remain, the 
 class refusing to be taught by others. Perhaps after all, I 
 may be more useful there than in a better regulated school. 
 If I did not hope so, I would not endure the mortification of 
 another Sunday." 
 
 Subsequently she writes more cheerfully : 
 
 afternoon, when with my class, I enjoyed a season of 
 sensible access to God. Oh, how sweet! Like a sudden burst 
 of morning sunshine in a tempestuous night! I felt as if self 
 were sinking, expiring, and for the moment the glory of God 
 only seemed to engage and rivet the eye of my soul. Need I 
 tell you that I had special liberty and pleasure in speaking to 
 the children?" 
 
 The letters contain constant allusions to the tem- 
 perance question: 
 
 Drink " I hope you don't forget," she writes, " to wage war with the 
 tobacco, drinking customs. Be out-and-out on that subject. I am glad 
 Mr. Shadford is a teetotaler. I hope he is also anti-tobacco and 
 snuff." 
 
 And when in a subsequent letter Mr. Booth men- 
 tioned that he had been urged by some doctor to take 
 port wine, she replies : 
 
 Port wine " I need not say how willing, nay, how anxious, I am, that 
 medicine. vou should have anything and everything which would tend 
 to promote your health and happiness. But so thoroughly am 
 I convinced that port wine would do neither, that I should 
 hear of your taking it with unfeigned grief. You must not 
 listen, my love, to the advice of every one claiming to be ex- 
 perienced. Persons really experienced and judicious in many 
 things, not unfrequently entertain notions the most fallacious 
 on this subject. I have had it recommended to me scores of 
 times by these individuals. But such recommendations have 
 always gone for nothing, because I have felt that, however 
 much my superiors such persons might be in other respects, on 
 this subject I was the best informed. I have even argued the
 
 SP AIDING, L OND ON. 
 
 point with Mr. Stevens [her doctor], and have, I am sure, 
 completely set him fast for arguments to defend alcohol even 
 as a medicine. I am fully and for ever settled on the physical 
 side of the question. I believe you are on the moral and reli- 
 gious, but I have not thought you were on the physical. 
 Now, my love, it is absolutely necessary, in order to save you 
 from being influenced by other people's false notions, that 
 you should have a settled, intelligent conviction on the sub- 
 ject. And in order that you may get this, I have been to the 
 trouble of unpacking your box in order to send you a book, in 
 which you will find several green marks and pencillings. I 
 do hope you will read it, even if you sit up an hour later 
 every night till you have done so, and I would not advise this 
 for anything less important. 
 
 " It is a subject on which I am most anxious you should be 
 thorough. I abominate that hackneyed but monstrously in- 
 consistent tale a teetotaler in principle, but obliged to take 
 a little for my 'stomach's sake!' Such teetotalers aid the pro- 
 gress of intemperance more than all the drunkards in the 
 land ! And there are sadly too many of them among minis- 
 ters. The fact is notorious, and doubtless the fault is chiefly 
 with the people, who foolishly consider it a kindness to ; put 
 the bottle to their neighbor's mouth' as frequently as they 
 will receive it ! But my dear William will steadfastly resist 
 such foolish advisers. I dare take the responsibility (and I 
 have more reason to feel its weight than any other being). I 
 have far more hope for your health, because you abstain from 
 stimulating drinks, than I should if you took them. Flee the 
 detestable thing as you would a serpent. Be a teetotaler in 
 principle and practice." 
 
 1852, 
 Age 23. 
 
 The 
 
 physical 
 aspect 
 of the 
 
 question. 
 
 Moderate 
 drinkers. 
 
 Foolish 
 advisers.
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 A lofty 
 concep- 
 tion. 
 
 The pul- 
 pit mon- 
 opolised. 
 
 No mere 
 figure- 
 head. 
 
 An early 
 battle 
 fought 
 
 and won. 
 
 WOMAN'S RIGHTS. 1853. 
 
 THE new year found Miss Mumford diligently pre- 
 paring for her future career as a minister's wife. 
 She had a lofty conception, altogether in advance of 
 the age, of the honour, the opportunity, and the re- 
 sponsibility of the position to which she aspired. Had 
 there been a theological institution at which she could 
 have prosecuted her studies, she would doubtless have 
 embraced the opportunity with eagerness. But the 
 pulpit was monopolised by the other sex, and the idea 
 had become firmly embedded in the creeds and opin- 
 ions of Christendom that woman's sphere was limited 
 to the home, or at least to the care and instruction of 
 children. 
 
 Nevertheless, Miss Mumford scorned the notion that 
 a minister's wife was to content herself with being a 
 mere ornamental appendage to her husband, a figure- 
 head to grace his tea-table, or even a mother to care 
 for his children. Her ideal was a far higher one. 
 She believed it was her privilege to share his coun- 
 sels, her duty to watch over and help his soul, and 
 her pleasure to partake in his labours. She made no 
 secret of her views in speaking and writing to Mr. 
 Booth. Indeed, their first serious difference of opin- 
 ion arose soon after their engagement in regard to 
 the mental and social equality of woman as compared 
 with man. Mr. Booth argued that while the former 
 carried the palm in point of affection, the latter was 
 
 1X6
 
 WOMAN'S MIGHTS. 117 
 
 her superior in regard to intellect. He quoted the 1853, 
 old aphorism that woman has a fibre more in her 
 heart and a cell less in her brain. Miss Mumford 
 would not admit this for a moment. She held that 
 intellectually woman was man's equal, and that, 
 where it was not so, the inferiority was due to dis- 
 advantages of training, a lack of opportunity, rather 
 than to any shortcomings on the part of nature. In- 
 deed she had avowed her determination never to take 
 as her partner in life one who was not prepared to 
 give woman her proper due. 
 
 Mr. Booth, in spite of his usual inflexibility of pur- Open to 
 
 . . convic- 
 
 pose, has always been singularly open to conviction. tion. 
 Can we wonder, then, that he succumbed to the logic 
 of his fair disputant ? And thus a vantage-ground was 
 gained of which the Salvation Army has since learned 
 to make good use. A principle was laid down and es- 
 tablished, which was to mightily affect the future of 
 womankind, and indeed of humanity at large. The 
 parties themselves at the time little imagined what was 
 involved in the carrying out of that principle to its 
 legitimate issue. Nevertheless it became henceforth 
 an essential and important doctrine in their creed that 
 in Jesus Christ there was neither male nor female, but 
 that the Gospel combined with nature to place both 
 on a footing of absolute mental and spiritual equality. 
 Miss Mumford's views on this subject are so ad- 
 mirably expressed in a letter addressed by her to her 
 pastor, Dr. David Thomas, and the question is so f e 7J" 
 important a one, that we cannot do better than quote Dr - 
 
 J. flOl)l(.tS, 
 
 her remarks in full : 
 
 " DEAR SIR : You will doubtless be surprised at the receipt 
 of this communication, and I assure you it is with great reluct- 
 ance and a feeling of profound respect that I make it. Were 
 it not for the high estimate I entertain for both your intellect
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1853, 
 Age 24. 
 
 Woman 
 not mor- 
 ally in- 
 ferior to 
 man. 
 
 Study the 
 subject. 
 
 Takes her 
 stand up- 
 on the 
 Bible. 
 
 Educa- 
 tionally, 
 but not 
 naturally 
 inferior. 
 
 and heart, I would spare the sacrifice it will cost me. But 
 because I believe you love truth, of whatever kind, and would 
 not willingly countenance or propagate erroneous views on 
 any subject, I venture to address you. 
 
 " Excuse me, my dear sir, I feel myself but a babe in com- 
 parison with you. But permit me to call your attention to a 
 subject on which my heart has been deeply pained. In your 
 discourse on Sunday morning, when descanting on the policy 
 of Satan in first attacking the most assailable of our race, your 
 remarks appeared to imply the doctrine of woman's intellect- 
 ual and even moral inferiority to man. I cannot believe that 
 you intended to be so understood, at least with reference to 
 her moral nature. But I fear the tenor of your remarks would 
 too surely leave such an impression on the minds of many of 
 your congregation, and I for one cannot but deeply regret that 
 a man for whom I entertain such a high veneration should 
 appear to hold views so derogatory to my sex, and which I 
 believe to be unscriptural and dishonouring to God. 
 
 " Permit me, my dear sir, to ask whether you have ever 
 made the subject of woman's equality as a being, the matter 
 of calm investigation and thought? If not I would, with all 
 deference, suggest it as a subject well worth the exercise of 
 your brain, and calculated amply to repay any research you 
 may bestow upon it. 
 
 " So far as Scriptural evidence is concerned, did I but pos- 
 sess ability to do justice to the subject, I dare take my stand 
 on /'/ against the world in defending her perfect equality. 
 And it is because I am persuaded that no honest, unprejudiced 
 investigation of the sacred volume can give perpetuity to the 
 mere assumptions and false notions which have gained cur- 
 rency in society on this subject, that I so earnestly commend 
 it to your attention. I have such confidence in the nobility of 
 your nature, that I feel certain neither prejudice nor custom 
 can . blind you to the truth, if you will once turn attention to 
 the matter. 
 
 " That woman is, in consequence of her inadequate educa- 
 tion, generally inferior to man intellectually, I admit. But 
 that she is naturally so, as your remarks seemed to imply, I 
 see no cause to believe. I think the disparity is as easily ac- 
 counted for as the difference between woman intellectually in 
 this country and under the degrading slavery of heathen
 
 WOMAN'S RIGHTS. 
 
 119 
 
 lands. No argument, in my judgment, can be drawn from 
 past experience on this point, because the past has been false 
 in theory and wrong in practice. Never yet in the history of 
 the world has woman been placed on an intellectual footing 
 with man. Her training from babyhood, even in this highly 
 favoured land, has hitherto been such as to cramp and paralyse, 
 rather than to develop and strengthen, her energies, and cal- 
 culated to crush and wither her aspirations after mental great- 
 ness rather than to excite and stimulate them. And even where 
 the more directly depressing influence has been withdrawn, 
 the indirect and more powerful stimulus has been wanting. 
 
 " What inducement has been held out to her to cultivate 
 habits of seclusion, meditation, and thought? What sphere 
 has been open to her? What kind of estimate would have 
 been formed of her a few generations back, had she presumed 
 to enter the temple of learning, or to have turned her attain- 
 ments to any practical account? And even to within a very 
 few years, has not her education been more calculated to ren- 
 der her a serf, a toy, a plaything, rather than a self-dependent, 
 reflecting, intellectual being? The day is only just dawning 
 with reference to female education, and therefore any verdict 
 on woman as an intellectual being must be premature and un- 
 satisfactory. Thank God, however, we are not without num- 
 erous and noble examples of what she may become, when 
 prejudice and error shall give way to light and truth, and her 
 powers be duly appreciated and developed. 
 
 " The world has had its intellectual as well as its moral hero- 
 ines, despite all the disappointments and discouragements 
 the female mind has had to surmount. As you, my dear sir, 
 often say in reference to other subjects,, 'a brighter day is 
 dawning, ' and ere long woman will assume her true position, 
 and rise to the full height of her intellectual stature. Then 
 shall the cherished, though but human, dogma of having 'a 
 cell less in her brain, ' with all kindred assumptions, be ex- 
 ploded and perish before the spell of her developed and culti- 
 vated mind. 
 
 " But, lest I swell this letter to an unseemly length, I must 
 hasten to say a word or two on the moral side of the ques- 
 tion. And here I am quite sure your remarks implied more 
 than you intended. For I cannot believe that you consider 
 woman morally more remote from God than man, or less 
 
 1853, 
 Age 24. 
 
 False 
 
 theory 
 
 and 
 
 wrong 
 
 practice. 
 
 Her ca- 
 pacities 
 unculti- 
 vated. 
 
 Explod- 
 ing the 
 fallacies. 
 
 Moral as- 
 pect of 
 the ques- 
 tion.
 
 I2O 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1853, 
 Age 24. 
 
 Placed by 
 
 God on 
 
 same 
 
 moral 
 
 footing. 
 
 Her 
 
 moral 
 
 courage. 
 
 What 
 Chris- 
 tianity 
 does for 
 woman. 
 
 Man- 
 made re- 
 ligions 
 debase 
 woman. 
 
 capable of loving Him ardently and serving Him faithfully. 
 If such were the case, would not the great and just One have 
 made some difference in His mode of dealing with her? But 
 has He not placed her on precisely the same moral footing, 
 and under the same moral government with her companion? 
 Does she not sustain the same relation to Himself and to the 
 moral law? And is she not exposed to the same penalties and 
 an heir of the same immortality? This being the case, I 
 argue that she possesses equal moral capacity. 
 
 " Experience also on this point I think affords conclusive 
 evidence. Who, since the personal manifestation and cruci- 
 fixion of our Lord, have ever been His most numerous and 
 faithful followers? On whom has the horrible persecution of 
 past ages fallen with most virulence, if not on the sensitive 
 heart of woman? And yet how rarely has she betrayed moral 
 weakness by denying her Lord, or moral remoteness from 
 Him by listening to the tempter ! Has she not, on the con- 
 trary, stood a noble witness for Christ in scenes and circum- 
 stances the most agonizing to her nature, and with Paul liter- 
 ally counted all things (even husband and children) but loss 
 for His sake? And even now is she not in thousands of in- 
 stances ' dying daily ; ' waging a silent, unostentatious conflict 
 with evil, and groaning under a tyranny compared with which 
 the flames of martrydom would be welcome? 
 
 " Oh, the thing which next to the revelation of the plan of 
 salvation endears Christianity to my heart is, what it has done, 
 and is destined to do, for my sex. And any attempt to 
 deduce from its historical records or practical precepts views 
 and doctrines derogatory thereto, I cannot but regard with 
 heartfelt regret. 
 
 " All man-made religions indeed neglect or debase woman, 
 but the religion of Christ recognizes her individuality and 
 raises her to the dignity of an independent moral agent. Un- 
 der the Old Testament dispensation we have several instances 
 of Jehovah choosing woman as a vehicle of His thoughts and 
 the direct and authorized exponent of His will. (Judges iv. ; 
 ii. Kings xxii. 13-20; Micah vi. 4.) And in the New Testa- 
 ment she is fully restored to her original position, it being 
 expressly stated that in Christ Jesus there is neither male nor 
 female, and the promise of the outpouring of the Spirit is no 
 less to the handmaidens than to the servants of the Lord.
 
 WOMAN'S XIGffTS. 
 
 121 
 
 " It appears to me that a great deal of prejudice and many 
 mistaken views on this subject arise from confounding wo- 
 man's relative subjection with inferiority of nature, as though 
 one depended on the other, whereas it appears to me entirely 
 distinct. God, who had a right to determine the penalty for 
 sin, has clearly defined and fixed a woman's domestic and social 
 position, and, as a part of her curse, He has made it that of 
 subjection, not, however, as a being, but only in a certain re- 
 lationship, subjection to her own husband. This was imposed 
 upon her expressly as a punishment for sin, and not on the 
 ground of inferiority, intellectual or moral. Indeed had this 
 subjection existed prior to the Fall, as the natural conse- 
 quences of inferiority, there would have been no force in the 
 words 'He shall be over thee. ' But to subject a being of 
 equal power and strength of will to the will of another does 
 appear to me to be a curse indeed, when both are unregener- 
 ate. 
 
 " Here, however, the glorious provisions of Christianity 
 come in to those who are united in Christ. The seed of the 
 woman, having bruised the head of her old enemy, and taken 
 the curse out of the way, nailing it to His cross, the wife may 
 realize as blissful and perfect a oneness with her husband as 
 though it had never been pronounced. For while the sem- 
 blance of it remains, Jesus has beautifully extracted the sting 
 by making love the law of marriage, and by restoring the insti- 
 tution itself to its original sanctity. What wife would not be 
 careful to reverence a husband, who loves her as Christ loves 
 the Church? Surely the honour put upon woman by the Lord, 
 both in His example and precepts, should make His religion 
 doubly precious to her and render His sanctuary her safe 
 refuge from everything derogatory or insulting to her nature ! 
 
 " Oh that Christians at heart would throw off the trammels 
 of prejudice, and try to arrive at the truth on this subject! 
 Oh that men of noble souls and able intellect would investi- 
 gate it, and then ask themselves and their compeers, why the 
 influence of woman should be so underestimated, that a 
 book, a sermon, or a lecture addressed to her is a rarity, while 
 those to young men are multiplied indefinitely? If it be only 
 partially true that those who rock the cradle rule the world, 
 how much greater is the influence wielded over the mind of 
 future ages by the mothers of the next generation than by all 
 
 1853, 
 Age 24. 
 
 Her rel- 
 ative sub- 
 jection. 
 
 Not in~ 
 feriority 
 of nature, 
 
 But a 
 punish- 
 ment for 
 sin. 
 
 The curse 
 
 taken 
 away by 
 Christ. 
 
 The law 
 of love. 
 
 The truth 
 on the 
 subject. 
 
 Woman 
 the key to 
 the situ- 
 ation.
 
 122 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1853, 
 Age 24. 
 
 Degrad- 
 ing 
 notions. 
 
 The duty 
 
 of the 
 
 Church. 
 
 The cause 
 of non- 
 success. 
 
 I love my 
 sex. 
 
 Indepen- 
 dent 
 views. 
 
 Domestic 
 position. 
 
 the young men living! Vain, in my opinion, will be all 
 efforts to impregnate minds generally with noble sentiments 
 and lofty aspirations, while the mothers of humanity are com- 
 paratively neglected, and their minds indoctrinated from the 
 school-room, the press, the platform, and even the pulpit, 
 with self-degrading feelings and servile notions of their own 
 inferiority ! Never till woman is estimated and educated as 
 man's equal the literal 'she-man' of the Hebrew will the 
 foundation of human influence become pure, or the bias of 
 mind noble and lofty. 
 
 " Oh that the ministers of religion would search the original 
 records of God's word in order to discover whether the general 
 notions of society are not wrong on this subject, and whether 
 God really intended woman to bury her gifts and talents, as 
 she now does, with reference to the interests of His Church ! 
 Oh that the Church generally would inquire whether narrow 
 prejudice and lordly usurpation has not something to do with 
 the circumscribed sphere of woman's religious labours, and 
 whether much of the non-success of the Gospel is not attri- 
 butable to the restrictions imposed upon the operations of the 
 Holy Ghost in this as well as other particulars ! Would to 
 God that the truth on this subject, so important to the inter- 
 ests of future generations, were better understood and prac- 
 tically recognised ! And it is because I feel that it is only the 
 truth that needs to be understood, that I make this appeal to 
 one who, I believe, loves truth for its own sake, and who, I 
 know, possesses the ability to aid in its manifestation. 
 
 " Forgive me, my dear sir, if I have spoken too boldly. I 
 feel deeply on this subject, though God knows it is not on 
 personal grounds. I love my sex. I desire above all earthly 
 things their moral and intellectual elevation. I believe it 
 would be the greatest boon to our race. And though I deeply 
 feel my own inability to help it forward, I could not satisfy 
 my conscience without making this humble attempt to enlist 
 one whose noble sentiments on other subjects have so long 
 been precious to my soul. 
 
 " Allow me to say, in conclusion, that the views I have ex- 
 pressed are as independent and distinct from any society or 
 association of whatever name, as your own on the war ques- 
 tion. I have no sympathy with those who would alter 
 woman's domestic and social position from what is laid down
 
 WOMAN'S RIGHTS. 123 
 
 in the Scriptures. This, I believe, God has clearly defined, 1853, 
 and has given the reason for His conduct. And, therefore, I ^S e 2 4- 
 submit, feeling that in wisdom and love, as well as in judg- 
 ment, He has. done it. But on the subject of equality of 
 nature, I believe my convictions are true. 
 
 " But I fear I have swelled this communication to an undue Equality 
 length, though I realize how imperfectly I have expressed my- 
 self. I hope, however, if there be anything worth your atten- 
 tion, you will not despise it on account of its illogical expres- 
 sion. Nay, I feel sure you will not. Neither, I trust, will you 
 judge me harshly for withholding my name. I began this let- 
 ter hesitating whether I should do so or not. But there being 
 nothing in it of a personal character, or which can at all be 
 influenced by the recognition of the critic, and it being the 
 furthest from my thoughts to obtrude myself upon your notice, 
 I shall feel at liberty to subscribe myself an attentive hearer, 
 and I trust a mental and spiritual debtor to your ministry." 
 
 The practical commentary on the opinions expressed A li f g -. 
 
 comment. 
 
 in this letter is indelibly written upon the whole life 
 
 of Catherine Booth. Her views never altered. She 
 
 
 
 was to the end of her days an unfailing, unflinching", 
 uncompromising champion of woman's rights. There 
 were few subjects that would so readily call forth the 
 latent fire, as any reflection upon the capacities or 
 relative position of woman. 
 
 " I despise the attitude of the English press toward T ^ d ^i' 
 woman," she remarked one day. " Let a man make the Press. 
 a decent speech on any subject, and he is lauded to 
 the skies. Whereas, however magnificent a speech 
 a woman may make, all she gets is, 'Mrs. So-and-so 
 delivered an earnest address!' 
 
 "I don't speak for myself. My personal experi- 
 ence, especially outside London, has been otherwise. 
 But I do feel it keenly on behalf of womankind at 
 large, that the man should be praised, while the 
 woman, who has probably fought her way through 
 inconceivably greater difficulties in order to achieve
 
 124 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1853, the same result, should be passed over without a 
 Age 24. , , 
 
 word! 
 
 Grinding " I have tried to grind it into my boys that their 
 ftoys. er sisters were just as intelligent and capable as them- 
 selves. Jesus Christ's principle was to put woman 
 on the same platform as man, although I am sorry to 
 say His apostles did not always act up to it." 
 
 NO idea At the time, however, of which we are writing, 
 
 of a pub- 
 lic min- nothing was further from Miss Mumford's mind than 
 
 the idea of any public ministry for herself. The 
 highest position to which she then aspired, and which 
 seemed to be within the legitimate sphere of a wo- 
 man's influence, was that of seconding her husband's 
 public efforts in a private capacity. She says in one 
 of her letters written to Mr. Booth at this time, that 
 she was sending him some notes and extracts which 
 she had made from various sources, and that she 
 would continue to do this from time to time, adding, 
 " Perhaps you will not object to receive something 
 original occasionally, provided that it is short." And 
 
 twring so we find her manufacturing sermons long before she 
 
 <ns ' dreamed of delivering them. Nor had Mr. Booth 
 
 any idea that his betrothed would ever be able so far 
 
 to overcome her intense timidity as to speak in public. 
 
 -Mr. ? Not that he was opposed to female ministry. There 
 
 early had been a time when he had regarded it with preju- 
 
 dice, having heard a lady preacher whose masculine 
 mistry. & ^ dictatorial manner had grated upon his sense of 
 decorum. Subsequently, however, to his arrival in 
 London, Mr. Rabbitts had persuaded him to attend 
 a service in which a Miss Buck had been announced 
 to preach. The text chosen was : "The great trum- 
 pet shall be blown, and they shall come which 
 were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and the 
 outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the
 
 WOMAN'S XIGHTS. 125 
 
 Lord in the holy mount at Jerusalem." Isaiah A l853) 
 xxvii. 13. The sermon was a particularly powerful 
 one ; and, although not fully converted to the principle, 
 Mr. Booth left the chapel saying that he should never 
 again oppose the practice, since Miss Buck had cer- 
 tainly preached more effectively than three-fourths of 
 the men he had ever listened to. 
 
 Unconscious, however, as was Miss Mumford of Duties of 
 the public career that awaited her, she nevertheless ter'swife. 
 fully estimated the privileges of the post she was 
 about to occupy. She had long since seen the ne- 
 cessity of setting a different example to the majority 
 of ministers' wives with whom she was acquainted. 
 She was amazed and pained at finding them living in 
 such conformity with the world, rivalling the most 
 fashionable members of their congregation in their 
 modes of dress, and bringing up their children with 
 almost the sole object of giving them a first-class 
 education in order that they might obtain a high 
 position in society. Diligent in their attendance 
 at tea-parties, they were usually conspicuous by their 
 absence at revival meetings, except perhaps on Sun- 
 days. Miss Mumford felt that this was all the very 
 opposite of her ideal of what a minister's wife should 
 be. She could not bear anything approaching to 
 lightness and frivolity. The tattling and gossip with r *ws on 
 which so many wasted their time were utterly repug- 
 nant to her nature, and seemed calculated, in her 
 opinion, to undo the effects of the ablest ministry. 
 
 "Being so much alone in my youth," she remarks 
 in after life, " and so thrown on my own thoughts and 
 those of the mighty dead as expressed in books, has 
 been helpful to me. Had I been given to gossip, and 
 had there been people for me to gossip with, I should 
 certainly never have accomplished what I did. I be-
 
 126 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1853, 
 Age 24. 
 
 Talking 
 twaddle. 
 
 Ordinary 
 table- 
 talk. 
 
 A high 
 ideal. 
 
 lieve gossip is one of the greatest enemies to both 
 mental and spiritual improvement. It encourages 
 the mind to dwell on the superficial aspect of things 
 and the passing trivialities of the hour. 
 
 " There are very few people who have either the ca- 
 pacity or inclination to converse on deep and impor- 
 tant questions. And therefore, if you mix much with 
 them, you are obliged to come to their level and talk 
 their twaddle. This you cannot do, except perhaps 
 now and then as a recreation, without its having a 
 reflective evil effect on the mind. I should think that, 
 as a rule, if we knew the lives of persons whose men- 
 tal attainments are of a superior character, we should 
 find that they are men and women who have been 
 very much thrown upon their own resources, and cut 
 off from others, either by choice or by their circum- 
 stances. In confirmation of this, one has only to note 
 the ordinary conversation at a dinner table, or in a 
 railway carriage, to observe how little substance there 
 is in it. As a rule there is not a word spoken of an 
 elevating or useful tendency in the whole conversa- 
 tion, and indeed it is commonly the case that nothing 
 has been said which might not just as well, or better, 
 have been left unsaid." 
 
 For a minister's wife to spend her life in such 
 emptiness seemed to Miss Mumford very reprehen- 
 sible, and so painfully conscientious was she in re- 
 gard to this that even in her intercourse with Mr. 
 Booth we find her striving continually to make both 
 letters and conversation of as useful and practical a 
 nature as possible. Again, it was a source of regret 
 to her to find that so few occupying this position de- 
 voted themselves to the study of such books as were 
 calculated to improve their minds, and make them real 
 help-meets to their husbands. The very idea of what
 
 WOMAN'S RIGHTS. 
 
 127 
 
 is termed " light reading, " for one who professed to 
 have devoted her life to so sacred a cause, seemed to 
 her unsuitable in the extreme. For novels in par- 
 ticular she had an intense hatred. To read them 
 seemed to her contrary to the profession of Christian- 
 ity, and fraught with the most evil consequences. 
 
 " I have every reason to be glad," she tells us at the 
 end of her long career of usefulness, " that I never read 
 a single novel in my young days. Indeed I could count 
 on my fingers the number I have read throughout my 
 life, and I do not believe that the little I gained from 
 those I did read was worth the expenditure of time. 
 
 " I carefully kept novels of every kind from my 
 children, and am certain that many of the troubles 
 which afflict and divide families have their origin in 
 works of fiction. Not only are false and unnatural 
 views of men and women and of life in general pre- 
 sented, but sentiments are created in the minds of 
 young people, which produce discontent with their 
 surroundings, impatience of parental restraint, and a 
 premature forcing of the social and sexual instincts, 
 such as must cause untold harm. Not only so, but 
 they lead to the formation of relationships and com- 
 panionships that cannot but be injurious, while the 
 mind is filled with pernicious and vain ambitions 
 destined never to be fulfilled. 
 
 " While I would not include every single novel un- 
 der the same condemnation, yet no one acquainted 
 with the subject will deny that even those works of 
 fiction which are more particularly read as offering 
 useful representations of historical events or of the 
 social condition of various nations and periods, excite 
 the imagination and create a taste for works of a sim- 
 ilarly fictitious character, though written with a widely 
 different object. It is, moreover, equally true that 
 
 1853, 
 Age 24. 
 
 Her 
 
 strong ob- 
 jection to 
 
 novel 
 reading. 
 
 Not worth 
 the time. 
 
 Works of 
 
 fiction the 
 
 origin of 
 
 family 
 
 troubles. 
 
 Creating 
 
 a false 
 
 appetite.
 
 128 MJfS. BOOTH. 
 
 1853, few readers of even the least baneful class of novels 
 ever read them slowly and carefully enough to bene- 
 fit much by the information they may contain." 
 The secret j^ WO uld be difficult to imagine Mrs: Booth occupy- 
 greatness. i n g the sphere of usefulness to which she ultimately 
 attained, had her time been frittered away in the or- 
 dinary frivolities of society, or in the reading of light 
 and sentimental literature. No amount of natural 
 talent would have sufficed to counteract such influ- 
 ences. The laws of nature are as irrevocably fixed in 
 regard to our minds as in regard to our bodies. And 
 we can no more systematically poison the one with 
 bad literature and idle conversation without injurious 
 effect, than we can the other with unwholesome or 
 unsuitable food. And yet what multitudes of profess- 
 ing Christians expose themselves and their children to 
 such dangers, vainly hoping that in some way or 
 other they may escape the consequences; only too 
 often living to mourn the results of their folly with 
 lamentations which are embittered by the knowledge 
 that they were self-incurred, and might therefore 
 have been avoided. 
 
 Many, no doubt, who have listened to Mrs. Booth's 
 addresses, or who have had the privilege of receiving 
 her personal advice, have been surprised at the suc- 
 cess with which in the midst of multiplied and cease- 
 less labours she has reared a large family, and have 
 wished that, even afar off, they could follow in her 
 footsteps and emulate her example. 
 
 Thecui- To such it will be encouraging to discover, that 
 
 of gifts, while undoubtedly gifted by nature with special 
 
 powers, it was to the persistent use she made of them 
 
 and to her diligent improvement of them, that, under 
 
 God, she owed her wonderful career. She laid down 
 
 Acting on , . . , 
 
 principle, for her guidance certain principles, which are as
 
 WOMAN'S RIGHTS. 129 
 
 strictly applicable to others as to herself, and having 1853, 
 laid them down nothing would induce her to swerve Age 2 *' 
 from them. She did that which was good, and did 
 it systematically and perpetually, because it com- 
 mended itself to her highest judgment. She avoided 
 the appearance of evil, hating even the garment that 
 was spotted with the flesh. And hence to the last 
 she was able to say : " Be ye followers of me, even 
 as I am of Christ." 
 
 True, she had the five talents, and we may have A chance 
 
 for all. 
 
 but the one. And yet there is no reason why we 
 should not do with our one what she did with her 
 five, and then we may discover, as she did, that after 
 all we possess other talents, the very existence of 
 which we had never suspected. At least there will 
 be the infinite and unalloyed satisfaction of being 
 able to offer to our Master at His coming His own 
 with usury. 
 9
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 VIEWS ON COURTSHIP AND MARRIAGE. 
 
 A kaieid- NATURE abounds in contrasts. Indeed this con- 
 chZ? stitutes its chief charm. Earth and sky, land and 
 sea, mountain and valley, light and darkness, sun- 
 shine and shadow, provide a kaleidoscope of change 
 and dissipate the monotony that would otherwise 
 tarnish God's most perfect works. The calm and the 
 terrific in nature are often linked together. Above 
 the fertile plains and tranquil bay of Naples tower 
 the frowning summits of Vesuvius, belching forth 
 dark columns of smoke by day and lurid flames by 
 night. The serenity of the one adds to the grandeur 
 of the other. 
 
 Art in- With the most perfect creations of man's art and 
 nature genius it is otherwise. The best that he can do is to 
 imitate either some fraction of the grand original, or 
 the product of another's brain. And even in imitat- 
 ing he seldom equals and often mars the very object 
 he admires. There is too much of the scale and yard- 
 measure about his efforts. The mind is wearied with 
 the dull sameness and consequent tameness of the 
 view. Contrast, for instance, the unsightly wilder- 
 ness of bricks, of streets and pavements and ungainly 
 chimney-pots, which constitute a city, with the bril- 
 liant verdure and variety of a country landscape. 
 
 And so with human beings; while the world is full 
 originals, of imitations, there are but few originals. The whole 
 
 130
 
 VIEWS ON COURTSHIP AND MARRIAGE. l$l 
 
 tendency of modern education is to put all humanity 1853. 
 into a sort of Procrustes' bed, in which, if there be 
 room for the biggest head, it is at the sacrifice of the 
 noblest heart, and if mental culture is afforded un- 
 limited space, both spirituality and individuality are 
 mercilessly lopped off. Amidst the millions that com- 
 pose mankind, how rarely do we find a genuine un- 
 alloyed child of nature, and how refreshing is the 
 discovery when it is made ! 
 
 Such an one was Catherine Mumford. Happily she Giving 
 
 rr J full play 
 
 had escaped the ruthless shears of conventionality to nature. 
 which so often amputate the lirnbs in their anxiety to 
 clip the wool that grows on them. While developing 
 her mental powers she had given superior scope to> 
 the moral and Divine. Hence nature had full play, 
 and produced the same striking contrasts as in the in- 
 animate world. There was robustness and vigour 
 without angularity, firm conviction without dogmat- vigorous 
 
 .,, ......... but not 
 
 ism, intellectual power combined with feminine grace angular. 
 and tenderness. She was a good hater ; she abhorred 
 that which was evil, and fearlessly denounced it, be 
 the consequences what they might. For the Phari- 
 sees she had little patience, while over publicans and 
 sinners she yearned with a sympathy and compassion 
 that knew no bounds. There was an originality and 
 muscularity, so to speak, about her religion, very 
 different from the sickening sentimentality which 
 often passes by the name. 
 
 A striking illustration of this occurred during the 
 present period, and is deserving of something more 
 than a passing notice, inasmuch as it furnishes an op- 
 portunity for the expression of her views on the im- 
 portant subject of courtship and marriage. 
 
 Among the circle of her personal friends was a 
 lady, to whom she was very much attached, and who
 
 132 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1853. had been engaged for some years to a minister. So- 
 cially she was his equal, while her talents and piety 
 admirably fitted her for the position she was to occupy. 
 It so happened, however, that in the neighbourhood 
 there resided a wealthy family, at whose house he be- 
 came a frequent visitor. Finding there was an op- 
 portunity for bettering his worldly interests he basely 
 A broken broke off his engagement, adding insult to injury by 
 ment. . alleging as his reason that he did not and could not 
 love her. Soon afterward, however, it became known 
 that he was engaged to a daughter of the family re- 
 ferred to. Miss Mumford was indignant at the heart- 
 less treatment of her friend, whose sorrow she entered 
 into as though it had been her own. To her the vows 
 The vows of betrothal were as sacred as those of marriage, es- 
 betrothai. pecially when, as in this case, they had not only been 
 entered upon with deliberation, but had extended over 
 a considerable space of time. The motives which 
 had prompted the desertion seemed to her mean and 
 contemptible in the extreme. That a true heart 
 should be lacerated, its confidence betrayed, and its 
 happiness extinguished with such wanton cruelty, and 
 this by one who professed to be a minister of Christ, 
 seemed to her incapable of defence or palliation. 
 Referring to the episode in a letter written at the 
 time she says: 
 
 " I received a distracted, heart-rending letter last week from 
 
 Miss , and wrote one of four sheets in reply. Poor 
 
 dear girl, I do feel for her! She will, in spite of all I can say, 
 blame herself and continue to look at the mean villain as if he 
 were a treasure. Oh, I cannot tell you how I loathe him now 
 she has told me all, and it does not exalt her in my esteem 
 that she can manifest a willingness to be the slave of a man 
 who has told her he did not love her ! But I make every allow- 
 ance for her state of mind. 
 
 " She seems to regard me with uncommon affection, and
 
 VIEWS ON COURTSHIP AND MARRIAGE; 133 
 
 thinks my letters I don't know what. Poor girl, I wish she 1853, 
 
 could rise above it ! As for him, he has thrown away a loving Age 2 4- 
 
 heart and superior mind to grasp a little gold, and he will 
 
 lose both, so surely has his own wickedness corrected him ! 
 
 He seems to fear the exposure. He has resigned office and says 
 
 he will emigrate. I should hope he will ! He ought to be 
 
 sent out of the country free of expense ! What can we think 
 
 of a young man, who would go in and out of a house, where 
 
 he saw he was making a false impression on the mind of a 
 
 lady, without giving her any intimation that he was engaged ? 
 
 What sort of love could he feel for the professed object of his 
 
 choice? What kind of notions would he entertain of manly 
 
 honour? What species of religion could he possess, who would 
 
 so coolly sacrifice honour and humanity and one who loved 
 
 him, in order to possess himself of a little gold?" 
 
 It was not that Miss Mtimford doubted that many Unsuit- 
 rashly formed engagements would better be cancelled a gage- 
 rather than consummated in a marriage which would ments - 
 mean a life of prolonged misery to both parties. But 
 in such cases she believed that whatever action was 
 taken should be by mutual consent, or at least with 
 the tenderest consideration for the feelings of each 
 concerned. 
 
 "Who can wonder." she remarked in later life. The cause 
 
 ' of un- 
 
 "that marriage is so often a failure, when we observe happy 
 
 i-t . 1 i -i 1 mar- 
 
 ine ridiculous way in which courtship is commonly riages. 
 
 carried on? Would not any partnership result disas- 
 trously that was entered into in so blind and senseless 
 a fashion? 
 
 " Perhaps the greatest evil of all is hurry. Young The evil 
 people do not allow themselves time to know each 
 other before an engagement is formed. They should 
 take time, and make opportunities for acquainting 
 themselves with each other's character, disposition, 
 and peculiarities before coming to a decision. This 
 is the great point. They should on no account com- 
 mit themselves until they are fully satisfied in their
 
 134 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1853, 
 Age 24. 
 
 Acting on 
 principle. 
 
 Congeni- 
 ality of 
 temper- 
 ament. 
 
 The 
 bread- 
 winner 
 
 and 
 house- 
 keeper 
 idea. 
 
 Religious 
 agree- 
 ment. 
 
 own minds, assured that if they have a doubt before- 
 hand it generally increases afterward. I am con- 
 vinced that this is where thousands make shipwreck, 
 and mourn the consequences all their lives. 
 
 "Then again, every courtship ought to be based on 
 certain definite principles. This, too, is a fruitful 
 cause of mistake and misery. Very few have a defi- 
 nite idea as to what they want in a partner, and hence 
 they do not look for it. They simply go about the 
 matter in a haphazard sort of fashion, and jump into 
 an alliance upon the first drawings of mere natural 
 feeling, regardless of the laws which govern such 
 relationships. 
 
 " In the first place, each of the parties ought to be 
 satisfied that there are to be found in the other such 
 qualities as would make them friends if they were of 
 the same sex. In other words, there should be a con- 
 geniality and compatibility of temperament. For 
 instance, it must be a fatal error, fraught with per- 
 petual misery, for a man who has mental gifts and 
 high aspirations to marry a woman who is only fit to 
 be a mere drudge ; or for a woman of refinement and 
 ability to marry a man who is good for nothing better 
 than to follow the plough, or look after a machine. 
 And yet, how many seek for a mere bread-winner, or 
 a housekeeper, rather than for a friend, a counsellor 
 and companion. Unhappy marriages are usually the 
 consequences of too great a disparity of mind, age, 
 temperament, training, or antecedents. 
 
 " As quite a young girl I early made up my mind 
 to certain qualifications which I regarded as indispen- 
 sable to the forming of any engagement. 
 
 " In the first place, I was determined that his re- 
 ligious views must coincide with mine. He must be 
 a sincere Christian; not a nominal one, or a mere church
 
 VIEWS ON COURTSHIP AND MARRIAGE. 135 
 
 member, but truly converted to God. It is probably 1853, 
 not too much to say, that so far as professedly relig- 
 ious people are concerned, three-fourths of the matri- 
 monial misery endured is brought upon themselves 
 by the neglect of this principle. Those who do, at 
 least in a measure, love God and try to serve Him, 
 form alliances with those who have no regard for His 
 laws, and who practically, if not avowedly, live as 
 though He had no existence. Marriage is a Divine 
 institution, and in order to ensure at any rate the 
 highest and most lasting happiness, the persons who 
 enter into it must first of all themselves be in the 
 Divine plan. For if a man or woman be not able to 
 restrain and govern their own natures, how can they 
 reasonably expect to control the nature of another? 
 If his or her being is not in harmony with itself, how 
 can it be in harmony with that of anybody else? 
 
 " Thousands of Christians, women especially, have A sad ear- 
 proved by bitter experience that neither money, po- pei 
 sition, nor any other worldly advantage has availed 
 to prevent the punishment that invariably attends 
 disobedience to the command, ' Be not unequally yoked 
 together with unbelievers. ' 
 
 " The second essential which I resolved upon was similar- 
 ity of 
 that he should be a man of sense. I knew that I charac- 
 
 could never respect a fool, or one much weaker men- 
 tally than myself. Many imagine that because a 
 person is converted, that is all that is required. This 
 is a great mistake. There ought to be a similarity 
 or congeniality of character as well as of grace. As 
 a dear old man, whom I often quote, once said, 'When 
 thou choosest a companion for life, choose one with 
 whom thou couldst live without grace, lest he lose it!' 
 
 " The third essential consisted of oneness of views Oneness 
 and tastes, any idea of lordship or ownership being
 
 136 MKS. BOOTH. 
 
 1853, lost in love. There can be no doubt that Jesus Christ 
 ge 24 ' intended, by making love the law of marriage, to re- 
 The law store woman to the position God intended her to oc- 
 tve ' cupy, as also to destroy the curse of the fall, which 
 man by dint of his merely superior physical strength 
 and advantageous position had magnified, if not really 
 to a large extent manufactured. Of course there 
 Mutual must and will be mutual yielding wherever there is 
 ^tafaT proper love, because it is a pleasure and a joy to yield 
 our own wills to those for whom we have real affection, 
 whenever it can be done with an approving con- 
 science. This is just as true with regard to man as 
 to woman, and if we have never proved it individually 
 during married life, most of us have had abundant 
 evidence of it at any rate during courting days. 
 NO physt- " p O r the same reason neither party should attempt 
 
 cal repug- J 
 
 nance, to force an alliance where there exists a physical re- 
 pugnance. Natural instinct in this respect is usually 
 too strong for reason, and asserts itself in after life 
 in such a way as to make both supremely miserable, 
 although, on the other hand, nothing can be more 
 absurd than a union founded on attractions of a mere 
 physical character, or on the more showy and shallow 
 mental accomplishments that usually first strike the 
 eye of a stranger. 
 
 An ab- " Another resolution that I made was that I would 
 
 stainer 
 
 from con- never marry a man who was not a total abstainer, and 
 this from conviction, and not merely in order to grat- 
 ify me. 
 Certain " Besides these things, which I looked upon as be- 
 
 prefer- 
 
 ences. ing absolutely essential, I had, like most people, 
 certain preferences. The first was that the object of 
 my choice should be a minister, feeling that as his 
 wife I could occupy the highest possible sphere of 
 Christian usefulness. Then I very much desired
 
 MR. MUMFORD.
 
 VIEWS ON COURTSHIP AND MARRIAGE. 137 
 
 that he should be dark and tall, and had a special 
 liking for the name ' William. ' Singularly enough, in 
 adhering to my essentials, my fancies were also grati- 
 fied, and in my case the promise was certainly fulfilled, 
 ' Delight thyself in the Lord and He shall give thee 
 the desires of thy heart. ' 
 
 " There were also certain rules which I formulated 
 for my married life, before I was married or even en- 
 gaged. I have carried them out ever since my wed- 
 ding day, and the experience of all these years has 
 abundantly demonstrated their value. 
 
 " The first was, never to have any secrets from my 
 husband in anything that affected our mutual relation- 
 ship, or the interests of the family. The confidence 
 of others in spiritual matters I did not consider as 
 coming under this category, but as being the secrets 
 of others, and therefore not my property. 
 
 " The second rule was, never to have two purses, thus 
 avoiding even the temptation of having any secrets 
 of a domestic character. 
 
 " My third principle was that, in matters where there 
 was any difference of opinion, I would show my hus- 
 band my views and the reasons on which they were 
 based, and try to convince in favour of my way of 
 looking at the subject. This generally resulted either 
 in his being converted to my views, or in my being 
 converted to his, either result securing unity of 
 thought and action. 
 
 " My fourth rule was, in cases of difference of opin- 
 ion never to argue in the presence of the children. I 
 thought it better even to submit at the time to what 
 I might consider as mistaken judgment, rather than 
 have a controversy before them. But of course 
 when such occasions arose, I took the first opportunity 
 for arguing the matter out. My subsequent experi- 
 
 1853, 
 Age 24. 
 
 Rules for 
 
 married 
 
 life. 
 
 No 
 secrets. 
 
 One 
 purse. 
 
 Unity of 
 action. 
 
 No argu- 
 ing before 
 
 the 
 children.
 
 138 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 JSsa, ence has abundantly proved to me the wisdom of this 
 Age 24. 
 
 course. 
 
 The How God blessed a union formed on such rational 
 principles, and in such obvious harmony with His 
 highest designs, the following narrative will in some 
 degree disclose. The value, too, of acting on principle 
 rather than according to the dictates of mere emotion, 
 or the passing influences of the hour, has been strik- 
 ingly manifested, not only in Mrs. Booth's own case, 
 but in the happy marriages of her children. And the 
 world has thus been furnished with object-lessons of 
 what unions so entered upon may accomplish. In 
 fulfilling the highest purposes of God, none can fail to 
 advance their own best interests, whilst they extract 
 from their sorrows that peculiar sting, the realisation 
 that they have been self-inflicted.
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 THE GENERAL'S JOURNAL AND THE 
 METHODIST NEW CONNEXION. 1853. 
 
 GENERAL BOOTH as the first Salvation Army Cap- The first 
 tain in charge of his first Corps is too tempting a pic- 
 ture to pass by. Indeed we can hardly do justice to 
 the early days of his future Lieutenant-for-life with- 
 out some description of the Captain in this his first 
 independent command. To Salvationists all over the 
 world, and in all ages, the story of the early struggles 
 and remarkable achievements of the founders of the 
 movement must ever possess a peculiar charm. And 
 although our narrative, strictly speaking, concerns but 
 one, nevertheless the lives of both are henceforth so 
 intertwined, that it becomes necessary to refer to the 
 one in describing the other. 
 
 The Reformers having broken loose from the au- No cen- 
 
 tral con- 
 
 thority of the Wesleyan Conference, without having troi. 
 formed any central government of their own, each 
 circuit, like Israel of old, did very much what seemed 
 good in their own eyes. Hence, so far as any supe- 
 rior authority was concerned, Mr. Booth found him- 
 self practically unfettered. From the leading mem- 
 bers of his flock he had met with, as we have already 
 learned, an unusually warm-hearted reception. They 
 were justly proud of his talents, and still more grat- 
 ified with his success. Wherever he went souls were 
 saved. Indeed, from the first, he could not tolerate f}JJI3&. 
 a ministry destitute of results, and felt as if some- 
 lag
 
 140 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1853, 
 Age 24. 
 
 Extracts 
 
 from his 
 
 earliest 
 
 journal. 
 
 thing must be wrong unless there were penitents at 
 every meeting. The aim of all his services was to 
 force his hearers to immediate decision on the life- 
 and-death subjects affecting their eternal welfare. 
 The example of Caughey, the teachings of Finney, 
 the life and writings of John Wesley, and the labours 
 of other successful evangelists were burnt in upon his 
 soul. He realised that the same Holy Spirit which had 
 inspired them was able through him to accomplish 
 similar results. And before long his most sanguine 
 expectations were more than realised. 
 
 To give a detailed account of Mr. Booth's labours 
 in Spalding must be reserved for some future histo- 
 rian, but a few extracts from his earliest journal will 
 be read with interest, and must serve as a specimen 
 of the rest : 
 
 " 3d November, 1853. I have to-day given myself afresh to 
 God. On my knees I have been promising Him that if He will 
 help me, I will aim only at souls, and live and die for their 
 salvation. 1 feel a delightful and soul-cheering victory over 
 what has often been of late very severe temptation. 
 
 "Wednesday, i2th November, 1853. Two souls weeping 
 very bitterly. I never saw persons in deeper distress. From 
 about eight until half-past ten they wept incessantly on ac- 
 count of their sins. 
 
 "Sunday, i6th November. In the morning very large 
 congregation. VeTy little liberty, but good was done, as I 
 afterward learned. 
 
 " Evening. Liberty in preaching. Fourteen persons came 
 forward, many, if not all, of whom found the Saviour. Praise 
 the Lord !" 
 
 Bringing Mr. Booth's custom was to invite the anxious to 
 
 xious*toa come forward to the communion-rail, thus publicly 
 
 decision. s jg n jfyi n g their desire to serve God. This custom 
 
 has since been followed in the Salvation Army with 
 
 glorious results, and has no doubt brought thousands
 
 THE GENERAL'S JOURNAL. 
 
 141 
 
 to a definite decision, who would otherwise have 
 deferred the matter, and thus in many instances have 
 failed to come to the point at all. 
 
 "Monday. Preaching at Spalding. Good congregation. 
 Four came forward, two of whom professed to find Jesus. I 
 exerted myself very much in the prayer-meeting, and felt 
 very deeply. I prayed very earnestly over an old man, who 
 had been a backslider seven years. He cried a great deal and 
 prayed, 'O Lord, if Thou canst wash a heart as black as 
 hell, save me!' By exerting myself so much I became very 
 ill, and could not leave the house for the rest of the week. 
 
 Sunday, 23d November. I started from home rather un- 
 well. Mr. Shadford begged me to tell the people I was ill, 
 and said they would readily understand it by the sight of my 
 haggard appearance. I was planned at Donnington for morn- 
 ing and night and Swineshead Bridge for the afternoon. At 
 night the Lord helped me to preach, and fourteen came out. 
 Many more sought Jesus, but fourteen names were taken as 
 having found Him. It was indeed a very precious meeting 
 a melting, moving time. May God keep them faithful ! 
 
 " Monday, Swineshead Bridge. Here I was to preach three 
 nights, with a view to promoting a revival. Many things 
 seemed against us and our project, but the Lord was for us. 
 After the preaching, two came out for mercy, and the Lord 
 saved them both. This raised our faith and cheered our 
 spirits, especially as there were several more in distress. 
 
 "Tuesday. Congregation better. The news had flown 
 that the Lord was saving, and this seldom fails to bring a 
 crowd. The word of the Lord was with power, and six cried 
 for mercy. A glorious meeting we had. I determined to 
 stop the rest of the week at the earnest solicitation of the 
 people." 
 
 In a later entry Mr. Booth adds : 
 
 " During the remainder of the time many more sought sal- 
 vation. I shall always meditate with pleasure on the week 
 I spent at Swineshead Bridge. I prayed and preached with 
 more of the expectation of faith, and saw greater success than 
 I ever saw in a week before during my history. 
 
 " Friday, igih December. Received a letter from Mr. 
 
 1853, 
 Age 24. 
 
 Fourteen 
 
 find 
 
 mercy. 
 
 The best 
 week yet.
 
 142 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1853, 
 Age 24. 
 
 The 
 
 Caistor 
 revival. 
 
 Thirty- 
 six for 
 salvation. 
 
 A second 
 visit. 
 
 Wigglesworth, solicitor, of Donnington, requesting me to 
 spend the ensuing week at Caistor, a small town about twenty 
 miles south of Hull, he promising to take my appointments 
 in my own circuit. To this I consented. 
 
 " Saturday, 2oth December. I arrived at Caistor about 4 P.M. 
 My coming was altogether unexpected, but the bellman was 
 sent round the town, and the friends did all they could to 
 make it known. 
 
 " Sunday. In the morning we had a salvation meeting, and 
 I offered many reasons why the members should join me in 
 seeking a revival in Caistor. We knelt and gave ourselves 
 afresh to God. 
 
 "Afternoon. The place was crowded. The singing was 
 delightful. The people wept, and conviction seized many 
 hearts, which ended in conversion. 
 
 "Night. One of the most glorious services I ever held. I 
 did not preach with much liberty, but there was power and 
 feeling, and in the prayer-meeting many cried for salvation. 
 
 " Every night the place was full, sometimes densely crowded. 
 Thirty-six found salvation. Among others the following was 
 an interesting case : Mr. Joseph Wigglesworth, the brother of 
 the gentleman who prevailed on me to come to Caistor, at- 
 tended the morning meeting. I found he was then deeply 
 wrought upon. He came in the afternoon and wept. At 
 night I spoke to him. He had for years enjoyed the Methodist 
 privileges nay, from infancy he had been blessed with a 
 religious training. Yet he was unsaved, and could never be 
 prevailed upon to come to a prayer-meeting. I talked to him 
 about the importance of decision. He broke down, came 
 boldly to the penitent-form, and with many tears and prayers, 
 sought and obtained forgiveness. It was a splendid case and 
 did us all good." 
 
 A month later Mr. Booth visited Caistor a second 
 time, and writes: 
 
 " I left Spalding for Caistor, where I had promised to spend 
 another week. The friends were well, and very pleased to 
 see me. 
 
 " Sunday. We held in the morning a precious meeting. 
 Only two out of the thirty-six, who had found the Lord during
 
 THE GENERALS JOURNAL. 143 
 
 my previous visit, had gone back to the beggarly elements of 1853, 
 the world. A S e 2 4- 
 
 " Afternoon and evening I preached in the Independent 
 chapel, which had long been closed. The many fears we 
 had indulged with regard to the congregation were dispersed 
 when we saw it comfortably filled in the afternoon. In the 
 evening we had a most triumphant meeting. God was with 
 us eminently. I at once promised to stay the whole of the 
 week. 
 
 " I wrote a bill which we got printed and taken to every 
 house in Caistor and the surrounding villages. The result 
 was a glorious harvest. Seventy-six were saved during the Seventy- 
 week, and I only left them under a promise to return the next 
 week but one. The whole town was in a ferment. 
 
 " Saturday, February 7th, Caistor. Returned here for an- 
 other week. 
 
 "Sunday. Not so successful, although the congregations 
 were overflowing. 
 
 " Monday night. A good time and many saved. 
 
 "Friday. Every night many souls saved. To-night the 
 influence was overwhelming. The parting with this dear 
 people was very painful. I had never experienced anything 
 approaching to the success with which God crowned my A re- 
 labors here ; I found them a poor, despised people, meeting in hanqe C 
 an old upper room, with about thirty-five members, and I left 
 them with over two hundred members in a good roomy 
 chapel, full of spirits, and very many precious souls all over 
 the town under deep conviction. May God take care of them 
 and guide them safe to Heaven, and may I meet them there !" 
 
 But although his labours were attended with such The 
 
 , . , . , , Methodist 
 
 multiplied success, nevertheless both Miss Mumford New Con- 
 and Mr. Booth felt that it was high time either for 
 the Reform movement to become crystallised into a 
 united organisation of its own, with a distinctive gov- 
 ernment whose authority would be acknowledged by 
 all, or, failing this, that it would be necessary for Mr. 
 Booth to attach himself to some church which an- 
 swered to this description. It so happened that at 
 this very period he became acquainted with the Meth-
 
 144 MKS. BOOTH. 
 
 1853, odist New Connexion, which to his mind appeared 
 admirably fitted to the requirements of the Reform- 
 ers, combining a liberal government with Wesleyan 
 doctrine. Here was the very opportunity for which 
 Mr. Booth had so long looked, and he conceived the 
 "bold idea of not only joining them himself but of urg- 
 ing the entire body to do the same. 
 
 its origin. The Methodist New Connexion is the first-born of 
 the numerous Wesleyan progeny, to which the parent 
 organisation gave birth after the death of its founder 
 in 1791. It is no small testimony to the creative gen- 
 ius of Wesley that each member of the family is 
 
 almost a facsimile of the rest. Indeed the doctrines 
 identical, are identically those which he formulated. His rich 
 
 hymnology and peculiar nomenclature have also been 
 The bum- preserved intact. It has only been on questions of 
 
 ing ques- . . 
 
 tion. church government, similar to those which gave rise 
 to the Reform agitation, that differences of opinion 
 and consequent divisions have arisen. Indeed in 
 not a few instances it would puzzle any outsider, not 
 thoroughly versed in all the subtle distinctions of 
 Methodistic polity, to say wherein the various 
 branches of that body differ, or to which the palm of 
 superiority may fairly be ascribed. 
 Further During the last few years there has been a strongly 
 
 assimila- . . 
 
 tion. marked tendency to still further assimilate, and it 
 seems within the range of possibility that the union 
 of the Methodist bodies which has already taken place 
 in Canada may be succeeded by a world-wide con- 
 solidation, which would doubtless strengthen the po- 
 sition of Wesleyanism and place it numerically at the 
 head of Protestant Christendom, although historically 
 of so recent origin. It would certainly be a remark- 
 able coincidence if such a reunion were based, as 
 seems not improbable, on the very principles which
 
 THE GENERALS JOURNAL. 145 
 
 led to the secession of 1791. The gulf which divided 1853, 
 the orthodox party from the dissentients then has 
 since been bridged by the concession of nearly every- 
 thing which was at that time refused. 
 
 The links which bound John Wesley's followers Broken 
 to the Church of England have long since been 
 broken. At the time of which we speak, their po- 
 sition resembled very closely the present semi- 
 independence of the various missionary societies, save 
 that the national clergy were then far less tolerant of 
 anything out of the beaten track than they are now. 
 How far the germs of ultimate separation exist in 
 these more recent developments of Church activity 
 would form an interesting subject for speculation, but 
 for this we have neither time nor space. 
 
 The question, as it concerned John Wesley's or- Wesley 
 
 , . .,.,.!:. . . opposed 
 
 ganisation, had even during his lifetime given rise to tosepara- 
 burning discussions. He had, however, set his face 
 like a flint against all proposals for separation. His 
 " travelling preacher" had not been allowed to admin- 
 ister the sacraments. Meetings were not held during 
 the hours of " Divine service" in the national church. 
 And Wesley discouraged generally the assumption of 
 ministerial titles, or priestly functions. 
 
 On this and other questions the Annual Conference Differ- 
 of Preachers, which had been bound together hitherto opinion. 
 by his strong personality, became divided after his 
 death. Some were desirous of adhering rigidly to 
 their venerated founder's policy, while others con- 
 tended for the introduction of such alterations as 
 might from time to time appear advisable. 
 
 Among the most prominent of the latter party was Aiex- 
 a young preacher named Alexander Kilham, who 
 spoke strongly on behalf of reform, publishing sev- 
 eral pamphlets on the subject. The principal changes 
 10
 
 146 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1853, which he advocated were, that the travelling preachers 
 ge 24< should be authorised to administer the sacraments, 
 and that the laity should have equal power with the 
 ministry in the government of the organisation. He 
 supported his arguments by casting serious reflections 
 on the existing management of affairs, and by alleging 
 that abuses had already arisen, which he believed 
 could only be effectually dealt with by introducing 
 delegates from the laity both into the Annual Confer- 
 ence and into the district meetings. 
 His ex- For these publications Kilham was tried and ex- 
 
 pulsion. 
 
 pelled in 1 796. This led to his publishing a monthly 
 pamphlet which was styled the Methodist Monitor, and 
 which developed two years later into the Methodist New 
 Connexion Magazine, for the purpose of advocating 
 his views. Mr. Kilham still nourished a hope that 
 the Conference would ultimately grant the concessions 
 for which he and his friends had asked. But in this 
 he was disappointed, and it soon became clear that 
 nothing further was to be expected, especially in re- 
 gard to the question of lay representation. 
 Forma- The first step taken toward a separation was the 
 the^/w purchase of Ebenezer Chapel in Leeds from the Bap- 
 tists. This was opened in May, 1797, Mr. Kilham 
 conducting the services. The Conference met in 
 July, when a final, but abortive, effort was made to 
 induce them to reconsider their decision. The fail- 
 ure of this attempt led to the resignation of three 
 more ministers, who united with Mr. Kilham and a 
 few other friends at Ebenezer Chapel in establishing 
 the New Connexion. The outlines of a constitution 
 were agreed upon in accordance with the views ad- 
 vocated by Mr. Kilham, who became the secretary of 
 the organisation, while the Rev. Thorn, one of the 
 dissentient ministers, was elected its first president.
 
 THE GENERAL'S JOURNAL. 
 
 147 
 
 The principle of lay representation round which 
 the controversy most fiercely raged, and which be- 
 came the chief plank in the platform of the New Con- 
 nexion, has since been adopted with certain modifica- 
 tions by every branch of Wesleyanism, and it seems 
 not unlikely that if there ever should be a general 
 amalgamation, it will take place on the lines laid down 
 by this earliest reform movement. One is tempted 
 to speculate as to the possible history of a united 
 Methodism during the past hundred years, had the 
 suggestions of young Kilham been at the outset 
 adopted. But perhaps the Society was not then pre- 
 pared for changes of so radical a character. 
 
 Such was the origin of the organisation with which 
 Mr. Booth proposed that the Reformers should iden- 
 tify themselves. It was not then, nor is it now, one 
 of the most numerically important branches of the 
 Methodist family. Its position, however, should not be 
 estimated by this, so much as by the influence it exer- 
 cised in shaping the subsequent policy both of the 
 parent stock and of the younger branches of the family, 
 occupying as it has continued from the first to do a 
 medium position between the extreme conservatism 
 of the former and the ultra-radicalism of some mem- 
 bers of the latter. 
 
 To amalgamate the Reformers with this church 
 
 . 1 1 
 
 seemed to him preferable to constituting a separate 
 organisation of their own, since they would obtain all 
 the privileges which had been denied them by the 
 parent church, without having to encounter the delay 
 and difficulties which must necessarily attend the op- 
 posite course. To manufacture a strong government 
 out of elements so discordant, so heterogeneous and 
 so unadhesive would, he felt, be extremely difficult. 
 Whereas if the fragments were thrown into a pot 
 
 1853, 
 
 Lay rep- 
 re 'tion? 
 
 Position 
 of 
 
 Proposed 
 
 amalga- 
 
 mation of 
 formers. 
 
 i ts a d_ 
 vanta 9 es -
 
 148 MXS. BOOTH. 
 
 1853, which had already some cohesion of its own, the 
 Age 24 ' law-abiding portions could be melted down, so to 
 speak, into one consistent mass, while the disorderly 
 elements could more easily be eliminated, and would 
 at any rate be less likely to do harm. Besides, why 
 waste time over building up a facsimile of what already 
 existed, when the original combined at the same time 
 both the stability and elasticity which seemed de- 
 sirable ? 
 
 His desire Above all, Mr! Booth longed to put an end to the 
 
 nateThe interminable disputations and argumentations which 
 
 Dispute. seeme( j to b e fast sapping the vitality and spirituality 
 
 of the Reformers. How could souls be saved under 
 
 such conditions, and how could those who were saved 
 
 be made into saints and soldiers, if, instead of the 
 
 sincere milk of the word, they were fed upon dry 
 
 discussions, or if when they cried for bread, they were 
 
 offered a barren theory ? 
 
 The sub- Once decided as to the right course of action, it only 
 broached, remained to settle the modus operandi. The principal 
 organ of the Reformers was, as has been already men- 
 tioned, the Wesleyan Times. The subject was accord- 
 ingly broached by Mr. Booth in its columns, and some 
 correspondence ensued. Nor were the leaders of the 
 New Connexion slow to avail themselves of this fa- 
 vourable opportunity. During the Annual Conference, 
 which held its sitting in May, at Longton, in the 
 Staffordshire Potteries, the following resolution was 
 adopted and published in the Wesleyan Times: 
 
 The reso- " That the Conference feels deeply concerned at the un- 
 *brT d h a PP v differences which have so long prevailed in the 
 by the Wesleyan family, and would rejoice to see the brethren who 
 are contending for a more liberal system of Church govern- 
 ment, directing their attention to some practical course, 
 whereby they may attain that object, and thus restore peace
 
 THE GENERAL'S JOURNAL'. 
 
 149 
 
 and prosperity to the Methodist bodies. That the Conference 
 has too much sympathy with all Christians, who hold the same 
 doctrines and entertain similar views of Church government 
 with itself, to be indifferent to their welfare, and having 
 taken no part in the recent struggle, it would rejoice at some 
 healing measure being adopted, whereby friendly relations 
 might be brought about between the parties. Where that 
 cannot be accomplished, to those who desire to unite with us 
 on the principles and practice of the Connexion, the Confer- 
 ence would give the right hand of fellowship." * 
 
 In the following year the secretary for the Reform 
 Committee opened up communications with the presi- 
 dent of the Methodist New Connexion as to the pos- 
 sibility of amalgamating the two bodies. The latter 
 replied that they would be glad to consider any pro- 
 posals for doing so on the basis of their own consti- 
 tution, but declined to make any alterations in it, to 
 suit the more democratic tastes of the Reformers. 
 Hence the negotiations fell through, and although a 
 considerable number of the Reform societies attached 
 themselves to the Connexion, the bulk of that body 
 united themselves to the Wesleyan Methodist Asso- 
 ciation, which assumed the name of the " United 
 Methodist Free Churches," adhering as usual to the 
 Wesleyan formula of doctrine, but adopting, as the 
 name signified, a more congregational form of govern- 
 ment. Meanwhile Mr. Booth had opened up a cor- 
 respondence with Dr. Cooke, one of the leading 
 ministers, and an ex-president of the New Connexion, 
 from whom he received the following reply : 
 
 "3 CRESCENT, Albany Road, May 28th, 1853. 
 " MY DEAR SIR : Your favour found rne at the Conference 
 from which I am but just returned, and being now almost 
 overwhelmed with the pressure of duties prior to the publica- 
 tion of our minutes, I can command time to answer only one 
 
 * Wesley an Times, 3oth May, 1853. p. -340. 
 
 1853, 
 Age 24. 
 
 Further 
 negotia- 
 tions 
 
 fall 
 through. 
 
 The U. M. 
 F. C. 
 
 A letter 
 
 from Dr. 
 
 Cooke.
 
 ISO MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 
 
 I 853, portion of your letter. I think it not unlikely that a formal 
 Age 24. application from you to our president for the year, Rev. J. 
 Hudson, of Huddersfield, would result in your reception as a 
 minister in our body. At the same time the usage of four 
 years' probation would undoubtedly be applied to you, just 
 as strictly as it is to those candidates who are chosen from our 
 own ranks, and who are well known to us. I fully sympathise 
 with your views and feelings as to the desirableness of a 
 union of the Reformers with our body. It would present to 
 them a home of peace and rational, scriptural freedom, with 
 institutions of various kinds already established and in pros- 
 perous operation. 
 
 " Praying that the Lord may direct and prosper you, I am, 
 dear sir, 
 
 " Yours in haste, but very respectfully, 
 
 " WILLIAM COOKE." 
 
 Mr. Booth Having prepared the way by a careful study of the 
 MS dr- New Connexion system, and by getting into touch 
 with some of its leading spirits, Mr. Booth now 
 broached the subject at the quarterly meeting of the 
 office-bearers of his own circuit, proposing that, with- 
 out waiting for the action of the entire body, they 
 should themselves take immediate measures for amal- 
 gamation. Although strongly supported by some of 
 *to'ca lils *ke most influential persons present, the motion was 
 them and lost, and failing to carry his people with him, Mr. 
 go over Booth announced to them his resolution to go over 
 
 alone. 
 
 alone. 
 
 Hispeopie This decision was received by his people with un- 
 
 strate. feigned regret, and many efforts were put forth .to 
 
 induce him to remain. He was offered the privilege 
 
 of immediate marriage, together with a furnished 
 
 home, and a horse, and a trap to enable him to visit 
 
 distant places. To this pressure he might have 
 
 Miss yielded, had not Miss Mumford thrown her influence 
 
 f^i's into the opposite scale. The inviting career of a 
 
 firmness. CO untry parson, she argued, combined though it might
 
 THE GENERAL'S JOURNAL. I$l 
 
 be with the tempting prospect of domestic bliss, would 1853, 
 not alter the fact that the time so spent would prob- 
 ably be thrown away, and that he would be compelled 
 to do in the end what could more easily and profit- 
 ably be done now. 
 
 There was another course open to Mr. Booth, which Another 
 had for him special attractions, and which not a few 
 of his friends strongly urged upon him, and that was 
 to work as a revival preacher, independently of all 
 organisations. Himself born and cradled in a revival, 
 with the stirring examples of Caughey and Finney 
 fresh in his mind, he had a strong leaning to a career 
 so much in accordance with his tastes and aspirations. 
 He was, however, satisfied that even as an evangelist 
 his work would be of a more permanent character, 
 and his converts better looked after, if he laboured 
 in connexion with some already established organisa- 
 tion, rather than by playing the part of a religious 
 free-lance. Besides, there would be the assurance, 
 in joining the New Connexion, of a renewal for at 
 least some few months of his much-interrupted 
 studies. 
 
 Miss Mumford strongly favoured this view of the Decides to 
 matter, and it was accordingly settled that early in 
 1854 he should enter the Methodist New Connexion, 
 studying for six months under Dr. Cooke's personal 
 supervision, and offering himself for their ministry 
 at the ensuing Conference, when there was every 
 reason to believe he would be accepted.
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 The con- 
 troversy 
 renewed. 
 
 A firm be- 
 liever in 
 consecu- 
 tive effort. 
 
 His sub- 
 views. 
 
 The 
 
 General 
 writes to 
 Miss 
 Mum- 
 ford. 
 
 CORRESPONDENCE AND CONFLICTS. 1854. 
 
 THE decision to enter the New Connexion had 
 scarcely been arrived at, when the revivals at Swines- 
 head Bridge and Caistor occurred, leading to a re- 
 newal of the vexed question as to the evangelistic 
 sphere. Indeed, but for the fact that he had pledged 
 his word, and that Miss Mumford was so convinced 
 as to the wisdom of the step, Mr. Booth would in all 
 probability have launched forth on an itinerant career. 
 Not that he favoured a mere roving life. On the 
 contrary, he has always been a firm believer in con- 
 secutive effort. But observing the tendency of the 
 church to stagnation, he thought the evil might be 
 largely remedied by visiting the various centres, and 
 holding a protracted series of meetings, thus ingather- 
 ing a multitude of souls, and infusing a spirit of zeal 
 and enterprise among Christians. 
 
 Forty years have passed since first his heart was 
 drawn toward such work. Standing in the sunset of 
 a triumphant career, his views remain unchanged, 
 and although the oversight of the vast organisation, 
 which, under God, he has raised up, interferes with 
 a renewal of similar toil, he is comforted in the fact 
 that he has created for other labourers a like op- 
 portunity all over the world. 
 
 At the time, however, of which we write, the con- 
 troversy was of a perplexing character, as may be 
 gathered from the following letters : 
 
 152-
 
 CORRESPONDENCE AND CONFLICTS. 153 
 
 HOLBEACH, January, 1854. 1854, 
 
 " MY DEAREST KATE : The plot thickens, and I hesitate not Age 25. 
 to tell you that I fear, and fear much, that I am going wrong. 
 
 " Yesterday I received a letter asking me if I would consent 
 to come to the Hinde Street Circuit (London Reformers), 
 salary , i oo per year. I have also heard that the committee 
 in London are about to make me an offer. I would give a 
 great deal to be satisfied as to the right path, and gladly 
 would I walk it whether here or there. 
 
 " You see, my dearest, it is certainly enough to make a The 
 fellow think and tremble. Here I am at present in a circuit dllemma - 
 numbering 780 members, with an increase for the year of 
 nearly two hundred. Am invited to another with near a thou- 
 sand. And yet I am going to join a church with but 150 
 members in London, and a majority of circuits with but a 
 similar number. 
 
 " I fear that with all my cautiousness on this subject I shall 
 regret it. Send me a kind letter to reach me on Friday. 
 Bless you, a thousand times ! My present intention is to tear 
 myself away from all and everything, and persevere in the 
 path I have chosen. They reckon it down here the maddest, 
 wildest, most premature and hasty step that ever they knew 
 a saved man to take. 
 
 " I remain, my dearest love, 
 
 " Your own 
 
 " WILLIAM." 
 
 To this, the following reply was sent by Miss Mum- Miss 
 
 Mum- 
 
 ford : ford's 
 
 reply. 
 
 " MY DEAREST WILLIAM : I have with a burdened soul com- 
 mitted the contents of your letter to God, and I feel persuaded 
 He will guide you. I will just put down one or two consider- 
 ations which may comfort you. 
 
 " First, then, you are not leaving the Reformers because 
 you fear you would not get another circuit or as good a sal- 
 ary as the Connexion can offer. You are leaving because ^^-^ on 
 you are out of patience and sympathy with its principles and principle, 
 aims, and because you believe they will bring it to ultimate 
 destruction. 
 
 " Second, you are not leaving to secure present advantages, 
 but sacrificing present advantages for what you believe to be
 
 154 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 Age 25. 
 
 Satisfy 
 your con- 
 science. 
 
 Make the 
 
 act your 
 
 own. 
 
 Living 
 above. 
 
 Another 
 letter. 
 
 on the whole (looking to the end) most for God's glory and 
 the good of souls. And the fact of Hinde Street offering ,200 
 would not alter those reasons. If it is right in principle for 
 you to leave the movement and join the Connexion, no advan- 
 tages in the former or disadvantages in the latter can possibly 
 alter the thing. 
 
 " But mind, / do not urge, you to do it, and I do not see 
 even now that it is too late to retreat, if your conscience is 
 not satisfied as to the quality of your motives. But I believe 
 it ought to be. I wish you prayed more and talked less about 
 the matter. Try it, and be determined to get clear and settled 
 views as to your course. Leave your heart before God, and 
 get satisfied in His sight, and then do it, be it what it may. I 
 cannot bear the idea of your being unhappy. Pray do in 
 this as you feel in your soul it will be right. My conscience 
 is no standard for yours. 
 
 " I am not sorry that the people think I am anxious for the 
 step. I wish them to understand that I am favourable to it. 
 But at the same time you do right to make the act your own, 
 though you can let them know I highly approve it. 
 
 " Oh, if you come to London, let us be determined to reap a 
 blessed harvest. Let our fellowship be sanctified to our souls' 
 everlasting good. My mind is made up to do my part toward 
 it. I hope to be firm as a rock on some points. The Lord 
 help me ! We must aim to improve each other's minds and 
 characters. Let us pray for grace to do it in the best way and 
 to the fullest extent possible. 
 
 " I am living above. My soul breathes a purer atmosphere 
 than it has done for the last two or three years. God lives 
 and reigns, and this to me is a source of much consolation. 
 
 " With deepest' interest and sincere affection, 
 
 " I remain, your loving 
 
 "KATE." 
 
 Writing again a few days later, Miss Mumford says : 
 
 " I am very sorry to find that you are still perplexed and 
 harassed about the change. I did think that there were con- 
 ditions weighty enough to satisfy your own mind as to the 
 propriety of the step, and if not I begged you not to act. Even 
 now it is not too late. Stay at Spalding, and risk all. Pray 
 be satisfied in your own mind. Rather lose anything than
 
 CORRESPONDENCE AND CONFLICTS. 155 
 
 make yourself miserable. You reasoned and suffered just so 1854, 
 about leaving the Conference, and yet you see it was right Age 2 5- 
 now. I never suffered an hour about it, after I once decided, 
 except in the breaking of some tender associations. Nor do I qualm. 
 ever expect to suffer. I reasoned the thing out and came to 
 a conclusion, and all the Conference battering I met never 
 caused me a ten minutes' qualm. 
 
 " You mistake me if you think I do not estimate the trial it Feelings 
 must be to you, and the influence of circumstances and persons a ^? r eaZ- 
 around you. But remember, dearest, they do not alter reali- ities. 
 ties, and the Reform movement is no home or sphere for you; 
 whereas the principles of the Connexion you love in your 
 very soul. I believe you will be satisfied when once from un- 
 der the influence of your Spalding friends. 
 
 " Anyway, don't let the controversy hurt your soul. Live Mind 
 near to God by prayer. Oh, I do feel the importance of your soul. 
 spiritual things, and am in a measure living by faith in the 
 Son of God ! The Lord is very precious to me and admits 
 me to free and blessed intercourse with Himself. I have 
 spent some precious moments in committing all into His 
 hands, and I do believe He will answer prayer and guide us 
 in all things. You believe He answers prayer. Then take 
 courage. Just fall down at His feet and open your very soul 
 before Him, and throw yourself right into His arms. Tell 
 Him if you are wrong, .you only wait to be set right, and be 
 the path rough or smooth you will walk in it. This is exactly 
 the position of my mind now. I feel an infinite satisfaction 
 in lying at the footstool of my God, and I believe He will con- 
 descend to guide us. 
 
 " Oh, you must live close to God ! If you are at a greater Live close 
 distance from Him than you were, just stop the whirl of out- to God - 
 ward things, or rather leave it, and shut yourself up with Him 
 till all is clear and bright upwards. Do, there's a deaf. Oh, 
 how much we lose by not coming to the point ! Now, at once, 
 realise your union with Christ, and trust Him to lead you 
 through this perplexity. Bless you ! Excuse this advice. I 
 am anxious for your soul. Look up! If God hears my 
 prayers, He must guide you He will guide you. I love you, 
 I pray for you, and I will do all in my power to make you 
 happy. 
 
 " Your espoused and loving 
 
 " CATHERINE."
 
 156 MS. BOOTH. 
 
 1854, It appeared, however, too late to draw back, and 
 ge 25 ' Mr. Booth resolved to persist in carrying out the ar- 
 Mr. Booth rangement entered into with Dr. Cooke. 
 Drcooke. Had anybody at this time ventured to prophesy 
 that either Mr. Booth or Miss Mumford would ever 
 of\hT view with favour the military form of government 
 
 Army, w hi c h was the final outcome of their experiences, 
 surely none would have contemplated such an idea 
 with more surprise and apprehension than themselves. 
 Quick as were their minds to grasp a new idea, and 
 resolute and intrepid as they were in carrying it into 
 effect, they were still too largely dominated by their 
 surrounding circumstances and by the force of long 
 formed habit to foresee the chain of providences 
 which was to compel them, almost in spite of them- 
 selves, to a course of action leading to such momen- 
 tous results. For the time being, however, their 
 pathway seemed clear, and they were content to link 
 their fortunes with the organisation which seemed 
 to answer so nearly to their highest ideal. 
 
 Jehus, But wherever they might be and with whomso- 
 ever they might cast in their lot, these Jehus were 
 Jehus still, and might be known from afar by their 
 furious driving. And they imported into their new 
 position an element of dash and adventure which soon 
 commenced to clash with vested interests. The 
 child-debater, temperance secretary, and school-girl 
 monitor had the inborn instincts of a leader, and 
 chafed under restrictions and limitations which 
 seemed to her so often to spring from unworthy mo- 
 tives, and to cripple the aspiration and thwart the best- 
 planned schemes of one whose genius and single-eyed 
 devotion so transcended in her opinion those who 
 surrounded and legislated for him. 
 
 It is, perhaps, but the universal fate of nature's
 
 CORRESPONDENCE AND CONFLICTS. i$7 
 
 most gifted children to find barriers interposed where 1854, 
 they are least expected, and it may truly be said that 
 the course of the grandest benefactors of the human Barriers 
 race never did and perhaps never will "run smooth." 
 To our short-sighted vision it might seem well if every 
 mountain torrent sped its way with canal-like straight- 
 ness to the sea. And yet thus it would unavoidably 
 miss some of its most important tributaries, and, by 
 shortening its course, deprive many needy valleys of 
 its fertilising streams. It would at least lose much of 
 its charm, and by forfeiting the added force and ve- 
 locity which each surmounted barrier lends to its on- 
 flowing current, would sacrifice in a great measure its 
 purity and power. 
 
 Had the New Connexion proved all that was hoped Foresight 
 for when it received this reinforcement, and had its 
 Conference been endowed with sufficient foresight to 
 anticipate coming events, there would perhaps have 
 been no occasion for the establishment of a Salvation 
 Army. But, after all, there are not many who are 
 able to discern the signs of the times, or who are 
 willing to give genius and spiritual power its legiti- 
 mate scope. And thus the benefactors of the earth 
 are too often hindered till compelled at length to 
 manufacture for themselves new channels when the 
 old might amply have sufficed. 
 
 It may, however, well be questioned whether it Material 
 would have been possible to have manufactured an Army. 
 aggressive force such as the Salvation Army within 
 the borders of any existing denomination. The ma- 
 terials for such a movement required to be drawn 
 from widely different sources. The more than ninety The 
 per cent of England's nominally Christian, but ac- nin c e ei it per 
 tually heathen population, whose church was the 
 public-house and whose Bible was the " penny dread-
 
 158 MXS. BOOTH. 
 
 1854, ful," were to constitute the recruiting grounds for a 
 religious crusade which was to send forth its conquer- 
 ing legions to the four quarters of the globe. Un- 
 embarrassed by traditional teachings, unspoiled by 
 bungling management, unshackled by governmental 
 red tape and destitute of religious grave-clothes to 
 conceal their moral nudeness, this spiritual wilder- 
 ness contained virgin soil which needed only patient 
 toil and sturdy persistence to convert it into a veritable 
 paradise. Mr. and Mrs. Booth were afterwards to 
 A happy make the happy discovery that the foetid fever-breed- 
 
 discovery. r rj J 
 
 ing muck-heaps that obstructed the gangways of civi- 
 lisation and threatened to overwhelm society with 
 wholesale perdition might be converted into fertilis- 
 ing material, which should yet prove a source of 
 wealth and happiness to its possessors, and a blessing 
 to the world at large. 
 The ten- Human creeds and religious organisations have an 
 
 dency to . 
 
 fossilise, inveterate tendency to fossilise the ideas and inspira- 
 tions of a dead past, which they vainly endeavour to 
 foist upon an altogether altered present. They have 
 too often ceased to grow. Their very garb and lan- 
 guage are frequently antiquated and unnatural in- 
 teresting relics of a bygone age, time-honoured mem- 
 orials of a buried century, but powerless to cope with 
 the exigencies of an ever-changing world. 
 
 n a censor i us spirit, but as the 
 
 pointing simple explanation of a strange phenomenon. The 
 
 finger- * * . F . 
 
 posts, results of nearly every great religious awakening have 
 in time become petrified and crystallised into beauti- 
 ful but powerless forms. Instead of " spires whose 
 silent fingers point to Heaven," we have sign-posts 
 whose backward finger points to the hallowed but 
 speechless and lifeless cemetery of bygone days and 
 deeds. Instead of living prophets we have grave-
 
 CORRESPONDENCE AND CONFLICTS. 159 
 
 stones which, like funeral sentinels, take their stand 1854, 
 upon the dust and ashes of the past. 
 
 Those who have been truly great, because they The 
 caught the spirit of their times and combined with it ^if 88 
 the spirit of the Divine, are transported into sur- 
 roundings and circumstances where their names have 
 ceased to conjure or enchant. Had they lived they 
 would themselves no doubt have acted differently 
 under the altered circumstances. The religious 
 Caesars of the past would have been the Napoleons 
 and Moltkes of the present. They would not have 
 attempted the futile task of clothing the living with 
 the winding-sheets, however pure and fragrant, of 
 the dead. They would have scorned to cater for the 
 religious few, while the breadless multitudes perished 
 at their doors; and if their genius could not have 
 soared to the emergencies of their generation, it would 
 have carried them far enough to enable them to re- 
 cognise and support the spirit of the age, in however Recognis- 
 strange or even uncouth a form it might have em- Spirit of 
 bodied itself. Instead of devoting their ingenuity to 
 manufacturing patches for the tattered and discarded 
 draperies of early days they would have contrived to 
 weave some newer vestments better suited to cover 
 the moral nakedness of their times. Instead of being 
 satisfied with sewing together the original fig-leaves 
 of Eden, they would have invented some more suit- 
 able material, and instead of endeavouring to clothe 
 humanity with the bibs and baby-linen of its early The bibs 
 days, they would have devised garments more con- unen of 
 genial to its manhood's prime. Instead of storing 
 its new wine in the leaky worn-out wineskins of the 
 past, they would have reckoned it the truest economy 
 to invest a few shillings in purchasing it a new and 
 serviceable cask, consenting with a good grace to the
 
 160 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1854, transmigration of the accustomed leathern hides into 
 
 ge the iron hoops and wooden staves of modern progress. 
 
 Lack of Be this as it may, it was just the absence of this 
 
 1 v ' element of elasticity in existing organisations that 
 
 justified and necessitated the separate existence of 
 
 the Salvation Army, and afforded it a peculiarly 
 
 wide and unoccupied field for its operations. 
 
 Existing g u |- the time for this had not yet come, and the 
 
 machin- J 
 
 ery tried earlier years of Mr. and Mrs. Booth's life were spent 
 
 first. J . 
 
 in experimenting with existing machinery for the 
 accomplishment of purposes which became yearly 
 more and more the engrossing object of their very 
 existence.
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 LONDON. 1854. 
 
 THE reception with which Mr. Booth met at the 
 threshold of his new departure was cordial and en- 
 couraging. In Dr. Cooke he found an able and ap- 
 preciative leader, and the mutual regard which they 
 entertained for each other was preserved to the end. 
 The Doctor, who was in the habit of preparing a few 
 students for the ministry, received him, with two or 
 three others, into his own home. 
 
 That his studies were intermingled with active 
 evangelistic labours will readily be surmised. Indeed 
 the very day after his arrival in London we find him, 
 on the 1 5th of February, 1854, preaching in Bruns- 
 wick Street Chapel, when fifteen souls sought salva- 
 tion. The General naively admits that he never was 
 a pattern student, and that he might often have been 
 found on his face in an agony of prayer when he 
 ought to have been mastering his Greek verbs. But 
 the blessed results, which had already stamped his 
 ministry with an apostolic seal, continued to mark 
 his London labours, and when it came to his turn for 
 his sermon to be criticised by the Doctor according 
 to custom, he could only say, " Mr. Booth, I have 
 nothing to say to you. Go on, and may God bless 
 you." Indeed the constant rows of weeping peni- 
 tents, including one night the Doctor's daughter, 
 formed the best apology for the non-ministerial, un- 
 
 A cordial 
 reception. 
 
 Inter- 
 rupted 
 studies. 
 
 Fifteen 
 peni- 
 tents. 
 
 His turn 
 to be criti- 
 cised.
 
 1 62 MXS. BOOTH, 
 
 1854, artificial, dramatic style which distinguished Mr. 
 ge Booth's pulpit utterances. 
 Dr. " I intend proposing you at the next Conference as 
 
 proposal, superintendent of the work in London," said Dr. 
 Cooke one morning, as he strolled with Mr. Booth 
 through the garden, thus showing his confidence in 
 the ability and devotion of his favoured student. To 
 
 Mr. Booth this proposal Mr. Booth strenuously objected, plead- 
 ing his youth and inexperience for so important and 
 responsible a position. He consented, however, to 
 take the position of assistant pastor, should he be de- 
 sired to do so, accepting as his leader whomever Con- 
 ference might appoint. 
 
 There was a difficulty, however, in the adoption of 
 this plan, as hitherto the society had only supported 
 one preacher. This objection was overcome by his 
 old friend, Mr. Rabbitts, who had followed him into 
 the New Connexion, and who now offered to pay the 
 salary of a second pastor, provided that Mr. Booth 
 was appointed to the post. To this arrangement the 
 Conference subsequently agreed. 
 
 His first But during the interval an event had occurred 
 
 visit to the f . , . , . . . , ^ . ., . , , 
 
 East End. which is deserving of special notice. This was Mr. 
 Booth's first visit to the East End of London, where 
 the .New Connexion had maintained for many years 
 a small cause, and where he was destined eleven 
 years later to establish the foundations of a world- 
 wide movement. The following entry from his jour- 
 nal will be read with more than ordinary interest in 
 the light of subsequent history : 
 
 His jour- "Sunday, March i9th, 1854. Left home at 10 o'clock for 
 
 nal. Watney Street; Felt much sympathy for the poor neglected 
 
 inhabitants of Wapping, and its neighbourhood, as I walked 
 
 down the filthy streets and beheld the wretchedness and 
 
 wickedness of its people. Reached Bethesda Chapel, and
 
 LONDON. 163 
 
 found a nice little congregation, who seemed to hear the word 1854, 
 of the Lord gladly. At night a good congregation. Felt much Age 25. 
 power in preaching. The people wept and listened with much 
 avidity. Commenced or rather, continued the meeting by 
 holding a prayer-meeting. All, or nearly all, stayed. Gave 
 an invitation to those who were decided to serve the Lord to 
 come forward and many came fifteen in all of whom four- 
 teen professed to find Jesus, and went home happy in His 
 love. Many of these were very interesting cases. All en- 
 gaged were much blessed. Tired and weary, I reached home 
 soon after 11 o'clock." 
 
 In May there is another entry : 
 
 "At Watney Street I held a week's special services, preach- 
 ing every night. Very many gave their hearts to God. I 
 never knew a work more apparently satisfactory in proportion 
 to its extent. Some most precious cases I have beheld, and 
 I thank God for them. The people appear very happy and 
 united. God bless and keep them ! " 
 
 Referring to the same meetings in one of his let- 
 ters, Mr. Booth says: 
 
 " We had indeed a glorious day yesterday. Good congrega- A g _ 
 tion in the morning. In the afternoon we held a love-feast, perous be- 
 Seventeen spoke, and nearly all praised God for the day 1 gin 
 came among them. Many of my spiritual children, with 
 streaming eyes and overflowing hearts, told us how God, for 
 Christ's sake, had made them happy. 
 
 " At night, notwithstanding the unfavourable weather, we 
 had the place crammed every nook and corner, and in the 
 prayer-meeting we had near twenty penitents. Mr. Atkin- 
 son's daughter and Mr. Gould, her intended husband, came 
 forward and with many tears and prayers sought and found 
 mercy. Two black women came, and altogether it was a 
 good night." 
 
 Although it had been impossible for Dr. Cooke or Accepted 
 any of his influential friends to pledge the Conference *>v the 
 to accept Mr. Booth's candidature, nevertheless it 
 had been a foregone conclusion that they would read-
 
 164 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 Age 25. 
 
 Not much 
 elated. 
 
 Miss 
 Mum- 
 ford' 1 s 
 feelings. 
 
 Her up- 
 permost 
 desire. 
 
 ily extend to him the right hand of fellowship 
 promised by them to the Reformers in general at 
 their last annual gathering. Still Mr. Booth, and even 
 Miss Mumford, were scarcely prepared for the hearty 
 and unanimous manner in which they were received, 
 and for the special favour granted to them in the 
 privilege of receiving permission to marry, at the 
 end of twelve months, instead of having to wait, as 
 was generally the rule, for the expiry of the four 
 years of probation that must elapse before he could 
 be formally ordained as a minister of the church. 
 
 In announcing this news to Miss Mumford, Mr. 
 Booth writes: 
 
 " I snatch a moment to say that a letter has just come 
 to hand from Mr. Cooke, stating that I have been unanimously 
 received by the Conference. This is very good, but for some 
 unaccountable reason, I do not feel at all grateful, neither 
 does it all elate me ! " 
 
 To this letter Miss Mumford replies as follows : 
 
 " Your letter this morning filled my heart with gratitude 
 and my mouth with praise. I am thankful beyond measure 
 for the favourable reception and kind consideration you have 
 met with from the Conference, and I can only account for 
 your ingratitude on the ground you once gave me, namely, 
 that blessings in possession seem to lose half their value. This 
 is an unfortunate circumstance, but I think in this matter you 
 ought to be grateful, when you look at the past and contem- 
 plate the future. However, I am. This comes to me as the 
 answer of too many prayers, the result of too much self-sacri- 
 fice, the end of too much anxiety, and the crowning of too 
 many hopes, not to be appreciated ; and my soul does praise 
 God. You may think me enthusiastic. But your position is 
 now fixed as a minister of Christ, and your only concern will 
 be to labour for God and souls. 
 
 " I saw that in all probability you might toil the best part 
 of your life and then, after all, have to turn to business for your 
 support. But now, for life you are to be a teacher of Christ's
 
 LONDON. 
 
 165 
 
 glorious gospel, and I am sure the uppermost desire of my 
 soul is that you may be a holy and successful one. May God 
 afresh baptise you with His love, and make you indeed a 
 minister of the Spirit ! 
 
 " Oh, to begin anew, to give up all, and to live right in the 
 glory ! Shall we ? Can we dare do otherwise with the light 
 and influence God has given us ? God forbid that we should 
 provoke the eyes of His holiness by our indifference andluke- 
 warmness and inconsistency ! The Lord help me and thee to 
 live, so that our hearts condemn us not, for then shall we 
 have confidence toward God, that whatsoever we shall ask of 
 Him (even to making us instrumental in saving thousands of 
 precious souls) He will do it for us. Amen ! " 
 
 On the inside of the envelope, Miss Mumford adds 
 the following quotation : 
 
 "Not to understand a treasure's worth 
 Till time hath stole away the slighted good 
 Is cause of half the misery we feel, 
 And makes the world the wilderness it is. " 
 
 Previous to entering upon his London appointment 
 Mr. Booth paid a short visit to Caistor, with a view to 
 benefiting his health, which was a good deal run down. 
 
 But no sooner was it known by his old friends and 
 converts that he was in the place, than meetings were 
 planned which he ould not refuse to conduct, so that 
 at the conclusion of his visit he writes that in future 
 he would arrange his rest in a place where he was not 
 quite so well known. At the same time his reception 
 was such as to gratify his heart. Although his pre- 
 vious visits to the town had been so brief, the results 
 had been both powerful and permanent. He writes 
 to Miss Mumford: 
 
 " My reception has been exceedingly pleasing. Even the 
 children laugh and dance and sing at my coming, and eyes 
 sparkle and tongues falter in uttering my welcome. Yester- 
 day I had heavy work. Chapel crowded. Enthusiasm 
 
 1854, 
 Age 25. 
 
 A fresh 
 start. 
 
 Another 
 visit to 
 Caistor. 
 
 A hearty 
 welcome.
 
 1 66 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1854, 
 Age 25. 
 
 A crash- 
 ing 
 
 prayer- 
 meeting. 
 
 Miss 
 Mum- 
 ford's 
 sermon. 
 
 Some 
 
 more 
 
 wanted. 
 
 ran very high. Feeling overpowering, and yet not the 
 crash we expected. My prospects for usefulness seem to be 
 unbounded. But God knows best, and where He wants me 
 there He can send me. The people love me to distraction, and 
 are ready to tear me to pieces to have me at their homes. A 
 large party was invited to meet me." 
 
 Two days later he adds : 
 
 " Yesterday I preached to crowded congregations, and we 
 had a crashing prayer-meeting. Some splendid cases. I am 
 more than ever attached to the people. They are thorough- 
 going folks. Just my sort. I love them dearly, and shall stand 
 by them and help them when I can. 
 
 " I have just taken hold of that sketch you sent me on 'Be 
 not deceived, ' and am about to make a full sermon upon it. I 
 like it much. It is admirable. I want you to write some 
 short articles for our magazine. Begin one and get it done 
 by the time I come up. It will do } r ou a world of good. I am 
 sure you can do it. I will look them over and send them to 
 the editor. 
 
 " I want a sermon on the Flood, one on Jonah, and one on 
 the Judgment. Send me some bare thoughts; some clear, 
 startling outline. Nothing moves people like the terrific. 
 They must have hell-fire flashed before their faces, or they 
 will not move. Last night I preached a sermon on Christ 
 weeping over sinners, and only one came forward, although 
 several confessed to much holy feeling and influence. When 
 I preached about the harvest and the "wicked being turned 
 away, numbers came. We must have that kind of truth 
 which will move sinners. 
 
 " I have written by this post to Dr. Cooke. I tell him that 
 I come in love with no half -measures, and I am determined to 
 seek success. I am doing better in my soul. Am resolved 
 to live near to God, and put confidence in Him. Let us live 
 for Heaven!" 
 
 Unsatis- 
 fied. 
 
 Summing up this visit to Caistor, in his journal 
 Mr. Booth remarks: 
 
 " Nearly all my spiritual children stand firm in the faith. All 
 glory to God ! Preached eight sermons and attended a public
 
 LONDON. 167 
 
 meeting. I trust that during my visit some good has been 1854, 
 done. Near thirty profess to have found peace, but still the Age 25. 
 work has not been up to my expectations." 
 
 On returning to London, Mr. Booth threw himself M SSSS^ 
 heart and soul into his new work as assistant pastor 
 to the Rev. P. T. Gilton. His fame as a revivalist 
 had now spread to distant places, and frequent invi- 
 tations were received for him to hold special services. 
 Whilst most of these were declined without further 
 consideration, several were of such a pressing nature, 
 and were so strongly backed by influential friends, 
 that he scarcely knew what to reply. Coming as they 
 did from New Connexion congregations, it was diffi- 
 cult to return a refusal. 
 
 Miss Mumford hailed the news of each advance Miss 
 with joy. She had from the first entertained an un- 
 
 bounded confidence in Mr. Booth's ability, and felt Joy ' 
 that all he needed was an opportunity to enable him 
 to occupy, with glory to God and credit to himself, a 
 far higher position of usefulness than any that he had 
 hitherto held. 
 
 " Bless you ! Bless you !" she writes. " Your note has, like A stirring 
 'joy's seraphic fingers,' touched the tenderest chords in my leiter - 
 heart, and what I write is but like the trembling echoes of a 
 distant harp. If you were here, I would pour out the full strain 
 into your bosom and press you to my heart. God is too 
 good ! I feel happier than I have done for months. You will 
 think me extravagant. Well, bless God. He made me so. 
 Yes, we shall, I believe it, be very happy. 
 
 " Do I remember ? Yes, I remember all, all that has bound 
 us together. All the bright and happy, as well as the clouded 
 and sorrowful of our fellowship. Nothing relating to you, 
 can time or place erase from my memory. Your words, your 
 looks, your actions, even the most trivial and incidental, come 
 up before me as fresh as life. If I meet a child called William, 
 I am more interested in him than any other. Bless you !
 
 1 68 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1854, Keep your spirits up and hope much for the future. God 
 Age 25. jives and loves us, and we shall be one in Him, loving each 
 other as Christ has loved us. 
 
 "Thus by communion our delight shall grow! 
 Thus streams of mingled bliss swell higher as they flow ! 
 Thus angels mix their flames and more divinely glow !" 
 
 Her visit During the autumn of 1854, Miss Mumford paid a 
 ham n long promised visit to a friend at Burnham, in Essex. 
 There is a little incident connected with this trip 
 worthy of reference. She was persuaded to attend an 
 Irvingite Chapel, in the vicinity, for the purpose of 
 seeing and hearing one of their "angels." She gives 
 the following characteristic summary of her impres- 
 sions : 
 
 The " Burnham contains about seventeen or eighteen hundred 
 
 Irmngites ^habitants. It has a very old church, a Wesleyan chapel, a 
 Baptist chapel, a Calvinist chapel, a Chapel of Ease, and an 
 Irvingite chapel. To the last of these a party of us went last 
 Sunday evening, to hear one of the travelling 'angels' belong- 
 ing to their denomination. Of all the mystery I ever listened 
 to or conceived possible, it excelled ! It was indeed beyond 
 my comprehension, or that of anybody else ! I wish you had 
 been there, though I hardly think you would have been able 
 to sit it through. It was all I could endure to see the people 
 gulled in such a way. Poor things ! What need there is for 
 effort and energy, for real religion and common sense. '** 
 
 Capacity Perhaps one of the most valuable and clearly 
 kerning marked features of Miss Mumford 's character was her 
 spirits, capacity for discerning spirits. She was never long 
 in coming to a conclusion, and was seldom mistaken 
 in her judgments. While she never hesitated to 
 denounce anything like lukewarmness in religion, she 
 Luke- was equally careful to guard against fanaticism, be- 
 i- lieving that the latter was almost as injurious to the 
 cause o f Christ as the former, and arguing that when
 
 LONDON. 169 
 
 
 
 the devil could not persuade people to hold back from 1854, 
 doing their duty, he would tempt them to discredit 
 God's work by going too far. The common curse of 
 modern Christianity doubtless consists in whittling 
 away the Gospel, and lowering tb.3 standard of right- 
 eousness. Nevertheless she held that there was a 
 noble but misguided minority who erred in the op- 
 posite direction. By exaggerating certain aspects of 
 the truth, by magnifying to the exclusion of all else 
 some favoured hobby, or by fixing for the multitude 
 a standard that was possible only for the few, she 
 believed that needless stumbling-blocks were cast in 
 the path of multitudes, and that the most sincere and 
 devoted were often tempted to desert the substance 
 of religion for its shadow, the pursuit of righteous- 
 ness for that of a fugitive ideal which either could not 
 be grasped at all, or the possession of which was of 
 no profit to the would-be possessor or to the world 
 at large. 
 
 This faculty of discernment was of infinite value A mental 
 to her in helping to shape the course of the religious 
 movement with which her name must ever remain 
 so intimately connected. New and unforeseen de- 
 velopments were perpetually occurring, which required 
 to be handled with combined promptness and dis- 
 cretion. At these decisive epochs, Mr. Booth gladly 
 availed himself of the prophetic instinct, which, while 
 unbending in its demand for uttermost devotion, was 
 equally rigid in its rejection of the unwise and need- 
 lessly extreme. Like a carrier pigeon, she would 
 arise, as it were, at such emergencies into the air, 
 circle a few times round the debated point, and then, 
 having taken her bearings, would arrive at her con- 
 clusions with a speed and directness which seemed 
 nothing short of a mental miracle.
 
 I/O J//? BOOTH. 
 
 1854, In another of her letters from Burnham, there is a 
 ce charming descriptive passage: 
 
 A charm- >> jj. j s truly delightful here now at night. The lovely moon 
 cription. throws her silvery beams on the bosom of a beaittifully tran- 
 quil river. All around is serene and silent. The breeze is 
 just sufficient to fan the water into gentle ripplets. The boats 
 and skiffs repose on its surface as if weary with the day's en- 
 gagements. Altogether it reminds one of Heaven. I wish 
 you could see it just now. It would stir the old poetic fire in 
 father's soul, and warm mother's heart with admiration and 
 devotion ! All nature, vocal and mute, points upwards. And 
 the most unsophisticated soul must feel the power of its testi- 
 mony, and the being and goodness of the Christian's God. I 
 love to gaze on these dear foot-marks of Jehovah. It does 
 one good sometimes as much in soul as in body. I don't 
 know what effect the majestic in nature would have upon me. 
 But such a scene as this stirs strange feelings and touches 
 chords which thrill and vibrate through my whole being. 
 
 " Be happy about me. God lives, and I feel safe in His hands. 
 Let us try to live according to our professed belief, and be 
 careful for nothing. Bless you ! 
 
 " Good-bye, and believe me as ever, your own loving 
 
 "CATHERINE."
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 MRS. BOOTH'S FIRST PUBLISHED ARTICLE. 
 
 1854. 
 
 THE earliest extant publication from Miss Mum- Her ear- 
 ford's pen is an article for the New Connexion Mag- Yicatwn. 
 azine on the best means for retaining new converts. 
 It contains probably her first public utterance on the 
 important question of female ministry. Indeed, the 
 concluding portion is almost prophetical. Forty 
 years ago she raised a warning voice as to the im- 
 possibility of rearing young converts in a worldly 
 church, and before her life-work was completed she had 
 the joy of helping to establish a universal nursery for 
 souls, in which the rules she thus early laid down 
 should be carried into practice with a literalness that 
 she could hardly have hoped for, and with a success 
 that proved their value. Forty years ago she proph- Its h p J"-' 
 
 esied that there were hidden Lydias in the church, charac- 
 ter. 
 Five years later she stepped forward as one of them 
 
 herself, and she lived to be surrounded by tens of 
 thousands of women whose lips she had unsealed, 
 whose timidity she had overcome, whose rights she 
 had defended, and whose ability to preach the Gospel 
 she had proved by their abundant and unqualified 
 success and indubitable inspiration. 
 
 In this early effort there is reflected the ripeness 
 of her later years. The keen common sense, the 
 lucid logic, the grasp of details, the inimitable com- 
 mand of language, the originality of ideas, and the 
 close personal application, are almost as plainly im- 
 
 171
 
 1/2 
 
 MltS. BOOTH. 
 
 1854. 
 Age 25. 
 
 The best 
 means for 
 
 keeping 
 new con- 
 verts. 
 
 printed on this her earliest effort as on her last, 
 the following lines will speak for themselves: 
 
 But 
 
 Tracing 
 an anal- 
 ogy. 
 
 Congenial 
 aliment. 
 
 " The Editor, Methodist New Connexion Magazine. 
 
 "DEAR SIR: The following few thoughts were 
 suggested by the perusal of your question relative to 
 the best means of retaining the new converts brought 
 in during the late revivals ; and as I feel deeply inter- 
 ested in this important subject, I venture to transmit 
 them to you, to be made use of or not, as your judg- 
 ment dictates. 
 
 " I am fond of tracing the analogy which in many 
 instances exists between the economy of the natural 
 and spiritual worlds, and I think to all who love and 
 seek out the ways of the Lord, this must be an ever 
 interesting and profitable exercise. I think, too, there 
 are truths and principles of extensive application and 
 great practical importance often deducible from it. 
 When considering your question, it suggested an- 
 other, namely: What are the conditions indispensa- 
 ble to the preservation and growth of the natural 
 babe? And the following immediately occurred to 
 me: ist. An adequate supply of congenial aliment. 
 2d. A pure and invigorating atmosphere. 3d. A care- 
 ful cleansing away of all impurities. And 4th. Free- 
 dom from undue restraint in the exercise of its facul- 
 ties. Between these conditions and those necessary 
 to the preservation and progress of spiritual life, there 
 appears to me a striking and beautiful analogy. 
 
 " The first and most important want of the babe in 
 Christ is unquestionably congenial aliment ; it needs 
 to be fed with 'the sincere milk of the Word.' De- 
 prived of this, there is no chance of life, to say noth- 
 ing of growth. How important, then, that the char- 
 acter of the ministry should be suited to the wants
 
 MRS, BOOTH'S FIRST ARTICLE. 1/3 
 
 of a new-born soul, ' the sincere milk of the Word, ' that 1854, 
 
 which is felt to be real. Words without heart will 
 
 chill the very life-current of a young believer. It 
 
 must be that which has been tasted and handled of 
 
 the Word of Life. The spiritual babe will soon pine 
 
 away under mere theoretical teaching:. It must be Theoreti- 
 
 J . . cal teach- 
 
 sustammg, and in order to this the milk must be ing. 
 pure, unmixed with either diluting or deleterious doc- 
 trines. It must be congenial to the cravings of a 
 spiritual appetite, and capable of being assimilated by 
 a spiritual nature. It must be direct and practical. 
 The babe, under its teachings, must learn how to walk 
 in all the ordinances and statutes of the Lord blame- 
 less how to apply the principles of action laid down 
 in His Word to the daily occurrences of life, how to 
 resist temptation and overcome the world. And I 
 think, without an adequate supply of such spiritual 
 food, the first condition of its preservation and pro- 
 gress will not be fulfilled. 
 
 " Then comes the second scarcely less important The at- 
 
 ,. . , . . . , _ T mosphere. 
 
 condition a pure and invigorating atmosphere. Not 
 more surely will the sprightly infant born in some 
 pent-up garret, which for generations has been im- 
 pregnable to the pure air of heaven, pine and die, 
 than will the spiritual babe introduced into the death- 
 charged atmosphere of some churches. So far from 
 its being a matter of surprise that so many converts 
 relapse into spiritual death, it appears to me a far 
 greater wonder that so many survive under the 
 influence of the noxious atmosphere into which they 
 are often forced. 
 
 " Let the spiritual infant, born amidst the genial ^ flood of 
 
 . a , r worldli- 
 
 innuences of a genuine revival, and just awakened to ness. 
 a sense of the importance and reality of eternal 
 things, be transplanted to a church in which the tide .
 
 174 MAS. BOOTH. 
 
 1854, of holy feeling has been rolled back by a flood of 
 e worldliness, formality, and indifference, and what a 
 shock his spiritual nature must sustain ! Nay, sup- 
 pose him introduced into some class-meeting where 
 there are old professors of ten, twelve, or twenty years' 
 standing, who ought to be far ahead of him in the joy 
 and strength of the Lord, but whose everlasting com- 
 plaint is 'my leanness, my leanness,' and this always 
 Ji& key of in the same key the key of doubt, who can estimate 
 the freezing, paralysing effects of such an atmosphere ? 
 What can be expected but misgiving, anxiety, and 
 relaxation in duty? Oh, if the Church would indeed 
 t be the nursery of the future kings and priests of her 
 God, she must awake up from her lethargy and create 
 an atmosphere of warm and holy feeling, pure and 
 unfeigned love, incessant and prevailing prayer, and 
 active untiring effort for souls ! Then may she hope 
 that the converts born under special outpourings of 
 the Spirit will gTow and thrive, and in due time ar- 
 rive at the stature of men and women in Christ Jesus. 
 Cleansing "The third condition of physical life and health 
 purities. l5 ^ e cleansing away of impurities. The infant, 
 though truly a living and healthy child, is too feeble 
 and ignorant to remove what would be injurious to 
 itself and render it offensive to others, and therefore 
 some maternal and loving hand must come to its help. 
 Is there no analogy in this respect between the natu- 
 ral and spiritual babe ? Has the latter no injurious 
 habits to be pointed out and overcome ; no false views 
 to be corrected ; no mistaken conduct to be rectified ; 
 no unholy tendency to be subdued ; and is it not gen- 
 erally too feeble and ignorant to understand its errors 
 and to correct them? Then does it not need the 
 careful pruning of experienced and loving Christians, 
 the tender watchfulness of fathers and mothers in
 
 MRS. BOOTH'S FIRST ARTICLE. 
 
 175 
 
 Christ, that its life be not sacrificed or its spiritual 
 nature depressed? 
 
 " It is as great a mistake to expect perfection in 
 the spiritual babe as it would be to expect maturity of 
 strength and intellect in the natural. If indeed it 
 were born perfect, of what force the injunction, ' Go on 
 to perfection!' and why the precaution to give milk 
 unto babes rather than strong meat ? There may be 
 heterogeneous substances to be cleansed away, and 
 some unseemly blemishes to be removed, where the 
 germ of true spiritual life has been deposited. But let 
 not nursing fathers and mothers be discouraged on 
 that account. Rather let them learn of the heavenly 
 husbandman how to hasten the pruning process and 
 develop the hidden life. 
 
 " There is yet another condition in which the anal- 
 ogy between the natural and spiritual seems even 
 more striking and complete, namely, that of freedom 
 from undue restraint in the use of the faculties. 
 Thank Heaven, the days of ignorance with reference 
 to the operation of natural law are fast passing away, 
 and mothers and nurses are learning that health and 
 vigour are attendants on freedom and exercise. 
 Would that the church generally would make, and act 
 upon, the same discovery. 
 
 " What can be a more fatal cause of religious de- 
 clension than inactivity? And if religion consists in 
 doing the will of God, what an anomaly is an inactive 
 Christian ! Yet there are multitudes in this our day 
 professing to be Christians, who do absolutely nothing 
 for the salvation of souls, or the glory of God. Men 
 and women attempt to serve God by proxy, as though 
 paying another for the employment of his talent were 
 all the same as improving their own ; as though God 
 did not demand, and the world need, the exertion of 
 
 1854, 
 
 $},&,. 
 
 Freedom 
 
 ^M re' 
 straint - 
 
 inactivity 
 O f decline.
 
 1/6 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 I 854 every man's energies and the exhibition of every 
 Age 25< light which God has kindled. The babe in Christ 
 must be made to feel his individual untransferable 
 responsibility. He must be taught that labour is the 
 law of life, spiritual as well as .natural, and that to in- 
 crease in wisdom and stature and in favour with God, 
 he 'must be about his Father's business.' The ca- 
 pacity of every young convert, male and female, 
 should be ascertained, and a suitable sphere provided 
 for its development. 
 
 Women's " Methodism, beyond almost any other system, has 
 recognised the importance of this principle, and to this 
 * fact doubtless owes much of its past success ; but has 
 it not in some measure degenerated in this respect, at 
 least with regard to its employment of female talent? 
 There seems in many societies a growing disinclina- 
 tion among the female members to engage in prayer, 
 speak in love feasts, band meetings, or in any manner 
 bear testimony for their Lord, or to the power of His 
 grace. And this false God-dishonouring timidity is 
 but too fatally pandered to by the churchy as if God 
 had given any talent to be hidden in a napkin, or 
 as if the church and the world needed not the employ- 
 ment of all. 
 
 Theswad- " Why should the swaddling-bands of blind custom, 
 bands of which in Wesley's days were so triumphantly broken, 
 and with such glorious results thrown to the moles 
 and the bats, be again wrapped round the female dis- 
 ciples of the Lord Jesus? Where are the Mrs. Fletch- - 
 ers and Mrs. Rogers of our churches now, with their 
 numerous and healthy spiritual progeny? And yet 
 who can doubt that equal power in prayer and the 
 germ of equal usefulness of life exist in many a 
 Hidden Lydia's heart, smothered and kept back though it may 
 be? I believe it is impossible to estimate the extent
 
 MRS. BOOTH'S FIRST ARTICLE. \77 
 
 of the church's loss, where prejudice and custom are 1854, 
 allowed to render the outpouring of God's Spirit upon ge 2S ' 
 His handmaidens null and void. But it is a signifi- 
 cant fact that in the most cold, formal, and worldly 
 churches of the day we find least of female agency. 
 " I would warn our societies against drifting into false A timely 
 
 warning. 
 
 notions on this subject. Let the female converts be 
 not only allowed to use their newly awakened facul- 
 ties, but positively encouraged to exercise and improve 
 them. Let them be taught their obligations to work 
 themselves in the vineyard of the Lord, and made to 
 feel that the plea of bashfulness, or custom, will not 
 excuse them to Him Who has put such honour on > 
 them, and Who, last at the cross and first at the sep- 
 ulchre, was attended by women, who so far overcame 
 bashfulness as to testify their love for Him before a 
 taunting multitude, and who so far disregarded cus- 
 tom that when all (even fellow-disciples) forsook Him 
 and fled, they remained faithful. 
 
 " Oh that the Church would excite its female mem- HOW to 
 bers to emulate their zeal and remove all undue su< 
 restraint to its development ! Then, when every 
 member, male and female, is at work, exercising 
 their spiritual faculties, using the talents God has 
 given them on purpose to be used, then will our Zion 
 become a praise in the whole earth, and men shall 
 flock to it as doves to their windows. 
 
 " Yours faithfully, 
 
 C. M ." 
 
 12
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 LONDON GUERNSEY. 1854-5 
 
 A nation LONDON has always been regarded by preachers as 
 a nation, an extremely difficult field, and many who have been 
 successful elsewhere have failed completely when 
 they have sought to move the shrewdly-intelligent 
 and worldly-wise heart of Cockneydom. It is scarcely 
 too much to say that the vast metropolis is a nation 
 within a nation. The thoroughbred Londoner is a 
 man sui generis. For needle-like acuteness, for ready 
 repartee, for unabashed self-confidence, for ungulli- 
 bility if we may coin the word he presents the very 
 antipodes of the simple-minded country yokel. In- 
 deed, in these respects it would be hard to match him 
 in the world. Perhaps the struggle for existence, the 
 ceaseless roar of traffic, and the perpetual contact with 
 keen intellects, all help towards the formation of such 
 characteristics, which serve considerably to counteract 
 the preacher's toil. 
 
 The mod- The lowest classes are absorbed in the scramble for 
 Lazarus, the crumbs which fall from the rich man's table. One 
 Lazarus is bad and sad enough ; but here are hundreds 
 of thousands lying at Dives' door, whose destitution 
 is even more miserable than that of their Eastern 
 counterpart. Nay, they are not . allowed to lie in so 
 comfortable a place. The Dives of the nineteenth 
 century cannot tolerate so painful a sight. The baton 
 of the policeman, and, if needs be, the bayonet of the 
 soldier, must sweep such refuse as far as possible from 
 
 178
 
 LONDON GUERNSEY. 179 
 
 his gaze, into the dens and alleys where it lies seeth- 1854, 
 
 yVcrp 21 
 
 ing for a time, awaiting the ghastly day of resurrec- 
 tion and retribution. To go to them with a loaf in 
 one hand appears as necessary as to carry the Gospel 
 in the other. "Give ye them to eat," seems as defin- 
 itely commanded for their bodies as it is for their 
 souls. And yet, whence shall any buy bread for such 
 a multitude ? 
 
 And then there are the labouring classes, who live The ia- 
 
 bounng 
 
 upon the borders of this human pandemonium, this classes. 
 earthly purgatory, this out-Hadesed Hades, and who 
 are perpetually supplying the fuel for its flames. 
 
 The conditions of society have made their burdens 
 so grievous, their hours of toil so long, their means Israel in 
 of subsistence so scanty, that they have but little time E ffVP f ' 
 and opportunity to provide for the interests of their 
 souls, so absorbed are they in caring for their bodies. 
 Their worse than Egyptian taskmasters bid them to 
 make bricks without straw, and sacrifice their health 
 and families without even the occasional shelter of a 
 land of Goshen, as a hard earned recompense for their 
 toil. The modern Rehoboam answers the universal The mod- 
 cry of Israel for concessions by declaring that his lit- ei boam. 
 tie finger shall be thicker than his father's loins, and 
 by substituting a scourge of scorpions for his father's 
 thongs. And when the busman, the tram conductor, 
 the shop-girl venture to ventilate their grievances 
 and to complain against their Gethsemane of toil, they 
 are threatened, if one may reverently say it, with the 
 Calvary of the Law ! How hard, how almost impos- The Cai- 
 sible, must it be then to reach such with the message theJ.aw. 
 of salvation, unless their Moses can at the same time 
 proffer them some prospect of escape from bondage ! 
 
 The middle classes have more leisure, it is true, The **- 
 but perhaps even less inclination, for the vital godli- class,
 
 i8o MAS. BOOTH. 
 
 1854, ness which would check them in their wild pursuit of 
 ge wealth, or force upon them a life of self-control and 
 sacrifice. Those who are not engulfed in the absorb- 
 ing 1 worship of Mammon are mostly enthralled by the 
 fascinating enchantments of pleasure. And between 
 the two there is but little room or desire for the ser- 
 vice of God. A press that largely banishes religion 
 from its columns caters for a public who largely ban- 
 ish God from their thoughts and affections. 
 The gold And the higher we rise in the social scale the more 
 
 fever. 
 
 is this experience intensified. The gold fever grows 
 worse. The pulse beats faster. The temperature 
 increases. Each fresh draught, instead of quenching 
 the thirst, maddens the victim, who may well cry out 
 
 "Water, water, everywhere, 
 But not a drop to drink ! " 
 
 The gold that perishes can no more satisfy his im- 
 mortal soul than could the salt waters of the ocean 
 the shipwrecked mariner upon his raft. And yet 
 there seems no limit to the cursed love of gold, the 
 " aun sacra fames" of the old Roman poet. Well 
 might his words be applied to our modern Rome : 
 
 "'Get money, money' is the cry! 
 
 Honestly if you can ; 
 If not, no matter how, or why ! 
 "Pis money makes the man ! " 
 
 The pur- And those who are not votaries of wealth, who do 
 
 pleasure, not make piety and true nobility of character play 
 
 second fiddle to gold (virtus post nummos}, are in an 
 
 exaggerated degree the devotees of pleasure and the 
 
 victims of fashion. 
 
 " Faster whirls the giddy dance ! 
 
 Music soft and song 
 With their fatal spell entrance, 
 Sweeping them along!
 
 LONDON GUERNSEY. 181 
 
 "Quaff ye now your Lethe-draught; 1854, 
 
 Soon the charm shall break ! Age 25. 
 
 Death thy doomed soul shall waft 
 To the fiery lake ! " 
 
 It may be said that the above remarks apply to London a 
 other cities and districts besides London. This is true, 
 but surely in a less degree. At least London offers 
 an exaggerated exemplification of them, and at the 
 time of which we write it had been the subject of 
 but few revivals, and had comparatively foiled the 
 efforts of many godly labourers. The fact therefore 
 that Mr. Booth's Spalding successes were repeated in 
 London, and this at a period when the New Connex- 
 ion cause there was low and struggling, soon attracted 
 the notice of other circuits where circumstances were 
 more favourable for the expectation of a revival. 
 If any good thing could come out of this Jerusalem, 
 there was certainly great hope for the outlying Gali- 
 lees and Bethlehems. We have already referred to 
 the successful meetings in the East End. We cull 
 a few further extracts from Mr. Booth's journal, as 
 to his successes at the other chapels : 
 
 "May 28th, 1854, Sunday. Preached in the morning at con- 
 
 Albany Road. Some little liberty in urging upon the people of tinned 
 
 success t 
 God the necessity of labouring for the salvation of souls. 
 
 Night, at Brunswick Street Chapel. Good congregation. Power 
 in speaking. Afterwards the communion rail was crowded 
 with penitents. Some precious cases. To God be all the glory ! 
 "Sunday, September loth, 1854. I resumed my labours at 
 the New Chapel. Congregations very good. At night we 
 had a glorious prayer meeting and a precious influence. 
 Twelve penitents came forward and sought the Lord, and I 
 trust many found Him." 
 
 There is also an interesting reference to Mr. Booth's 
 London successes in a letter to the New Connexion 
 Magazine from Mr. Josiah Bates, who was perhaps
 
 1 82 MRS. J3OOTH. 
 
 1854, the most influential lay member of the organisation 
 ge in London. He writes as follows: 
 
 An out- " MY DEAR SIR : It affords me peculiar pleasure to inform 
 
 sider's vou that our cause in this place continues to prosper. 
 opinion. J 
 
 " I regard the appointment of the Rev. W. Booth to this cir- 
 cuit as providential. He is a workman that needeth not to 
 be ashamed. Many will have cause to bless God to all eternity 
 that he was ever sent among us. I sincerely hope that it 
 may please God to continue his health and sustain him under 
 the arduous labours in which he is constantly engaged. 
 Would to God we had a host of such men in addition to our 
 present staff of ministers ! In that case we should soon, as a 
 community, double our present numbers. I hope the next 
 Conference will leave Mr. Booth without a fixed circuit, so 
 that he may go through the Connexion as an evangelist ; and 
 I doubt not, if he retain his piety and dependence on the 
 Divine Spirit, God will abundantly own his labours in every 
 circuit he may visit. 
 
 " My present object, however, is to inform you that during 
 the present month we have had a fortnight's consecutive re- 
 vival services conducted by Mr. Booth. A short but solemn 
 and pointed address was printed and circulated extensively 
 in the district. It may be said of the entire series of meet- 
 ings that they were indeed times of refreshing, and the only 
 regret felt at the close was that they had terminated. The 
 results have been most blessed and satisfactory. About thirty 
 members have been added and the older members have also 
 been quickened. I believe the good effect of these services 
 will be found after many days. 
 
 " Yours truly, 
 
 "JosiAH BATES." 
 
 A week in The appeals fcr Mr. Booth's services from other 
 Bristol. Districts in the Connexion now so increased in num- 
 ber and importunity, that they could no longer be 
 disregarded. The first circuit he visited was Bristol, 
 where he held a week's meetings, with the result that 
 about fourteen professed salvation, ten of whom were 
 added to the society.
 
 LONDON GUERNSEY. 183 
 
 Mr. Booth's next evangelistic meetings were held 1854, 
 in Guernsey. His journal and letters contain some ge 25 ' 
 interesting references to them, and the remarkable A trip to 
 results achieved doubtless helped to decide the nature 
 of his work during the next eleven years. Indeed 
 they may be said to have left an everlasting mark on 
 the subsequent labours of both himself and Mrs. 
 Booth. 
 
 "October i6th, 1854. In compliance with an invitation Doubts 
 
 from the New Connexion Church in Guernsey, I left town this and diffi- 
 culties. 
 evening. Prior to starting, the object and probable result of 
 
 my visit had been discussed by friends in London. Various 
 opinions were entertained and different conjectures raised as 
 to the probable result. Some thought that my visit would be 
 promotive of the salvation of souls and the highest well-being 
 of the church, and some thought very differently. It was 
 stated that they were a proud, intellectual and wealthy peo- 
 ple, cold and formal, the very opposite of what I should de- 
 sire. Some even went so far as to intimate that my visit 
 would be useless and that the people would turn away from 
 my preaching and refuse to regard it. However, I left Lon- 
 don conscious of my supreme aim and desire being the glory 
 of God and the salvation of sinners, and depending upon Him 
 and the power of His Spirit for success." 
 
 Mr. Booth subsequently adds: 
 
 " I reached Guernsey in safety by the mercy of God, and 
 was soon lodged in the family of Mr. John Ozanne, Mount 
 Durant. ; 
 
 " In the evening I attended the prayer-meeting. The night A dis- 
 was a stormy one. At intervals the rain descended in tor- co ^J ( "^ nflr 
 rents. I expected, of course, a tolerable attendance. I had ning. 
 come 200 miles, was a stranger, had come on purpose to pro- 
 mote a work which demanded prayer. When I arrived four 
 persons only were present, besides myself and the chapel- 
 keeper! It is true four or five others had been there, had 
 waited a quarter of an hour, and had then gone quietly home 
 instead of staying to pour out their hearts for a mighty influ- 
 ence, which should arouse and quicken the slumbering church.
 
 1 84 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1854. 
 Age 25. 
 
 The tide 
 turns. 
 
 Opening 
 his corn- 
 
 He des- 
 cribes the 
 meetings. 
 
 We remained and pleaded with Heaven. I wrestled in prayer. 
 God heard, and the results will show how gloriously He an- 
 swered our petition. 
 
 " The following morning I visited, in company with my 
 host, many of the leading members of the church, and I spoke 
 with them kindly and affectionately, relative to the work of 
 God, words of reproof and invitation, which I have every 
 reason to believe brought forth much fruit. 
 
 " As I was walking up one street, a young lady in deep 
 mourning was coming along. 'There,' said the gentleman 
 with me, 'that young person has lost her mother. She is one 
 of our singers. ' And he immediately introduced me to her. 
 I spoke to her about her soul, and the tears welled up in her 
 eyes, and as I left her I remarked to Mr. Ozanne that she 
 would be among the first fruits of the revival. That night 
 she led the way to the communion-rail, and I afterwards re- 
 ceived a letter from her thanking me and stating that her 
 sister, her three cousins, and a friend had all found peace with 
 God during the services. 
 
 " That night I opened my commission from the pulpit, and 
 if ever I tried to preach pointedly and plainly, it was that 
 night. Four penitents came forward. 
 
 " And now came the struggle. Some approved my preach- 
 ing, but did not like my plans in the prayer-meeting; some, I 
 suppose, disapproved of everything. Some looked cold. Some 
 wished me success, but held aloof and would not lend a hand. 
 Nevertheless I continued to pray and believe and labour." 
 
 Describing the meetings, Mr. Booth writes to Miss 
 Mumford as follows: 
 
 MOUNT DURANT, GUERNSEY, i7th Oct., 1854. 
 " Mv DEAREST AND MOST PRECIOUS LOVE : Last night I 
 preached my first sermon. The congregation was middling, 
 very respectable, stiff and quiet. I let off a few heavy guns 
 at the lazy formality so prevalent, and with some effect. They 
 opened their eyes at some of the things I said. 
 
 " 2oth October. My preaching is highly spoken of. The 
 Lord is working, and I trust that to-morrow we shall have a 
 crash a glorious breakdown. Already the Lord has given 
 me some souls, but my anxious heart cries out for many more.
 
 LONDON GUERNSEY. 185 
 
 I cannot write about the natural beauties of the place. I have 1854, 
 done nothing yet but sigh for and seek the salvation of its Age 2 5- 
 inhabitants. The arrangements for the services were misera- 
 ble not even a notice printed. And when they advertised 
 the anniversary sermons for to-morrow they never mentioned 
 the preaching afterwards. I asked the good brother who had 
 the thing under his control to put another line, but he said 
 he dare not without the consent of the leaders' meeting ! Poor 
 fellows ! They will advertise for money, but are ashamed to 
 advertise for souls ! 
 
 " God bless you. Pray for me. Look for a fuller and com- 
 pleter manifestation of the Son of God, and believe me as 
 ever, 
 
 " Yours in betrothed and unalterable affection, 
 
 " WILLIAM." 
 
 The entries in the journal continue as follows : 
 
 "Sunday. Rose with a delightful sense of God's favor His jour- 
 and anticipating a good and successful day. In the morning nal - 
 the congregation was very good, and the word, I am convinced, 
 went with power to many hearts. At night the chapel was 
 crowded. It was their anniversary. The collections were 
 double in amount those of last year, and in the prayer-meet- 
 ing wonderful victory was ours. We took down about twenty- Twenty- 
 six names some most interesting and glorious cases. Many s "t c ^^ es 
 went away under deep conviction. 
 
 " Monday. Good news comes in on every hand. To-night, 
 although the weather is most unfavorable, the congregation 
 has been very good, and the prayer-meeting even more suc- 
 cessful than the one last night. Many very clear cases of con- Thirty- 
 version. About thirty-five penitents. fi ve more. 
 
 "Tuesday. The excitement increases. The congregation 
 was much larger and a great number of penitents came for- 
 ward. 
 
 " Wednesday. The chapel to-night has been packed fuller 
 than it was on Sunday night and the prayer-meeting was a 
 most glorious one. We did not conclude until 10:30. Very 
 many who had been seeking all the week found peace. 
 
 " Thursday. To-night many went away unable to get into 
 the chapel. The aisles were crowded, and up to eleven 
 o'clock it was almost an impossibility to get them up to the
 
 1 86 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1854, communion-rail, owing to the crush. We had near sixty 
 
 Age 25. penitents, many very clear cases, and I doubt not over sixty 
 
 Sixty pen- more were in deep distress in different parts of the chapel. 
 
 itents. The parting with the people was very affecting. 
 
 " Friday. I bade farewell to Guernsey. Many came down 
 An affect- . 
 
 ing fare- to the pier to wish me good-bye, and when the packet bore me 
 
 well. away and I caught the last glimpse of their waving 'hands and 
 handkerchiefs, I felt I had parted with many very dear 
 friends, and that I had bidden adieu to a fair spot, where I 
 had certainly passed one of the happiest fortnights of my 
 brief history." 
 
 Further On his return from Guernsey, Mr. Booth received 
 
 cctlls 
 
 pressing invitations to visit Longton and Hanley, in 
 the Staffordshire Potteries, at that time practically the 
 headquarters and chief stronghold of the New Con- 
 nexion. The undertaking appeared to him to be too 
 great and he declined to go. The chapel at Hanley 
 was said to be the largest in the United Kingdom 
 some said in the world. Its superintendent, the Rev. 
 Mr. Mills, was the President of the Connexion. Mr. 
 Booth argued that he was young, and that he had but 
 recently entered the denomination; that his circuit 
 
 overruled. 
 
 would suffer by his prolonged absence, and that these 
 irregular services would hinder him in preparing him- 
 self for the ordinary pastoral duties of the future. 
 But the President was not to be refused. Dr. Cooke, 
 Mr. Bates, and other friends backed up the invitation. 
 The circuit agreed to part with him for a month. 
 Perhaps they would have been less willing to do so 
 had they foreseen that he would return to them in his 
 ministerial capacity no more. The visit to the Potter- 
 Further i es capped Mr. Booth's previous successes and finally 
 established his reputation as a revival preacher, the 
 calls for his services becoming now so numerous that 
 the question of his appointments was referred to the 
 Annual Committee, which transacted the business of 
 
 successes.
 
 LONDON GUERNSEY. 187 
 
 the Connexion between the sittings of the Conference. 1835, 
 It was decided by this committee that a substitute ge 2 ' 
 should be provided to take Mr. Booth's place in the 
 London circuit, and that the next few months should 
 be devoted to holding evangelistic services. 
 
 To give anything like a complete account of these 
 meetings is at present impossible. Ample material 
 is available, but must be reserved for the future 
 chronicler of Mr. Booth's career. At present we 
 satisfy ourselves with a few extracts from his diary 
 which will suffice to throw a light on the subsequent 
 history of the subject of these memoirs. The double 
 " footprints on the sands of time" occasionally move 
 so closely together that in tracking the one we cannot 
 but observe the other. 
 
 "Sunday, January 7th, 1855. An important day in the Fifty 
 annals of Zion Chapel, Longton. At night the chapel was penitents 
 comfortably rilled, about 1,800 persons present. After the ser- ton. 
 mon, fifty precious souls cried for mercy. This gave all great 
 encouragement. 
 
 "Monday, January 8th, 1855. The congregation to-night 
 has been excellent. Preached with much liberty, and Mr. 
 McCurdy intimated after the service that every sentence was 
 with great power. We had about thirty penitents. Many 
 very good cases. 
 
 "Thursday, nth. The farewell. The chapel very full, 
 more so than on Sunday night. A grand and imposing spec- 
 tacle. How solemn the responsibility of the man who stands 
 up to address such crowds on the momentous topics of Time, 
 Eternity, Salvation, and Damnation. Lord, help me! So I 
 prayed, and mighty were the results. We took down about 
 sixty names this night, making a total of 260 during the nine sixty in 
 days that I had stayed at Longton. 
 
 " Sunday, January i4th. My first Sabbath at Hanley. It Hdnley 
 has been a remarkable day and I have preached twice in per- chapel. 
 haps the largest chapel in the world. At night an imposing 
 congregation. 
 
 " I had much anxiety about visiting this place before leav-
 
 i88 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 A I8 55, 
 Age 26. 
 
 Four hun- 
 dred and 
 sixty 
 names 
 taken. 
 
 Paying 
 for our 
 enjoy- 
 ments. 
 
 Heart- 
 yearn- 
 ings. 
 
 ing London, and many fears as to my fitness for so large a 
 building and so important a congregation. I was astonished 
 at the quietness of spirit with which I rose to address so large 
 a multitude, comparatively careless as to their mental criticism 
 of the messenger and absorbed in an earnest desire for the 
 salvation of the people. 
 
 " Wednesday, 24th. Congregations increased. During the 
 fortnight 460 names have been taken down, a very large num- 
 ber, but not many in proportion to the vast crowds who have 
 attended the meetings. Many glorious and wonderful cases 
 of conversion have transpired, and on the whole I cannot but 
 hope that the services have exercised a very salutary effect 
 on the society and neighbourhood." 
 
 During the following months up to the meeting of 
 the Conference in June, Mr. Booth conducted services 
 with similar results at Oldham, Mossley, Bradford, 
 Gateshead, and Manchester, returning to London 
 about the middle of May for his wedding. But before 
 proceeding to describe this event, we must conclude 
 the present chapter with an extract from a letter writ- 
 ten to him by Miss Mumford during this period, in 
 which she responds to a proposal for her to visit his 
 newly-made friends in Guernsey: 
 
 " Should the opportunity ever occur I shall not let so short 
 a voyage hinder me. I have no doubt I should be very ill, 
 but it would only be for a little while, and we usually have to 
 pay for our enjoyments in this world. There is no rose here 
 without its thorn, and I never expect to be able to travel 
 much without fatigue and suffering. So if ever we are to en- 
 joy the beauties of nature together you must not mind a little 
 bother. 
 
 " I long to see you. Your letters do not satisfy the yearn- 
 ings of my heart. Perhaps they ought to. I wish it were 
 differently constituted. I might be much happier. But it will 
 be extravagant and enthusiastic in spite of all my schooling. 
 If ever I get to Heaven, what rapture shall I know ! What a 
 mercy it is that this is but the vestibule to a future existence, 
 that my poor soul may enjoy a glorious future, and realise
 
 LONDON G UERNSE Y. 1 89 
 
 not only the perfection of all its powers, but the satisfaction 1855, 
 of its hitherto insatiable desires. I often anticipate the time Age 26. 
 when every jarring string shall be removed and all its tender 
 chords be susceptible only of blissful harmony. How sweet 
 to meet then, when our very hearts shall be open to each 
 other's gaze and no envious veil come between to hinder the 
 workings of each other's souls ! I believe that unions perfected 
 in Jesus on earth, will be in some peculiar sense recognised 
 and perpetuated in Heaven. But oh, to live for it! Will 
 you try? And help me also ? 
 
 " No, there is no fear of us loving each other too much. How The 
 can we love each other more than Christ has loved us? and 
 this is the standard He has given. Indeed, this love will only 
 make us more lovable in His sight ! What a precious thing is 
 the religion of Jesus ! It makes our first duties our highest 
 happiness ! It has the promise of the life that now is, as well 
 as of that which is to come. We will spend all our energies 
 in trying to persuade men to receive and practise it."
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 THE WEDDING. 1855. 
 
 A strik- COMPARED with the principles and practice of the 
 rast n Salvation Army in later years, the wedding of Mr. 
 Booth and Miss Mumford presents a striking contrast. 
 Indeed, in the light of subsequent experience, they 
 have not scrupled to blame themselves for having 
 thrown away so unique a chance of influencing multi- 
 tudes by considering their personal predilections 
 rather than the highest interests of the kingdom. 
 They were now so well known both in the Connexion 
 and among the Reformers that the occasion might 
 easily have been utilised as a powerful fulcrum on the 
 hearts of the people. 
 
 Anoppor- There are certain important domestic events which, 
 though strictly speaking of a private character, never- 
 theless appeal in an especial manner to the sympathy 
 of those who are outside the narrow family pale. 
 Under such circumstances the superabundance of joy 
 or sorrow may be said to burst the ordinary bounds 
 of stiff and cold decorum, and it has been the time- 
 honoured custom in all nations for .relations , friends, 
 acquaintances, and even the public at large to rejoice 
 with those who rejoice, and to weep with those who 
 weep. If such a course be allowable and even laud- 
 able in the world at large, how much more should 
 this be the case with those whose religious fellow- 
 ship binds them in the closest of bonds, not only for 
 time, but for eternity! 
 
 190
 
 THE WEDDING. 191 
 
 There are some no doubt who deprecate this as- 1855, 
 sembling of ourselves together on such occasions, 
 and who would relegate all such demonstrations, Human 
 when they are of a religious nature, to some unseen 
 and speechless limbo. But this is to do violence to 
 human nature and to sacrifice some of the tenderest 
 links which bind together the entire fabric of so- 
 ciety. There are certain charms to the magic " Hey! 
 presto!" of which the mortal heart spontaneously 
 and involuntarily responds. They are few enough as 
 it is, and the onward march of civilisation tends to 
 diminish their number and to substitute an artificial 
 and powerless' condition of existence such as would 
 reduce the social structure to separated and cohe- 
 sionless atoms. We cannot throw aside these spells 
 without the danger of producing chaos, any more than 
 we can dispense with mortar in putting together the 
 bricks that compose our homes. Man is truly said to 
 be a gregarious animal, and those who would isolate 
 him, especially in the moments of his supreme joy or 
 sorrow, strive to do they know not what, and, in de- 
 claring war against his universal instinct, would, if 
 successful, inflict upon him an irreparable injury. 
 
 But these were lessons which were to be learnt in A quiet 
 
 1 i / i 1-1 f -i wedding. 
 
 later life. And so an event which was fraught with 
 
 consequences of everlasting importance to hundreds 
 
 of thousands of souls, was enacted in all the empty 
 
 quietude of a congregationless chapel. Mr. Booth 
 
 led his bride to the altar in the presence of none, save 
 
 her father, his sister, and the officiating minister. 
 
 And yet perhaps never has there been a wiser choice, 
 
 a more Heaven-approved union, than the one which 
 
 was thus undemonstratively celebrated by Dr. 
 
 Thomas, at the Stockwell New Chapel, on the i6th 16t hJune, 
 
 June, 1855. And if happiness be judged, not merely 1855 -
 
 192 MS. BOOTH. 
 
 I 855 by the measure of joy personally experienced, but by 
 the amount imparted to others, then surely it may be 
 said that never were two hearts united with happier 
 results. " The joy of joys is the joy that joys in the 
 joy of others." This is the purest and most unselfish 
 form of happiness. Marriage too often degenerates 
 into the merest self-indulgence, with the inevitable 
 consequence that its charms decay as soon as it loses 
 the gloss of early courtship. But where personal in- 
 terests, though necessarily consulted, are subordi- 
 nated to the claims of God and humanit)^, the happi- 
 ness that ensues is both perfect and permanent. 
 An inter- And yet, while for some reasons we cannot but 
 sidelight. re g ret the l ss f so valuable an opportunity for 
 gathering the people together and for impressing 
 upon them the claims of God, the incident is valuable, 
 inasmuch as it throws an interesting side-light upon 
 the actual character of Mr. and Mrs. Booth. Far from 
 being the ardent popularity-hunters and publicity- 
 seekers which some suppose, it has been through life 
 their constant lamentation that the calls of duty de- 
 Theiriove prived them of the domestic seclusion which they 
 wcj/!~ would otherwise have coveted. Especially was this 
 the case with Mrs. Booth. Had she yielded to the 
 bent of her personal inclinations, she would have in- 
 finitely preferred the life of retirement which became 
 less and less possible in her subsequent career, and 
 would have smuggled away her ^talents and buried 
 her opportunities in some secluded retreat, satisfied, 
 like so many, with having done no harm, while con- 
 scious of having accomplished but little good. 
 Taientr How surprising it is that such a low standard of 
 lin9 ' morality as is involved in this talent- hiding disposition 
 should satisfy the majority of mankind! Who can 
 doubt that, however congenial it may be to our natural
 
 THE WEDDING. 1 93 
 
 love of ease, it is entirely foreign to that spirit of 1855, 
 Christianity which was designed, if for anything at ge 2 ' 
 all, to lift us out of the slough of selfishness, and to 
 plant the feeblest feet upon the rock of benevolence. 
 This at least was the gospel for which William and 
 Catherine Booth contended, and in resolutely dis- 
 regarding the natural barriers of reserve and timidity 
 which would so often have hindered them in the 
 prosecution of their life-enterprise, they were able to 
 unearth and consecrate to God's service the hitherto 
 dormant talents of tens of thousands. 
 
 Hence, when in later years the same opportunity NO thirst 
 
 f -,.,-, . f or show. 
 
 recurred in the marriage of their children, it was no 
 shallow thirst for show which prompted them to pur- 
 sue so opposite a course to that which they had 
 adopted at their own wedding. The opportunity of 
 impressing upon the world at large what marriage 
 might and ought to be was too valuable to be lost. 
 And the great fundamental principle prevailed of A r ^ un t d f' 
 sacrificing personal preferences for the all-absorbing principle. 
 claims of God's kingdom. The trade winds were 
 blowing too favourable a breeze for the fleet to lie 
 at anchor. It might "be necessary at times to scud 
 under bare poles across stormy seas, or even to seek 
 for a while some sheltering haven, but that was no 
 reason for discarding opportunities so favourable, 
 some of which come but once in a lifetime and pass 
 away, if neglected, never to return. 
 
 Man's instinct is to imitate, and the example of a A picture 
 public wedding in which frivolity and extravagance framing 
 those curses 'of society were conspicuous only by 
 their absence, who could overestimate? The picture 
 of a union in which there was joy without folly, and 
 in which the highest interests of God and man sup- 
 planted the whims of private caprice and the mer- 
 13
 
 194 MJ?S. BOOTH. 
 
 1855, cenary motives of worldly wisdom, may well be 
 
 framed and exhibited for a few brief hours in such 
 
 a manner as to arrest the attention of even the most 
 
 careless passer-by. Mere display for its own sake is 
 
 as contemptible as a gilded frame without a picture. 
 
 To this the frameless picture of Mr. and Mrs. Booth's 
 
 God's wedding is indeed infinitely preferable. God's pur- 
 
 often s poses can afford at times to be born in obscurity. 
 
 obscurity. Nay, the very gloom from which they emerge may 
 
 heighten the after effect. 
 
 " 'Tis thus God often shapes His choicest plan 
 Far out of ken and reach of every man, 
 Then suddenly in daylight broad unfolds 
 His wisdom ! All the earth amazed beholds 
 And doth His goodness better understand, 
 Adores perforce His wonder-working hand ! 
 Thus, in a bud, profusion of green leaves 
 And blossoms richly coloured close He weaves, 
 Forgetting not for bees the honey- drop. 
 Nor even there His matchless skill doth stop ! 
 Perfumes that seem so delicate and rare, 
 And yet so strong their fragrance fills the air, 
 Like angel's breath, defying human skill, 
 Hid in that bud, encloses He at will. 
 Just when to outward eye no hope is left, 
 And of its last green leaf the" tree's bereft, 
 He sends His workers all at variance seem 
 The rain, the dew, the wind, and the sunbeam 
 And then, when all in turn their part have played, 
 Behold each twig with leaf and flower arrayed ! " 
 
 And now Catherine Booth found herself on the 
 threshold of the life of usefulness, which had consti- 
 li f e - tuted the subject of her girlhood's dreams and the 
 summit of her Christian aspirations. By her side 
 was the man of her heart's choice. The impetus 
 which springs from unity of aim and purpose, was 
 now in the fullest sense her own. The position for 
 which, especially during the past three years, she
 
 THE WEDDING. 195 
 
 had so diligently been preparing, was within her 1855, 
 grasp. She realised at once its opportunities and re- 
 sponsibilities, and rose to meet them with unfailing 
 grace, dignity, and power. 
 
 There are some characters which appear to best charac- 
 ters tnat 
 ad vantage at a distance. Courtship invests them with bear look- 
 
 a false halo which enhances for a time their super- 
 ficial attractions and conceals their defects, but which 
 disappears after the first few days of married life. A 
 celebrated painter is said to have silenced one of his 
 critics by explaining that his pictures were " not in- 
 tended to be. smelt." Looked at from a distance such 
 characters possess, like these pictures, a beauty which 
 fades away on closer acquaintance. Catherine Booth 
 was not one of these. Nothing could exceed the es- 
 teem and affection of those who knew her best. The 
 very fact that she laid herself out rather for their 
 benefit than to win golden opinions for herself, se- 
 cured their everlasting respect. Mr. Booth realised 
 increasingly that in her he had found the wise man's 
 ideal of a wife, and had obtained favour of the Lord. 
 
 As soon as the wedding was over Mr. and Mrs. A second 
 
 , visit to 
 
 Booth proceeded to Ryde, in the Isle of Wight, but Guernsey. 
 remained there only a week, when they took steamer 
 to Guernsey, where they received a hearty welcome 
 and found themselves the guests of Mr. Booth's 
 former host and friend, Mr. Ozanne. 
 
 From the ordinary point of view it would appear to 
 have been a strange honeymoon, so early did public 
 claims trespass upon domestic peace. On reaching 
 Guernsey they found a crowd of people on the pier 
 anxiously awaiting their arrival. 
 
 Meetings had been already arranged, and without Another 
 further pause they found themselves launched into all 
 the opportunity and excitement of a powerful revival.
 
 196 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1855, In describing these meetings to her mother, Mrs. 
 Age26 ' Booth writes: 
 
 " William is preaching to-night. I feel so sorry that I am 
 not well enough to go and hear him. The doors were to be 
 open at half-past five to admit the seat-holders before the crush. 
 The interest has kept up all through the services to such a de- 
 gree as I have never witnessed before. It would do you good 
 to see some of the prayer-meetings chapel crowded, upstairs 
 and down. There have been some precious cases of conver- 
 sion, but not so many as William expected." 
 
 Before leaving Guernsey, the following autographs 
 were entered in the album of a friend : 
 
 Some " Life with me," writes Mr. Booth, " has had its dark shadows 
 anc * * ts g loom y days. And yet it has not been all sadness. 
 There have been silvery linings to its darkest clouds. I have 
 tasted many of its sweets, and have drunk deeply of its pass- 
 ing excitements. I have known somewhat of the quiet joys 
 of home, the pleasure of friendship, the thrilling delights in- 
 spired by beholding the creations of man's genius, and the 
 lovely and picturesque in nature. But no emotions that ever 
 filled my heart were so rapturous, so pure, so heaven-like, as 
 those that have swelled my heart, while standing surrounded 
 by penitent souls, seeking mercy at the hand of Calvary's 
 Prince. The cries of the weeping, the prayers of the men and 
 women of God, and the songs of rejoicing alternately as- 
 cending, have made to me music the most melting and glori- 
 ous of any ever heard outside the portals of the Temple of 
 Heaven." 
 
 Mrs. Booth writes as follows: 
 
 " The woman who would serve her generation according to 
 the will of God, must make moral and intellectual culture the 
 chief business of life. Doing this she will rise to the true 
 dignity of her nature, and find herself possessed of a wonder- 
 ous capacity for turning the duties, joys, and sorrows of do- 
 mestic life to the highest advantage, both to herself and to all 
 those within the sphere of her influence. 
 
 "July aoth, 1855. CATHERINE BOOTH."
 
 THE WEDDING. 197 
 
 Beneath this entry her eldest daughter afterwards '1855, 
 adds the following remarks : 
 
 " Thirty years ago my beloved mother wrote in this book, The Ma- 
 years before I was born. Words would fail to express all her r u " ! s 
 example and influence have done for her children, all of graph. 
 whom now speak for her in the gate \ My one and only joy 
 is to follow in her steps and turn men from darkness to light, 
 fully realising how short the time is and how more than 
 worthy is our Redeemer of every moment of my life. 
 '"June 5th, 1885. CATHERINE BOOTH."
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 The Con- 
 ference' 1 's 
 resolu- 
 tion. 
 
 Seventeen 
 hundred 
 
 and 
 thirty- 
 nine peni- 
 tents in 
 
 four 
 months. 
 
 Glorious 
 results. 
 
 One hun- 
 dred and 
 one seek- 
 ers in one 
 night. 
 
 REVIVALS AND CORRESPONDENCE. 1855. 
 
 THE five months of evangelistic work which pre- 
 ceded his marriage had established for Mr. Booth a 
 widespread reputation for devotion, ability, and suc- 
 cess, so that when the Annual Conference had met at 
 Sheffield, just previous to the wedding, it was resolved 
 that "the Rev. William Booth, whose labours had 
 been so abundantly blessed in the conversion of sin- 
 ners, be appointed to the work of an evangelist, to 
 give the various circuits an opportunity of having his 
 services during the coming year." 
 
 The results had indeed been remarkable. In the 
 space of four months no less than 1,739 persons had 
 sought salvation at nine separate centres, besides a 
 considerable number at four or five other places, of 
 which we have no particulars. This gave an average 
 of 214 for each circuit visited, or 161 for each week, 
 and 23 for each day during the time that meetings were 
 being held. At Longton, during the first visit there 
 were 260 in nine days, and during the second visit 97 in 
 four days. At Hanley, there were 460 in a fortnight ; 
 at Burslem, 262 in one week; at Mossley, 50 in five 
 days; at Newcastle-under-Lyme, 290 in one week; at 
 Bradford, 1 60 in a fortnight, and at Gateshead, a simi- 
 lar number in the same time. Not included in the 
 above was Guernsey, where, during Mr. Booth's first 
 visit, 200 'souls sought salvation in the space of a 
 fortnight. It was an ordinary occurrence for 40, 50, 
 and 60 persons to come forward to the communion 
 
 198
 
 REVIVALS AND CORRESPONDENCE. 199 
 
 rail each night, and at Burslem we read in the New 1855, 
 Connexion Magazine, that on a single occasion 101 
 names were taken. Besides those who actually pro- 
 fessed conversion, large numbers of persons became 
 convinced of sin, and were gathered in after the 
 special services were over. 
 
 From Guernsey Mr. and Mrs. Booth proceeded to jersey. 
 Jersey, and it is worthy of note that the hall in which 
 the meetings were held has since become an Army 
 Barracks. 
 
 The return voyage was a very trying one. Mrs. A trying 
 Booth was always a wretched sailor, and this trip w r as 
 certainly one of her worst. She had been for some 
 time in very poor health, and it now became manifest 
 that it would be impossible for her to accompany her 
 husband in fulfilling the next appointments marked out 
 for him by the Annual Committee. It was therefore 
 decided, much to their mutual disappointment, that 
 Mrs. Booth should remain at home with her mother 
 till well enough to travel, while Mr. Booth proceeded 
 to York, in fulfilment of his next engagement. How 
 
 A first 
 
 keenly they felt the separation may be judged from parting. 
 the first letters interchanged by them, after Mr. 
 Booth had left : 
 
 " 3 CASTLE GATE, YORK, August 4th, 1855. 
 
 "Mv PRECIOUS WIFE: The first time I have written you 
 that endearing appellation! Bless you a thousand times! 
 How often during my journey have I taken my eyes from off 
 the book I was reading to think about you yes, to think ten- 
 derly about you, about our future, our home and its endear- 
 ments. 
 
 " Shall we not again commence a life of devotion, and by 
 renewed consecration begin afresh the Christian race? 
 
 " O Kate ! be happy. You will rejoice my soul if you 
 send me word that your heart is gladsome, and your spirits
 
 200 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 A I8 5S, 
 Age 26. 
 
 are light. It will help you to battle with your illness, and 
 make the short period of our separation fly away. 
 
 " Bless you ! I feel as though a part of my very self were 
 wanting as though I had left some very important adjunct 
 to my happiness behind me. And so I have. My precious 
 self. I do indeed return that warm affection I know you bear 
 toward me. 
 
 " Your faithful and affectionate husband, 
 
 " WILLIAM." 
 
 Mrs. 
 
 Booth re- 
 sponds, sponse : 
 
 To this letter Mrs. Booth sent the following re- 
 
 Phttoso- 
 phy ver- 
 sus love. 
 
 "August 6th, 1885. 
 
 " MY PRECIOUS HUSBAND : A thousand thanks for your 
 sweet letter. I have read it over many, many times, and it 
 is still fresh and precious to my heart. I cannot answer it, but 
 be assured not a word is forgotten or overlooked. 
 
 " As soon as you were out of sight, I felt as though I could 
 have performed the journey with far less suffering than to 
 stay behind. It was a supremely wretched day, and long be- 
 fore night I had made up my mind to come to you, sick or well, 
 on Wednesday. You say, ' But, Kate, how foolish ! Why did 
 you not think and reason?' I did, -my darling! I philoso- 
 phised as soundly as you could desire. I argued with myself 
 on the injustice of coming here and making my dear mother 
 miserable by leaving her so soon on the folly of making my- 
 self ill on the selfishness of wishing to burden you with the 
 anxiety and care my presence would entail. But in the very 
 midst of such soliloquies, the fact of your being gone beyond 
 my reach, the possibility of something happening before we 
 could meet again, the possible shortness of the time we may 
 have to spend together, and such like thoughts would start 
 up, making rebellious nature rise and swell and scorn all re- 
 straints of reason, philosophy, or religion. The only comfort 
 I could get was from the thought that I could follow you if I 
 liked. And binding this only balm tightly to my heart, I 
 managed to get a pretty good night's rest. 
 
 " Remember me always as your own faithful, loving, joyful 
 little wife, 
 
 " CATHERINE."
 
 REVIVALS AND CORRESPONDENCE. 20 1 
 
 From York Mr. Booth proceeded to Hull, and he 1855, 
 was joined on his way at Selby junction by Mrs. 
 Booth, who had now sufficiently recovered to be able They meet 
 to travel. The meetings were of the usual stirring 
 and successful character, as may be judged from the 
 following report sent to the New Connexion Magazine 
 by the Rev. J. Addyman, the local minister: 
 
 "On the Sabbath morning at 7 o'clock, we had a 
 glorious prayer-meeting, which spoke well for the 
 day. The congregations exceeded our expectations. 
 In the evening the chapel was full, and the extra- 
 ordinary ministry of the preacher produced an im- 
 pression which we trust will not soon be effaced. 
 Appropriate and vivid were the illustrations, and the 
 appeals for an immediate decision were heart-search- 
 ing. Many sighs, groans, and heart-felt responses 
 were heard throughout the congregation. Many 
 came forward to the altar and sought mercy. Ten 
 were blessed with a sense of pardon, and went home 
 rejoicing. 
 
 " On Wednesday evening the meeting was com- A thun- 
 menced under a very gracious influence. Brother cannon- 
 Booth preached a most telling and effective sermon, prayer. 
 Conviction took deep hold on the minds of the people, 
 and many literally groaned in spirit. The prayer- 
 meeting opened with great power. It was like a 
 thundering cannonade. The people came forward in 
 rapid succession. Fourteen professed to find peace, 
 while others went away still mourning. 
 
 " The second Sabbath commenced as the previous 
 one. At night we had a packed chapel, communion 
 rails, pulpit, stairs, etc. On account of the great num- 
 ber of people present we had some difficulty in get- 
 ting the prayer-meeting into good working order, but 
 by the discreet management of our leader we sue-
 
 202 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1855, ceeded. The meeting was pervaded by a hallowed 
 and powerful influence, and thirty-eight persons pro- 
 
 eitjht^eek fessed to find peace with God. 
 
 salvation. Qn Thursday our brother preached his farewell 
 sermon, when every part of the chapel, even to the 
 top of the pulpit-stairs, was densely thronged. It was 
 eleven o'clock before we could bring that truly 'anx- 
 ious' meeting to a final close. I never witnessed 
 such a scene. Forty-eight persons gave their names 
 in as converts. 
 
 TWO hun- " During these memorable seasons we have entered 
 
 dred and 
 
 seventy the names of 270 persons. These services have been 
 tafcen! conducted throughout with great order and propriety, 
 and attended by people of various denominations. 
 Our excellent brother Booth was carried beyond him- 
 self, and fears were entertained lest he should break 
 down, but God has graciously sustained him." 
 
 After reaching Hull, Mrs. Booth sent the following 
 letter to her parents : 
 
 A letter to "MY OWN DEAR PARENTS: My dear husband has gone to 
 her home, an( j though I am but ill able to sit up, I will send you 
 
 a line. 
 
 " Well, I got through the journey better than I expected. 
 The guard was exceedingly kind and attentive. If I had been 
 rich, I should have given him half-a-sovereign. 
 
 " My precious husband met me at Milford, and was de- 
 lighted to see me. He is kinder and more tender than ever, 
 and is very, very glad I came. Bless him ! He is worth a 
 bushel of the ordinary sort. 
 
 " Considering we are only at the start, the work wears the 
 most encouraging aspect of any place he has yet visited, and 
 he is, therefore, in excellent spirits. 
 
 " I have told William about my dear mother's kindness to 
 me and he desires me to send his very warm love and heart- 
 felt thanks. As to myself, I feel very grateful for so much 
 unmerited kindness. It is indeed sweet to be so cared for. 
 God bless you both !
 
 REVIVALS AND CORRESPONDENCE. 203 
 
 " I have every comfort and attention, so be easy about me, 1855, 
 and believe me as ever and more than ever, Age 2< * 
 
 " Your affectionate and grateful child, 
 
 " CATHERINE." 
 
 After spending a short time together at Hull, Mr. 
 and Mrs. Booth went for a couple of days' rest and 
 change to Caistor, the scene of the remarkable in- 
 gatherings already recorded. Owing to Mrs. Booth's 
 continued ill-health, it was decided that she should 
 here remain until the conclusion of the work in Hull. 
 While staying in Caistor she wrote as follows to her 
 mother : 
 
 " I heard from William this morning. They had a trium- 
 phant day on Sunday, the chapel packed and upwards of forty 
 cases at night, some of them very remarkable ones. He will 
 finish up at Hull on Thursday, and come here on Friday for 
 a week's rest previous to commencing the services at Sheffield. 
 I anticipate his coming much. 
 
 " It is such a splendid country. As I rambled out in the 
 green lanes this morning, hemmed in on every side by fields 
 of golden corn, in which the reapers are busy in all direc- 
 tions, and surrounded by the most lovely scenery of hill and 
 dale, wood and garden, I did wish you, my dear mother, 
 could come and spend a fortnight with me. As for Hull, I 
 would much prefer Brixton, and our bit of garden to the great 
 majority of its homes. It is like being in fairy-land here, 
 after being there, though I had every kindness and attention 
 heart could desire. But you know how precious fresh air is 
 to me at all times, or I would not be a voluntary exile from 
 my beloved husband, even for a week. Bless him ! He con- 
 tinues all I desire. 
 
 " I am glad you changed the boots. Fudge about paying me ! 
 I should think you wore an extra pair out in running up and 
 down stairs after me, when I located my troublesome self at 
 Brixton last. Whether or not, it is all right. 
 
 " We are to have apartments at Sheffield. You cannot think 
 with what joy I anticipate being to ourselves once more. It 
 will seem like being at home, sweet home. For though I get 
 
 revisited. 
 
 Her love 
 for the 
 country. 
 
 Longing 
 for home.
 
 204 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1855, literally oppressed with kindness, I must say I would prefer 
 Age 26. a home, where we could sit down together at our own little 
 table, myself the mistress and my husband the only guest. 
 But the work of God so abundantly prospers that I dare not 
 repine, or else I feel this constant packing and locating 
 amongst strangers to be a great burden, especially while so 
 weak and poorly. But then I have many mercies and advan- 
 tages. My precious William is all I desire, and without this 
 what would the most splendid home be but a glittering bau- 
 ble? Then, too, by living in different families and places, I 
 have much room for observation and reflection on various 
 phases of life and character which I hope will benefit my 
 mind and increase my knowledge, and thus fit me for future 
 usefulness in my family, the church, and the World. May the 
 Lord help me ! 
 
 A message " Tell father that he must not wait for a change of circum- 
 father. stances before he begins to serve God, but seek first the King- 
 dom of Heaven, and then the attending promise will belong 
 to him, and I believe God will fulfil it. I wish he could be in- 
 troduced into such a revival as that at Hull. God is doing 
 great and marvellous things there. 
 
 '"He is bringing to His fold 
 
 Rich and poor and young and old. ' " 
 
 At the same time she wrote as follows to Mr. 
 Booth : 
 
 " MY OWN SWEET HUSBAND : Here I sit under a hedge in 
 A beauti- 
 ful des- that beautiful lane you pointed out to me. It is one of the 
 
 cription. i ove ij es t days old earth has ever basked in. No human being is 
 within sight or sound. All nature seems to be exulting in ex- 
 istence, and your moralising little wife is much better in health 
 and in a mood to enjoy all these beauties and advantages to 
 the utmost. I have had a vegetarian breakfast, and one of 
 the most refreshing dabbles in cold water I ever enjoyed. 
 And now, after a brisk walk and reading your kind letter, I 
 feel more pleasure in writing to you than anything else un- 
 der heaven (except a personal interview) could give me. 
 
 " I bless God for His goodness to you on Sunday, and hope 
 that for once thou wast satisfied ! If so, it would have been 
 a treat to have seen thee ! I feel perfectly at home here and
 
 REVIVALS AND CORRESPONDENCE. 205 
 
 experience just that free, sweet, wholesome kind of at- 
 mosphere which I have so long been panting for. My natural 
 spirits are in a high key this morning. I feel as if I could 
 get over a stile just at hand and join the lambs in their gam- 
 bols ! My soul also rises to the great and benevolent Creator 
 of us all, and I feel stronger desires than for a long time 
 past to be a Christian after His own model, even Christ Jesus. 
 
 " Oh, I wish you were here. I think you would rest quiet 
 a little while! It is so like what it will be when there is no 
 more curse, when they shall not hurt nor destroy in all God's 
 holy mountain, but when the lion and the fatling shall lie 
 down together, and a little child shall lead them ! Oh what 
 a glorious time is coming for the real children of God to 
 those who do His will ! Lord help us ! 
 
 " The bells are ringing and guns firing on account of the news 
 that Sebastopol is taken. But I should think it is a delusion. 
 Anyhow I cannot enter into the spirit of the victory. I 
 picture the gory slain and the desolated homes and broken 
 hearts attending it, and feel saddened. What a happy day 
 will it be for the world when all Christians shall protest 
 against war, when each poor mistaken Peter shall have heard 
 Jesus say, 'Put up again thy sword into his place, for all they 
 that take the sword shall perish with the sword!' What a 
 fearful prediction, if it applies to nations as well as to in- 
 dividuals ! And hitherto it has been fulfilled in the history 
 of the world. If it is yet to be fulfilled in our history, what 
 will be our fate as a people? 
 
 " Believe me, as ever, thy own in earth's tenderest, closest, 
 and strongest bonds, 
 
 " CATHERINE." 
 
 1855, 
 Age 26. 
 
 High 
 spirits. 
 
 The news 
 of Sebas- 
 topol. 
 
 Her feel- 
 ings in re- 
 gard to 
 war.
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 The first 
 
 visit to 
 
 Sheffield. 
 
 Mrs. 
 
 Booth 
 describes 
 their re- 
 ception. 
 
 SHEFFIELD CHATSWORTH CORRESPON- 
 DENCE. 1855. 
 
 THE visit to Sheffield is so fully described in Mrs. 
 Booth's letters to her parents that we hail the oppor 
 tunity of reporting it in her own words. The meet- 
 ings lasted for a month, from 23d September to 24th 
 October, and included five Sabbaths. No less than 
 663 professed conversion during this time, the work 
 increasing week by week in power and success. 
 Indeed it broke off at its very height, arousing a con- 
 siderable controversy in Mr. and Mrs. Booth's minds 
 as to the wisdom of abandoning such an opportunity 
 when circumstances seemed favourable for an even 
 larger ingathering. But we turn to Mrs. Booth's own 
 narrative : 
 
 "Sept. 24th, 1855. 
 
 " We arrived here two days ago. The Rev. W. 
 Mills (ex-President of the Connexion) met us at the 
 station and accompanied us to our host's. So that, 
 after all, we are not to be to ourselves. It is, how- 
 ever, a beautiful home, in the outskirts of the town, 
 within ten minutes' walk of the cemetery, and over- 
 looking some splendid scenery. I feel this to be a 
 special blessing in my present sickly condition. I 
 don't know what I should do if we were located in 
 the town, which for smoke, I thought as we entered it, 
 must rival the infernal region itself. It appears a 
 
 206
 
 SHEFFIELD CHA TS WOR TH. 207 
 
 very large, populous, and thriving city. But of course 1855, 
 I have not seen much of it yet. 
 
 "They had a grand beginning yesterday at the A be g ? d 
 chapel, and took twenty names. William is posted ning. 
 on the walls in monster bills in all directions, and 
 it appears from the congregations that his fame was 
 here before him. I trust the work will be equal or 
 superior to Hull. 
 
 "September 27th. We dined and took tea with R ev . w. 
 Mr. Mills, yesterday. This is the same minister who 
 was Superintendent of the Hanley Circuit, where 
 William had such a glorious revival last year. He is 
 a nice man, very gentlemanly and intelligent. He 
 gave William his opinion of me, which I fear was 
 very flattering. 
 
 " I have been to chapel two evenings. The work 
 is rising in power, influence, and importance, and 
 bids fair to become very mighty. On Tuesday even- 
 ing seven or eight ministers of different denomina- 
 tions were present. The celebrated John Unwin, of 
 Sheffield, of whom you have often heard me speak 
 and read, as a leading Reformer, and Mr. Caughey's 
 host and intimate friend, sat just behind me. 
 
 " Luke Tyerman is in Sheffield, and lives not far 
 from our residence. We think of going to see him, 
 and intend to hear him preach before we leave. 
 
 " You will be pleased to hear that my letter on 
 the training of young converts is copied from the 
 New Connexion Magazine into the Canadian Christian 
 Witness. So it has found a sympathiser on the other 
 side of the Atlantic. 
 
 "October 5th. The work progresses with power. 
 We have been to-day to call on Mrs. Thomas Firth. 
 It is one of the most splendid homes I ever visited 
 and has a very kind and sympathetic lady for its mis- .
 
 208 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 I 855. ' tress. I have had several interviews with her and 
 like her very much. I feel her sympathy to be a 
 special boon just now. You know what a great de- 
 sideratum this is with me. 
 Domestic " October. I should love to see you. I never was 
 
 ness* so happy before. My cup, so far as this world goes, 
 seems full. With the exception of the drawback of a 
 delicate body and being without an abiding home, I 
 have all I want. My precious William grows every 
 day more to my mind and heart. God is blessing 
 him richly both in his own soul and in his public la- 
 bours. He is becoming more and more a man of 
 prayer and of one purpose. 
 
 The prog- " The work progresses with mighty power. Every- 
 the work, body who knows anything of this society is aston- 
 ished, and the mouths of gainsayers are stopped. 
 God's Son is glorified and precious souls are being 
 saved by scores. Four hundred and forty names 
 have been taken, and to-morrow is expected to be a 
 . crowning day. There is to be another love-feast in 
 the afternoon, making three since we came. 
 
 " October. The work goes on gloriously. On Sun- 
 day night the chapel was packed to suffocation, and 
 after a powerful sermon a mighty prayer-meeting 
 ensued, in which upwards of sixty names were taken, 
 some of them very important and interesting cases. 
 
 AH People of all grades and opinions attend the services, 
 
 tend. from members of the Town Council to the lowest 
 outcasts. Last night (Monday) was what William 
 calls a precious night, and Mr. Mills, the ex-Presi- 
 dent, says the sermon was both beautiful and effective. 
 " I have not been to chapel since I had the doctor. 
 I feel it a great privation, but all other trials are 
 more than compensated by the kindness and attention 
 of my beloved husband. He gets more affectionate
 
 SHEFFIELD CHA TS IVOR TH. 2 09 
 
 every day, and often tells me he never dreamed of 1855, 
 being half so happy. He has just been up to the ge 2 ' 
 room in which I am writing, telling me it is the 
 climax of his happiness to have me with him, and 
 exhausting his vocabulary of kind words and tender 
 epithets. I tell you this, because I know your mother- 
 heart. Bless the Lord ! My full soul often vents it 
 self in asking, 'Whence to me this waste of love?' Oh, 
 for more devotedness to God ! Then I should indeed 
 be satisfied. 
 
 "October. William's mother is staying here. I Mr. 
 must say I anticipated seeing my new mother with mother. 
 much pleasure and some anxiety, but at our first 
 interview the latter vanished and I felt that I could 
 both admire and love her. She is a very nice-looking 
 old lady, and of a very sweet and amiable spirit. 
 William had not at all over-estimated her in his de- 
 scriptions. I do wish she lived within visiting dis- 
 tance of you. I am sure you would enjoy her society. 
 
 " I went to chapel yesterday and witnessed a scene ^ n affect- 
 such as I had never beheld before. In the afternoon ing scene ' 
 there was a love-feast, and it was indeed a feast of 
 love. The chapel was packed above and below, so 
 much so that it was with extreme difficulty the bread 
 and water could be passed about. The aisles and 
 pulpit stairs were full, and in all parts of the chapel 
 persons rose to testify of the power of God in con- 
 nexion with the services. It was an affecting time, 
 both to me and to William's mother, when some one 
 called down blessings on his head, to hear a general 
 response and murmured prayer all through the build- 
 ing. 
 
 " At night we got there at five minutes to six, and A forest 
 found the chapel crowded and the vestry half full. of heads ' 
 I was just returning home when a gentleman told
 
 210 MJtS. BOOTH. 
 
 1855, me there was a seat reserved for me in Mr. Mills' 
 pew, which, after some difficulty, I reached. The 
 chapel presented a most pleasing aspect, a complete 
 forest of heads extending to the outside of every 
 door, upstairs and down. Mr. Shaw opened the ser- 
 vice, and William preached with marvellous power. 
 For an hour and ten minutes everybody was absorbed 
 and riveted. Though scores were standing, they had 
 a glorious prayer-meeting, in which seventy names 
 were taken, many of them being very satisfactory 
 cases. I would have given something considerable 
 for you to have been there. 
 
 A mighty " October 22d. We had a wonderful day at the 
 chapel yesterday, a tremendous crowd jammed to- 
 gether like sheep in a pen, and one of the mightiest 
 sermons at night I ever listened to, from 'Will a man 
 rob God? Yet ye have robbed Me!' The chapel 
 continued crowded during the prayer-meeting, and 
 sltTjtames before half-past ten o'clock seventy-six names were 
 taken. ^ taken< All glory to God ! 
 
 " My dearest has been very prostrated to-day, but 
 is preaching again to-night. They had collections to 
 defray the incidental expenses of the services yester- 
 day and raised 25, far beyond anybody's expec- 
 tations. 
 
 " The farewell sermon is to be on Wednesday night, 
 when he will finish up five weeks' services, having 
 preached twice on Sundays and four nights a week in 
 the same chapel. 
 
 " A letter from the Annual Committee this morning 
 says he must not visit the other chapel in this town. 
 The friends are in a dreadful way about it. They 
 talk of calling a meeting of office-bearers and petition- 
 ing for it. But I don't think it will be of any use, as 
 the committee have arranged for six places between
 
 SHEFFIELD CHA TS WOR TH. 2 1 1 
 
 now and May, and even this leaves some of the most 1855, 
 important and needy towns out altogether. 
 
 " My dear William is very much harassed about An unfin- 
 having to leave a place before his own convictions of work. 
 duty favour it. It is a solemn thing, and he feels his 
 responsibility as he never did before. May the Mas- 
 ter undertake for him. I believe that if God spares 
 him and he is faithful to his trust, his usefulness will 
 be untold, and beyond our present capacity to esti- 
 mate. He is becoming more and more effective every 
 day, and God seems to be preparing him in his own 
 soul for greater things yet. Oh, for grace to surren- 
 der our whole selves to do His will ! 
 
 "October 24th. Your very kind letter is to hand, Cheering 
 and though I wrote yesterday I cannot forbear send- mother. 
 ing you a few lines to-day. You seem low and poorly, 
 and I feel that I must try and comfort you a bit. I 
 am sorry you were disappointed in not hearing from 
 me on Saturday, but you must never attribute it to 
 neglect or indifference when I omit writing. It . 
 sometimes happens that I cannot kelp it. There are 
 many circumstances and arrangements to which I am 
 subject 'which would be otherwise, had I a quiet re- 
 tired home of my own. Yesterday, for instance, I 
 had not half an hour at my own disposal. So when- 
 ever I don't send you my accustomed letter always 
 conclude it is because I cannot, for I assure you, my 
 will and heart always prompt me to do so. (It was 
 Mrs. Booth's rule to write to her parents at least once 
 a week, and throughout life she recommended it to 
 others.) 
 
 " I received all your letters, and although I did not 
 mention them, I think I referred to the contents of 
 each. Bless you! I have read them through several 
 times, and shed some tears over them, too! Don't
 
 212 MtfS. BOOTH. 
 
 1855, imagine that because I am so happy in my husband, 
 and have so many things to claim my attention, that 
 I think or care less about you. I don't believe I ever 
 loved or valued you so much, and I am sure I never 
 longed to see you more. My thoughts constantly 
 stray off to you, and I am continually wishing you 
 could share my joys and prosperity. 
 
 Don't " Don't worry! I have seen the folly of my former 
 days of apprehension, distrust, and sinful despondency 
 in regard to the future. Oh, try to learn the lesson 
 from me, and don't anticipate evil which may never, 
 never come! I consider it nonsense to talk about 
 your uselessness! What else can you do? Your 
 path at present seems shut to where you are, and it 
 may be God is more glorified by your standing still 
 and patiently waiting the development of His pur- 
 poses, than by a much more active life. I know it 
 is hard to trust and hope when we can see nothing. 
 I have, as you know, often felt it so. But now the 
 clouds have dispersed, and the day shines, how 
 plainly I see that I might have been much happier, 
 if I had trusted the Lord more. He was doing for 
 me the very things which I most desired, but because 
 clouds and darkness so often appeared to be round 
 about me, you are a witness to my murmurings and 
 mistrust. Oh, let us learn to believe His word. 
 "Commit thy way unto the Lord, and He will direct 
 thy steps.' The Lord help us, for even yet I need 
 Trusting much faith in God for the future. I am often dread- 
 
 thefu- fully tempted to entertain gloomy anticipations, and 
 to think that my present lot is too happy to last long. 
 I suffer much anxiety about my dear husband's health. 
 
 Luke Everybody predicts his breaking down. Luke Tyer- 
 
 man>s man told him yesterday that neither he nor any other 
 man could stand it long, and I often fear. But at
 
 SHEFFIELD CHA TS WOR TH. 2 i 3 
 
 present God strengthens him wonderfully. How 1855, 
 true it is we know not what a day may bring forth, 
 in regard to our joys no less than with reference to 
 our anticipated sorrows. 
 
 "Thursday noon. They finished up last night Sixhun- 
 
 dred and 
 
 gloriously. Though it was a very wet night the sixty- 
 chapel was packed in every part, and scores went names 
 away unable to get in. The friends described the 
 scene to me as very affecting and unprecedented in 
 their history when the people took leave of William, 
 at near eleven o'clock. They passed in a continuous 
 stream across the communion-rail from one side of 
 the chapel to the other, while the choir sang, 'Shall 
 we ever meet again?' They took forty-eight names, 
 making a total of 663." 
 
 At the conclusion of these meetings, the Confer- 
 ence Committee, at the instance of the Sheffield 
 friends, agreed to a fortnight's rest, which was spent 
 at Chatsworth, where Mrs. Booth writes to her mother 
 as follows: 
 
 "CHATSWORTH PARK, October 2;th. 
 
 " We arrived here this morning for a few days' rest Farewell 
 before going on to Dewsbury. The Sheffield friends fi e id. 
 have been exceedingly kind. There was a meeting 
 on Thursday night of office bearers, local preachers, 
 and leaders, to hear an address from William on the 
 best means of sustaining and consolidating the work. 
 It was a very important gathering and was attended 
 by a number of influential people. They decided that 
 the address should be published. The gentleman 
 with whom he had been staying bore a most flattering 
 testimony to the benefit his whole family had derived 
 from William's stay among them, and styled it a high 
 honour to have had the privilege of entertaining us.
 
 214 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 l8 55 The unanimous and kind solicitude manifested was 
 overwhelming and sufficient to have made any man 
 destitute of the grace of God, vain. 
 
 chats- " I thought and talked much of you on the journey 
 
 worth ,.,.,, 
 
 Park, here, as I rode over those Derbyshire hills and wit- 
 nessed its wild and romantic scenery. It is a splen- 
 did spot where we are located, right inside the park, 
 where we can see the deer gambolling. I feel a 
 peculiar interest in the scenes around, doubtless owing 
 to its being my native county, and you will not deem 
 it strange that associated with such feelings I should 
 think more about the authors of my being. Bless 
 you ! I hope the sun of prosperity will yet rise and 
 shine upon you, as you descend the hill of life, and 
 that I shall be permitted to rejoice in its rays. 
 Its " 28th October. This afternoon we walked through 
 
 scenery. 
 
 the park right up to the Duke of Devonshire's resi- 
 dence. It is one of the most splendid spots I was 
 ever in. It is all hill and dale, beautifully wooded 
 and bestudded with deer in all directions. The resi- 
 dence itself is superior to many of the royal palaces, 
 and the scenery around is most picturesque and sub- 
 lime. This splendid spot is ours for a week in every 
 sense necessary to its full enjoyment, without any of 
 the anxiety belonging to its real owner. 
 
 " This first day of our stay has been a very blessed 
 one. I could not tell you how happy we both are, 
 notwithstanding my delicate health and our constant 
 migrations. We do indeed find our earthly heaven 
 in each other. Praise the Lord with me, and oh, 
 pray that I may so use and improve the sunshine that 
 if the clouds should gather and the storm arise, I may 
 be prepared to meet it with calmness and resignation. 
 
 "At present my dearest love bears up under his 
 extraordinary toil remarkably well, and seems to be
 
 SHEFFIELD CHA TS WOR TH. 2 1 5 
 
 profiting already from this rest and change. I never 1855, 
 knew him in a more spiritual and devotional condition 
 of mind. His character daily rises in my esteem and 
 admiration, and I am perfectly satisfied with his affec- 
 tion for me. He often tells me he could not have 
 believed he should ever have loved any being as he 
 loves me. Has not the Lord been gracious to me? 
 Has He not answered my prayers? And oh, shall 
 I not praise Him and serve Him ? Yea, I am resolved 
 to do so with all my heart. 
 
 " November 2d. Thursday was a fine frosty day, 
 of which we took due advantage. Directly after 
 breakfast we started for a walk of four miles to see 
 the rocks of Middleton Dale. The scenery all the 
 way was enchanting. I could scarce get along for 
 stopping to admire and exclaim. The dark frowning 
 cliffs on one hand, the splendid autumnal tints of 
 rich foliage on the other, and the ever varying views 
 of hill and dale before us, all as it were tinged with 
 glory from a radiant sky, filled us with unutterable 
 emotions of admiration, exhilaration, and joy. 
 
 "William constantly saluted some passer on the A Derby- 
 road, and from all received a regular Derbyshire re- 
 sponse. One old man, in answer to a question as to 
 the distance we were from the Dale, said he reckoned 
 'Welley' four miles, it 'met' be about 'thra' and a half. 
 I thought of poor Liz filling the pan 'welley' full of 
 potatoes ! 
 
 " Well, we reached the Dale, and were not at all 
 disappointed with the scenery. It is a long narrow 
 road with cliffs from a hundred to two hundred feet 
 high on either side, jutting out here and there like 
 old towers of a by-gone age, and frowning darkly on 
 all below. I wish I could describe the wild grandeur 
 of the place, but I have neither time nor ability.
 
 216 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1855, " We walked about half a mile up the dale, and 
 ge 2 ' then I rested and got a little refreshment at a very 
 An an- ancient and comical kind of inn. William walked 
 half a mile further. During this time I had a 
 very cosy and to me amusing chat in rich Derby- 
 shire brogue with an old man over his pipe and mug 
 of ale. 
 
 " After resting about half an hour we bent our steps 
 homewards, where we arrived soon after two. I felt 
 tired, but considering I had walked at least nine 
 miles during the day, I reckoned myself worth many 
 dead ones." 
 
 During their stay at Chatsworth, some Sheffield 
 
 Sir Mark friends came over for the day. One of them, Mr. 
 
 Firth. Mark Firth, was afterwards knighted on the occasion 
 
 of the visit of the Prince of Wales to Sheffield. Mrs. 
 
 Booth thus describes their visit : 
 
 " This morning we were just preparing to visit 
 Chatsworth House and to explore a part of the park 
 we had not seen, when to our surprise Mr. and Mrs. 
 Fenton, and Mr. Mark Firth, brother to the gentle- 
 man named in my former letter, came to the door. 
 They had driven over in their phaeton to spend the 
 Climbing day with us. So we set off to climb some tremendous 
 s ' hills, in order to reach a tower built in the highest 
 part of the park grounds. I got about half-way up 
 and then my strength failed me, and I begged to be 
 allowed to sit down and wait, while the rest of the 
 party completed the ascent. After much persuasion 
 I carried my point and was left alone, sitting on a 
 stone, my eyes resting on one of the loveliest scenes 
 I ever expect to witness in this world. I enjoyed 
 my meditations exceedingly. I was on an elevation 
 about as high as St. Paul's, with a waterfall on one 
 side of me, and the most romantic scenery you can
 
 MRS. MUMFORD.
 
 SHEFFIELD CHA TS WOR TH. 217 
 
 imagine all around, above and below. The old Duke 1855, 
 ought to be a happy man, if worldly possessions can ge 2 ' 
 give felicity. But, alas ! we know they cannot. And Riches 
 according to all accounts he is one of those to whom un >nfer 
 they have failed to impart it. *%%- 
 
 " The ducal mansion is a magnificent building sit- 
 uated in the most romantic portion of the park. Sir 
 Joseph Pax ton's home is between the lodge and the Joseph 
 Duke's residence. It is a fine building, quite a gen- Paxton ' 
 tleman's seat, and yet it is only eighteen years since 
 he came here on an equal footing with the man who 
 keeps the lodge, and who works still as a plodding 
 gardener. They both came on to the estate together, 
 and at equal wages, which were very low. And now 
 one is 'Sir Joseph,' known all over the world, while 
 the other is still but keeper of the lodge." 
 
 For some years past the Salvation Army has cele- 
 brated its anniversary in the Crystal Palace, for the 
 designing of which Sir Joseph Paxton received his 
 honours. How small a world it is, after all, and how 
 strangely do its happenings overlap and interlace each 
 other !
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 DEWSBURY. 
 
 Hersevere DEWSBURY was Mr. Booth's next appointment. 
 Here Mrs. Booth was prostrated with a severe attack 
 of inflammation of the lungs, from which for some 
 time serious consequences were feared. She recov- 
 ered, however, sufficiently to be able to attend the 
 closing meetings of the revival. 
 
 Has re- She ascribed her improved health to homoeopathy, 
 
 C homoeo which she had for some time been practising with 
 pathy. i ncreas i n g confidence and benefit. The system had 
 been recommended to her about three years previously, 
 and by its means she had succeeded in curing an 
 obstinate sore throat, which had long resisted the 
 ordinary allopathic remedies. This had induced her 
 to make a careful study of several books bearing on 
 
 S M*y the subject, with the result that she was still further 
 tem - convinced as to the soundness of the fundamental 
 principles on which homoeopathy is based. Since her 
 marriage she had taken advantage of the enforced 
 leisure necessitated by her delicate health to carefully 
 study Hahnemann's "Organon," determined that she 
 would not rest short of thoroughly mastering what 
 seemed likely to prove so useful to her in after life. 
 She knew something of allopathy, but it appeared to 
 her to be a system rather of palliatives than of cura- 
 tives, often substituting graver evils for those which 
 it sought to combat. Hence her mind was open to 
 receive fresh light, and to study the claims of any 
 
 218
 
 DEWSBURY. 
 
 219 
 
 remedies which professed to afford permanent relief. 
 In subsequent years she largely adhered to the prac- 
 tice of homoeopathy, acknowledging to have derived 
 considerable benefit from its use, both in her own 
 case and in that of her family. 
 
 The services commenced in Dewsbury, on Sunday, 
 the 4th November, and were concluded on Monday, 
 the 3d December. In the Magazine for January, the 
 editor refers to the work in the following terms : 
 
 " Our last number furnished our readers with an account of 
 the glorious revival at Sheffield, and the commencement of 
 one at Dewsbury, both of which were still going on at the time 
 we went to press. As one indication of the good work at 
 Sheffield South, we have been called upon to supply three hun- 
 dred probationers' tickets. Respecting Dewsbury, the letter 
 of the Rev. Saxton affords the cheering intelligence that four 
 hundred and forty souls have been brought to a religious de- 
 cision. This news will gladden the hearts of thousands and 
 evoke the grateful exclamation, Praise Jehovah ! Hallelujah 
 to His blessed Name ! Our beloved brother, Mr. Booth, is now 
 at Leeds. The prayer of our heart is that similar signs may 
 there attend his evangelistic labours." 
 
 But it is scarcely necessary to quote from Mr. Sax- 
 ton's long and interesting report of the Dewsbury 
 meetings, since we have Mrs. Booth's letters written 
 at the time during the intervals of her illness : 
 
 " November 5th. We arrived here the day before 
 yesterday, about 6 P.M. Two preachers met us at 
 the station, and accompanied us to our host's, where 
 we received a very cordial welcome. 
 
 " The services commenced well yesterday, the 
 chapel being quite full at night. The faith of our 
 friends runs very high for something glorious. Our 
 expectation is from the Lord. May He abundantly 
 fulfil it. 
 
 "November i2th. William got the Wesleyan Times, 
 
 1855, 
 ge 2 ' 
 
 TheDews- 
 revival. 
 
 vation. 
 
 Mrs. 
 
 meetm v s -
 
 220 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1855, 
 Age 26. 
 
 Thawing 
 the ice. 
 
 Locking 
 the gates. 
 
 and read the letter you refer to. The writer is a Mr. 
 Little, of Leeds, so he will soon have an opportunity 
 of judging as to the genuineness of the revivals attend- 
 ant on our mission. Some of his remarks are un- 
 questionably just and justifiable, when applied to some 
 persons assuming the title of Revivalists. I have 
 often been distressed by the wildness and extrava- 
 gance of such, and am the last to tolerate noise with- 
 out influence, or ignorant and profane dealing with 
 sacred subjects. Mr. Little appears to be an oppo- 
 nent of Mr. Poole, and probably his remarks are 
 chiefly directed against him. If so, however, I think 
 them severe and unjust. Well, if God gives us 
 such a work at Leeds as we had at Sheffield, neither 
 Mr. L., nor any other 'little' man, will be able to 
 disparage it. 
 
 " The work here is progressing gloriously, though 
 we found a people frozen, formal, and quite out of 
 harmony with the spirit of a revival. Several of the 
 'nobs' still stand aloof, if they don't actually ridicule. 
 The excitement, however, is gradually taking hold of 
 the town, and sinners are being converted every night. 
 
 " Yesterday was a precious day'. In the morning 
 the chapel was quite full, and at the love-feast, in the 
 afternoon, crowded. Between thirty and forty per- 
 sons spoke, and the collection amounted to four times 
 the ordinary sum. At night the chapel was so 
 densely packed that at about five minutes past six 
 William had to request the friends to lock the gates 
 in order to prevent any more crushing in. I never 
 heard him preach with such liberty and power. The 
 congregation appeared literally riveted to their seats. 
 In the middle of the sermon, when the subject 
 reached a climax and he seemed exhausted, he started 
 the congregation singing :
 
 DEWSBURY. 221 
 
 "*O happy day, that fixed my choice 1855, 
 
 On Thee, my Saviour and my God.' Age 26. 
 
 " This was followed by : 
 
 " 'And above the rest this note shall swell, 
 My Jesus hath done all things well ! ' 
 
 " It was like Heaven below, and in the prayer-meet- 
 ing that followed they took twenty-seven names. 
 
 " I seldom go on a week-night now, as I cannot 
 sit in hot places long together. Last night I could 
 scarcely remain till the sermon was over. I am sorry 
 for this, as I might often render efficient help at the Helping 
 communion-rail, where a certain amount of intelli- 
 gence and aptness in dealing with penitents is often 
 sadly deficient. But I must rest content at home for 
 the present. However, I possess every comfort and 
 find a constant solace and a balm for every suffering 
 in the unvarying love and attention of my precious 
 husband. I often wish you could see how happy we 
 are. Oh, it is a precious thing to experience perfect 
 satisfaction in the object of one's affection! And I 
 believe we both enjoy it! Praise the Lord! 
 
 " 22d November. I am happy to tell you that I con- 
 tinue to improve and am downstairs to-day. My 
 cough is much better, and I hope now soon to be as 
 well as usual. We remain here till Friday or Satur- 
 day week, and then go on to Leeds, where we are to 
 spend six weeks, three at one end of the circuit, and 
 three at the other. I believe we are to have a very 
 nice home where there are no children ; quite a re- 
 commendation, seeing how they are usually trained ! 
 I hope if I have not both sense and grace to train 
 mine so that they shall not be a nuisance to every- 
 body about them, that God will in mercy take them 
 to Heaven in infancy. But I sincerely trust I shall
 
 222 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 I 8ss, be able to do better, and am learning some useful 
 lessons from observation. 
 
 The Pilot. "23d November. Father's letter came to hand this 
 morning with the Pilot. We see it every week, and 
 know much about its history, present mode of exist- 
 ence, and future prospects. Unfortunately it is a 
 party affair, and that only of a very small party. 
 The editor solicited reports from William for it, but 
 as the first prospectus set it forth as a controversialist, 
 or me dj um o f attack upon the Association and Re- 
 formers, William declined contributing to it, thinking 
 that the title Revival Revived was merely tacked on to 
 it to better secure its circulation. I think, however* 
 the editor has materially altered his first intention, 
 and if he minds what he is about, it may yet succeed. 
 " There can be little doubt that it might be made a 
 first-rate paper, but the paucity of news of our own 
 Connexion is at present an evil. I am sorry the 
 majority of the Connexion, both lay and cleric, are 
 opposed to it, and chiefly because it is feared it will 
 injure the funds of the Book-room. Our objections 
 are on no such grounds. We say, never mind if it 
 does, if it blesses the Connexion spiritually, and puts 
 some steam into it ; but we fear its controversial ten- 
 dencies. However, we shall watch its course in this 
 respect and act accordingly. I will consider your 
 suggestion about the Juvenile, but it requires peculiar 
 tact to write for children. However, I may try. 
 
 Mr. Poole Mr. p O ole has been very successful at Sheffield. 
 
 at J 
 
 Sheffield. He went at a good time. There were scores wounded 
 who might have been gathered in by our people, if 
 the Committee had let us go to the other chapel. 
 However that may be, it is a good thing somebody 
 has caught them. Poole is a sincere, earnest, good 
 man, and we rejoice greatly in his success.
 
 DEWSBURY. 223 
 
 " My dear William is rather better, though far 1855, 
 from well. They had a triumphant day on Sunday, 
 
 such an one as was never known in Dewsbury before. A 
 The people flocked to the chapel, in crowds, hun- Sunday. 
 dreds being unable to get in. The love-feast in the 
 afternoon, I hear, was like Heaven. Many took their 
 dinners and teas, and never left the chapel all day. 
 To-night William is preaching his farewell sermon 
 in the Wesley an Chapel, lent for the occasion, a spa- 
 cious building capable of seating two thousand peo- 
 ple, and I have just learnt from a man who has been 
 to fetch him some cocoa before the prayer-meeting, 
 that it is croivded. I hope they will have a good 
 night. Last night they took between thirty and forty 
 names, besides children under sixteen. To-morrow 
 evening William addresses the office-bearers, and on 
 Wednesday night the young converts. On Thursday 
 afternoon there is to be a farewell tea-meeting to be 
 held in the Wesleyan schoolroom, kindly lent because 
 our own would be far too small. We expect a splen- 
 did affair. Most of the trays will be given. They 
 had collections yesterday which amounted to 20, 
 three times as much as usual." 
 
 Writing the following day, Mrs. Booth says : 
 
 "They did not leave the chapel last night till a 
 quarter past eleven o'clock. They had a splendid sixty 
 
 ,. , 1 . T names 
 
 prayer-meeting and took sixty names. I suppose taken. 
 there were 2,500 people at the service." 
 
 The following resolution was passed at the Dews- 
 bury Leaders' Meeting, in regard to the services, the 
 Rev. L. Saxton being in the chair: 
 
 DECEMBER 6th, 1855. The. 
 
 Resolved, That this meeting desires to record its gratitude ^Sw 
 to the great Head of the Church, for the large measure of tion.
 
 224 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1855, success which has been realised in connexion with the special 
 Age 26. services recently conducted by the Rev. W. Booth in this place, 
 and earnestly prays not only that Mr. Booth may be long 
 spared to labour in this blessed and glorious work, the work of 
 saving souls from death, but that he may be rendered increas- 
 ingly happy and successful. The meeting begs to assure Mr. 
 Booth that enlisted in his behalf and also in the behalf of 
 Mrs. Booth are its warmest sympathies and best wishes. 
 
 GEORGE WARD, Secretary. 
 
 A shoiver "The tea-meeting last night was a first-rate one. 
 I do wish you could have heard William's speech. I 
 ventured there enveloped in a mountain of clothes, 
 and feel no worse for it, except it be worse to feel a 
 little prouder of my husband, which I certainly do. 
 We took leave of the people amid a perfect shower 
 of tears and a hurricane of sobs, and many more are 
 coming to take leave of us to-day. 
 
 Gratitude " As to my own feelings, I cannot describe them. 
 
 fof 
 
 mercies. My heart was ready to burst as I listened to the sol- 
 emn, earnest, and really beautiful address given by my 
 dearest William. I felt unutterable things as I looked 
 at the past and tried to realise the present. I felt as 
 though I had more cause to renew my covenant en- 
 gagement with God than any of His children, but oh, 
 I realised deeply, inexpressibly the worthlessness of 
 the offering I had to present Him. Alas, I had so 
 often renewed, but so seldom paid my vows unto the 
 Lord, and yet He has so richly filled my cup with 
 blessings, and so wonderfully given me the desire of 
 my heart. Oh, for grace rightly to enjoy and improve 
 my many mercies! Pray for me. 
 
 A joyful " I often think that God is trying me by prosperity 
 an ^ sunshine, for I am, so far as outward things go, 
 happier than I ever was in my life. Sometimes my 
 heart seems burdened with a sense of my unmerited 
 mercies, and tears of gladness stream down my
 
 DEWSBURY. 225 
 
 cheeks. I tremble lest any coldness and want of 1855, 
 spirituality should provoke the Lord to dash the cup ge 2 ' 
 from my lips, even while I am exulting in its sweet- 
 ness. O my darling mother, you cannot think how 
 my soul often luxuriates in its freedom from anxiety 
 and apprehension about the future, and how sweetly 
 it rests in tranquil confidence where it used to be so 
 tossed and distracted by many elements and emotions. 
 You know something of its past exercises, but you 
 can imperfectly judge of its present satisfaction. I 
 tell you of it, however, that you may rejoice with me. 
 "We think and talk much about you. I have 
 mother's likeness on our bedroom chimney-piece, 
 and. it gets many a kiss, and many a wiping, bless 
 you! I long to see you both. I trust we shall yet 
 make a family in Christ on earth, and an unbroken 
 family in heaven." 
 15
 
 CHAPTER XXIII. 
 
 The Leeds 
 revival. 
 
 Christ- 
 mas 
 festivities. 
 
 "More 
 honoured 
 in the 
 breach 
 than the 
 obser- 
 vance." 
 
 LEEDS. 1855-1856. 
 
 THE next two months, December and January, 
 were spent in Leeds. The services were held during 
 the first few weeks at Hunslet, a suburb of the city, 
 being afterwards transferred to Ebenezer Chapel, in 
 another and more central district. 
 
 Unusual difficulties were encountered at the outset. 
 The extension of the term alloted for the Dewsbury 
 meeting caused the Hunslet visit to be broken into 
 when at its very height by the Christmas festivities. 
 Strange and paradoxical as the fact may appear, it is 
 ungainsayable that in Christian countries Christmas 
 week is probably the worst time in the whole year for 
 winning souls. At the very moment when the 
 world is supposed to be rejoicing over the birth of its 
 Saviour, it is so engrossed in celebrating the historical 
 event that it has neither time nor inclination to con- 
 sider the object for which He came. Instead of the 
 occasion being used as an opportunity for seeking to 
 please Him, in the one way which would of all others 
 be calculated to win His approbation, the season is 
 almost entirely dedicated to fooleries, feastings, and 
 merry-makings. A few perfunctory services are 
 hurried through, it is true, but these are more for the 
 sake of saving appearances than for anything of a 
 serious character, and the thoughts of all are so pre- 
 occupied with the absorbing trivialities of the hour 
 that the claims of Christ upon their hearts, their
 
 LEEDS. 
 
 227 
 
 homes, their families, their talents, their time, and 
 their possessions are unblushingly disregarded. 
 Verily " it is a custom more honoured in the breach 
 than the observance." 
 
 We read \vith sorrowful amazement that our Lord 
 was laid in a manger because there was " no room for 
 them in the inn." But is He not treated with even 
 greater disrespect in these days, and that by His pro- 
 fessed followers? Surely it is a crowning master- 
 piece of Satanic ingenuity and bravado which finds 
 Him ousted as it were from the celebration of His 
 own birthday, while a season, which of all others 
 should be regarded as sacred, is desecrated by a very 
 climax of gluttony, revelry, and drunkenness ! 
 
 Probably it is no exaggeration to say that the drink 
 bill of Christendom during Christmas week is at least 
 double that for any other week in the year ! How 
 much is involved in this single fact ! And in the face 
 of so much poverty and suffering, is not the food 
 bill equally extravagant and scarcely less excusable? 
 And what are we to think of the unbridled buffoonery 
 of pantomimes and the countless other follies with 
 which Christmas has come to be so intimately asso- 
 ciated? Surely we speak within the mark when we 
 say that even now at the close of the nineteenth 
 century, outside the range of a few humble mangers, 
 it would be difficult to find much trace of the Saviour 
 among the hostelries of our modern Judah and Jeru- 
 salem. 
 
 To roll back this torrent of worldliness has been 
 one of the grandest portions of Mr. and Mrs. Booth's 
 mission. They have appealed, and not in vain, to 
 the conscience of multitudes to consecrate their 
 Christmas holidays, and indeed every other great pub- 
 lic festival, to the service of God in seeking the sal- 
 
 A 
 
 Age 26. 
 
 A climax 
 of dese- 
 cration. 
 
 Extrava- 
 gance. 
 
 Buffoon- 
 ery. 
 
 Rolling 
 back the 
 torrent.
 
 228 
 
 MAS. BOOTH. 
 
 A 
 Age 26. 
 
 The true 
 ideal of 
 religion. 
 
 Eight 
 
 hundred 
 
 penitents. 
 
 No mere 
 excite- 
 ment. 
 
 vation of their fellow-men. They entered the field 
 boldly, and have endeavoured to substitute the attrac- 
 tions of a happy religion for the fleeting enjoyments 
 of time. They have taught that it is as necessary to 
 be religious on week-days as on Sundays, on holidays 
 as on work-days, at home as in God's- house, in private 
 as in public, and they have succeeded in raising up a 
 people who count it not only a duty but a privilege 
 to surrender their own pleasures for the happiness of 
 others, finding in God an enjoyment and satisfaction 
 which the world fails to afford. Hence one of our 
 most popular refrains : 
 
 "I have a Saviour Who's mighty to keep, 
 All day on Sunday, and six days a week ! 
 I have a Saviour Who's mighty to keep, 
 Fifty-two weeks in the year ! " 
 
 But to return to the Leeds campaign. Despite the 
 interruptions of Christmas, a church bazaar, and some 
 anniversary sermons, the services were marked with 
 the usual success. More than eight hundred conver- 
 sions were recorded during the time, and the conclud- 
 ing meetings were the most crowded and powerful of 
 the series. The revival is referred to as follows by 
 the editor of the New Connexion Magazine: 
 
 " In Hunslet a glorious work is going on. Hundreds of 
 sinners have been converted, many slumbering professors of 
 religion have been quickened, and not a few backsliders re- 
 claimed. The work has now extended to Leeds, where re- 
 sults of a similar character are being experienced. Let not 
 any one attribute these marvellous doings to mere excitement. 
 They were preceded by special fasting, humiliation, and 
 prayer, and if God's promise be true, conversions and awak- 
 enings may be expected as rationally as the husbandman ex- 
 pects the joys of harvest to follow the toils of ploughing and 
 sowing. We honour the ministers and friends for their self- 
 denying efforts, and we honour the devoted evangelist, Mr.
 
 LEEDS. 
 
 229 
 
 Booth, whose element of existence is the conversion of souls 
 and the spread of true religion." 
 
 In the next monthly review the following editorial 
 appears : 
 
 " What a debt of gratitude we owe to the God of all grace A 
 that His work amongst us contimies to revive and extend. 
 Long have we mourned our barrenness and depression. Now 
 we rejoice because the fertilising showers of heavenly in- 
 fluence are descending on our Zion, causing her waste places 
 to rejoice and blossom as the rose. 
 
 " In our last number we reported a revival at Hunslet. 
 Now it is our joy to tell of the glorious work at Leeds. Old 
 Ebenezer Chapel is at this moment distinguished by scenes 
 far more interesting than even those of her earliest history, 
 when within her walls was laid that platform of ecclesiastical 
 government which for sixty years has combined enlightened 
 freedom with the spiritual privileges of Methodism. 
 
 " It is quite compatible with our gratitude to God for these 
 remarkable outpourings of His Spirit to honour the brethren 
 whose anxieties, tears and prayers have brought about this 
 glorious result. One of the greatest blessings which could be 
 given to our beloved Connexion would be the general diffu- 
 sion of the revival spirit. We think highly of ministerial 
 intellectuality, but far more highly of those qualifications 
 which give large success in the conversion of souls. We do 
 not undervalue those things in our community which impress 
 respectability on our character and proceedings. But how 
 poor are they compared with the beauty of holiness, the 
 tenderness of compassion for souls, and the energy of an 
 earnest zeal for Divine glory ! " 
 
 We might quote long passages from the eulogistic 
 letters sent to the Magazine, describing the meetings, 
 but we prefer to draw our material from the private 
 letters of Mrs. Booth, containing as they do many 
 personal references which are necessarily wanting in 
 the published reports. The glimpses behind the 
 scenes are of more than ordinary interest, and we 
 have the advantage of an autobiography without its 
 
 A I8 55, 
 Age 26. 
 
 tribute 
 to the 
 work. 
 
 Ebenezer 
 Chapel. 
 
 Mrs. 
 Booth's 
 letters.
 
 230 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1855, usual drawbacks, while the racy narrative reads as 
 freshly as if it had been penned but yesterday : 
 
 "LEEDS, December, 1855. 
 
 Arrival " We left Dewsbury at fifty minutes past one on 
 
 e s ' Saturday, and after less than an hour's ride arrived 
 
 here in safety and comfort. The Rev. Maughan met 
 
 us and accompanied us in a cab to our host's, one of 
 
 the most comfortable houses I have been in since 
 
 my marriage. Altogether we are really snug and at 
 
 home. Our host is a gentleman of independent 
 
 means, a nice jolly old man, and a New Connexionist 
 
 to the backbone. His wife, a thorough motherly, 
 
 good-natured, easy-going, happy old lady. No bairns 
 
 and a warm house a great matter this cold weather. 
 
 You know what a susceptible being I am. 
 
 The Com- " j suppose we shall stay in Leeds seven or eight 
 
 and the weeks. They say they will go to see the Annual Com- 
 
 circuits. 
 
 mittee, and shoot some of them with a pop-gun if 
 they won't let us remain. It has come to a regular 
 fight between the circuits and the Committee, but 
 William has given up the controversy. 
 Thc . " I am much better in my chest, though still trou- 
 
 prospect. 
 
 bled with a nasty cough. I went out for a walk this 
 morning, though the ground is covered with snow, 
 and we have a sharp frost. I attended chapel yester- 
 day morning, a beautiful place, but not nearly full. 
 They have been going down for several years, and 
 unfortunately there will be a break in the services 
 for Anniversary sermons next Sunday. The society 
 appears to be very respectable and intelligent. I was 
 introduced to several very nice ladies yesterday. I 
 receive marked respect and attention everywhere. 
 Oh, to exert a right influence, and that only! They 
 Solid fire, got some solid fire amongst them yesterday from the
 
 LEEDS. 231 
 
 pulpit, as effective as any at Sebastopol, it strikes me. 1855, 
 The balls seemed to lodge in many hearts, and at 
 night they had twenty good cases." 
 
 "December, 1855. 
 
 " William took -the pulpit at night. We had a full 
 chapel and a good time. Some of those who came 
 forward were young men of great intelligence and 
 promise. Over an hour the friends rejoiced with ex- 
 ceeding great joy. I do wish you could join us here. 
 On Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday night, William 
 preached at a small place about five miles off, where 
 much good is expected. Yesterday morning between 
 twenty and thirty of the young converts came from 
 Dewsbury to spend the day at the chapel. They had 
 walked a distance of eight miles that bitter morning 
 in order to hear their spiritual father once more. 
 They beset us like a swarm of bees as we were leav- 
 ing the chapel. We went into the vestry with them, 
 and William started one of his favourite hymns, and 
 they sang like larks. It was a cheering and affecting Singing 
 sight. I wept tears of gratitude and joy. May God 
 keep them till we meet them in a sunnier world, and 
 unite to sing a song which shall never end. 
 
 " It will be a dreadfully hard week to my dear hus- 
 band. He is quite prostrate to-day from last night's 
 exertion. I never heard him preach more effectively, 
 but his poor body had need be made of iron to keep 
 it up. Bless him ! It will be a happy and crowning 
 Christmas to me, I am sure. I often weep for joy 
 when I think of all my mercies, and call to mind the 
 loving-kindness of the Lord. 
 
 " Oh, I do wish my dear father could hear and see concern 
 what I do sometimes. He would be encouraged to 
 return to Him Whom he has pierced, but Who re-
 
 232 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1855, ceiveth sinners still. When I see others saved, and 
 hear their blessed testimony to the willingness of 
 God to receive returning prodigals, even in old age 
 and hoary hairs, I often think of him. But our pray- 
 ers shall yet be answered. Then will we sing 'The 
 dead's alive, the lost is found.' ' 
 
 "HUNSLET, December 24th, 1855. 
 
 A hard " I think I omitted to mention the particulars of 
 the work. Hitherto it has been a hard struggle. My 
 dearest has been burdened with anxiety and very 
 much annoyed with the character of the arrangements, 
 so much so that the first night we came he refused 
 to work with them as they then stood, and it took the 
 preacher and Mr. Crampton till midnight to persuade 
 him. The thing was altogether unfortunate, but it 
 would require too much time to explain it. The first 
 week the work was equal to anything we have had 
 anywhere at the commencement, but the Anniver- 
 sary interfered with the influences. The sermons 
 were clever and pretty, but no more adapted to the 
 people, or to the soul-saving work, than those which 
 any old country curate, knowing little or nothing about 
 conversion, might have preached. Oh, when will 
 ministers sufficiently realise their responsibility for 
 pressing the truth home upon the consciences of 
 their hearers!" 
 
 Referring to this subject in later life, Mrs. Booth 
 remarks : 
 
 "One great qualification for successful labour is 
 power to get the truth home to the heart. 
 
 Deliver- " Not to deliver it. I wish the word had never been 
 
 ing truth. co i ne d in connexion with Christian work. 'Deliver' 
 
 it, indeed that is not in the Bible. No, no ; not de- 
 
 Getting it , . . i 1 - j- i* 
 
 in. liver it ; but drive it home send it in make it felt.
 
 LEEDS. 
 
 233 
 
 That is your work ; not merely to say it not quietly 
 and genteelly to put it before the people. Here is just 
 the difference between a self-consuming soul-bur- 
 dened, Holy Ghost, successful ministry, and a careless, 
 happy-go-lucky, easy sort of thing, that just rolls it 
 out like a lesson, and goes home, holding itself in no 
 way responsible for the consequences. Here is all the 
 difference, either in public or individual labour. God 
 has made you responsible, not for delivering the 
 truth, but for GETTING IT IN getting it home, 
 fixing it in the conscience as a red-hot iron, as a bolt, 
 straight from His throne ; and He has placed at your 
 disposal the power to do it, and if you do not do it, 
 blood will be on your skirts. Oh, this genteel way of 
 putting the truth ! How God hates it ! 'If you please, 
 dear friends, will you listen? If you please will 
 you be converted ? Will you come to Jesus ? Shall 
 we read just like this, that and the other ?' No 
 more like apostolic preaching than darkness is like 
 light." 
 
 Writing again to her mother from Leeds, Mrs. 
 Booth says : 
 
 "The result of the Anniversary has been, as Wil- 
 liam predicted, the congregations diminished, and 
 the week has been one of toil and discouragement. 
 The friends have been up to the ears in preparations 
 for the bazaar, and we have had altogether a season of 
 anxiety and discouragement. Nevertheless, it has 
 not been an unhappy time, by any means. No, thank 
 God, I experience nothing of real unhappiness now. 
 Underneath all temporary and surface trials there is 
 a deep calm flow of satisfaction and comfort, which 
 has actually altered the expression of my counte- 
 nance. 
 
 " I was at chapel three times yesterday. The work 
 
 A l8 55, 
 Age 26. 
 
 The dif- 
 ference. 
 
 The gen- 
 teel 
 system. 
 
 The work 
 inter- 
 rupted. 
 
 A fresh 
 start.
 
 234 MS. BOOTH. 
 
 1856, seems to have taken a turn, and things are evidently 
 ge rising. Last night there was a break. A gentleman 
 of great importance yielded to the power of Divine 
 truth, and decided to be on the Lord's side. There 
 were twenty other cases, but this one gave special 
 satisfaction. They have taken at present one hun- 
 dred and ninety names, and nearly all for our own 
 denomination. The friends begin to manifest a strong 
 affection, as usual, and if William would visit we 
 should be out every day. I need not say that I am 
 very glad he won't. 
 
 "January 3d, 1856. 
 
 Mrs. " I am glad you thought about us on the Watch 
 
 theWatch Night. The weather was fine here, so I went to the 
 chapel. I cannot tell you the nature of my feelings 
 on again mingling with the great congregation on 
 such an occasion and under such new, interesting, 
 and happy circumstances. It was truly a thrilling 
 hour to my soul, and I trust one to be remembered 
 in eternity with gratitude and delight. You know 
 what an enthusiastic, excitable nature mine is, and 
 can easily imagine the rush of emotion I should ex- 
 perience at such a season, while meditating on the 
 past, rejoicing in the present, and anticipating the 
 future. 
 
 Richly " It must have been a time of blessing to all pres- 
 ent, and there was a large number. My precious 
 husband seemed richly imbued with the Spirit's influ- 
 ence, and graciously assisted to speak with power and 
 effect to the people. I often wish you could hear him 
 in some of his happiest efforts. I think you would 
 be surprised. I never esteemed him so highly as now. 
 I never saw so much to admire in his character. And 
 when I compare him with the ordinary snailpaced
 
 LEEDS. 23$ 
 
 professors I continually meet, I cannot but rejoice in 1856, 
 the possession of one with whom I can so fully sym- 
 pathise, and so heartily co-operate. 
 
 " The work here is rising in importance and power Another 
 every day, and after a great deal of arguing the Com- 
 mittee have consented to our remaining another week. 
 The friends are delighted and are getting fresh mon- 
 ster bills out announcing the services. Some of the 
 cases here are of the most important and promising 
 character. It would have made you weep tears of A joyful 
 
 St'f > '/(f > . 
 
 joy to see the other night a gentleman of intelligence 
 and influence throw his arms around his wife's neck 
 in an ecstasy of gladness when realising the Lord 
 had pardoned his sins. The people of God might 
 well shout hallelujah, for they recognised in that kiss 
 the pledge of their union in Christ, for time and 
 eternity. His wife had long been praying for him. 
 It was a scene never to be forgotten by those who 
 witnessed it. Would to God such scenes were more 
 frequent ! 
 
 "There is another fine old gentleman, a constant Another 
 attendant, whose wife has been a member several '' 
 years, who is under deep concern and in whom we are 
 all interested. He is a man of considerable wealth, 
 lives in a lovely country residence, keeps his carriage, 
 and is a member of the Common Council. We break- 
 fasted there on New Year's day, and William went to 
 see him this morning also, in order to get an oppor- 
 tunity for dealing with him about his soul, and we 
 think he is sure to be brought in. On our way home 
 from his house we called and looked over his mill, 
 an immense place, where tons of paper are manu- 
 factured every month. We saw the entire process, 
 and had it explained to us.
 
 236 
 
 MltS. BOOTH. 
 
 1856, 
 
 A high 
 
 A hard 
 
 The Gen- 
 
 Eighty- 
 
 in"fwo 
 lays. 
 
 "January, 1856. 
 
 " I have been to chapel twice to-day, to the preach- 
 ing this morning, and to the covenant service and 
 sacrament this afternoon. So I am at home this even- 
 ing, three times a day being too much for me just 
 now. It has been a high day at the chapel. I will 
 enclose one of the small bills for the day, from which 
 you will see the subjects. The chapel this morning 
 was well filled, such a congregation as they seldom 
 have. My beloved was very poorly and not at all fit 
 to preach, but a gracious influence pervaded the con- 
 gregation, and at the covenant service this afternoon 
 the body of the place was quite full, the new converts 
 being admitted by special tickets. It was one of the 
 most delightful services I ever attended. 
 
 " I think a few more such struggles as this at Huns- 
 let would cause William to completely break down. 
 The anxiety has been fearful, but, bless the Lord, 
 victory is coming at last, and sinners are being saved 
 by scores. I am informed by one who has just re- 
 turned from chapel, that it has \>tn packed (a glorious 
 triumph for this place) , and that the people have to 
 be allowed to remain in the gallery to the prayer 
 meeting. This is a good omen for a large ingathering. 
 
 "January 8th, 1856. 
 
 " The work is progressing gloriously. On Sun- 
 ^ay night the sermon was one of extraordinary power 
 and influence, and during the prayer meeting they 
 took fifty names. Last night again they took thirty- 
 five, some of them first-rate cases. William was just 
 | n ^ s e i emen t. But his body is not equal to it, I am 
 sure, and I cannot but feel anxious on this point. I 
 am often congratulated on having such a husband,
 
 LEEDS. 237 
 
 and sometimes told that I ought to be the happiest 1856, 
 of women. And I am happy. Nevertheless I have ge 
 anxieties peculiar to my own sphere. I see the un- 
 certainty of health and life and all things, which I 
 trust keeps me from being unduly elated by present 
 prosperity. 
 
 " We are invited to dinner on Friday next to meet He will 
 the preachers at the gentleman's I mentioned (the 
 Councillor). I intend going with Mr. and Mrs. 
 Crampton, but William will not visit under any pre- 
 text. The people would pull him to pieces to visit 
 them if he would go, but he cannot accept one invita- 
 tion without accepting others, and, besides, he wants 
 retirement. Thus one of my hidden fears about the 
 future is dissipated, viz., that he would love company, 
 and lose his relish for home and domestic joys. Bless 
 him ! He seems to want no company but mine, when 
 he is not engaged in his work. 
 
 "January i6th, 1856. 
 
 "The finish at Hunslet was grand! Five hundred Five Awn- 
 names were taken in all. The gentleman I mentioned tent$ e ' 
 in my two last letters (the Councillor) was one of the Hunslet - 
 last sheaves of this glorious harvest ; he gave in his 
 name on the last night. Another gentleman of tal- 
 ent and influence, a backslider, was restored on the 
 Thursday night, making glad the heart of a devoted 
 wife, who had been praying for him for a long, long 
 time. 
 
 " The commencement at Ebenezer Chapel on Sun- 
 day was most encouraging. The influence in the 
 morning was very precious ; the people wept and re- 
 sponded all over. The muster of leaders in the ves- 
 try after the preaching was better than at any previous 
 place, and many of them were evidently very superior
 
 238 MA'S. BOOTH. 
 
 1856, men. We were quite surprised at finding such a staff 
 ge of workers. At night the chapel was packed, and 
 upwards of twenty names were taken. Amongst those 
 in distress was a gentleman well known in the soci- 
 ety, and brother to two of the principal families in it, 
 as well as three or four more very respectable and 
 intelligent individuals. The two last evenings the 
 congregations have been excellent, and about forty 
 names have been taken. 
 
 A divided " There is a prospect of an unlimited work in Leeds, 
 were not the building so small. The circuit has for 
 some years been in a divided state about the erection 
 of a new chapel, for which a splendid piece of ground 
 has long been purchased, but alas! the broils and 
 dissensions of the leading men have hindered. It is 
 to be hoped that this revival will raise the spiritual 
 tone of all concerned and thus help to overcome the 
 obstacles. 
 
 "LEEDS, January, 1856. 
 
 A power- " The work here is one of the best we have yet 
 witnessed. Above a hundred names have been taken 
 on the week, and some of them very important. Yes- 
 terday was a glorious day. At the love feast many 
 were unable to .get in, and at night (I was present) 
 hundreds went away. So great were the numbers 
 outside that it was given out that there would be 
 preaching in the schoolroom. I never saw human 
 beings more closely packed than the poor things who 
 stood in the aisles. My heart ached for them. The 
 chapel was crowded above and below till near ten 
 o'clock. I think everybody was delighted with the 
 sermon, I mean the saints, the sinners felt something 
 besides admiration ! I should think this is one of the 
 most intelligent and wealthy societies we have yet
 
 LEEDS. 239 
 
 visited, but hitherto it has been crippled and cursed 1856, 
 by local disputes and dissensions. 
 
 "LEEDS, January 29th, 1856. 
 
 " The work continues here with more than usual A fearful 
 power. On Sunday the crush was fearful, and the 
 confusion on the stairs and outside the chapel so great 
 that the gates had to be locked. Serious apprehen- 
 sions were entertained of some accidents, and a gen- 
 tleman was obliged to get up in the congregation and 
 insist on some men getting down from a position they 
 had secured, where I believe there was nothing but 
 a half -inch board to sustain them. 
 
 " The people come from Hunslet night after night Night 
 with as much eagerness as strangers, though they night. 
 have been hearing him now almost eight weeks. 
 Some of them almost idolise him, so great is their 
 love toward him, but, bless the Lord, amidst it all he 
 is kept humble, and often suffers from despondency 
 and self-distrust. I only attended once on Sunday, 
 in the morning, and returned home with a full heart. 
 William was so poorly and yet exerted himself so 
 much that I could scarce bear it. 
 
 " I often think I am better away, for I picture all 
 sorts of sad scenes in the future, and I feel as though 
 I could not make so great a sacrifice, no, not even for 
 souls ! And yet my inmost heart cries out, ' Thy will 
 be done.' However, I am thankful to say he is going 
 to rest a week prior to going to Halifax. It will be 
 thirteen weeks on Saturday since we left Chatsworth, 
 and he has had no rest since, so I have taken the mat- 
 ter into my own hands, and for no power on earth will 
 I consent to any more toil until he has recruited a bit. 
 We leave here (all well) next Friday, and go to Huns- 
 let to spend a week at one of the principal friends."
 
 240 M&S. BOOTH. 
 
 1856, "HUNSLET, February 5th, 1856. 
 
 Acre 2*7 
 
 " Your welcome letter is to hand, and though I have 
 
 Electrify- but time for a few lines I will send you one lest you 
 people 6 , should be anxious. The finish up at Leeds was glori- 
 ously triumphant. The tea-meeting at Hunslet sur- 
 passed anything we have yet experienced. I would 
 have given a good deal for you to have been present. 
 My precious William excelled himself, and electrified 
 the people. You would indeed have participated in 
 my joy and pride could you have heard and seen what 
 I did. Bless the Lord, O my soul!" 
 Here Mr. Booth breaks in : 
 
 A curtain " I have just come into the room where my dear 
 
 lecture. ..,.,. 
 
 little wife is writing this precious document, and 
 snatching the paper have read the above eulogistic 
 sentiments. I just want to say that the very same 
 night she gave me a curtain lecture on my ' block - 
 headism, stupidity,' etc., and lo, she writes to you 
 after this fashion. However, she is a precious, in- 
 creasingly precious treasure to me, despite the occa- 
 sional dressing-down that I come in for." 
 
 Mrs. Booth resumes: 
 
 Therepiy. "We have had a scunTe over the above, but I must 
 let it go, for I have not time to write another, having 
 an engagement at two o'clock, and it is now near one. 
 But I must say in self-defence that it was not about 
 the speech or anything important, that the said cur- 
 tain lecture was given, but only on a point which in 
 no way invalidates my eulogy. 
 
 " We came here on Saturday where we are treated 
 in the most kind and hospitable manner, and where 
 I hope William's strength will get nicely recruited."
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 HALIFAX, MACCLESFIELD AND YARMOUTH. 
 
 1856. 
 
 FROM Leeds Mr. and Mrs. Booth removed to Hali- The Hali- 
 fax, where the next two months were spent. The ^Jf." 
 Rev. J. Stacey, who was superintendent of the cir- 
 cuit, and afterwards President of the Conference, re- 
 ports that no less than 641 names were taken, and 
 that of these nearly 400 became members of his 
 church. Another leading minister writing at the 
 same time says : 
 
 " A few days ago I called at Halifax to see our truly de- Three 
 
 voted friend and brother, Mr. Booth. I was delighted to find thousand 
 
 penitents 
 that the same holy power was attending his labours there, in a year. 
 
 that has been vouchsafed in other places. I fear, however, 
 his health is endangered by his exhausting labours. Such is 
 his ardour, that he feels he cannot do enough in the glorious 
 work of saving souls. What a year of toil and glorious suc- 
 cess has our* brother passed through; and what delightful 
 showers of holy grace have fallen on our churches! I sup- 
 pose nearly 3,000 persons have been spiritually awakened 
 since our last Conference, besides the quickening power that 
 God has diffused through the souls of our ministers, office- 
 bearers, and members, and the interest excited in revival work 
 both in our own and other churches. I hope the ensuing 
 Conference will continue our dear brother in his revival 
 efforts, but it will be needful for him to have periods of entire 
 rest, or he will work himself to death." 
 
 It is interesting to find the same extraordinary what is 
 energy and power of endurance which characterise gen 
 General Booth's present labours, distinguishing him 
 
 16 241
 
 242 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1856, in these early days. It has been said that genius con- 
 ge sists in a capacity for hard work. This is indeed a 
 A half half-truth. And yet to be a successful leader of men 
 the faculty of doing more than others, and of doing 
 it better, must be combined with the far rarer and 
 more difficult art of setting others to accomplish ob- 
 jects that are beyond the reach of any individual 
 power. It has been the combination of these qualities, 
 that has been the secret of General Booth's subse- 
 quent success. 
 
 Subjugat- The skill that can subjugate and utilise the im- 
 uman mense forces of mankind's Niagaras, will necessarily 
 *aras. outstrip the mental and moral achievements of the 
 mightiest Samson if destitute of this gift. The head 
 cannot dispense with the body, any more than the 
 body can dispense with the head. Each is mutually 
 dependent upon the other for its very existence. The 
 separation of either is suicidal to both. The genius 
 that divorces itself from the people whom it was meant 
 to bless and serve, eclipses its own brilliance and 
 Asuicid- paralyses its powers. On the other hand the. society 
 % po icy. .^t guillotines those whose mental and moral worth 
 exceed its own, limits its capacity for good and in- 
 jures itself. It clips the wings that would enable it 
 to fly away from the evils that are pressing on its 
 steps, onward to the accomplishment of some greater 
 good. Renouncing the privileges proffered to it by 
 Providence, it runs where it might soar, it fails to 
 rise because it fears to fall, and having escaped the 
 dangers of the sky, it becomes the miserable victim to 
 its short-sighted jealousy and finds in the mediocrities 
 of its own choice perils that exceed those which it 
 seeks to avoid, and tyrants whose yoke is the more 
 galling from its stupidity. 
 
 The dangers of despotism are doubtless bad enough
 
 HALIFAX AND MACCLESFIELD. 243 
 
 and need to be guarded against, but the dangers of 1856, 
 lack-leaderism are greater still. The tyrannies of 
 unsanctified genius have involved the world in some The tyr- 
 of its worst miseries, but we question whether these a /oFty. 
 have not been altogether outnumbered by the tyran- 
 nies of brainless ignorance and its foolhardy esca- 
 pades, or equally provoking inaction. 
 
 The visit to Halifax was prolonged by an event, The birth 
 the birth of Mr. and Mrs. Booth's eldest son William eldest son. 
 Bramwell, the present Chief of the Staff of the Salva- 
 tion Army. Writing the next day to announce the 
 event to Mr. and Mrs. Mumford, Mr. Booth says: 
 
 "SUNDAY, MARCH gth, 1856. 
 
 " HALIFAX. 
 
 " MY DEAR MOTHER AND FATHER : It is with feelings of 
 unutterable gratitude and joy that I have to inform you that 
 at half-past eight last night my dearest Kate presented us 
 with a healthy and beautiful son. The baby is a plump, 
 round-faced, dark-complexioned, black-pated little fellow, 
 a real beauty. The Lord has indeed been very good to us. 
 Poor Kate has had a dreadful time, but the Lord in mercy 
 has brought her safely through. Believe me as ever, 
 " Your very affectionate son, 
 
 " WILLIAM BOOTH." 
 
 A few days later we find Mrs. Booth herself send- 
 ing the following pencilled note to her " precious 
 mother:" 
 
 " By a little subtlety I have succeeded in getting hold of a How Mrs. 
 bit of paper and a pencil, and now I am going to whisper a j*^ 
 few words into your ear. Bless you ! I do indeed think much 
 about you. 1 now know what it is to be a mother, and I feel 
 as though I had never loved you half as well as I ought to have 
 done. Forgive all my shortcomings and be assured I now 
 appreciate all your self-sacrifice on my behalf. My soul is 
 full of gratitude to God for having brought me through ! I 
 am doing better than I could have expected, considering how
 
 244 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1856, 
 Age 27. 
 
 The 
 Chiefs 
 baby- 
 hood. 
 
 Bible. 
 
 very ill I have been. My precious babe is a beauty and very 
 good. Farewell, till I can get hold of a pencil again. ' 
 
 In a later letter she does not give quite so favour- 
 able an account of the good behaviour of the future 
 Chief, and one is agreeably relieved to find that in 
 his early days he was capable of being "restless" and 
 "fretful," after the manner of ordinary babes. He 
 became a special object of interest at Mr. Booth's 
 next halting-place, Macclesfield, where he was pre- 
 sented by twenty-four young women working in a 
 factory with a Bible containing the following inscrip- 
 tion: 
 
 " Presented to William Bramwell Booth by a few of his 
 father's friends. 
 
 "May this blest volume ever lie 
 Close to thy heart and near thine eye ; 
 Till life's last hour thy soul engage, 
 Be this thy chosen heritage. " 
 
 The presentation took place at a farewell tea-meet- 
 ing, which was attended by nine hundred persons, 
 and the friend who represented the factory lasses said 
 that the gift was intended " as a slight acknowledg- 
 ment of the spiritual benefit they had received from 
 Mr. Booth's labours, and in the earnest hope that his 
 infant son might be spared to imitate his father's 
 character and career." The prayer has been more 
 than fulfilled, and we discern in that band of working 
 girls the embryo of the Hallelujah Lasses, who were 
 to play so important and prominent a part in the sub- 
 sequent history of the Salvation Army, and who were 
 to present on behalf of a sinful world not merely 
 their Bibles, but themselves, as living epistles known 
 and read of all men. 
 
 Mrs. Booth's recovery was not so rapid and satis-
 
 HALIFAX AND MACCLESFIELD. 
 
 245 
 
 factory as had been expected. Owing therefore to 
 her continued sufferings, she was joined by her 
 mother at Macclesfield. Hence there are but few 
 letters existing which were written by her at the 
 time, and the only accounts of the Halifax and Mac- 
 clesfield meetings are those contained in the New 
 Connexion Magazine. From these it is evident that the 
 work was as powerful and sweeping as in other 
 places, and that the same blessed results accompa- 
 nied the effort. The permanent character of the con- 
 versions may be judged from the impressive service 
 held at this very time in Sheffield, when 180 new pro- 
 bationers were received into the church as the first 
 fruits of the revival there. 
 
 Some may, however, be tempted to doubt the 
 genuineness of such "sudden conversions." Speak- 
 ing on this subject in after years, and expressing her 
 matured convictions in regard to it, Mrs. Booth re- 
 marks : 
 
 " Given the same temperament and calibre of being, I 
 would rather have a sudden conversion than a tardy one. Of 
 course for purposes of comparison you could not fairly place 
 two different natures in juxtaposition. It would not be right 
 to judge a plastic and emotional mind by the standard of a 
 phlegmatic temperament. 
 
 " When men are seen to be wrong, it must be very desirable 
 to get them right. And what is conversion but a process by 
 which those who are wrong are put right? As for the method 
 by which it takes place, or the length of time it occupies, I 
 have always been puzzled to understand why persons who 
 believe in conversion at all should object either to the em- 
 ployment of any reasonable means, or to the speed with which 
 they operate. Here is a man who has developed a fixed habit 
 of evil-doing, of falsehood, impurity, drunkenness, or some 
 other sin. The great end in view is to persuade him to 
 abandon his evil course, and surely the sooner you can persuade 
 him to do so the better. 
 
 1856, 
 Age 27. 
 
 Joined by 
 
 her 
 mother. 
 
 The work 
 perma- 
 nent. 
 
 Mrs. 
 Booth on 
 sudden 
 conver- 
 sions. 
 
 Different 
 tempera- 
 ments. 
 
 Why 
 object t
 
 246 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1856, 
 Age 27. 
 
 Not so in 
 
 temporal 
 
 things. 
 
 The 
 
 quicker 
 the better. 
 
 The spe- 
 cial work 
 of the 
 Spirit. 
 
 No hin- 
 drance to 
 its per- 
 manence. 
 
 Surface 
 work. 
 
 The 
 devil's 
 
 toad- 
 stools. 
 
 " I have been very much struck with the different manner 
 in which people argue about temporal and spiritual things. 
 In regard to the former, supposing a friend is about to adopt 
 some mistaken course, you ply him with the best arguments 
 you can command, and the more quickly these take effect the 
 better you are pleased. You praise his candour and say, 'This 
 man is not only open to conviction, but acts spontaneously 
 upon the light he has received. ' You do not think any the 
 worse of him, because of the readiness with which he has ac- 
 cepted the truth. Nor do you for a moment imagine that he 
 must go through a long preparatory process, before he can 
 act upon his convictions. Why then in the religious world 
 should the exactly similar phenomenon be doubted, simply 
 on account of its suddenness? Surely it should be even less 
 a subject of surprise, when we remember that the special 
 operation of the Spirit of God is to convince of sin and to 
 present the most momentous motives and sentiments that can 
 be laid before the human mind, in favour of its abandonment. 
 
 " The idea is, I know, that owing to its suddenness the 
 change will not be permanent. But this is a mistake. The 
 permanence of a conversion is not determined by the gradual 
 process which produces it, or by the speed with which it is 
 accomplished, but by its reality, by the intelligence of the 
 subject, by the surrounding circumstances, by the temptations 
 the convert meets with, and by the care that is taken to nurse 
 his spiritual life. 
 
 " No doubt there was and is a great deal of surface work 
 easy-come-easy-go-ism just as there is much blossom that 
 never conies to fruit in the natural world. But even regrets 
 in regard to evil, and desire for improvement, and transitory 
 resolutions to amend, are better than no yearnings after good- 
 ness and God, or an undisturbed sleeping in evil. Who can 
 tell what benefits in after days the soul may reap from the 
 memories of such hours of Divine influence and impression? 
 
 " 'There go 's mushrooms,' a minister once tauntingly 
 
 remarked, referring to some new converts, and mentioning 
 the name of the Evangelist through whose labours they had 
 sought salvation. 'Well,' replied one of them, who happened 
 
 to overhear the observation, 'I would rather be one of 's 
 
 mushrooms than one of the devil's toadstools!' 
 
 " One specially singular circumstance is that the very people 
 who object to sudden conversions often belong to societies,
 
 HALIFAX AND MACCLESFIELD. 247 
 
 the founders of which believed in and defended the doctrine, 1856, 
 their very successes being based upon its truth. And yet Age 27. 
 we find their followers and professed disciples cavilling and 
 objecting!" 
 
 Referring to the Macclesfield meetings in later 
 years, Mrs. Booth says: 
 
 " I was still very weak, and unable therefore to at- Troops of 
 
 . ' women. 
 
 tend many services, but those at which I was present 
 were very blessed times. Perhaps in no town that I 
 had yet visited was there so intense an excitement, 
 such crowded audiences and such large numbers seek- 
 ing mercy. One striking feature of this revival con- 
 sisted in the crowds of women from the silk factories, 
 who attended the meetings and came forward for 
 salvation. It was a touching sight to watch them on 
 their way to the chapel with their shawls over their 
 heads. They were especially kind to me and the 
 baby. Sometimes they would come in troops and 
 sing in front of my windows. 
 
 " Bramwell was baptised during our stay in Mac- Bramweii 
 
 baptised 
 
 clesfield, his father performing the ceremony. There 
 were about thirty babies baptised at the same time. and 
 
 thirty 
 
 Not wishing the ceremony to interfere with the re- other 
 vival services, we had them all postponed to one day, 
 making it the occasion for a special demonstration, 
 and an appeal to parents to consecrate their children 
 to the service of God. 
 
 " I had from the first infinite yearnings over Bram- An advo- 
 
 cate of 
 
 well. I held him up to God as soon as I had strength holiness. 
 to do so, and I remember specially desiring that he 
 should be an advocate of holiness. In fact we named 
 him after the well-known holiness preacher, with the 
 earnest prayer that he might wield the sword with 
 equal trenchancy in the same cause. I felt from the 
 
 * A proper 
 
 beginning that he was ' a proper child. ' At an early . child.
 
 248 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1856, 
 Age 27. 
 
 Conscien- 
 tious. 
 
 Truthful- 
 ness. 
 
 Early ac- 
 tivity 
 
 Toil re- 
 warded. 
 
 The 
 
 Chester 
 confer- 
 ence. 
 
 age, he manifested signs of intelligence and ability. 
 He resembled me especially in one particular, that was 
 in taking upon himself responsibility. As he grew up 
 I always felt that he was a sort of father to the younger 
 children. 
 
 He was very conscientious too. I remember once 
 letting him go to a friend's house to tea when he 
 was only three years old, telling him that he must not 
 take more than two pieces of cake. I was not pres- 
 ent, and the friends tried to persuade him to take 
 more, but he would not disobey me. This character- 
 istic grew with him through life. I could always 
 trust his word. I cannot remember his ever telling 
 me a falsehood. If at any time he got into mischief 
 he always came to me and confessed it. He was of 
 a very active and restless disposition. I do not think 
 he ever sat five minutes at a time on anybody's knee. 
 His energy as a child was something marvellous." 
 
 Those who have attended Mr. Bramwell Booth's 
 holiness meetings, or who have witnessed his patient 
 and laborious toil at the International Headquarters, 
 as the General's right hand and Chief of the Staff of 
 the entire Salvation Army, will testify to the fact that 
 the prayerful toil of his sainted mother has indeed 
 reaped a rich reward. 
 
 While the meetings were still continuing in Mac- 
 el esfield the Annual Conference met at Chester. 
 " After maturely considering the case of the Rev. W. 
 Booth, whose labours have been so abundantly blessed 
 of God in the conversion of souls, it was again re- 
 solved that he continue to labour in the capacity of 
 an evangelist for the next year, with suitable inter- 
 vals of rest. May our brother be more than ever suc- 
 cessful in the great and glorious work in which he is 
 engaged."
 
 HALIFAX AND MACCLESFIELD. 
 
 249 
 
 1856, 
 Age 27. 
 
 A hard 
 struggle. 
 
 Growing 
 like a 
 willow. 
 
 Mr. Booth's next appointment was Yarmouth. 
 Here the cause was very low, and the counter-attrac- 
 tions of the seaside caused the struggle to be a pecu- 
 liarly uphill one. And yet the outcome might well 
 have satisfied those less accustomed to witness the 
 remarkable results which attended Mr. Booth's 
 labours during the past two years. 
 
 In writing to her mother Mrs. Booth says : 
 
 " Your little darling is well and growing like a willow. It 
 is really astonishing how he conies on. We have bought him 
 a doll, which pleases him vastly. He talks and laughs to it 
 in style ! He gets more and more interesting. The people 
 stop to admire him in the streets, and though - Yarmouth 
 swarms with beautiful babies, he does not suffer by compari- 
 son with any, thanks to his grandmamma's nursing and care ! 
 I hope you are taking the medicine the doctor prescribed for 
 you. I believe more firmly than ever in homoeopathy. Your 
 unbelief in it is only the result of not understanding the 
 principle on which it works. But never mind that. If you 
 get well, it matters not how. 
 
 " The work here continues to be very harassing. The 
 Connexion has next to no influence in the town, and there are 
 also other difficulties. Nevertheless the congregations have 
 steadily improved from the first, and already forty names 
 have been taken, some of whom are very superior cases. Oh, 
 the value of souls ! They are worth all the trouble and sacri- 
 fice involved yea, a thousand times over !" 
 
 This conviction deepened as years went by. " How spiritual 
 shall you feel," said Mrs. Booth in addressing one of children - 
 her audiences long afterwards, " How shall you feel 
 when you gather the spiritual family which God has 
 given you round the throne of your Saviour, and say, 
 ' Here am I and the children whom Thou hast given 
 me? ' the children won through conflict, and trial, 
 and strife, such as only God knew; 'children begotten 
 in bonds,' as Paul says in chains children born in 
 the midst of the hurricane of spiritual conflict, travail, 
 
 The value 
 of souls.
 
 250 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1856, 
 Age 27. 
 
 Cradled 
 in the 
 storm. 
 
 Encour- 
 aged in 
 the Lord. 
 
 and suffering, and cradled, rocked, fed, nurtured and 
 brought up at infinite cost and rack of brain, and 
 heart, and soul. But now ; here we are, Lord. We 
 are here through it all. 'Here am I and the children 
 whom Thou hast given me.' How shall you feel? 
 Shall you be sorry for the trouble ? Shall you regret 
 the sacrifice ? Shall you murmur at the way He led 
 you ? Shall you think He might have made it a little 
 easier, as you are sometimes tempted to think now? 
 Oh! no, no! THE CHILDREN! THE CHILDREN! You 
 shall have spiritual children! Won't that be reward 
 enough ? 
 
 " Oh ! sometimes, when I am passing through con- 
 flict and trial, in connection with a work which brings 
 plenty of it behind the scenes, I encourage myself 
 in the Lord, and remember those who have gone 
 home sending me their salutations from the verge of 
 the river, telling me they will wait and look out for 
 me, and be the first to hand me to the Saviour when I 
 get home. Will not this be reward enough? Even 
 so, Lord. Amen."
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 SHEFFIELD. 1856. 
 
 FROM Yarmouth Mr. and Mrs. Booth proceeded to North 
 Sheffield. The New Connexion had established two X d 
 circuits in this city, the Northern and the Southern. 
 The latter had already been visited during the previ- 
 ous year, and the marvellous results accomplished 
 had made the Northern Circuit equally anxious to re- 
 ceive Mr. Booth. After several postponements the 
 Annual Committee had at length decided to gratify 
 their request. Mr. and Mrs. Booth were welcomed in 
 the warm-hearted fashion so characteristic of the 
 Sheffielders. 
 
 Why it should be so, is difficult to explain, but Variety 
 
 J of soil. 
 
 there can be no doubt that certain towns, districts, 
 and indeed countries, are peculiar for their receptivity 
 of Gospel truth, while others are precisely the oppo- 
 site. London, it will be acknowledged, has a special 
 reputation for being a hard and barren soil. Sheffield, 
 on the contrary, has responded with remarkable readi- 
 ness to the call of the revivalist. Towards the end A recep- 
 
 t'i'vc soil 
 
 of the previous century it was the scene of the success- 
 ful labours of the great holiness advocate, William 
 Bramwell, and in 1844 it was greatly stirred by a visit 
 from Mr. Caughey, the American evangelist. It is 
 possible that such awakenings, both in Sheffield and 
 elsewhere, have exercised a softening influence, long 
 after their direct results have disappeared. The 
 traditional, memories of such stirring times are 
 
 251
 
 252 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1856, 
 
 A fa- 
 
 vmirable 
 
 public 
 
 Head ver- 
 
 ir ' 
 
 doubtless handed down from generation to genera- 
 tion, accustoming the popular mind to the existence 
 of these phenomena, and preparing the way for their 
 repetition. In these favoured localities a public 
 
 . . . . 
 
 opinion already exists, instead of having to be created. 
 The ordinary prejudices and misunderstandings 
 which hinder revival work have been dissipated. The 
 ground has to some extent been cleared of its forest 
 "lumber" and is therefore more prepared to yield its 
 bosom to conviction's plough. There is scarcely time 
 to scatter the seed in the virgin soil, before it com- 
 mences to spring up and bear fruit, some thirty, some 
 sixty, some a hundred-fold. 
 
 ^ doubt other causes contribute to this result. 
 There are national, tribal, and local peculiarities of 
 disposition which are^just as distinct as those of in- 
 dividuals. We talk familiarly of English John Bull- 
 ism, Yankee smartness, French polish, German 
 philosophy, Scotch sense, Irish eloquence, and other 
 similar characteristics. Similarly we might speak of 
 counties or towns, were we sufficiently familiar with 
 their idiosyncrasies. Who has not experienced the 
 difference that a few miles of railroad can create in 
 the moral and social atmosphere of all around ? 
 
 To speak generally, some are all head and others 
 are all heart, while more rarely we come across a 
 happy combination of both. The tendency of modern 
 civilisation is to cultivate the head at the expense of 
 the heart, forgetting that knowledge is but a poor sub- 
 stitute for affection, either from an individual or na- 
 tional point of view. Hence some of the finest speci- 
 mens and most influential centres of braindom suffer 
 from atrophy of the heart. What is wanted is a 
 simultaneous cultivation of both. 
 
 But before there can be cultivation, there must be
 
 SHEFFIELD. 253 
 
 recognition. Who can calculate the mischief that 1856, 
 arises from the almost total eclipse of this luminary 
 from our modern sky? Society, in our days, with all The 
 its education and scientific paraphernalia, is tending tlV^eart. 
 fast in the direction of a society without a heart, and 
 might fitly be compared to a firmament without a sun, 
 or a body without a soul. It tries to bask in political 
 and social rays of its own creation, and to thaw its 
 frigidity and illumine its darkness with lesser lights, 
 more perhaps after its own taste. But its great need 
 the crowning need of the nineteenth century is a Heart 
 restoral of heart-pulsation to the nation, the family pu 
 and the individual. 
 
 How sickening is the spectacle of a man without a A sicken- 
 heart! What a danger is he to the community at spectacle. 
 large! The more brain power and knowledge he 
 possesses, the greater becomes his capacity for evil! 
 You cannot appeal to his heart, for he has none 
 to his emotions, for they have been stifled long ago 
 to his moral sentiments, for he has thrown religion 
 on one side as fit only for women and fools ! He is A menace 
 capable of any crime that he can practise with * 
 safety to himself. He will not commit a murder, it 
 is true, but he will convulse nations in blood, or he 
 will establish a " corner" that takes the bread from 
 the mouth and the clothes from the back of the starv- 
 ing poor. He is a standing menace to society. 
 
 And yet he is the intellectual hero of the day, the The intei- 
 model after which childhood is fashioned, till the hero of 
 family, school, community, and nation is converted in- 
 to a patent heart-crushing, head-developing machine, 
 which manufactures humanity into a hideous carica- A hideous 
 ture of what it ought to be. Such is the tendency of ture. 
 the age. We ridicule the Chinese taste which cramps 
 the feet of its womanhood into narrow and unnatural
 
 254 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1856, moulds, and yet we allow ourselves to be dominated 
 g by a craze that cramps our very vital powers and 
 destroys the tenderest and most beautiful side of our 
 nature. 
 
 Upon this very subject Mrs. Booth remarks: 
 
 Upsetting " All the mischief comes from upsetting God's 
 
 order, order cultivating the intellect at the expense of the 
 
 heart; being at more pains to make our youth clever 
 
 than to make them GOOD ! For what is the highest 
 
 Her quar- 
 rel with destiny of man ? I say that the highest type of a man 
 
 modern . . . 
 
 educa- is that in which the purified and ennobled soul rules 
 through an enlightened intelligence, making every 
 faculty of the being subservient to the highest pur- 
 pose the service of humanity and the service of 
 God ! And all education that falls short of this seems 
 to me one-sided, unphilosophical, and irreligious. 
 And that is my quarrel with modern education." 
 A hearty While Sheffield certainly was not lacking in intel- 
 
 reception. 
 
 lectual force, its people were distinguished by a large- 
 heartedness and a warmth of affection, which made 
 the task of ministering to their spiritual wants the 
 more agreeable. They welcomed Mr. and Mrs. Booth 
 with open arms. Many of the converts of the previ- 
 ous year flocked round them, helping to inspire them 
 for the fresh efforts which they were about to put 
 forth. The results of the next six weeks' campaign 
 were glorious. The chapel was crowded, hundreds 
 being frequently turned away for want of room, and 
 six hundred and forty-six names were taken. 
 
 Describing the meetings to her mother Mrs. Booth 
 writes : 
 
 The Shef " My precious husband is tugging at it, full of anx- 
 iety and greatly exercised as to the success of the 
 effort. Many things have transpired to discourage 
 him. Nevertheless God honours him in the conver-
 
 SHEFFIELD. 255 
 
 sion of souls day by day. The work is rising glori- 1856, 
 ously, chapel full every night and packed on Sundays. 
 It is worth making sacrifices to minister bliss and 
 salvation in Jesus' name. We are trying to lose 
 sight of man and second causes and to do what we do 
 more exclusively unto the Lord. I realise this to be 
 the only way to find satisfaction and peace in the 
 prosecution of our mission. But I am not nearly such 
 an apt scholar at it as my beloved. He can bear non- 
 appreciation and opposition much easier than I can. 
 Perhaps I could endure it better, if it did not concern 
 him. But I am trying to rise. May the Lord help me. 
 
 " It is a cause of great rejoicing to us to find such old con- 
 numbers who turned to the Lord when we were in ste ^fast. 
 Sheffield before, standing fast and adorning their 
 profession, some of them giving promise of great 
 usefulness. All glory to God. 
 
 " Monday afternoon. They had a glorious time at 
 the chapel last night, forty-nine cases, many of them 
 men, and stout-hearted sinners. 
 
 " 1 5th September. 
 
 "William is working hard and with wonderful Agior- 
 results. The chapel was crowded out all day on 
 Sunday, and sixty-three cases at night, a large pro- 
 portion of them men. The work up to the present 
 surpasses that of last year. Notwithstanding all this 
 he is very much harassed in mind regarding his future 
 course. Reports are continually reaching us of the 
 heartless manner in which the preachers let the work tet 
 down after we are gone, so that so far as our com- 
 munity is concerned, it is almost like spending his 
 strength for naught. The cold, apathetic, money- 
 grubbing spirit of some preachers and leading men 
 is a constant thorn in his side. Oh for a church of
 
 256 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1856, earnest, consistent, soul-saving men! But alas! alas! 
 
 Age 27> such is indeed difficult to find." 
 
 This letter contains the earliest reference to what 
 was ultimately one of the chief reasons for the crea- 
 tion of the Salvation Army. The question has often 
 been asked, why it does not confine itself to evange- 
 listic effort in connection with the churches, handing 
 over its converts to be cared for by the ordinary pas- 
 toral agencies? It is everywhere acknowledged that 
 the Salvation Army is peculiarly adapted to the task 
 of awakening and converting sinners, but it is sup- 
 posed that the churches are better qualified for build- 
 ing them up. Is it, however, reasonable to conclude, 
 that those who fail in the former will succeed in the 
 latter? The church that cannot make its own con- 
 verts can hardly be expected to successfully train the 
 converts made by others. 
 The, The fact that it cannot convert, if such be the case, 
 
 thTnatu- is surely proof presumptive that it is incapable of 
 
 ra dian? r ~ affording them that spiritual nourishment which is 
 so necessary. Besides, who more suitable to be the 
 guardians of the new life, than those who have 
 been the means of bringing it into existence? The 
 parent movement is bound to its offspring by special 
 ties of affection. It possesses an authority peculiarly 
 its own, and which is perhaps incapable of being del- 
 egated to another. Is it, then, too much to say, that 
 the mother organisation must, if able, suckle her own 
 converts ? 
 
 Looking It was because the New Connexion and other 
 
 after the 
 
 converts, churches, to whom Mr. and Mrs. Booth for some years 
 to come entrusted the care of their converts, fell so 
 far short of their ideal in this respect, that they were 
 ultimately led to consider whether they could not im- 
 prove upon the existing methods in regard to the
 
 SHEFFIELD. 257 
 
 training as well as the gaining of converts. But it 1856, 
 was not till a subsequent period that the possibility ge 27 ' 
 or advisability of such a course dawned upon them. 
 
 Meanwhile the work in Sheffield went forward ^ Shef- 
 field re- 
 
 gloriously. Towards the end of the visit, Mrs. Booth 
 writes to her mother: 
 
 " I wish you could be present in some of William's 
 best times. The other night the people could scarce 
 refrain from clapping. 
 
 " I accompanied him to chapel this morning, a 
 splendid congregation, a melting sermon, and a glori- 
 ous influence. The people wept all over the place. 
 There were shouts of 'Glory! ', 'Hallelujah!' from all 
 directions. I have no doubt they will have a grand 
 night, though the weather is very unfavourable. 
 
 " It will be a trying day for William. He preached 
 hard this morning, and for an hour this afternoon 
 never ceased talking, and I don't expect him home 
 before ten or half-past. It astonishes everybody how 
 he holds out. It is without doubt a glorious work. 
 Let this comfort us in the sacrifices we are called upon sharing 
 to make. Yes we, for you share in them. It would sacrifice. 
 indeed be nice to live nearer together, to enjoy more of 
 each other's company. I wish it could be, but as it 
 cannot, there is something consoling in being able to 
 say 'Lord, I do this for Thee.' Always remember 
 this, my dear mother, when tempted to think it hard. 
 Remember it is to help spread the Redeemer's King- 
 dom that you have lent me to this wandering life. 
 And perhaps if we do it cheerfully, the Lord will yet 
 cast our lot together in sunny places. 
 
 "October loth. 
 " Our farewell tea-meeting went off gloriously. The fare- 
 
 J well tea. 
 
 Upwards of twelve hundred sat down for tea, and 
 17
 
 258 
 
 MRS. 
 
 1856, 
 ge 
 
 scores were sent away with money in their hands, be- 
 cause they had not tickets and the friends were afraid 
 there would not be room for them. It is calculated 
 that there were more than two thousand people in the 
 hall after tea. I sat on the platform, next to the star 
 of the assembly, a prominent and proud position, I 
 assure you. It was a splendid sight, such a dense 
 mass of heads and happy faces ! I would have given 
 a sovereign willingly for you to have been there. I 
 have been in many good and exciting meetings, but 
 The au- never i n such an one as that. I never saw an assem- 
 nc ?, e 2' bly so completely enthralled and enchanted as this 
 
 thralled. J r J 
 
 one was while my beloved was speaking. He spoke 
 for near two hours, never for one moment losing the 
 most perfect control over the minds and hearts of the 
 audience. I never saw a mass of people so swayed 
 and carried at the will of the speaker but once or 
 twice in my life. The cheers were deafening, and 
 were prolonged for several minutes. I cannot give you 
 any just idea of the scene. I will send you a paper 
 A containing an account of the meeting. It was a trium- 
 tnumph. p nan t finish, and has given me considerable comfort 
 and encouragement, amidst many things of a trying 
 and discouraging nature, I mean of a connexional 
 character. If the Lord continues my dear husband's 
 life and health, I have no fear for him under any cir- 
 cumstances. He need not brook. any swaddling- 
 bands, and if I mistake not certain parties begin to 
 see the policy of giving him plenty of room." 
 
 An incident occurred at the close of the Sheffield 
 visit, which, while it proved the affectionate esteem 
 in which Mr. Booth was held by the people, served to 
 accentuate the jealousy with which a certain section 
 of the preachers had begun to regard his increasing 
 popularity. Anxious to give expression to their 
 
 A jealous 
 
 clique.
 
 SHEFFIELD. 259 
 
 gratitude and to perpetuate the memory of his visit, 1856, 
 the Sheffield friends had decided on presenting Mr. 
 Booth with a large lithographic portrait of himself. Presenta- 
 The proposal was in accordance with the common portrait. 
 custom of the Connexion, the presentation meeting 
 being presided over by the President himself, the 
 Rev. H. Watts, and a report being duly published in 
 the Magazine. We turn, however, for an account of 
 the meeting to Mrs. Booth's letters: 
 
 "October 2 ;th. 
 " I know you will be anxious to hear all about the A perfect 
 
 . . T . , . c , triumph. 
 
 presentation meeting, so I seize a very brief and un- 
 certain opportunity to send you a few lines. I was 
 not well enough to go to the tea, but drove to the 
 meeting just in time to hear the speaking. The 
 meeting was a perfect triumph. There were as many 
 present as on the last occasion. The speaking was 
 very good, and the portrait best of all. I like it 
 much, although I do not think it flatters my beloved 
 in the least. Indeed it would not be possible to 
 transfer to paper that which constitutes his particu- 
 lar charm when speaking. It lives and dies with the 
 occasion. 
 
 "The portrait gives universal satisfaction. The what the 
 meeting was in a perfect tumult of applause when it thought. 
 was exhibited. John Unwin said, 'Well, they have 
 caught a live man and stuck him on paper ! ' But I do 
 not think so. I still prefer the original ! The Rev. 
 J. Paton (the well-known Congregational minister) 
 spoke like a friend and brother. He said he had made 
 a great effort to be present, but he was determined to 
 testify his friendship for Mr. and Mrs. Booth. It 
 was a noble and generous recognition of the good ac- 
 complished in the town by the services. The Presi-
 
 260 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1856, 
 ge 27 ' 
 
 The 
 
 inscrip- 
 
 tion. 
 
 The Mag- 
 
 azine re- 
 ports the 
 meeting. 
 
 dent came out first-rate, and set his official seal in 
 full upon the whole affair. There was no milk and 
 water about him." 
 
 The copy of the portrait presented to Mr. Booth 
 
 . . . 
 
 bore the following inscription : 
 
 " Presented to the Rev'd William Booth, whilst labouring 
 as an Evangelist in the Methodist New Connexion by his 
 friends in Sheffield, in affectionate appreciation of his arduous, 
 zealous, and successful labours there and in other parts of the 
 community. Presented Nov. 26th, 1856, at a large meeting 
 assembled in the Temperance Hall, the Rev'd H. Watt, Pres- 
 ident of the Conference, in the chair." 
 
 The Magazine contains the following reference to 
 the meeting : 
 
 " Mr. Booth, who was received with enthusiastic applause, 
 replied in his usual fervent and effective manner. He said : 
 'I rise to respond to the expression of your esteem and affec- 
 tion with feelings almost overpowering. Such periods as the 
 present are to some the proudest moments of their history, 
 and I know not that the man does wrong who highly estimates 
 and boldly rejoices in the acknowledged esteem of his fellows, 
 especially if they be among the wise and the good. And yet 
 I confess to you, that although I highly prize and shall ever 
 hold in grateful remembrance the kindly estimate my Shef- 
 field friends have put upon my services, and of which this 
 presentation will be a lasting memorial, nevertheless I never 
 more fully felt the many imperfections that have marked my 
 efforts than I do to-night, and the unworthiness of that short 
 career which has called forth this spontaneous, enthusiastic, 
 and generous acknowledgment. I feel that in this respect 
 " the labourer" is not " worthy of his hire." ' After speaking at 
 some length on the importance of aggressive efforts on the 
 part of the church, Mr. Booth sat down amidst protracted ap- 
 plause." 
 
 were 
 
 wards 
 
 pressed. 
 
 yet, singular as it may seem, the most interest- 
 j n g aspect of this presentation was that it afterwards 
 led to the entire suppression of the system of testi- 
 monials in the organisation of the Salvation Army.
 
 SHEFFIELD, 261 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Booth were always sensitive to a fault 1856, 
 lest any personal gratification should prove an unin- ge 
 tentional stumbling-block to the work in which they 
 were engaged. They were themselves quite taken by 
 surprise at the ministerial ill-feeling aroused by the 
 presentation of the portrait. Had they, dreamed that 
 such would have been the result, they would have 
 certainly put their foot on the proposal as soon as it 
 was made. They were sorry afterwards that they 
 had not done so, although it is by no means certain 
 that this would have prevented the determination of 
 an increasing party in the Conference to place the ex- 
 tinguisher upon Mr. Booth's growing popularity by 
 relegating him to a circuit where his efforts would 
 be limited to the ordinary pastoral routine. 
 
 But there were other evils connected with the sys- other 
 tern which Mr. and Mrs. Booth afterwards more fully the S ^y/- 
 realised. The public presentation of personal testi- 
 monials was calculated, they found, to do more harm 
 than good. In the first place it was difficult to decide 
 of what they might properly consist. Equally diffi- 
 ciilt would it be to settle who should be the recipients, 
 without giving rise to endless heartburnings and dis- 
 satisfaction, which would go far to neutralise any 
 good that might have been accomplished. The ordi- 
 nary nature of such gatherings, with their flattering 
 speeches in regard to what, after all, had been but the 
 performance (often too imperfect) of a sacred duty, 
 was likely to do harm. There was also the danger 
 that officers would be tempted to aim rather at pleas- 
 ing the people than doing them good. For these and 
 similar reasons such presentations have been forbid- 
 den, and the Salvation Army officer has learned to 
 glory in what might at first sight appear to be an irk- 
 some and unnecessary restriction.
 
 CHAPTER XXVI. 
 
 Birming- 
 ham. 
 
 A low 
 cause. 
 
 Open-air 
 work. 
 
 A power- 
 ful awak- 
 eniny. 
 
 Ttie final 
 Sunday. 
 
 BIRMINGHAM, NOTTINGHAM, CHESTER. 
 1856-1857. 
 
 FROM Sheffield Mr. and Mrs. Booth proceeded for 
 a six weeks' campaign to Birmingham, the results of 
 which are summed up in a long and interesting re- 
 port from the pastor, the Rev. B. Turnock. The 
 cause had hitherto been very low in this town, so that 
 the visit was anticipated with eager expectation. A 
 specially interesting feature of the work here consisted 
 in the open-air meetings, which were carried on in 
 connection with it. Mr. Turnock writes: 
 
 " Some of our praying men formed themselves into a band, 
 and about an hour before the evening service went through the 
 streets singing, giving short addresses at the corners, warning 
 sinners and inviting people to the house of God. This roused 
 the attention of the people and they began to say 'What is 
 the meaning of this? What are these Methodists about? ' 
 
 " For a period of nearly six weeks the good work has gone 
 on, and oh, what scenes have we beheld! Penitent sinners 
 have come up the aisle so overcome with emotion as to be 
 hardly able to reach the rail. Fathers and sons, mothers and 
 daughters, have knelt side by side at the communion rail, 
 weeping tears of joy. 
 
 " The services have exerted a powerful influence upon our 
 members, rousing the careless and quickening the cold and 
 formal. There seems to be new life and energy all around us. 
 The people are anxious for the salvation of souls. 
 
 " The last Sabbath is one which will never be forgotten. 
 The whole place was packed and yet crowds kept rushing on- 
 ward like a stream, and we were obliged to lock the chapel 
 
 262
 
 BIRMINGHAM. 
 
 263 
 
 gates, leaving hundreds outside. It was truly delightful to see 1856, 
 the huge mass of people rise to sing. The preacher was again A S e 2 7- 
 earnest, terrible, melting, full of pathos. The word was with 
 power. What a glorious night this was, such as I had never 
 seen before ! Seventy-two souls professed to find peace with 
 God. I need not say there was deep excitement, but it was 
 holy, pure, such as I hope often to see." 
 
 Regarding the subject of religious excitement here Mrs. 
 
 4 J , Booth on 
 
 referred to, Mrs. Booth made the following observa- religious 
 tions at the close of her prolonged ministry, with its 6 ment~ 
 multitudinous opportunities for observation : 
 
 " It has always been a cause of amazement to me how it is 
 that intelligent people can fail to perceive the connection be- 
 tween feeling and demonstration. How utterly unphilosophi- 
 cal is the prevailing notion that persons can be deeply moved 
 on religious subjects, any more than on worldly ones, without 
 manifesting their emotions ! This insane idea has done more, 
 I doubt not, to grieve the spirit of God and discourage and 
 extinguish vital religion than almost anything else. It has 
 always seemed to me better to have wild fire than no fire at 
 all. Certainly it would be more in keeping with the spirit 
 and practice chronicled in the Bible, to allow individuals too 
 wide an expansion of joy and sentiment, rather than to damp 
 the light and extinguish any manifestation whatever. 
 
 " The cold, formal services of the Protestant church have 
 done more to shut out from it the sympathy and adhesion of 
 the masses than any other cause, or indeed than all other 
 causes put together. The people will forgive anything better 
 than death and formality. Had I my time to go over again, 
 I would not only be far more indulgent toward the natural 
 manifestation of feeling, but would do more to encourage it 
 than I have done before. 
 
 " Not that I would advocate a rowdy and boisterous manner. 
 But the attitude of many churches seems to me to be illus- 
 trated by some families, where the father is so austere, and 
 keeps at so great a distance from his children, that they 
 hardly dare speak or breathe in his presence. There is no 
 natural spontaneous expression of either thought or feeling, 
 but the whole family seem to live, move, and have their being 
 
 Evil effect 
 of for^ 
 mality. 
 
 No advo- 
 cate of 
 rowdy- 
 
 Be 
 
 natural.
 
 264 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1856, 
 Age 27. 
 
 Mr. Booth 
 visits his 
 
 native 
 
 town. 
 
 Enter- 
 tains mis- 
 givings. 
 
 His fears 
 
 prove 
 ground- 
 less. 
 
 in a constrained atmosphere of awe, whereas if you follow the 
 same children into the nursery, or see them where they are 
 alone with their mother and free to act out the impulses of 
 their nature, you would hardly believe they were the same 
 creatures. But in a rightly regulated family, while the 
 parents will maintain their proper respect and authority, 
 there will be a suitable and natural expression of feeling." 
 
 The next town visited was Nottingham, Mr. Booth's 
 birthplace. With the exception of a few days spent 
 from time to time with his mother, he had seen noth- 
 ing of it since leaving for London in 1849. He 
 observed in his journal : 
 
 " Sunday, November 3oth, 1856. My native town. Concern- 
 ing this place I must confess I have entertained some fears. 
 Being so well known and remembering that a prophet is not 
 without honour save in his own country, I had dreaded the 
 critical hearing of those for whom I had in my youth con- 
 tracted that reverence which in after life perhaps never fully 
 leaves us. However, my confidence was in my message and 
 my trust was in my Master." 
 
 A little later he is able to summarise the six weeks' 
 work in the following encouraging terms : 
 
 " I concluded in a most satisfactory manner. About seven 
 hundred and forty names have been taken, and, on the whole, 
 the success has far exceeded my expectations and has been a 
 cause for sincere gratitude. My great concern is for the fu- 
 ture. Oh that preachers and people may permanently secure 
 the harvest and go on to still greater and more glorious tri- 
 umphs ! " 
 
 When it is remembered that Mr. Booth was only 
 twenty-seven at the time of this visit, and that he had 
 been but two and a half years in the New Connexion 
 ministry, the result of these meetings will appear the 
 more remarkable. 
 
 Mrs. Booth sends the following account to her 
 parents :
 
 NOTTINGHAM. 
 
 265 
 
 1856, 
 Age 27. 
 
 Mrs. 
 Booth's 
 account 
 of the 
 Notting- 
 ham re- 
 vival. 
 
 The town 
 stirred. 
 
 December isth, 1856. 
 
 " The work here exceeds anything I have yet witnessed. 
 Yesterday the chapel, which is a very large one, seating up- 
 wards of twelve hundred people, was full in the morning and 
 at night hundreds went away unable to get in. It was so 
 packed that all the windows and doors had to be set wide 
 open. Sixty-seven came forward in the prayer-meeting. 
 
 " The movement is taking hold of the town. The preacher 
 and his plans are the topics of conversation in all directions. 
 Numbers of William's old Wesleyan friends come, and the 
 infidels are mustering their forces. The Mayor and Mayoress, 
 with a family of fine young men, are regular attendants and 
 stayed to the prayer-meeting the other night. The folks 
 seem as if one of the old prophets had risen or John the 
 Baptist come again. It is so different to their ordinary 
 routine. I never saw so respectable an audience, and yet one 
 so riveted in their attention. How ready the Lord is to work 
 when man will work too ! " 
 
 Mr. J. Harvey, the Society Steward, writing to the 
 Magazine, says: 
 
 " We had our commodious chapel nearly filled every week- 
 night and crowded to excess on the Sunday evening, so that 
 hundreds had to go away. Mr. Booth is certainly an extraor- 
 dinary man. I never passed such a six weeks in my life. The 
 services were kept up with thrilling interest night after night. 
 His appeals and arguments were such as uprooted the deep 
 prejudice and hatred of the infidel, made gospel-hardened sin- 
 ners tremble, and caused many to exclaim, 'What must I do 
 to be saved?' 
 
 " The general results of the services are these. The chapel Every sit- 
 is filled. Every sitting is let, and many persons have applied ting let ' 
 whom we have not been able to accommodate for want of 
 room. The classes are greatly increased, and some new ones 
 formed. The prayer-meetings are crowded to excess." 
 
 * 
 
 Nevertheless the superintending minister, the Rev. 
 P. J. Wright, although he had concurred in sending 
 the invitation, received Mr. and Mrs. Booth in the 
 coldest possible manner, and soon made it manifest 
 
 Another 
 account.
 
 266 MXS. BOOTH. 
 
 1857, that he was no friend to them or their work. He was 
 unable, however, to give vent to his feelings, owing 
 to the all but unanimous manner in which the society 
 and congregation supported the movement. The 
 tide was too deep and strong for him to offer it any 
 open resistance, so that to all outward appearance he 
 went with the stream of popular feeling. His opposi- 
 tion to the movement became more manifest when 
 the meetings had drawn to a close, and a promising 
 work was thus checked and suffered to languish. He 
 afterwards became one of the chief opponents in the 
 Conference of Mr. Booth's evangelistic labors, and 
 was in a large measure the cause of his being ulti- 
 mately compelled to leave the Connexion. 
 A visit to From Nottingham Mr. and Mrs. Booth proceeded to 
 London for a fortnight's rest, spending the time with 
 Mr. and Mrs. Mumford. We cull the following note 
 from Mr. Booth's diary: 
 
 "Saturday, January loth, 1857. We came on to London for 
 our rest. 
 
 "Sunday, January nth. Heard Mr. Spurgeon, and was 
 much pleased and profited a truly simple, earnest, and faith- 
 ful sermon. I doubt not he is doing a very great work." 
 
 Mr Booth Leaving Mrs. Booth and the baby with her parents 
 at in London, Mr.. Booth proceeded to Chester, where he 
 
 Chester. . j 
 
 encountered difficulties of a somewhat novel nature. 
 
 The minister, the Rev. D. Round, gave him a most 
 
 hearty reception. The people also co-operated. But 
 
 some time after the meetings had commenced a news- 
 
 H passagl paper came out with an attack on the revival, and 
 
 of wUh m a this* f r tne moment, checked the progress of the 
 
 news- W ork. It was a new and therefore painful experience 
 
 to the young preacher, whose sensitive nature tempted 
 
 him to shrink from the encounter. A kindly Provi-
 
 CHESTER. 267 
 
 dence, however, prevented his foreseeing the inky 1857, 
 oceans of misrepresentation and calumny through 
 which his bark was yet to sail, or perhaps the pros- 
 pect would have utterly discouraged his heart. But 
 keenly as he felt the slanders and deeply as he re- 
 gretted their influence in preventing penitents from 
 coming forward with their usual readiness at his 
 meetings, he fought his way resolutely through and A ? irik - 
 achieved a complete success, which was only rendered victory. 
 the more striking by the temporary pause. More 
 than a hundred persons came forward during the last 
 three days, and the farewell meeting and tea were as 
 enthusiastic as any that had gone before. More than h ed 
 four hundred names were taken during the five weeks penitents. 
 of his stay. 
 
 The newspaper opposition produced another effect. Another 
 
 - - . . difficulty. 
 
 which was altogether unexpected by its author, in at- 
 tracting to the meetings crowds of persons belonging 
 to a very different class to the regular chapel-goers 
 who had hitherto composed the bulk of Mr. Booth's 
 congregations. For the first time in his ministerial 
 experience, he found himself face to face with a god- 
 less, mocking crowd of young men. He was taken ing 
 quite by surprise and considerably disconcerted. In 
 writing to his wife he says : 
 
 " We are damaged in the prayer-meetings by lookers-on. I 
 fight them as closely as I can. But some of them are very 
 impudent. May the Lord undertake for us ! " 
 
 Writing a few days later he adds : 
 
 " We had one of the most painful disappointments yester- 
 day I ever had to encounter. The night congregation was 
 overwhelming, hundreds going away unable to get admission. 
 There was some influence in the prayer-meeting, but we only 
 took fifteen names. You see this abominable and lying article 
 in the newspaper causes swarms of people to come out of
 
 268 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 *o 
 Age 28. 
 
 A dis- 
 agreeable 
 surprise. 
 
 Jagged 
 daggers. 
 
 sheer curiosity, and they stand and gaze about, some of them 
 actually laughing during the services! However, we must 
 fight it out." 
 
 Mr. Booth had not yet learned to rejoice at being 
 able thus night after night to attract the most godless. 
 His first encounter with the very people whose special 
 chaplain he was destined to become came upon him 
 as a disagreeable surprise. But he quickly rose to 
 the occasion, and grappled in his own masterly, inimi- 
 table fashion with the consciences of the Christo-hea- 
 then audience, who had begun so strangely to take 
 pleasure in the chapel services, which they had so long 
 looked upon with scorn. How he dealt with them 
 and brought the thunder and lightning of the law to 
 bear upon their hearts, we are able to gather from 
 his correspondence with Mrs. Booth. Unfortunately 
 her replies to him are missing, or they would un- 
 doubtedly have supplied an important link in the 
 historical chain, showing how she seconded and en- 
 couraged him in his new and perplexing position. 
 
 "We had a tremendous struggle at the chapel/' Mr. Booth 
 writes on February 1 8th. " I never saw anything like it in my 
 life. We were crowded above and below, and having been 
 out all day, I was poorly prepared in mind and much fatigued 
 in body, yet I was pressed in spirit and the Lord helped me to 
 preach as I very, very seldom do ! Oh, the words seemed like 
 jagged daggers running into the hearts of the people ! And 
 yet, though the great mass of them stayed to the prayer-meet- 
 ing, we had only twenty-one souls. We ought to have had 
 fifty or more. That abominable paper has helped to raise all 
 this opposition. It has encouraged a lot of ignoramuses to* 
 come and mock. They have no shame. You cannot make 
 them feel." 
 
 In another letter he writes : 
 
 "We had a good night. I preached from ' What must I do to 
 be saved?' We had not much power during the first part of
 
 CHESTER. 
 
 269 
 
 the sermon, but during the appeal 'What must I do to be 1857, 
 
 damned?' I don't remember ever having more. In fact Mr. A e 28 
 
 Round said this morning that he never felt so much under 
 
 any appeal before in his life, and that he could have knelt mus t / 
 
 down and wept his heart away at the conclusion. George 
 
 Fox said he could not sleep after it. It was indeed terrific. 
 
 I felt astounded at it myself. Of course I can only talk in 
 
 this way to my wife." 
 
 masses. 
 
 A rough 
 fisticuff. 
 
 It was a significant moment, when William Booth 
 and the rough churchless elements of England's pop- 
 ulation first found themselves face to face in" close 
 encounter ! He did not remain long on the defensive, 
 just time enough to measure his antagonist with his 
 eye, and then closed with him in the life-grapple which 
 has resulted in such glorious accomplishment. Not 
 with a single blow, or round, however, was this en- 
 counter to be completed. It was scarcely more than a 
 skirmish, a rough fisticuff, in which each party began 
 to test its powers. Nevertheless the champions of 
 ruffianism realised ere long that some one had entered 
 the ring who was to meet them on their own ground 
 and to prove more than a match for them, aiming re- 
 sistless blows at their hearts and consciences, and com- 
 ing off conqueror on many a hard-fought field. 
 
 Thus Mr. Booth caught the eye and ear of the The mod- 
 masses, just as previously he had riveted the atten- Goliath. 
 tion of the Christian Church. He was still but a 
 stripling this latter-day David. But he lodged a 
 stone in the forehead of the modern Goliath, the 
 effects of which have not yet ceased to be felt. He 
 obtained a hold which he has never lost. Whatever 
 faults the rougher masses of the world's population may 
 possess, they admire a man who has the courage of 
 his convictions, and who is not afraid to beard them 
 boldly in their dens of sin, misery, and desperation. .
 
 270 
 
 MRS. SOOTH. 
 
 1857, But the opposition manifested by a certain minis- 
 terial clique, who viewed with jealousy the rising 
 Minister- popularity and success of the young minister, was 
 ia sitwn. now beginning to take shape. The perplexity and 
 sorrow which this occasioned to Mr. Booth may be 
 gathered from the following extract from one of his 
 letters to Mrs. Booth : 
 
 An " Our secretary was through here this morning," writes Mr. 
 
 enigma. Booth He ^id not please me. I can't understand it. A 
 certain knot of the ministers are an enigma to me. They 
 seem to have very little sympathy and appear only to use me 
 to get up revivals to push their machines, and to help them 
 when all other means fail. The great, high, and holy view I 
 have of the movement does not seem to enter into their calcu- 
 lations. Well, I gave him a broadside or two, and then left 
 him. Mr. Round is worth a laneful of such cold, icy-hearted, 
 all-brained folk. But my little wife must not talk in this 
 way. She must only listen to her husband ! " 
 
 Mr. Booth There is an interesting reference in these letters 
 Reginald to Mr. Booth's first meeting with the well-known 
 - we- evan gelist, Mr. Reginald Radcliffe : 
 
 " 1 3th February. 
 
 " Mr. Radcliffe, a solicitor from Liverpool, was here last 
 night. He is a rather singular, and at the same time a very 
 devoted, man. He consecrates his life and efforts and fortune 
 to the great work of saving men. I am informed that he goes 
 up and down the country preaching the gospel anywhere that 
 Preach- he can obtain an opening. He especially attends races, ex- 
 eaxcuti<m. ecutions, and such like large gatherings of people. For in- 
 stance, the other day a man was hanged at Chester. Mr. Rad- 
 cliffe came over two or three days before the day fixed, drew 
 up a plan of the different routes by which people would ap- 
 proach the gallows, and when night came he placed a man 
 with a large supply of tracts at each road, and thus put some 
 papers on Salvation into the hands of every person who came. 
 In addition to this he had four or five preachers at work be- 
 sides himself.
 
 CHESTER. 271 
 
 " It appears that he had heard about me at Macclesfield and 1857, 
 Nottingham, and last Sunday he sent one of his preachers to Age 28. 
 see me with an invitation to Liverpool. He proposes taking 
 for me a large theatre, capable of holding between two and Liverpool. 
 three thousand people, the effort to be unsectarian and no 
 collections, he undertaking to meet all expenses, and allowing 
 the New Connexion to take the converts. He is a nice fellow, 
 a brave man, and a true Christian. I like him much. But of 
 course I cannot at present entertain anything of this char- 
 acter." 
 
 Mr. Radcliffe has since proved a long and consistent ffisatti- 
 friend of the Salvation Army, frequently attending U Army, e 
 its meetings and inviting its leaders to his own. Of 
 late years his special interest has been concentrated 
 upon the foreign mission field, on behalf of which he andfor- 
 
 . . etgn mis- 
 
 has labored indefatigably, urging Christians to give sions. 
 themselves up for the salvation of the heathen. 
 
 The Chester revival exercised a powerful influence 
 on the surrounding villages. 
 
 " I never was better pleased with people," writes Mr. Booth, Simpli- 
 " than I am with the poor country folk. They come four, five, ^count^ 
 six, seven, eight, and nine miles night after night, and many people. 
 of them have found the Lord. Thank God, the common peo- 
 ple hear me gladly. I believe I should be a great deal more 
 useful among the simple-hearted country people than I am 
 among the fashionable, hard-hearted, half-infidel townsfolk, 
 with their rotten hearts and empty heads, and yet full-blown 
 conceit and pride ! " 
 
 An interesting case of conversion from among the 
 former class is recorded in the Magazine : 
 
 " A man, verging on sixty, whose best deeds for many years 
 have been poaching and drunkenness, with its almost invari- Apoacher 
 able accompaniment, cruelty to those who claimed his love, 
 and from whose presence the street children fled, and men 
 and women turned in silent fear, came to the house of God. 
 He was attracted by the fame of the preacher, heard the truth, 
 felt its power, bowed to its influence, sought and found mercy
 
 272 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1857, 
 28. 
 
 Personal- 
 
 Home dis 
 cipline. 
 
 i n Christ. Now, accompanied by his wife, who has also given 
 h er heart to God during these services, he regularly attends 
 the meetings, clothed and in his right mind ! " 
 
 But we turn from the account of the Chester meet- 
 ings to some personal and domestic passages con- 
 tained in Mr. Booth's letters, sent to Mrs. Booth at 
 this time : 
 
 " How is baby? Bless his little heart ! Tell him his papa 
 prays for him and hopes that God will make him a Luther to 
 pull down the dreadful abuses under which the church groans. 
 O Kate, ours is a solemn and important vocation, the training 
 of that boy ! 
 
 " So you had to whip him to obtain the mastery, and now he 
 | s ] c j n g i seeing that you are ill ! I often think about him and 
 imagine I see him lifting up his little arms to me. Bless him ! 
 Oh, may he indeed be 'great in the sight of the Lord,' and 
 whether esteemed or not by men, God grant that he may be 
 holy and useful. 
 
 Growing " May God bless you with every earthly and heavenly bless- 
 * n an( ^ sne ^ ter vou un< ier His spreading wings from all evil ! 
 So most devoutly prays the father of your darling boy, and 
 the beloved of your soul ! You see, I am making progress in 
 enthusiasm, as I grow in years and continue in absence! 
 Well, I love you ! And the love I bear you and my sweet 
 little son is a constant joy to me. I would not part with you 
 for worlds for naught, save in submission to the will of our 
 Holy Father. But God grant that day may be very far dis- 
 tant." 
 
 In a later letter he writes : 
 
 Sunshine, 
 
 " I am glad little 'Sunshine' is better. lam anxious to hear 
 more about him. He is a joy to me. I often bless God for 
 bestowing such a treasure upon us. Let us regard him as a 
 loan from Heaven, and ever remember that it may please the 
 Lender at some unexpected season to resume the gift to 
 call in the loan. May he be continued to us, but oh, how im- 
 portant to be in a measure prepared for such an emergency." 
 
 There are some flippant allusions to homoeopathy.
 
 CHESTER. 
 
 273 
 
 The General could not extend his faith to believe in 
 the little charmed tasteless globules ! However, he 
 was troubled with a bad face, and writes to say: 
 
 " If it does not get better I shall go to the homoeopathic 
 doctor. Chester is either blessed or cursed with three of them. 
 But as you deem it a blessing, I am fain in this, as in many 
 other respects, to pin my faith to your sleeve, and with me 
 there the controversy ends! So I throw up my cap and shout 
 'Hurrah for homoeopathy! ' with its infinite quantity of infini- 
 tesimal doses, in 'whatever society I may be where the ques- 
 tion is mooted. All because I have such a blessed little wife, 
 in whose judgment I can confide on matters physical." 
 
 Again he writes, making Mrs. Booth the receptacle 
 of his confidence, during a season of depression: 
 
 " I have not been in very good spirits to-day. I have been 
 looking at the dark side of myself. In fact I can find no other 
 side. I seem to be all dark, mentally, physically, spiritually. 
 The Lord have mercy on me ! I feel I am indeed so thoroughly 
 unworthy the notice of either God or man. My preaching is 
 more than ever, or as much as ever, at a discount in my es- 
 timation. And yet I cannot be blind to the fact that it 
 answers the great end of preaching better than the efforts of 
 many. Still this yields me but little comfort. I must try 
 again. My sermons arouse and attract attention and create 
 conviction and alarm, but they don't push men sufficiently into 
 the fountain. God help me ! " 
 
 The letters contain tender assurances of affection 
 such as the following: 
 
 " Continue to love me. Aye, let us love, as God would 
 have us love one another, and let us realise on earth in spirit, 
 what Swedenborg said he saw in his vision in Heaven, that 
 man and wife there melted into one angel. Let us be one. I 
 am quite sure that we do now realise far more of this blissful 
 union, this oneness, than very many around. I meet with but 
 few who think and love and hate and admire and desire alike 
 to the same extent that we do, and also with very few who 
 18 
 
 A 
 
 Age 28. 
 
 The Gene- 
 ral on 
 homoeo- 
 pathy. 
 
 A dark 
 season. 
 
 Sweden- 
 borg'' s 
 vision.
 
 274 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1857, realise as much domestic and conjugal felicity. And yet there 
 Age 28. are many things in me that want mending. God help me ! 
 
 " I care less for so-called society day by day. For instance 
 The dis- in this house there is not a congenial soul, except those dis- 
 that embodied ones that dwell in books! I feel more than ever 
 
 , in the worth of your society, and that with it and my work I am 
 content. The converse of others profits me very little, and 
 pleases me less. 
 
 " I intend arranging for a second visit to this city next 
 year, so that you will have the opportunity of seeing it. 
 However there is not much to look at save a fine race-course, 
 some ancient walls, and your old-fashioned, queer, eccentric, 
 go-ahead husband. 
 
 Assur- " i reciprocate your desires most ardently for an interview. 
 affection. I think about you. I can't say I dream about you, for I have 
 not done so since we parted. I wish I could. I should love 
 to see you, if it were only in imagination! Affection cer- 
 tainly grows with absence. I am sure my affection has in- 
 creased since we parted. How strange is the feeling that 
 binds us together, and makes us single each other out from 
 the wide, wide world, and makes our hearts fly to each other 
 like two magnets! I think my heart beats as proudly and 
 truly to you as ever, aye, more than ever. Oh, how many 
 blessings God has bestowed upon us ! Let us praise Him with 
 all our powers and serve Him all our days ! "
 
 CHAPTER XXXII. 
 
 BRISTOL, TRURO, ST. AGNES. 1857. 
 
 As soon as the Chester meetings were brought to a Bristol 
 conclusion Mr. Booth took train for London, where meeim( J s - 
 he rejoined Mrs. Booth and started with her for Bris- 
 tol. The comparative dependence of a preacher upon 
 his building here forced itself painfully upon his at- 
 tention, .as it had previously done in York, where the 
 echo was so distressing that it was almost impossible 
 to be understood beyond the first few rows of listen- 
 ers. In the present case the architect had paid more 
 attention to the outside appearance of the chapel than 
 to the comfort of its worshippers. The building had 
 obtained so evil a reputation for draughtiness that it draughty 
 was difficult to secure an audience. Mrs. Booth 
 mentions in her letters that each time her husband 
 went to the meeting he seemed to take a fresh cold. 
 The present incumbent was one of the cold perfunc- 
 tory sort, and felt no particular interest in the success 
 of the meetings. Since the departure of his more 
 popular predecessor, the cause had languished and 
 their only preacher had left them. 
 
 Under these circumstances it was not to be wondered A check 
 at that Mr. Booth, during his short stay of three suits re ~ 
 weeks, did not witness results so great and glorious as 
 had elsewhere been his privilege. And yet, as was 
 afterward proved, there were few cities in the king- 
 dom so capable of being powerfully stirred as Bristol. 
 Here, as in Sheffield, there was a deep undercurrent 
 
 275
 
 276 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1857, of religious sentiment that only needed to be success- 
 full)' tapped by the Divine Hand to send forth an ample 
 
 A hopeful stream of living water. But though the source was 
 not far from the surface, its discovery was for a sea- 
 son delayed, and despite the fact that considerable 
 good was accomplished, it was with feelings of no little 
 disappointment that Mr. Booth concluded his meet- 
 ings and started off with Mrs. Booth for his next ap- 
 pointment. 
 
 Checks to And yet it was a useful experience, proving as it did 
 
 a revival. J 
 
 that no matter how good and efficient the instrument 
 might be, it was possible for the best laid plans and 
 most ceaseless toil to be obstructed by adverse circum- 
 
 TWO com- stances. There are two opposite, but common errors 
 
 errors, in regard to successful work. The one supposes that 
 
 no matter what measures may be taken and efforts put 
 
 The Pro- forth, a revival is a special interposition of Providence, 
 theory, which can no more be commanded than a shower of 
 rain. The other takes it for granted that it can be 
 The ail- brought about without labouring for the fulfilment of 
 theory, the necessary conditions. Both conclusions are equal- 
 ly mistaken. It is as fatally possible to check and 
 even extinguish a revival as it is blessedly possible to 
 create one. There are churches, societies, and indi- 
 viduals which have either drifted into a condition, 
 or voluntarily placed themselves in a position, that 
 makes a revival a moral impossibility. The work of 
 the evangelist is to establish communication between 
 the human and the Divine, between the soul and its 
 Maker ; and in doing so it is unhappily possible that the 
 surrounding circumstances, or the condition of the 
 church, may be such as to paralyze his best efforts. 
 To this day alas, that it should be so! there are 
 Chorazins and Bethsaidas, which, though exalted to 
 Heaven by their privileges and opportunities, are
 
 BRISTOL, TRURO, ST. AGNES. 
 
 277 
 
 doomed, by their resistance to Divine influences, to be 
 cast down to hell. Refusing to hear the voice of the 
 spiritual charmer, charm he never so wisely, they close 
 the door of mercy against themselves, seal their own 
 doom, and condemn themselves to destruction. " Woe 
 unto them ! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and 
 run greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and 
 perished in the gainsaying of Korah." 
 
 From Bristol Mr. and Mrs. Booth proceeded to Truro, 
 by train as far as Plymouth, and thence by coach. 
 The latter part of the journey was especially trying. 
 The rain descended in torrents. There was barely 
 room for Mrs. Booth inside. She was too ill to take lit- 
 tle Willie, who soon, however, fell asleep in his nurse's 
 arms upon the box, equally unconscious of the storm 
 and of the dye from his nurse's bonnet strings, which 
 smothered his face with blue, causing him to present 
 a somewhat ludicrous appearance on reaching his 
 journey's end. 
 
 * 
 
 "It was a wearying affair, lean assure you," Mrs. Booth 
 writes a few days afterwards. " I have not yet got over it, 
 though considerably better than I was yesterday. William 
 also is very poorly with his throat and head. I fear he took 
 cold on the journey. 'Babs' seems to have stood it the best 
 of any of us. Bless him ! he was as good as a little angel, 
 almost all the way through. He has just accomplished the 
 feat of saying ' Papa. ' It is his first intelligible word. 
 
 " Truro is a neat, clean, little town, and surrounded by very 
 lovely scenery. The climate is much milder than that of 
 Bristol. The vegetation is much more advanced, flowers in 
 full bloom, and hedges in leaf. It reminds me somewhat of 
 Guernsey. There is just the same softness and humidity 
 about the atmosphere. 
 
 " You will be glad to hear that my precious husband had a 
 good beginning yesterday. There was a large congregation 
 in the morning, and at night the chapel was very full. I trust 
 there will be a glorious move. If so, it will be worth all the. 
 
 1857, 
 
 f ^ J ur - 
 
 ney to 
 
 Truro. 
 
 Truro 
 
 A good be- 
 9 innin 9-
 
 278 MJ?S. BOOTH. 
 
 T-^Sli to il' an d J shall be amply repaid. Bristol has been a heav)- 
 Age 28. d ra g upon his spirits. There was something mysterious 
 about the whole thing, and he never had his usual liberty in 
 preaching. Yet I never knew him in a better state of soul. 
 Now here he seems full of faith and power. To God be all 
 the glory ! " 
 
 lie* P eak What a mysterious phenomenon is the " liberty " 
 er's ub- here referred to, the spiritual afflatus, the unde- 
 
 erty. 
 
 finable influence, the human electricity, which flashes 
 the thought currents from the mind and heart of the 
 speaker into his audience, until they are carried away 
 with they scarce know what. There is a momentary 
 self-annihilation. Both speaker and listener are lost 
 in the subject, transported for a season beyond the 
 limits of the petty trivialities that usually bound the 
 horizon of each heart's little world transferred in 
 the fiery chariot of the hour's illusion, they think not, 
 care not, where. 
 
 The ad- In this respect the preacher has special privileges 
 ta o/a es an d advantages over the politician, the actor, or the 
 preacher, ^ ema g O g Ue> He is able to play upon a higher set of 
 compared motives. The appeals of the public orator are usually 
 outic- e directed to some natural instinct which, when exam- 
 * an - ined, resolves itself into the merest selfishness. Even 
 patriotism is but a refined and distilled form of self- 
 interest. Trade, commerce, land and labour disputes, 
 all partake of the same. Vote for me, because I will 
 do the best for you, is the stock argument of the poli- 
 tical platform. Defend your own interests, take care 
 of your own rights, is the language of the world. 
 The Powerful appeals can doubtless be based upon such 
 
 9 for l h?s grounds, and rightly so. It is a side of human nature 
 which cannot be ignored by the preacher himself. 
 Self-preservation is one of the most widespread and 
 readily appealed to of all human instincts. The re-
 
 BRISTOL, TRURO, ST. AGNES. 279 
 
 ligious reformer avails himself of it. But he has 1857, 
 something more. Even in this particular respect he ge 2 ' 
 appeals to eternity as well as time. He lifts the veil 
 and compares the tiny interests of this world with 
 those of a boundless hereafter. He goes further. He 
 plies the emotions, the affections, the hopes, the fears 
 of his audience with a ceaseless fusilade of entreaties, 
 storms the reason with resistless arguments, and 
 awakens the ally, whom he is certain of possessing in ' 
 every man's bosom Conscience, the Heaven-ap- 
 pointed watchman of the soul. 
 
 Over the actor, he possesses the unspeakable ad- compared 
 
 with the 
 
 vantage of reality, and of dealing with an immediate actor. 
 present and a never-ending future instead of a dead 
 past. Sincerity lends force to his utterances. And 
 when all these are crowned with the Divine unction, Unction. 
 with the visible face-illumination which marked Moses 
 when he descended from the mount, and which now 
 distinguishes those and only those who have personal 
 converse with their God, he is able at times to carry 
 the hearts of his hearers before him as with a whirl- 
 wind. This at least is what Mrs. Booth here refers to 
 by the expression "liberty." This is the high ideal A high 
 of what a preacher should be and do the privileged 
 position to which he may and ought to attain. True, 
 there will be fluctuations in the degree, and at times Fiuctua- 
 
 . tions in 
 
 it may be unaccountably missing. But the utter or degree, 
 continued absence of this element, where such is the 
 
 but not a 
 
 case, shows that something must be radically wrong, continued 
 
 . . absence of 
 
 and until it be gained or recovered, as the case may the phen- 
 be, it were better for the time that the speaker closed 
 his lips and betook himself to his knees. 
 
 It was the possession of this peculiar influence and Exempli- 
 power that constituted the special potency in Mrs. Mr 
 Booth's own subsequent ministry. By the time she Booth -
 
 280 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1857, 
 Age 28. 
 
 Oblivious 
 to time. 
 
 Their first 
 
 visit to 
 Cornwall. 
 
 Cornish 
 Method- 
 ism. 
 
 F*revious 
 reports. 
 
 had finished her address she was usually bathed in 
 perspiration with the intensity of the exertion. Her 
 theme and her audience would make her oblivious to 
 time and every other consideration, and amid the 
 deathlike silence the musical cadences of her voice 
 seemed to make every heart in the vast throng vibrate, 
 while she reasoned with them of " righteousness, tem- 
 perance, and judgment to come." 
 
 To return, however, to the narrative. " This was 
 our first visit," Mrs. Booth tells us, "to Cornwall, and 
 we both regarded it with no little interest. We had 
 heard much about Cornish Methodism. Indeed, it 
 was said to be the religion of the county. The peo- 
 ple were saturated with Methodistic teaching. Chap- 
 els were to be seen everywhere, in the towns, on the 
 moors, by the sea-coast. There they stood, great 
 square buildings, often with scarcely a house in sight, 
 apparently equal to the need of districts with three 
 times the population. But people or no people, there 
 stood the chapel, and it was usually a Wesley an one. 
 Not only so, but the congregations were there, crowd- 
 ing it to the doors each Sunday. The parent Wesleyan 
 church was very much in the ascendant. Our cause 
 was extremely low. In fact, it was confined to Truro, 
 and a single outpost at St. Agnes, a small town in 
 the neighbourhood. 
 
 " We had heard a good deal about previous Cornish 
 revivals, and the excitability of the people at such 
 times. Hence we expected to find them eager to lis- 
 ten, easily moved, and ready to be convinced. But 
 in this we were at first a good deal disappointed. 
 Although after a time we found ourselves in a perfect 
 hurricane of excitement, yet nowhere had the people 
 evinced at the start such a capacity for resisting the 
 claims of God and steeling their hearts against all
 
 BRISTOL, TRURO, ST. AGNES. 281 
 
 persuasions. Pure children of emotion, when once 1857, 
 carried away by their feelings, it was difficult to place 
 any curb upon their expression. 
 
 " For the first four or five days, however, we could Waiting 
 
 for 
 
 not persuade them to get saved. For one thing they feelings. 
 objected to the penitent form. It was to them a new 
 institution, and they regarded it with suspicion. They 
 were waiting, too, for the feelings under the influence 
 of which they had hitherto been particularly accus- 
 tomed to act. The appeals to their judgment, their 
 reason, and their conscience were not sufficient to in- 
 duce them to come forward. They did not see the 
 value of acting upon principle rather than on motion. 
 However, at length the break came. It was the Fri- 
 day following the Sabbath on which the General com- 
 menced his meetings in the town. It was a Good 
 Friday, loth of April, the anniversary of our engage- 
 ment." 
 
 Mr. Booth describes the meeting in a letter written 
 the next day to Mr. and Mrs. Mumford : 
 
 " We had a very glorious stir last night such a An exdt- 
 meeting for excitement and thrilling interest as I 
 never before witnessed. The people had been re- 
 straining their feelings all the week. Many of them 
 had been stifling their convictions. But it burst out 
 last night, and they shouted and danced and wept and 
 screamed and knocked themselves about, until I was 
 fairly alarmed lest serious consequences might ensue. 
 However, through mercy all went off gloriously, 
 twenty-seven persons professing to find salvation. 
 Praise the Lord for ever! I am happ) r , but weary. 
 I have had nine public services this week, have to 
 attend a meeting to-night, and three more to-morrow." 
 
 Of those who came forward that night were some , 
 
 . . Mimsters- 
 
 promising young men, several of whom afterward . to-be.
 
 282 MRS. BOOTH, 
 
 1857, became ministers, one of J:hem occupying a very 
 prominent position. From this time the work went 
 forward in a most encouraging manner. 
 
 A lias- "William finished up at- Truro, triumphantly," 
 convert- writes Mrs. Booth from St. Agnes on the 8th of May. 
 " Crowds were unable to get in and above thirty names 
 were taken. Amongst them was one very respectable 
 man, who had cautioned his wife a week before against 
 going out to the communion rail and making a fool 
 of herself. He now went up himself and got glori- 
 ously saved. He had been a vile blasphemer. Many 
 are under deep impressions, who will not yield to the 
 Opposi- rail. We never were in a place where the opposition 
 penitent- to it was so great. If we return to Cornwall we shall 
 go back to Truro, and I have no doubt shall see far 
 greater things than any yet. 
 
 A de- " We left Truro on Tuesday, coming half-way by 
 SC of P s't n train, and the remainder in a cart of the ancient stamp, 
 Agnes. ^^g^ to shake one to pieces. I feel the effects of 
 it yet. The place is a desolate, and yet not an unin- 
 teresting, spot, not above half a mile from the sea, 
 and surrounded by the celebrated tin mines of this 
 county. We can hear the machinery at times, and 
 in our walks see some of the operations through which 
 the ore passes. The coast is a wild and picturesque 
 one, presenting some scenes of beauty and grandeur. 
 The people are, as at Truro, strange in their dialect 
 and manners. They talk about a revival in the same 
 way that we should about a fair, a sale, or any other 
 worldly business. We expect to stop here a fortnight. " 
 A strange An incident occurred during this time, of which Mrs. 
 Booth, in later years, gives the following account: 
 
 "The General had a good time here, and would 
 doubtless have reaped a rich harvest, but for a mis- 
 take which he made and which he afterwards very
 
 BRISTOL, TRURO, ST. AGNES. 283 
 
 much regretted. We had heard a great deal about the 1857, 
 way in which the Cornish people jumped and danced. 
 But at Truro, notwithstanding the excitement, we had 
 seen nothing to which the most fastidious could object. 
 They told us, however, that if anything moved at St. 
 Agnes, the people would 'go off,' as they called it, in "Going 
 this form of manifestation. I believe the General had 
 set his face against anything of this description before 
 he went to Cornwall. Indeed, he prided himself on 
 conducting his meetings on the highest level of the 
 'decency and order' platform. He had told me how, 
 on one occasion, in the Staffordshire Potteries, he had 
 stopped some women from clapping their hands and 
 slapping the forms in a manner which he fancied 
 was contrary to proper worship, adding that he always 
 put down his foot on such manifestations and con- 
 trolled them with a firm hand. 
 
 "He was not a little shocked, therefore, one night, "GZory/" 
 when the feeling in the meeting was beginning to get 
 warm, to see a dear woman spring to her feet in an 
 ecstasy, and begin to jump up and down with a meas- 
 ured rhythm, keeping exact time to the tune we were 
 singing, with a little shout of 'Glory!' every time she 
 went up. There was nothing that I could see con- 
 trary to either Scripture or decorum in the method 
 by which this simple woman manifested her joy, 
 though it was certainly opposed to the cold, cut-and- 
 dried notion of church order. The General, however, An un- 
 feeling the responsibility of the meeting to be resting mistake* 
 upon him, and fearing lest the excitement might get 
 beyond bounds, gave orders for her to be stopped. 
 In the carrying out of his instructions the exercise of 
 some slight physical force was necessary. This was 
 perceived by the congregation and the influence of 
 the meeting was thus destroyed. From that time the
 
 284 
 
 MKS. BOOTH. 
 
 * 
 Age 28. 
 
 Mrs. 
 Booth 
 defer,ds 
 the prin- 
 ciple. 
 
 It is 
 natural. 
 
 It will 
 vary. 
 
 The 
 
 martyr 
 and the 
 
 sign. 
 
 work dragged heavily, and, although there was an 
 encouraging spurt at the end, yet the General came 
 away realizing that he had made a mistake, and de- 
 termining that in future, instead of stamping out the 
 excitement, he would content himself with guiding it." 
 
 " And why not allow a manifestation of feeling?" remarked 
 Mrs. Booth on another occasion. " A gentleman once said to 
 me, 'I never did shout in my life, but to-day upon my word I 
 couldn't help it.' I said, 'Amen. It's time, then, you be- 
 gan. ' I hope it may be the same with many of you. When 
 the Lord comes to His Temple and fills it with His glory you 
 won't know what to do. You must find vent somewhere, or 
 you will be as the poor old negro said he was, 'ready to 
 burst his waistcoat.' We feel so about temporal things. 
 People drop down dead with joy. People shriek with grief. 
 People's hearts stand still with wonder at the news they have 
 heard, perhaps from some prodigal boy. I heard of a mother 
 not long ago, whom some one injudiciously told of the sudden 
 return of her son, who dropped down dead, and never spoke. 
 And when the Master comes to His Temple, that glorious 
 blessed Holy Saviour, whom you profess so to long after 
 and to love, and who has been absent so many years, and 
 whom you have been seeking after with strong crying and 
 tears, do you think it will be too much to shout your song, 
 or go on your face, or do any extravagant thing? Oh no, 
 if there is reality, you cannot help yourself. 
 
 " The manifestation will be according to your nature. One 
 will fall down and weep in quietness, and the other will get up 
 and shout and jump. You cannot help it. Like the two martyrs, 
 one rejoiced in the realisation of God's presence; the other, 
 who was in darkness, yet did not deny his Lord and turn his 
 back upon Him. He continued in the way of obedience, 
 and the other was encouraging him to hope and believe the 
 Master would come ; but He did not come until they started 
 from the dungeon to the stake ; so they fixed upon a sign, 
 and the one said to the other, 'If He comes you will give me 
 the sign on the road. ' The Master did come, but the martyr 
 could not confine himself to the sign. He shouted, raising his 
 arms, to his fellow-martyr, 'He's come, He's come, He's 
 come.' He couldn't help it. When He comes, you won't be
 
 BRISTOL, TRURO, ST. AGNES. 
 
 285 
 
 ashamed who knows it. When you really get a living Christ 
 for your husband, you will be more proud than the bride is 
 who has got a husband worth being proud of, and you will 
 love to acknowledge and praise Him ; and the day is coming 
 when you will crown Him before all the host of Heaven. The 
 Lord help you to accept Him, and put away everything that 
 hinders His coming. Amen." 
 
 From Truro Mr. and Mrs. Booth next proceeded to 
 Stafford, a long- and wearying journey. The increas- 
 ing difficulty of these frequent changes, and the dis- 
 tance between some of the appointments, gave rise to 
 a proposal for little Willie to be sent for a time to his 
 grandmother. Mrs. Booth speaks of the plan in a 
 characteristic letter, from which we take the following : 
 
 May 1 5th, 1857. 
 
 " William intends going to meet the Annual Com- 
 mittee before entering on any more labour, having 
 had his mind much pained and unsettled by informa- 
 tion lately received. He wants to have a clearing up. 
 
 " Much as I should like to have a settled home, you 
 know my objections to leaving William, and they get 
 stronger as I see the constant need he has of my pres- 
 ence, care, and sympathy. Neither is he willing for 
 it himself. He says nothing shall separate us, while 
 there is any possibility of our travelling together. 
 Nor can I make up my mind to parting with Willie, 
 first because I know the child's affections would in- 
 evitably be weaned from us, and secondly, because 
 the next year will be the most important of his life 
 with reference to managing his will, and in this I 
 cannot but distrust you. I know, my darling mother, 
 you could not wage war with his self-will so resolutely 
 as to subdue it. And then my child would be ruined, 
 for he must be taught implicit, uncompromising 
 obedience." 
 
 1857, 
 
 Age 28. 
 
 They 
 travel to 
 Stafford. 
 
 The 
 
 Annual 
 Com- 
 mittee. 
 
 Keeping 
 together. 
 
 Cannot 
 
 part ivith 
 
 her boy. 
 
 Afraid of 
 an indul- 
 gent 
 grand- 
 mother.
 
 286 J/tfS. BOOTH. 
 
 1857, Thus we see how early Mrs. Booth commenced the 
 training of her family, and how resolutely she put 
 
 A wise from her any proposal, however advantageous in other 
 respects, which seemed to clash with the highest 
 spiritual interests of her children. Had she adopted 
 a different course it is very probable that the over- 
 indulgence of a kind-hearted and well-meaning grand- 
 mother would have inflicted irreparable injury upon 
 the character of the one who was to play so im- 
 portant a part. While Mrs. Booth was no advocate 
 for undue severity with children, she never failed to 
 call attention to the incalculable harm that was inflicted 
 upon them by the over-indulgence of their little whims 
 and by the lack of that firm, faithful, and yet affec- 
 tionate training so necessary for their future welfare.
 
 CHAPTER XXVIII. 
 THE CONFERENCE OF 1857. 
 
 WHILE Mr. and Mrs. Booth were at Stafford an was u an 
 incident occurred, insignificant in itself, but which 
 seemed somewhat prophetic of the future. There 
 was a garden attached to the house in which they 
 were staying, and in this little Willie, though but fif- 
 teen months old, delighted to run about, while Mrs. 
 Booth would sit with her work in a sheltered corner 
 from which she could keep her eye upon him. One 
 day to his joy he discovered, on. the border of the 
 pathway, a nest with the mother bird sitting on the 
 eggs. He was soon taught to respect his newly found 
 treasure, and to keep his little hands off. But many 
 were the peeps that he indulged in from time to time, 
 and it seemed that the birds became accustomed to 
 the presence of their baby visitor, understanding that 
 it boded them no harm. 
 
 One morning Willie had toddled off, as usual, for The 
 his accustomed look, when a startled cry attracted his mtruc 
 parents to the spot, where they found the eggs lying 
 broken on the pathway, while the nest, which had 
 been deserted by the birds, was in the possession of 
 a large beetle. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Booth could not but wonder whether The Con- 
 the occurrence had been intended to prepare them for 
 some approaching sorrow. Was it that their plans 
 and hopes and anticipations for the future were to be 
 ruthlessly disturbed? They were not kept long in 
 
 287
 
 288 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 Age 28. 
 
 and send 
 Mr. Booth 
 to a cir- 
 cuit. 
 
 The prin- 
 cipal op- 
 ponents. 
 
 suspense. The Conference were sitting in Notting- 
 ham, and the next morning brought them the follow- 
 ing letter from their old friend, Mr. Josiah Bates, who 
 attended the meetings in the capacity of Book-Room 
 Treasurer : 
 
 NOTTINGHAM, 6th June, 1857. 
 
 " MY DEAR SIR : Your case has just been decided after a 
 discussion which commenced in the forenoon and terminated 
 with the day's sitting. You are to take a circuit, 40 in favour 
 of your present course, 44 in favour of your taking a circuit. 
 The feeling was strong against you. It was yesterday pro- 
 posed that I should be added to the Annual Committee in the 
 place of Mr. Heaps. But the Doctor (Dr. Crofts) opposed it on 
 the ground that I was too much mixed up with you. Nor did 
 they call me before them, although I requested it. 
 
 " The principal speakers against you are Crofts and P. J. 
 Wright. I tried hard to be the last speaker, but P. J. evi- 
 dently held back, and therefore I was obliged to speak. I re- 
 plied to every charge that had been contained in all the pre- 
 vious arguments, and am told I made a capital speech. How- 
 ever, we lost it. 
 
 " I cannot go into the details of the discussion for want of 
 time. I have no doubt the decision will spread wide dissatis- 
 faction, and I should not be surprised if it has to be revised. 
 
 " Make up your mind to the decision. It will work together 
 for our good. Of this I have not the shadow of a shade of 
 doubt. May God direct you into His will ! 
 
 " With kind regards to Mrs. Booth, I remain in haste, 
 
 " Yours truly, 
 
 " JOSIAH BATES." 
 
 A friend One of the leading officials of the Nottingham Cir- 
 
 sympa- 
 
 thises. cuit wrote at the same time as follows : 
 
 " I have no doubt that you will have had communicated to 
 you the decision of the Conference in respect to your future 
 labours. There were 40 for you remaining another year in 
 your present position, and 44 for your taking a circuit. 
 
 " I feel very much in my mind upon the subject, not so much 
 the decision, as to have seen and heard the determined oppo-
 
 THE CONFERENCE OF 
 
 289 
 
 sition of some of the leading ministers. I can see the jealousy 
 lest you should become more useful than they. They seem to 
 assume the position as judges of the working of men's hearts 
 and motives. It touches their dignity. Though they wish to 
 say and do as they .like, they cannot bear you to have the same 
 liberty. I cannot put on paper what my views are of the con- 
 duct of our Superintendent (Mr. Wright). He has done all he 
 could to lower you. He has lowered himself very much in 
 the eyes of many. His conduct at this Conference has served 
 to show that he will not scruple to do anything to gain his end. 
 " I am of opinion that if you take a circuit the Lord will open 
 your way and bless your labours. . . . You have many sin- 
 cere friends. I hope you will not be cast down, but still look 
 to God as you have done hitherto. I never yet saw a man 
 stand higher than his fellows, but envy soon arouses opposi- 
 tion. It always endeavours to pluck the finest fruit and to 
 destroy it. But your works are before God." 
 
 A formal letter was at the same time received by 
 Mr. Booth from the Secretary to the Conference con- 
 veying the intelligence- of the recent decision. To 
 this Mr. Booth replied as follows : 
 
 "June, 1857. 
 "To THE SECRETARY OF THE NEW CONNEXION CONFERENCE. 
 
 " MY DEAR SIR : Yours containing the decision of Confer- 
 ence on my case is to hand this morning, and I must confess 
 it has caused me very considerable surprise. Looking at it 
 merely as affecting my personal comfort I make no complaint, 
 as a year or two's respite from the anxious toil I have been 
 engaged in of late, will be welcome to both body and mind. 
 But regarding it as the wish of the Conference that I should 
 cease from a path of labour to which it first appointed me, and 
 which has been so signally owned of God, and so constantly 
 eulogised by the wisest and best men in the Connexion, is to 
 me a matter of gravest import. 
 
 " And further, sir, no reasons are assigned for this desired 
 change. The Conference, I am sure, would not act without 
 reasons, and surely my brethren deem me worthy to be made 
 acquainted with them. 
 
 " Does the Conference take exception to the character of my 
 
 '9 
 
 *o 
 Age 28. 
 
 Take a 
 circuit. 
 
 The Sec- 
 retary's 
 letter. 
 
 Mr. 
 
 Booth's 
 reply. 
 
 No 
 
 reasons 
 given.
 
 290 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1857, 
 Age 28. 
 
 A 
 furpn.se. 
 
 The ap- 
 
 PT the 
 churches, 
 
 A strange 
 course. 
 
 mission altogether, or is it the manner in which I have dis- 
 charged it during the past year that has given offence? If the 
 former, I have nothing to say, but if fault has been found with 
 anything I have said or done, I claim the privilege of self-de- 
 fence. Surely in the New Connexion Conference flying re- 
 ports are not permitted to find utterance, and speeches un- 
 favourably affecting character are not listened to, without 
 giving the defamed an opportunity of defending himself. 
 
 "So conscious was I of the integrity of my motives, utter- 
 anceSi an( j ac tions, so satisfied was I that the bulk of the Church 
 was with me, and so certain did I feel that I was taking the 
 surest course to promote the highest interests of the Connex- 
 ion, that in looking forward to the Conference I never dreamed 
 it would for a moment entertain the proposition which you 
 forward to me as its prayerful and deliberate decision. 
 
 " During the two and a half years that I have travelled as an 
 Evangelist my opinions have undergone no change; they 
 have ever been outspoken. During that time every church 
 with which I have laboured has expressed most publicly and 
 unanimously its approbation of my labours. With two excep- 
 tions, the ministers have been as friendly and cordial as the 
 laymen. During this time no individual has met me with an 
 accusation, or made any objection to my measures in the 
 prayer meeting, or to my utterances on the platform and in the 
 pulpit. It seems strange that after such uniform approbation 
 o f m y mission, and method of discharging it, that the Confer- 
 ence should be five hours debating the propriety of its con- 
 tinuance. You say in yours that the value of my special 
 labors have been 'fully and gratefully acknowledged,' but 
 that looking at the subject in all its important bearings it is 
 deemed best, on the whole, that for the present I receive the 
 appointment of a regular circuit. Now, all I ask, nay claim 
 as my due, is to know what these important bearings are for 
 which my special labours, acknowledged to be of value, are 
 to be discontinued. 
 
 " Believe me, to remain, dear sir, 
 
 " Yours very respectfully, 
 
 " WILLIAM BOOTH." 
 
 In a letter written at the same time to Mr. and Mrs, 
 Mumford, Mr. Booth says:
 
 THE CONFERENCE OF 1857. 
 
 291 
 
 " You will have been expecting a line from us containing 
 Conference information, and now that our suspense is ended 
 in certainty, or nearly so, I take the first opportunity of send- 
 ing you a line. For some time I have been aware that a party 
 has been forming against me. Now it has developed itself 
 and its purpose. It has attacked and defeated my friends, 
 and my evangelistic mission is to come to an immediate con- 
 clusion. On Saturday, aftei a debate of five hours, in which I 
 am informed the bitterest spirit was manifested against me, 
 it was decided by 44 to 40 that I be appointed to a circuit. 
 The chief opponents to my continuance in my present course 
 are ministers, the opposition being led on by the Rev. P. J. 
 Wright and Dr. Crofts. 
 
 " I care not so much for myself. A year's rest will be very 
 acceptable. By that time, God will, I trust, make plain my 
 way before me, either to abide as a circuit preacher, or by 
 opening me a door which no man or number of men shall be 
 able to shut. My concern is > for the Connexion my deep 
 regret is for the spirit this makes manifest, and the base in- 
 gratitude it displays. However, I leave the matter with the 
 Lord. My work and my reputation are in His hands. I wait 
 the manifestation of His will, and wherever He points there 
 will I try to go." 
 
 Mrs. Booth, however, did not take so calm a view, 
 as will be seen from the following letters addressed to 
 her mother : 
 
 " You will see from William's letter what has been the sub- 
 ject of our thoughts, and the cause of the anxiety we have ex- 
 perienced during the last few days. I have felt it far more 
 keenly than I thought I should ; in fact, it is the first real trial 
 of my married life. 
 
 " Personally considered I care nothing about it. I feel that 
 a year's rest in one place will be a boon to us both, and espe- 
 cially a relief from the wearying anxiety which my dear 
 husband has experienced of late. But as a manifestation of the 
 spirit of a handful of ministers towards him in return for his 
 toil as an exhibition of the cloven foot of jealousy, and as 
 a piece of rank injustice in allowing lying reports to be reiter- 
 ated in open Conference, and this without any formal charges 
 having been brought or any inquiry as to their truthfulness 
 
 1857, 
 Age 28. 
 
 How it 
 
 hap- 
 pened. 
 
 The 
 
 ground 
 for his 
 regret. 
 
 Mrs. 
 Booth 
 feels it 
 keenly. 
 
 Her in- 
 digna- 
 tion.
 
 292 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1857, instituted, I regard as little better than an old priestly persecu- 
 Age 28. tion over again, and am ready to forswear Conferences for 
 ever! However, we shall see. We can afford to wait. A 
 year's rest will be an advantage to William's mind and body. 
 Time will do great things the people will be able to look at 
 and contrast the year's returns. Our friends, whom this dis- 
 cussion has proved to be neither few nor feeble, will spread 
 their own report of the matter, and perhaps next Conference 
 the trumpet will sound on the other side. Anyhow, if God 
 wills him to be an evangelist, He will open up his way. I 
 find that I love the work itself far more than I thought I did, 
 and I am willing to risk something for it, but we shall see." 
 
 Writing again next day, Mrs. Booth says : 
 
 A sug- " Doubtless you will feel anxious to hear further particulars 
 gested after yesterday's budget. This morning's post brought us 
 piomise. several letters from Conference, causing us considerable ex- 
 citement and anxiety. It appears that the conduct of Mr. P. J. 
 Wright and others towards my dear husband has evoked a very 
 strong feeling against them, and numerous voices of dissatis- 
 faction have been raised as to the manner in which our mis- 
 sion has been put down, and the way in which the votes were 
 taken. There is to be an attempt this morning at a compro- 
 mise ; to send him to a circuit and yet let him visit several 
 places during the year, sending a supply to act for him, but 
 William will not agree to it. He will be either one thing or 
 the other, and if unworthy to be an evangelist altogether, he 
 declines to take the anxiety and responsibility of being one 
 at all. 
 
 The ques- " It appears that one of his opponents mooted the travel- 
 travellin ^ n & ex P en ses as an argument against him, and made some 
 expenses, false statements which Mr. Bates has compelled him to re- 
 tract. Hereupon Mr. Woods, the old gentleman you heard 
 me talk about, and who was so kind to us at Nottingham, has 
 instructed the delegate for Nottingham to inform Conference 
 to-day that if it is a money question he will guarantee ,50 for 
 the next year's travelling expenses a larger sum than all 
 our present year's expenses put together. He is a noble old 
 gentleman. I always believed in him from our first interview. 
 I wrote to him last night myself, William being too much 
 pressed for time.
 
 THE CONFERENCE OF 1857. 293 
 
 " William has asked for Derby as an appointment. To this 1857, 
 his opponents are not likely to agree, for though it is one Age 28. 
 of the poorest places in the Connexion, it has only one 
 preacher, and therefore no superintendent to shackle him. 
 Mr. Bates wanted them to send for him yesterday to speak 
 for himself, but, no thank you! They have no desire to 
 measure swords with him ! I must say I feel intensely an- 
 xious. Great interests are involved far more than are seen 
 at first sight, but it is God's cause. I believe He will order 
 all for the best. I have no fears for the future. I have con- 
 fidence in my husband's devotion and capacity for something 
 greater yet, and I have confidence in God's over-ruling Provi- 
 dence. Pray for us that we may not err, but be guided into 
 His perfect will." 
 
 "June loth. 
 
 " Yours came to hand this morning. Thanks for all your Appoint- 
 sympathy and counsel. It is very seasonable. William has ed ? 
 just returned from Nottingham. The arrangement that we house. 
 take a circuit stands good, and perhaps, all things considered, 
 it is best for one year. There seems a firm determination 
 that it shall not be for longer. Our appointment is to Halifax 
 circuit, and we are to live at Brighouse." 
 
 Among the additional reasons urged for this deci- Further 
 sion besides those which have been already noticed, reasons - 
 one was that Mr. Booth was gaining too great an 
 influence in the Connexion for so young and untried 
 a man. Another was that the following Conference 
 would be called upon to decide as to his capacity for 
 doing the work of a regular circuit preacher, and how 
 could they come to a just conclusion concerning him 
 unless he went through the ordinary routine? All The 
 combined in holding out the most absolute certainty ofare- 
 of his being recalled to the evangelistic sphere at 
 the conclusion of the year. Mrs. Booth, however, 
 doubted the sincerity of the promise. 
 
 "I felt in my soul," she tells us, referring to the n Mrs -, 
 
 J Booth^t 
 
 matter at a much later period, " that it was the spirit fears.
 
 294 MS. BOOTH. 
 
 1857, of envy which had closed the sphere, and I could not 
 but anticipate that the same spirit would keep it 
 closed so far as the Connexion was concerned. I 
 knew too much of Church history to expect that a 
 denomination, sunk into stereotyped forms, would 
 ever be wise enough to see the grandeur of such an 
 opportunity for getting out of its swaddling bands 
 and becoming a great national movement, instead of 
 remaining a little sectarian concern. They neither 
 had the wit to see their chance, nor to estimate the 
 qualities of the agent whom God's Providence had 
 thrown across their path. 
 
 A vision " That morning as I lay in bed, for I was too ill to 
 future, leave the room, there dawned upon me a vision of 
 success, which has been marvellously realised in later 
 years. And I could have risen from my couch, bid 
 good-bye to the Connexion, and walked out with my 
 husband into the wide world without a fear. But I 
 could not make the General see with me. He believed 
 in his simplicity that this clique of ministers would 
 repent of their action and that Conference would re- 
 call him to the work at the end of the year. He 
 Mr. Booth replied to my arguments that he loved the Connexion, 
 Connex- that he had been useful in it, that he wished to live, 
 and labour, and die in it, and that he hoped yet to be 
 the means of helping to build it up and make it a 
 great power in the world. A year, he urged, would 
 soon fly away, and it was possible that he might com- 
 pletely regain the confidence of his ministerial breth- 
 ren by thus submitting to their wishes. I predicted 
 that such would not be the case, and my forecast 
 proved in the end to be correct. For the time being, 
 however, I acquiesced in his decision, and we packed 
 up as quickly as possible and removed to our new 
 home."
 
 THE CONFERENCE OF 1857. 
 
 2 95 
 
 Among his numerous friends were not wanting 1857, 
 those who had less respect for authority than Mr. ge 2 ' 
 
 Booth, and who urged him to break loose from the Conflict- 
 
 Connexion, rather than submit to their decision. mfif se ^ un 
 From one such he received the following letter : 
 
 " I feel much concerned on your account, for it is not possi- 
 ble for you to be so useful to the cause of Christ in your pre- 
 sent sphere as when you were an evangelist. But honestly I 
 see no other way of deliverance for you except to throw your- 
 self on the care of Divine Providence, and to go and labour for 
 God and souls wherever you find an open door. 
 
 " Your Conference has treated you just as the Wesleyan 
 Conference wanted to treat Mr. Caughey, and had he con- 
 sented to take a regular circuit preacher's work, his wings 
 would have been clipped too. But he was too wide-awake for 
 them. So they closed their doors against him. But all the 
 harm that act did was to enlarge his heart, and to cause him to 
 enter into other chapels besides those of Wesleyans. 
 
 " My opinion is that if you resolve to follow the Lord fully, 
 you will have to pass through the same ordeal. I believe that, 
 as far as the preachers have power, they will close the New 
 Connexion pulpits against you. Human nature is the same 
 in every Conference, whether Episcopalian, Wesleyan, New 
 Connexion, Primitive or Quaker. And the only way for such 
 men as you and Caughey to escape the mental rack and hand- 
 cuffs is to take out a license to hawk salvation from the great 
 Magistrate above, and absolutely refuse to have any other 
 master. 
 
 " O Brother Booth, if I could preach and floor the sinners A hearty 
 like you can, I would not thank Queen Victoria to be my aunt 
 or cousin ! When I hear or read of your success, I could wish 
 to be your shoe-black ! There is no man of whom I have read, 
 Caughey excepted, who has equalled you for usefulness, con- 
 sidering the short time you have been at it. And for you to 
 allow the decrees of the New Connexion Conference, or of 
 any other conclave of men, to turn you away from following 
 the guidance of the Holy Spirit, is what I cannot bear to 
 think of. I know what you feel, and I also have shed the big 
 agonising tear, when placed in the same circumstances. 
 
 " Glory be to God, I am now free, and I will keep so. You
 
 296 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 A 
 Age 28. 
 
 Why he 
 
 would not 
 
 do it. 
 
 The value 
 of organ- 
 isation. 
 
 Creating 
 a new 
 people. 
 
 The ne- 
 cessity for 
 organised 
 effort. 
 
 know what the wolf said to Towser, 'Half a meal with liberty 
 is better than a whole one without it!' 
 " With love to Mrs. Booth, 
 
 " I remain yours as square as a brick." 
 
 But Mr. Booth saw what his friend did not: that 
 the weak point of evangelistic efforts such as those of 
 Mr. Caughey was the want of connexion with some 
 suitable organisation which would give cohesion and 
 continuity to the work. His evangelistic experience 
 had taught him that some storage was necessary for 
 the Divine floods of influence and salvation that de- 
 scended in such abundant measure at these times, in 
 order to prevent them from evaporating, disappearing, 
 and being worse than lost. He was disappointed and 
 perplexed, it was true. The New Connexion had 
 promised to be just such a reservoir as he had desired. 
 He loved it. He had labored for it. And visions of 
 the world- wide organisation it might yet become had 
 inspired his heart. He could not believe that he was 
 to be disappointed, nor was there another people to 
 whom he could turn. 
 
 The daring idea of creating a people for himself 
 had not yet dawned upon his mind. The time for it 
 had not perhaps come. The requisite experience had 
 not been gained. The profound despair with what 
 existed had not yet sufficiently taken possession of his 
 soul to induce him to try his hand at anything better. 
 But the necessity of organised and united effort, as 
 distinguished from the minister-do-every thing plan, 
 was a conviction of his soul. Never in his grandest 
 moments of success had he felt that he could dispense 
 with the service and assistance of others. His con- 
 stant complaint had been that he could not lay violent 
 hands upon a sufficient number of qualified persons 
 to help him at such times, but those whom he could
 
 THE CONFERENCE OF 1857. 297 
 
 command he had gathered behind the communion 1857, 
 rails to form a praying band, or to deal with the pen- 
 itents, or had sent them out singing into the streets, 
 or visiting from house to house. 
 
 The idea of a church in which he was to be head His P lan 
 
 of cam- 
 ana tail, centre and circumference, alpha and omega, paign. 
 
 beginning and end, was foreign to his idea. It might 
 suit his less disciplined friends, but for his part he so 
 realised the value of law and order that he would 
 rather submit to a wrong order occasionally than have 
 no order at all. He would rather obey an envious 
 head than have none, and rather co-operate with jeal- 
 ous brethren than stand alone. He only aspired to 
 serve, providing he could serve successfully. 
 
 Mrs. Booth, as we have seen, was more of a radical. The Wes- 
 She had weighed up the Conference and had found it Whitfieid 
 wanting. Her inclination would have led her rather day 6 , 
 to have chosen a lonely path than to have submitted 
 to a restricted one. Unlinked to Mr. Booth, she 
 would doubtless have been more of a free-lance Whit- 
 field than an organising Wesley. It was a happy 
 design of Providence which bound the Wesley and 
 the Whitfieid of the present generation in so close 
 and indissoluble a union. For the present, however, 
 the die was cast, and Mr. and Mrs. Booth proceeded 
 to take up their appointment at Brighouse.
 
 CHAPTER XXIX. 
 BRIGHOUSE. 1857-1858. 
 
 A gloomy THE year spent by Mr. and Mrs. Booth at Brighouse 
 was, perhaps, the saddest and most discouraging of 
 their whole ministerial career. In fact, there was 
 scarcely a single circumstance to relieve the gloom of 
 the situation. In the first place, they started with 
 heavy hearts, feeling that they had been unjustly 
 dealt with. Nor was there anything in the appoint- 
 ment itself calculated to compensate for the disap- 
 pointment. The superintendent was a sombre, fune- 
 real kind of being, very well-meaning no doubt, but 
 utterly incapable of co-operating with Mr. Booth in 
 his ardent views and plans for the salvation of the 
 people. 
 NO For Mrs. Booth the situation was peculiarly pain- 
 
 kindred 
 
 spirit, ful. She had not in Brighouse a single lady friend 
 with whom she could have sympathetic communion. 
 Moroever, it was peculiarly trying to see her husband 
 spending and being spent on a small and struggling 
 cause, when the same amount of effort might have 
 resulted in the attraction of enormous crowds and in 
 the salvation of hundreds of souls, had they pursued 
 their evangelistic career. She writes the following 
 letter to her mother soon after her arrival : 
 
 "July, 1857. 
 
 The first "William preached here twice yesterday and led a love- 
 
 meetings. f eas t. Good congregations, and all seemed very well satisfied 
 
 except himself. There were three souls at night. Of course 
 
 298
 
 BRIGHOUSE. 299 
 
 he cannot help making comparisons between this and his 1857, 
 former sphere of usefulness, and though this is unquestionably Age 28. 
 much easier, it is far less congenial. I don't think he will 
 ever feel right in it, neither do I believe the Lord intends that 
 he should. He generally adapts His instruments to the work 
 He marks out for them, and He has undoubtedly adapted my 
 dear husband for something very different to this. But we 
 will wait awhile. 
 
 " I can't say I like the place. It is a low, smoky town, and 
 we are situated in the worst part of it. However, we shall 
 make the best of it." 
 
 There was, however, a domestic event which served The birth 
 perhaps, more than anything, to brighten the dull Bailing" 
 tedium of the Brighouse days. They had scarcely 
 settled in their new home when Mr. and Mrs. Booth 
 received for a second time, in the birth of their son 
 Ballington, the peculiar token of Divine favour which 
 only a parent's heart can fully appreciate. It was 
 indeed as a Gilead-balrn to their wounded spirits, 
 cementing freshly the domestic bliss of their union, 
 which seemed but the brighter in contrast with the 
 present gloom of the outward prospect. How much 
 greater would have been their joy could they have 
 anticipated the still distant and uncertain future ! 
 
 The history of the Salvation Army has been largely The his _ 
 the history of its founders and of their family. It t f a ^ a 
 presents the altogether unique spectacle of a great 
 religious organisation that has attained to world -wide 
 proportions, of which the embryonic germ was con- 
 tained within the four corners of a family, long before 
 it had burst into public notoriety. The earliest, and, 
 to this day, among the most effective of General 
 Booth's recruits, have been his own children. He The Gen- 
 wished, at first, that they had been less numerous, first re- 
 but when they came to take their places in helping 
 him to bear the burden and heat of the day, he was
 
 300 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1857, 
 Age 28. 
 
 A super- 
 ficial 
 criticism. 
 
 Israel a 
 family 
 affair. 
 
 The 
 Quakers. 
 
 only sorry, he tells us, that "instead of eight there 
 were not eighty!" Trained from childhood to obey, 
 in an age whose tendency is to overleap the traces of 
 parental authority, they have formed a valuable nu- 
 cleus, round which Mr. and Mrs. Booth have been 
 able to gather their recruits. Inspired from infancy 
 with the passion for souls which animated their pa- 
 rents, they have constituted an object-lesson to all 
 who have since joined them beneath the Salvation 
 Army flag. 
 
 It is true there are some, who are so difficult to 
 please and ready to find fault, that they raise objec- 
 tions to what is at once the strength and glory of the 
 movement, complaining that undue prominence has 
 been given to the members of the family. But it is 
 a singular fact that those who hold this opinion are 
 usually those who are the least acquainted with them, 
 and who therefore speak on such superficial grounds 
 that their opinion is entitled to but little weight. 
 They forget that one of the chief reasons why Abra- 
 ham became the recipient of the Divine promises was 
 the knowledge that he would "command his house," 
 and that Eli became the object of a special curse for 
 his laxity in this respect. The whole house of Israel 
 was, after all, in a far stricter sense, a " family affair." 
 The priestly house of Levi was the same. The Bible 
 abounds with examples of a similar character, and 
 contains numberless commands and promises to pa- 
 rents regarding the training of their children, and 
 the rewards that should accompany obedience. Their 
 " sons" and their " daughters" were to prophesy, as in 
 the case of Philip the Evangelist. 
 
 In modern days the history of the Quakers has 
 furnished most remarkable instances of a heredity of 
 holiness running through many generations and ex-
 
 BRIGHOUSE. 301 
 
 tending over a period of two hundred years. Indeed, 
 had Mr. and Mrs. Booth failed in this respect, it is 
 probable that such critics would have been the first what if 
 to point the finger of scorn. But because they have S faiied? 
 succeeded to so marvellous a degree in persuading 
 their children to forego the pleasures and emoluments 
 of the world, when to do so has meant shame, reproach, 
 and suffering, some must needs cavil. Truly the 
 mysteries of criticism are unfathomable and its ways 
 past finding out ! 
 
 " I will not have a wicked child," was the passionate Her 
 
 dctcftYl'tYl- 
 
 and oft-repeated declaration of Mrs. Booth, who used ation 
 to pray in the very presence of her children that she 
 might rather have to lay them in an early grave than prayer. 
 to mourn over one who had deserted the path of 
 righteousness. Her petition was more than granted, 
 and she had the satisfaction of seeing them all fully 
 consecrated to God's service. Indeed, it was one of 
 the peculiar powers of Mrs. Booth's ministry that she A pract i. 
 could drive home her appeals to others by pointing to Ration 
 the example of her own family. The argument was 
 unanswerable. She was able to show that it was no 
 mere accident of nature or of circumstance that made 
 them differ so widely from others, but that by the 
 proper use of the necessary means others might 
 achieve what she had herself accomplished. 
 
 It is said of the celebrated violinist, Paganini, that The story 
 he could draw more music out of one string than nin\ ga 
 others could out of five. But the monotone of the 
 one could not, after all, have equalled in the master's 
 hand the harmony of the five, and its music would 
 have been altogether marred had the remaining chords 
 been out of tune. Indeed the discord would have 
 been too painful to have been endured. And is it 
 not so with the family? How often is the domestic
 
 302 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1857, 
 Age 28. 
 
 Domestic 
 harmony. 
 
 harmony jarred by the fact that the majority of the 
 strings are out of tune. True that one string is better 
 than none, and in some instances one string is all that 
 can be gained. But surely this renders only the more 
 striking and delightful the music of a family of which 
 each member is harmoniously attuned to the service 
 of God. Verily, it is one of the divinest spectacles 
 under Heaven, and one of the grandest trophies of 
 redeeming grace ! In dealing with this subject Mrs. 
 Booth has remarked : 
 
 Putting 
 their chil- 
 dren in. 
 
 Not so 
 easy. 
 
 Mrs. 
 Booth 
 leads a 
 
 class. 
 
 ' 'They have put their children into the movement,' people 
 say. Yes, bless God ! And if we had twenty, we would do so. 
 But I stand here before God, and say that it is all from the 
 same motive and for the same end the seeking and saving of 
 the lost. But I ask, How comes it to pass that these children 
 all grow up with this one ambition and desire? Is not this the 
 finger of God? Some of our critics don't find it so easy to 
 put their children where they want them to be ! Could all the 
 powers of earth give these young men and women the spirit of 
 this work, apart from God? Some of you know the life of 
 toil, self-sacrifice, and devotion this work entails. What 
 could bring our children to embrace it without a single 
 human inducement such as influences other young people the 
 world over? As spirits are not finely touched but to fine 
 issues, so surely God hath fashioned their souls for the work 
 He wants them to do ; and though all the mother in me often 
 cries, 'Spare them!' my soul magnifies the Lord, because He 
 hath counted me worthy of such honour." 
 
 In ^pite of its numerous drawbacks, the prolonged 
 stay in Brighouse was not without its advantages. 
 The short time they were able to spend in the places 
 visited during their evangelistic tours, had afforded 
 Mrs. Booth but little scope for the exercise of her tal- 
 ents. Now, however, that they were settled down for 
 a year in a circuit, one of the first announcements 
 made by Mr. Booth to his office-bearers was that Mrs.
 
 BRIGHOUSE. 
 
 303 
 
 Booth would shortly take the leadership of a class 
 among the female members who attended the chapel 
 in Brighouse, and would also teach some of the girls 
 belonging to the Sunday-school. 
 
 She describes her first meeting with the latter as 
 follows : 
 
 " I commenced teaching a class of girls on Sunday after- 
 noon in our own back parlour. I had a dozen selected out of 
 the Sunday-school for that purpose, the room being too close 
 for me to go there. I got on well, and the children seemed 
 very pleased. I am to have another girl on Sunday next one 
 who has pleaded very hard to come. So you may picture 
 me on Sunday afternoons from two o'clock to half-past three 
 surrounded by thirteen girls, striving to sow the seeds of 
 eternal truth in their hearts and minds. Pray for my success. 
 I feel as though I am doing a little now, but oh, I want more 
 grace ! Gifts are not graces. Pray for me ! " 
 
 She refers to her commencement with the senior 
 class in the following letter: 
 
 " I begin my duties as a class-leader next Thursday after- 
 noon. Do remember it in prayer and meet me in spirit, and 
 ask wisdom and grace according to my great necessity. It 
 is an old established class, containing twenty-nine members, 
 many of them elderly people. It is against my judgment and 
 inclination. I wanted a new one consisting of young people. 
 But this class is distressed for want of a leader, and nothing 
 would do but that I must take it. So William introduced me 
 to them last Thursday, and led it for me for the first time. I 
 spoke and prayed and felt it good, but it seemed rather new 
 to me, after so long an interval. I don't know how I shall 
 get on. I don't fear anything but lack of spiritual power. It 
 will be a beginning, and perhaps I shall gain confidence to 
 undertake something more important in another circuit." 
 
 Writing a few days later Mrs. Booth says: 
 
 " I met my class yesterday for the first time, and got on 
 better than I expected. There were twenty-two members 
 
 Age 28. 
 
 The Sun- 
 day- 
 School. 
 
 Her 
 senior 
 class. 
 
 Her first 
 
 class- 
 meeting.
 
 304 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 A l857 'o 
 Age 28. 
 
 Plough- 
 ing on a 
 rock. 
 
 Pining 
 
 for a 
 
 revival. 
 
 Mrs. 
 Booth's 
 first pub- 
 lic effort. 
 
 The tem- 
 perance 
 question. 
 
 present. I felt it to be a good time, and so I think did they, 
 at least I heard some expressions of satisfaction and pleasure. 
 I felt very tremulous at first, but gained confidence and free- 
 dom as I went on. I feel a good deal exhausted, but other- 
 wise no worse. 
 
 A little later Mr. Booth sends a further account of 
 these meetings : 
 
 " Kate had a very good class yesterday afternoon, twenty- 
 three present and all full of glory. The people speak very 
 highly of her. She seems to be far more successful in pleas- 
 ing the folks than poor me. It has been very hard work, but 
 I have managed so far, and I shall go on until Conference. 
 Labour in this circuit is the most like ploughing on a rock of 
 anything I ever experienced in my life. I concluded the 
 specia^ services on Monday night. They are the most im- 
 pregnable people I ever attempted to impress. The last night 
 was, however, a good one. We took twenty-six names, some 
 of them very good cases, making about 120 during the ser- 
 vices. 
 
 " Since then for three nights I have been preaching in a small 
 village about two miles from here. We have had good con- 
 gregations and have taken above thirty names. However, I 
 am, after all, only happy in a flood-tide of salvation, and I fancy 
 I am best adapted to serve God, the church, and my genera- 
 tion as an evangelist. I wish I was independent of all con- 
 claves, councils, synods, and conferences. I would then 
 evangelise after my own heart's plan and to my heart's con- 
 tent." 
 
 If, however, Brighouse had been remarkable for 
 nothing else, it would have been memorable as the 
 place where Mrs. Booth made her first public effort. 
 As early as January, 1857, the idea had occurred to 
 Mr. Booth that Mrs. Booth, being so deeply interested 
 in the temperance question, might with advantage 
 to the work give a series of lectures. He was quite 
 certain that she possessed the requisite ability, the 
 only question being as to whether she could sufficiently
 
 BRIGHOUSE. 
 
 305 
 
 overcome her constitutional timidity. While in Brig- 
 house, however, an opportunity presented itself for 
 making an experiment in this direction with the 
 Junior Band of Hope connected with the chapel. 
 
 Referring to this proposal, Mrs. Booth writes to 
 her father as follows : 
 
 "December 7th, 1857. 
 
 " Thanks for your hints for my meeting. (Mr. Mumf ord 
 was himself a temperance lecturer.) If I get on well and find 
 I really possess any ability for public speaking, I don't intend 
 to finish with juveniles. If there is any reasonable hope of 
 success I shall try at something higher. When we were in 
 Cornwall, I went to hear a popular female lecturer, and felt 
 much encouraged to make an attempt. If I could do so, I 
 should be able to fit in with William's effort on his evangelis- 
 tic tours nicely. I only wish I had begun years ago. Had I 
 been fortunate enough to have been brought up amongst the 
 Primitives, I believe I should have been preaching now. You 
 laugh! But I believe it. The cares of a family and the 
 bothers of a house now preclude any kind of labour that re- 
 quires much study, but I don't think lecturing on temperance 
 would need much." 
 
 "23d December, 1857. 
 
 " I addressed the Band of Hope on Monday evening, and got 
 on far better than I expected. Indeed, I felt quite at home on 
 the platform, far more so than I do in the kitchen ! There 
 were a few adults present, and they seemed quite as much 
 interested and pleased as the children. One of them, Wil- 
 liam says, is the most intelligent gentleman in our congre- 
 gation. I got abundantly complimented, and had the most 
 pleasing evidence of the gratification and delight of the 
 children. Our next meeting is on Tuesday, the 29th. I ex- 
 pect a large increase in the attendance. If I get on I shall 
 give a lecture to the females of Brighouse first, and then to a 
 mixed audience. But I must not be too sanguine. Perhaps 
 I may lose my confidence next time. I am so anxious to suc- 
 ceed for the cause's sake. I hope my dear father will not 
 forget his promise to help me by sending me some hints. 
 
 "The coming week will be a heavy one. We have a tea- 
 20 
 
 1857, 
 
 A /ore- 
 
 future. 
 
 home on 
 p i a tform. 
 
 Abun- 
 
 %%$$. 
 mented. 
 
 week.
 
 306 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1858, 
 Age 29. 
 
 Another 
 meeting. 
 
 No retri- 
 butive 
 Provi- 
 dence. 
 
 The 
 training 
 
 of 
 children. 
 
 meeting here on Monday, the Band of Hope on Tuesday, out 
 to spend the day at Elland on Wednesday, my class on 
 Thursday, and a tea-meeting at Halifax on Friday, to which 
 they want me and Willie to go. So you see I shall- be quite 
 busy." 
 
 " 6th January, 1858. 
 
 " It is my Band of Hope meeting to-night, and I have not 
 above an hour to prepare. I did not get on so well last week, 
 because William and Miss Newbury were there, making me 
 feel less self-possessed. Still, I did not flounder, nor talk 
 incoherently. Miss Newbury and William both think I ought 
 to be very much encouraged, but I find it so difficult to 
 sufficiently abstract myself from household matters for the 
 necessary study." 
 
 How complete was their domestic happiness may 
 be judged from the following letter of Mrs. Booth to 
 her mother : 
 
 " The children are well. They are two beauties. Oh, I 
 often feel as though they cannot be mine ! It seems too much 
 to be true that they should be so healthy, when I am such a 
 poor thing ! But it appears as if the Lord had ordered it so, 
 while many whom I know, who are far healthier and stronger 
 than ourselves, have delicate children. I sometimes think it 
 is a kind of reward to William for his honourable fidelity to 
 me, notwithstanding my delicate healt hand his many tempta- 
 tions before we were married. I believe in a retributive 
 Providence, and often try to trace domestic misery to its 
 source, which is doubtless frequently to be found in the con- 
 duct of men towards their early loves. God visits for such 
 things in a variety of ways. Bless the Lord, we are reaping 
 no such fruits. The curse of no stricken heart rests on our 
 lot, or on our children, but in peace and domestic happiness 
 we 'live and love together. ' ' Praise God from whom all bless- 
 ings flow!" 
 
 " Willie gets every day more lovable and engaging and 
 affectionate. He manifests some very pleasing traits of char- 
 acter. You would love to see him hug Ballington and offer 
 him a bit of everything he has! He never manifests the 
 slightest jealousy or selfishness towards him, but on the con-
 
 BRIGHOUSE. 307 
 
 trary he laughs and dances when we caress baby, and when it 1858, 
 cries he is quite distressed. I have used him to bring me the Age 29. 
 footstool when I nurse baby, and now he runs with it to me 
 as soon as he sees me take him up, without waiting to be 
 asked, a piece of thoughtfulness I seldom receive from older 
 heads ! Bless him ! I believe he will be a thoroughly noble 
 lad, if I can preserve him from all evil influences. The Lord 
 help me! I have had to whip him twice lately severely 
 for disobedience, and it has cost me some tears. But it has 
 done him good, and I am reaping the reward already of my 
 self-sacrifice. The Lord help me to be faithful and firm as a 
 rock in the path of duty towards my children !"
 
 CHAPTER XXX. 
 
 BRIGHOUSE. 1858. 
 
 Another THE commencement of the new year was darkened 
 
 attack, for Mrs. Booth by an exceptional cloud of suffering. 
 
 She was threatened with a return of the spinal malady 
 
 which had previously afflicted her, and entertained 
 
 serious thoughts of placing herself under galvanic 
 
 treatment, from which she had formerly received 
 
 great benefit. 
 
 Her plans "I have only been to chapel twice during the last 
 
 /Vtts- 
 
 trated. month," she writes to her mother, "and had to come 
 away each time, once being carried out, I was so faint 
 and ill. It is the Band of Hope meeting to-night, but 
 I dare not go. I have not been able to attend it for 
 six weeks. ' So are my plans frustrated with a be- 
 crippled body ! I must say I am almost weary of it, and 
 sometimes feel that if it were not for the children it 
 would be nice to lay this troublesome, crazy body down. 
 A " William was talking the other day about the dif- 
 
 C1 body ed ferent bodies we shall have after the resurrection. 
 I replied that I hoped so, for I should never want to 
 find mine any more. I would leave it to the worms 
 for an everlasting portion, and prefer to live without 
 one ! It is much harder to suffer than to labour, es- 
 pecially when you have so many calls on your atten- 
 tion. It is so different lying ill in bed now, with two 
 children, perhaps one crying against the. other, to 
 what it used to be with no responsibility or care, and 
 a kind, loving mother to anticipate every want ! But 
 
 308
 
 BRIGHOUSE. 309 
 
 enough ! The cup which my Father hath given me 1858, 
 shall I not drink it? Especially seeing it is so much ge 29 ' 
 better than I have merited." 
 
 In February, however, Mrs. Booth had sufficiently Mr. 
 recovered to accompany her husband to Sheffield, baptises 
 where it had been arranged for the baby to be bap- tOO?' 
 tised by Mr. Caughey, who happened to be visiting 
 England at the time. The early and solemn dedica- 
 tion of their children to the service of God had always 
 appeared to Mr. and Mrs. Booth both a duty and a 
 privilege, and although the ceremony of baptism was 
 afterwards abandoned for reasons which are elsewhere 
 explained, the obligation to publicly consecrate them 
 to a life of holiness, sacrifice, and warfare, was ad- 
 hered to. Indeed, some of the most powerful and 
 successful meetings held in the Salvation Army are 
 those in which parents dedicate their children to God, 
 the occasion being utilised for seeking the salvation 
 and sanctifi cation of all present. 
 
 Mrs. Booth describes the visit to Sheffield and her 
 impressions of the famous evangelist in the follow- 
 ing letter : 
 
 SHEFFIELD, February. 
 
 " There was a very large meeting on Tuesday night. Up- M rs 
 ward of twelve hundred sat down to tea. We were at the Booth de- 
 
 SC7*lvCS 
 
 same table with Mr. Caughey, and William had some conver- Caughey. 
 sation with him. On Wednesday we dined with him at the 
 house where he is staying, and enjoyed a rich treat in his 
 society. He is a sweet fellow, one of the most gentle, loving, 
 humble spirits you can conceive of. He treated us with great 
 consideration and kindness, conversed with William on his 
 present and future position like a brother, and prayed for us 
 most fervently. 
 
 " On Thursday morning he called at Mr. Wilkins' and A solemn 
 baptised our dear Ballington in the presence of a few friends. ceremon y- 
 It was a very solemn and interesting ceremony. He asked 
 for him the most precious of all blessings, and dedicated him
 
 3io MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1858, to God most fervently, afterwards placing his hand on his head 
 Age 29. an( j blessing him in the name of the Lord. He wrote me an 
 inscription for my Bible, and took leave of us most affection- 
 ately, expressing the deepest interest in our future, and a de- 
 sire to know the proceedings of the next Conference in 
 William's case. I cannot describe I must leave you to im- 
 agine, the effect of all this on my mind. After almost ador- 
 ing his very name for ten years past to be thus privileged was 
 
 REV. JAMES CAUGHEY. 
 
 well nigh too much for me. When he took leave of me, I 
 pressed one fervent kiss on his hand, and felt more gratified 
 than if it had been Queen Victoria's." 
 
 Mr 'h C ? M ~ Hearing him preach and speak encouraged Mrs. 
 advice. Booth to hope for an equally useful career for her hus- 
 band, and it was natural that Mr. Booth should con- 
 sult Mr. Caughey as to his future. The latter had 
 passed through a very similar experience with the 
 American branch of the Wesleyan body, resigning 
 his position as a pastor rather than be confined to a
 
 BRIGHOUSE. 311 
 
 circuit. He counselled Mr. Booth to wait patiently 1858, 
 until he had been ordained and received into full con- ge 29 ' 
 nexion by the Conference, since the time for doing so 
 was now close at hand, and Mr. Caughey considered 
 that this would give him a special status, both in Eng- 
 land and America, which might prove of service to him 
 in the future. At the same time he assured Mr. Booth 
 that whether in the Connexion, or out of it, there was 
 undoubtedly awaiting him a career of wide-spread 
 usefulness. 
 
 Thirty years later, as General of the Salvation The Gen- 
 Army, Mr. Booth, during his visit in America, called 
 upon Mr. Caughey, who had then for some time retired 
 from active labour owing to old age and increasing later - 
 infirmities. It was with tears of joy that the veteran 
 embraced his former friend, and, after an affecting 
 interview the last they were destined to have upon 
 earth Mr. Caughey laid his hands upon the head of Mr. Cau- 
 the fellow-laborer to whose life his own had served blesses the 
 to lend an added inspiration, and with his eyes lifted 
 to Heaven, gave him his solemn and farewell blessing. 
 Since that remarkable interview Mr. Caughey has 
 gone to his reward, but before his death the baby boy 
 whom in Sheffield he had dedicated to God had grown 
 to manhood, and, in company with a devoted and tal- 
 ented life-partner, had taken his place at the head of a 
 widespread and powerful organisation in the United 
 States. 
 
 There was little else of an exceptional character factory 
 that marked the remainder of the stay in Brighouse, ' 
 but there is a reference in one of Mrs. Booth's letters 
 to the condition of the factory girls in the town, and 
 as the subject is one that has considerably exercised 
 the public conscience for some time past, and is likely 
 to occupy the attention of the legislature, her early
 
 312 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1858, 
 Age 29. 
 
 Mrs. 
 
 Booth's 
 
 vieivs. 
 
 Unwo- 
 manising 
 influence. 
 
 A pitiable 
 prospect. 
 
 Legal 
 prohibi- 
 tion. 
 
 The Con- 
 ference. 
 
 views on the question are of more than passing inter- 
 est. As usual, she strikes directly at the root of the 
 evil and seeks to devise some remedy for it : 
 
 " I wish you could see the troops of young girls who turn 
 out of these Yorkshire factories and mills, with their blue 
 smock pinafores, handkerchiefed heads, and beclogged feet. 
 They begin to work as half-timers when they are seven or 
 eight years old, and after a little while are able to earn eight or 
 nine shillings a week. In a family of three or four girls, with 
 perhaps a drunken father, it is a great temptation to the mother 
 to let her girls go to the mill. Indeed, parents seem to lose 
 sight altogether of the demoralising and unwomanising influ- 
 ence of the system. I never met with such a 'pounds, shill- 
 ings, and pence' people in my life. They seem to have lost 
 sight of every consideration comfort, respectability, and 
 everything else for the 'brass,' as they call it. I know peo- 
 ple, whom to look at in their homes you would think to be 
 quite poor, who are really worth hundreds of pounds. 
 
 " I was out for a little walk with a friend yesterday, when 
 we met a troop of factory girls going to dinner. I observed 
 that it augured discouragingly for the future of our country, 
 this horrible system of employing our young women in fac- 
 tories. What pitiable wives and mothers they will make! 
 Mothers ! Alas, I should say bearers of children, for we have 
 lamentable evidence that in everything desirable to the sacred 
 relationship they are awfully deficient. I see no help for it 
 but a law prohibiting young girls under twenty from working 
 in factories before one o'clock. This would oblige them to 
 attend to domestic matters in the forenoon, and in numbers 
 of instances to seek situations as household servants. I wish 
 some one would begin to agitate the subject in the news- 
 papers." 
 
 But the time for the annual meeting of Conference 
 was drawing near, and the all-absorbing question as 
 to its probable attitude in regard to the future en- 
 grossed the attention of Mr. and Mrs. Booth. They 
 approached some of their ministerial opponents, but 
 found them no more willing to agree to the evangel-
 
 BRIGHOUSE. 
 
 313 
 
 1858, 
 Age 29. 
 
 Unwilling 
 
 to keep 
 
 their 
 
 pledge. 
 
 istic work than they had been a year ago. Judging 
 from the attitude of even the more friendly preachers 
 it was easy to gather that the hopes that had been 
 held out by the previous Conference, and which had 
 formed so strong a part of the inducement to acquiesce 
 in the decision, would probably fall through. Mrs. 
 Booth writes to her parents as follows : 
 
 " William was at Halifax on Sunday and opened the service Waverers. 
 for Mr. Cooke, who was preaching there and who called to see 
 us yesterday. We were rather disappointed with him. He 
 does not seem so thorough on the subject of William's work 
 a.s we expected. Well, we must trust in the Lord, and seek 
 to know His will, for cursed is he who trusteth in man and 
 maketh flesh his boast. Mr. W. Mills told William at 
 Sheffield that he believed him better adapted for the evangel- 
 istic work than Mr. Caughey but, but! Ah, I know what, as 
 Mr. Caughey says !" 
 
 In a subsequent letter Mrs. Booth adds : 
 
 " We have no fresh news of a Connexional character. We 
 don't anticipate William's reappointment to the evangelistic 
 work. All the whispers we hear on the subject seem to pre- 
 dict the contrary. No, the spirit among the opposing few 
 who put him down is, I fear, as rampant now as it was then, 
 and his having gone through a circuit with all its usual rou- 
 tine will not appease it. The opposition party will, however, 
 have to make it manifest what manner of spirit they are of, 
 for the question this time will be thoroughly thrashed out. 
 We are seeking direction from above, and are endeavouring 
 to consecrate ourselves freshly to God, promising that if He 
 but clearly shows us His will in the matter, we will walk in 
 it at any cost. If we go to a circuit it will probably be Hali- 
 fax, for they seem determined to have us." 
 
 Although the Brighouse circuit had, in the first 
 instance, extended to Mr. and Mrs. Booth but a cool 
 reception, when the time for the Conference drew 
 near the local officials met together and presented a 
 unanimous request for the prolongation of their stay 
 
 The ap- 
 proach 
 ing con 
 test. 
 
 The cir- 
 cuit invite 
 
 them to 
 remain,
 
 3H MXS. BOOTH. 
 
 1858, during another year. Mr. and Mrs. Booth, however, 
 ge 29 ' declined the offer, believing that, whether they re- 
 
 But they turned to the evangelistic work or not, a change of 
 
 appointment would be beneficial. 
 Mr. Booth The Conference met in May at Hull. Mr. Booth 
 
 dained. was unanimously received into what is termed full 
 connexion, his four years of probation now having 
 expired. He was accordingly summoned to present 
 himself for ordination. This was a somewhat for- 
 midable ceremony. The President for the year, and 
 the ex- Presidents of former years, stood upon the plat- 
 form for the purpose of " laying hands" on the candi- 
 dates, who were previously called upon to give an 
 account of their conversion, and of their reasons for 
 seeking ordination. 
 
 Hands Mr. Booth had stipulated with some of those in 
 
 en. 
 
 whose piety and devotion he thoroughly believed, 
 that he should be near them and reap whatever ad- 
 vantage might accrue from their faith and prayers, 
 while there were others whom he studiously avoided, 
 Hands feeling that if the laying on of their hands involved the 
 impartation of the character and spirit they possessed, 
 he would rather dispense with it ! 
 
 The The question of his re-appointment to evangelistic 
 
 petition, work had not as yet come up for the consideration of 
 the Conference. A number of- circuits had petitioned 
 in favour of the proposal, and Mr. Booth's friends 
 were prepared to push the matter vigorously when it 
 was brought forward for discussion. The following 
 characteristic letter from him just after he had re- 
 ceived his ordination describes the situation: 
 
 "29th May, 1858. 
 jd r " I have just been to Hull to receive the rite of ordination. 
 
 Booth's I understand that my reception into full connexion was most 
 account. , . , , ,, , , 
 
 cordial and thoroughly unanimous. The service was an in-
 
 BRIGHOUSE. 
 
 315 
 
 1858, 
 Age 29. 
 
 by keep- 
 
 teresting one. I was surprised to find so large a number of 
 revival friends at the Conference. John Ridgway, William 
 Mills, William Cooke, Turnock, and many others are anxious 
 on the question of my re-appointment to evangelistic work. 
 Birmingham, Truro, Halifax (my own circuit), Chester, 
 Hawarden, and Macclesfield have presented memorials pray- 
 ing Conference to reinstate me in my former position. The 
 discussion had not come on when the business closed last 
 night. 
 
 " I understand I have won golden opinions by my deport- Winning 
 ment during the year. I cannot understand this, because I 
 am conscious that I have not served the Connexion to any- 
 thing like the extent I have done formerly. But I have kept 
 quiet, and that for a young man is very proper ! " 
 
 At this juncture a Mr. Halliwell, who had been one A com- 
 of the most rabid opponents of the evangelistic work 
 at the previous Conference, came forward and sug- 
 gested a compromise. His proposition was that Mr. 
 Booth should agree to go to a circuit for another year, 
 at the end of which he should be recalled to revival 
 work by the unanimous vote of the Conference. Mr. 
 Halliwell offered himself to propose this resolution, 
 which was to be drawn up by Mr. Booth's friends. 
 The compromise was accepted, though at a subsequent 
 date Mr. Booth was not a little chagrined to find that 
 the resolution in question made no mention of the 
 stipulated restoration to the evangelistic sphere. 
 
 Meanwhile, no sooner had it become known that 
 Mr. Booth was likely to take a circuit, than the lay 
 delegate from Gateshead put forth his utmost influ- 
 ence to secure his services. Not that the prospect 
 was a specially inviting one. The cause in Gateshead 
 was very low. Nominally there were some ninety 
 members on the rolls of the town chapel (Bethesda, as 
 it was called) , but few of these attended class, and the 
 ordinary Sunday-night congregation only numbered 
 
 Gates-
 
 316 MJ?S. BOOTH. 
 
 1858, about one hundred and twenty. Still, these were 
 
 Age 29. difficulties w hich did not daunt Mr. Booth. The 
 
 The in- people were anxious to have him, and this in itself 
 
 accepted, promised well for their hearty co-operation in any 
 
 efforts that he might put forth. The town was a 
 
 large one, numbering at that time a population of 
 
 about 50,000. And just across the waters of the Tyne 
 
 was the mother city of Newcastle. Realising, there- 
 
 fore, that the town and neighbourhood afforded so 
 
 large a scope for his labours, Mr. Booth consented to 
 
 the appointment. 
 
 Mrs. To this arrangement Mrs. Booth reluctantly agreed. 
 luctantiy She could not but feel the injustice of the action of 
 
 agrees. ^ Conference, nor fail to doubt the future fulfilment 
 of their present pledge. Nevertheless, having disin- 
 terestedly committed her cause to the One whose will 
 she sought above all else to follow, she started for 
 Gateshead with the settled conviction that the ap- 
 pointment would prove to be among the "all things" 
 that "work together for good."
 
 CHAPTER XXXI. 
 
 GATESHEAD.- THE CONVERTING SHOP. 
 
 1858. 
 
 THE change from Brighouse to Gateshead was like A 
 
 hjt 
 
 a transfer from the North Pole to the Equator. Al- people. 
 though the members were not numerous, they were 
 warm-hearted. In bygone years the cause had been 
 a flourishing one, but it had been wrecked by a min- 
 ister who had previously been most useful. From 
 being an earnest and successful preacher, he had so 
 completely backslidden as to become an infidel lect- 
 urer, and although before/his death he gave true signs 
 of genuine penitence, he was never able to undo the 
 mischief that his. conduct had wrought. How true 
 is it that 
 
 " The evil that men do lives after them ! 
 The good is oft interred with their bones!" 
 
 Not only so, but even during life, it is found easier An uphill 
 to undo the good we have done, than to remedy the 
 evil. At any rate it was so in the present case. The 
 Gateshead circuit had received a blow from which it 
 had hitherto been unable to recover. Its membership 
 had dwindled, soul-saving had become almost un- 
 known, debts had been contracted, and pastor after 
 pastor had vainly striven to lift it out of its slough 
 of despond with little or no success. Nevertheless a 
 faithful few had struggled on in the dark, believing 
 that a brighter day would sooner or later dawn. By 
 
 317
 
 MJ?S. BOOTH. 
 
 1858, 
 Age 29. 
 
 Delighted 
 at the 
 
 appoint- 
 ment. 
 
 The 
 people. 
 
 The 
 chapel. 
 
 Hopes 
 realised. 
 
 these the appointment of Mr. Booth was hailed with 
 unfeigned delight. 
 
 "They had a social tea-meeting last evening," 
 writes Mrs. Booth to her parents, as soon as she 
 could put pen to paper in her Gateshead home, " to 
 welcome us into the Circuit, and we were highly grat- 
 ified, I can assure you. In fact, you could hardly 
 conceive a more marked contrast than between our 
 reception here and at Brighouse. It is all we can de- 
 sire. The leading men say they have got the best 
 appointment in the Connexion. I wish you could 
 have heard Mr. Firbank's speech, the gentleman who 
 went to Conference as their delegate. He told us 
 afterward some of the remarks made to him by several 
 of the leading members of the Conference, when the 
 first reading came out with our names down for 
 Gateshead, such as 'Don't you wish you may get it!' 
 'It's too good to stand!' etc. It enlightened us 
 much as to the estimate in which, after all, the bulk of 
 the Conference hold William's ability and value to 
 the Connexion. 
 
 " Well, the people here seem unanimous in their sat- 
 isfaction and cordiality. I like them much, so far as 
 I have seen them. They appear intelligent and warm- 
 hearted. The chapel is a beautiful building, and 
 seats 1,250, they say. I have consented to meet a 
 class again, provided I can have it at home, as the 
 chapel is more than half a mile distant, and it is up- 
 hill coming back." 
 
 The bright anticipations with which the people met 
 their new pastor were more than realised. The con- 
 gregations began rapidly to increase. At the very 
 first Sunday-night meeting six persons professed sal- 
 vation, and the occasion was made the more interest- 
 ing by what was then an unheard-of novelty the
 
 THE CONVERTING SHOP. 
 
 319 
 
 minister's wife leading off in prayer at the conclusion 
 of the sermon ! 
 
 Before many weeks had passed the attendance at 
 Bethesda Chapel had doubled and quadrupled, till at 
 length not only was every seat taken, but it was not 
 uncommon for the aisles and every available spot to 
 be occupied so that some two thousand persons were 
 crowded within the walls. The fame of the work 
 spread all. around and gained for the chapel the sou- 
 briquet of the "Converting Shop." If the title was 
 not dignified, it was at least very significant, and 
 served, perhaps, to pave the way for the similar com- 
 monplace epithets which were to distinguish the poor 
 man's cathedrals of the Salvation Army. The public- 
 houses which cater for the taste of the very classes 
 whom the Salvation Army was afterwards to reach, 
 have long recognised the value of this peculiar species 
 of nomenclature, and it is interesting to trace thus 
 early the introduction of the dialect of the common 
 people. Neither was it to be confined to the names 
 of places. The familiar phraseology of the taproom, 
 was hereafter to be adopted to an extent that caused 
 considerable alarm among those who confound rever- 
 ence with refinement, and who are more afraid of 
 vulgarity than of sin. To such it has seemed little 
 short of blasphemy to dub a church a "barracks," to 
 speak of a preacher as a "Hallelujah lass" or "lad," 
 a " Happy Eliza," or a "Glory Tom," to call a meet- 
 ing a "free-and-easy," and, in short, to adopt the 
 every-day language of the poor. 
 
 It is worth noting, however, that nearly every such 
 expression has been coined by the people themselves, 
 often by the unconverted roughs who form the bulk 
 of our open-air congregations. They have suited the 
 popular taste, and thus have spread from one place to 
 
 1858, 
 Age 29. 
 
 Crowded 
 out. 
 
 The Con- 
 verting 
 Shop. 
 
 The value 
 of such 
 nomen- 
 clature. 
 
 Vulgarity 
 not sin, 
 
 nor irrev- 
 erence. 
 
 Carried 
 by the 
 people.
 
 320 MJ?S. BOOTH. 
 
 1858, another, in exactly the same manner as the early 
 Christians were derisively nicknamed in Antioch, or 
 the Quakers, Methodists, and Teetotallers in later 
 days. In Ceylon a Salvationist is familiarly known 
 among Buddhists as a " Gelavoonkaraya" Saviour 
 
 while in South India, in expression of the same idea, 
 and Rat- the Hindoos reckon that he belongs to the Ratchaerar 
 
 L'ftLt'lLl f*S 
 
 caste. All popular movements are bound more or less 
 to partake of this character. Nor is it complained of 
 in politics, where we tolerate the existence of Whigs, 
 Tories, Jingoes, Mugwumps, and similar vulgarities. 
 Book-ian- There can be little doubt that the adoption of a 
 
 guage. 
 
 stilted, unnatural, highflown, bookish phraseology in 
 matters pertaining to religion has served largely to 
 alienate the lower classes from its pursuit. Ministers 
 talk a foreign language, largely learned from books. 
 
 Theology. Theology has long since been divorced from the 
 vulgar colloquial of the common people, and has been 
 united in matrimony to the language of a bygone age. 
 Hence it has had to content itself for its conquests 
 with those who have been sufficiently educated to un- 
 derstand its terms. 
 
 The lan- A deep principle underlies this fact. To become 
 
 guage of ' . 
 
 familiar with the thoughts and feelings, the sorrows 
 and aspirations of the multitude, we must speak their 
 language, and surely without such familiarity we 
 cannot hope to grapple with their circumstances, and 
 convince them of the truths we proclaim. True, lan- 
 guage is but a vehicle for expressing our thoughts. 
 It is the spirit embodied in our words that makes or 
 mars our efforts. Nevertheless, if the right spirit 
 exists, it necessarily follows that it will invariably 
 lead to the choice of such language as will the most 
 readily convey its meaning. Why should it select 
 the high-flown phrases of conventionality, when it
 
 THE CONVERTING SHOP. 321 
 
 finds ready for its use expressions full of force, mean- 1858, 
 ing and vitality, any more than we should prefer a trip ge 29 ' 
 across the Atlantic in the facsimile of Christopher A mod- 
 Columbus 's galley rather than in a modern steamer, t^an^n- 
 It is true there are those who regret the exchange galley. 
 from the spotless decks and snowy canvas of the for- 
 mer to the coal dust, noise, and machinery of the lat- 
 ter. But when it comes to the question of a voyage 
 there are few who would prefer even the most recent 
 versions of the sailing ship to its more grimy but 
 swift competitor. If, indeed, men were bent on recre- 
 ation rather than business, it might be otherwise. 
 And perhaps this may be the explanation of the 
 strange perversity with which, in religious matters, 
 an opposite course is pursued, that so few make the 
 salvation of the masses the business of their lives and 
 the subject of absorbing study. 
 
 But, however this may be, Bethesda Chapel certainly 
 took a new lease of life from the time that it was pop- 
 ularly christened the "Converting Shop." 
 
 The first year spent by Mr. and Mrs. Booth in The birth 
 Gateshead was signalled by the birth of their eldest < Mar/- 
 daughter, Catherine, now Mrs. Booth-Clibborn, better 
 known to the public as the " Marechale." This inter- 
 esting event took place on the i8th of September, 
 1858. "Baby is a little beauty," reports Mr. Booth 
 to Mr. and Mrs. Mumford, "a perfect gem, healthy 
 and quiet, and is altogether all the fondest grandfather 
 or grandmother could desire. I am sure you ought 
 to send us a vote of thanks, passed unanimously, for 
 conferring such honor upon you." 
 
 The vote of thanks asked for by Mr. Booth was The vote 
 to come from quarters of which he had then not the ^ th 
 faintest suspicion. The baby girl that Mrs. Booth 
 clasped with such fondness to her heart, telling her
 
 322 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1858, mother that she loved her better than the rest, be- 
 ge 29> cause the others being boys were better able to look 
 after themselves, was to be the first missionary of the 
 family, and the love and blessing of thousands of 
 French and Swiss converts were yet to be hers. 
 Writing to her mother Mrs. Booth says : 
 
 The baby. " As to the baby, I suppose you will think me like all 
 mothers when I say she is a little beauty ! Her hair is ex- 
 actly the color of mine. She has a nice nose and mouth, a 
 fine forehead, and a plump round face. William thinks she is 
 more like me than any of them. She is the picture of health 
 and happiness and thrives daily. Now I hope this description 
 is particular enough even for a grandmama." 
 
 An a n A series of revival services were inaugurated, com- 
 < pray/r m encing on Whit- Monday with an entire day of fast- 
 
 and fust- j n g an ^ prayer, lasting from seven in the morning 
 till ten.at night the first "all day of prayer" of which 
 we have any record, and the precursor of the many 
 "all days," "all nights," and "two days with God," 
 which have since been made a blessing to so many 
 thousands. And yet, from the very commencement 
 of Mr. Booth's ministry, Sunday had been practi- 
 cally spent as an " all day. " The possibility of extend- 
 ing the idea to week-days, and especially to holidays, 
 was, however, a later development. Hence the first 
 experiment in this direction is of special interest. 
 
 A special It was followed by ten weeks of special services, the 
 
 effort. 
 
 whole town being previously canvassed with bills 
 
 which were distributed from house to house, Mrs. 
 
 Booth herself undertaking one district which con- 
 
 tained about a hundred and fifty houses. As a result 
 
 Three of this effort more than three hundred persons pro- 
 
 penitents. fessed to be converted, many of whom were young 
 
 men who not only became useful members of the
 
 THE CONVERTING SHOP. 323 
 
 church but afterwards rose to positions of distinction 1858, 
 as mayors, aldermen, magistrates and ministers. 
 
 At the commencement of the revival Mr. Booth Apray- 
 made out a long list of names of those for whose sal- ing list ' 
 vation he was specially solicitous, and it was with 
 great joy that he found at the conclusion of the meet- 
 ings that nearly all of them had been converted. In 
 one case there was a family of sixteen members, all of The 
 whom had professed to find peace, and there were sixteen 
 several other entire families of six or eight members. 
 In one large workshop on the Tyne, the men in the 
 cooperage department an exceptionally drunken set 
 all professed con version, with one solitary exception. 
 And a number of men employed in a cement factory 
 gave a similar testimony. 
 
 The meetings are described by Mrs. Booth in the 
 following letter : 
 
 " William is to conduct a union prayer-meeting next Friday The 
 night in the Wesleyan Chapel. The whole town is moved, chairman 
 
 OT Ct I TCP,- 
 
 His name is a regular topic of conversation in the large iron and-easy. 
 and railway works, some of which employ 1,200 men. On 
 Tuesday night they had one man at the rail who said he 
 was chairman of a public-house ' free-and-easy, ' but that he 
 should drop it, go home, and burn ail his song books. One of 
 our people saw him the other day, in the place where he 
 works, surrounded by a lot of rough fellows, who were ' chair- 
 ing ' him (carrying him round the works in a chair) in honour 
 of his conversion. But, though they jeer and ridicule him 
 in every possible way, he still holds on. May the Lord 
 strengthen him. 
 
 " We were never in a work where the cases were so satis- The 
 factory. Nearly all are adults, and many are intelligent, edu- conver t s - 
 cated, and respectable. Some single instances would satisfy 
 many a preacher of the jog-trot sort fora whole year's labour. 
 The congregations, too, have kept up amazingly. In fact they 
 have continued improving, vast numbers of strangers coming 
 every night."
 
 324 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1858, 
 Age 29. 
 
 A recog- 
 nition 
 meeting. 
 
 A strik- 
 ing scene. 
 
 The open- 
 air work. 
 
 Finances 
 improve. 
 
 The series of services closed with a " recognition 
 meeting" for the new converts, at which Mrs. Booth 
 was present, and of which she sends the following 
 account to her mother : 
 
 " I ventured to chapel on Tuesday night to the public recog- 
 nition service. The persons brought to God since we have 
 been here were admitted by ticket into the body of the chapel, 
 while the old members and the public occupied the gallery. 
 It would have done your soul good to have seen the bottom 
 of that large chapel almost full of new converts, most of them 
 people in middle life, and a great proportion men. 
 
 " William gave them an address composed of various coun- 
 sels respecting their future course, which if they adopt they 
 will do something for this poor world of ours. 
 
 " On the whole it has been a glorious year for this circuit, 
 such an one as nobody expected to see. And I believe Wil- 
 liam has become the most popular and beloved minister either 
 in Gateshead or Newcastle. All praise unto Him, Whose 
 doing it is ! " 
 
 Another special feature of the Gateshead campaign 
 was its open-air work. This was an entire novelty in 
 the town. The members were organised into a pro- 
 cession every Sunday evening and paraded the streets 
 from five to six o'clock, singing as they went, and 
 stopping at suitable intervals for the delivery of brief 
 and pointed exhortations to the unconverted persons 
 who crowded round the ring. On several occasions 
 bands of men were sent out by the publicans to sing 
 down the processionists, who not unfrequently started 
 singing a hymn to the same popular tune, thus de- 
 feating the would-be disturbers with their own 
 weapons. 
 
 The spiritual revival was accompanied by an en- 
 couraging improvement in the financial position of 
 the circuit. Not only were the old debts wiped off, 
 but the funds became sufficient to support three in-
 
 THE CONVERTING SHOP. 325 
 
 stead of two ministers, and to meet with ease all the 1858, 
 current liabilities. It would have been possible at 
 the previous Conference for Mr. Booth to have se- 
 cured his appointment to a circuit the financial pros- 
 perity of which had been already assured, but this 
 with him was always a secondary consideration. He 
 argued that the best way to ensure the financial in- 
 terests of any circuit was to restore prosperity to its 
 spiritual interests, and that in so doing the former 
 would never fail to revive. The truth of this princi- 
 ple he has been able to demonstrate over and over 
 again during his subsequent career. 
 
 With one of the means for recruiting the circuit church 
 funds both Mr. and Mrs. Booth had reason to be dis- bazaars - 
 satisfied. They had looked upon bazaars as a part 
 and parcel of the church routine, and had hitherto 
 countenanced them without experiencing any con- 
 scientious qualms. With the general principle of 
 offering gifts in kind for the advancement of God's 
 Kingdom, and of selling what had thus been given, 
 they had no quarrel. It was the abuses which had 
 gradually crept into the system that aroused their 
 disapproval and brought them to the decision that 
 they could no longer countenance the system. 
 
 Mrs. Booth sends her mother the following descrip- 
 tion of what had occurred : 
 
 " I have had a very harassing week, though I have Mrs. 
 not been much to the Bazaar since the first day. I 
 have been too busy to go in the daytime, and too 
 weary of an evening. However, I have had quite 
 enough of it, and have made up my mind that it is the 
 last I will ever have anything to do with so long as I 
 live. William has come to the same conclusion. In 
 fact, he is quite disheartened and unhappy about it. 
 
 " So far as getting money is concerned it has been
 
 326 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1858, very successful, having realized 232, but it has been 
 
 ge 29< a dissipating, godless affair, and has exerted a very 
 
 A dissi- evil influence on our people. There has been a deal 
 
 godless of lotterying, which is little better than gambling, 
 
 affair. an ^ ^e foolery and display in dress has made us sick 
 
 at heart. William says he will write a pamphlet on 
 
 the subject, but I don't know whether he will find 
 
 the time. I am sure some one ought to set forth the 
 
 secularising, worldly influence such occasions exert on 
 
 the church. It is most baneful." 
 
 Referring to this subject in later years Mrs. Booth 
 says: 
 
 Her " I said to a lady a little while ago, who was work- 
 
 opim'on ing an elaborate piece of embroidery for a bazaar, 
 bazaars. 'Why don't you give the money, and use your time 
 for something better?' She answered, 'This will sell 
 for more than it costs.' 'Then reckon what it will 
 sell for, and give the money; don't sit at home mak- 
 ing other people's finery, instead of visiting the sick 
 and seeking to save the lost!' It makes me burn with 
 shame to think how money is raised for so-called re- 
 ligious purposes by semi-worldly concerts, entertain- 
 ments, penny readings, and bazaars at which there 
 is frequently positive gambling to raise money for 
 Jesus Christ, whom they say they love more than 
 fathers, mothers, husbands, wives, houses or lands, 
 or anything else on earth!"
 
 CHAPTER XXXII. 
 GATESHEAD. 1858-1859. 
 
 IT was during the autumn of 1858 that an accident A 
 occurred which, but for the Divine interposition, 
 might have brought Mrs. Booth's career to an un- 
 timely conclusion. She thus describes the incident 
 in a letter to her parents : 
 
 " Sunday evening. 
 
 " I have not been out today, in consequence of feel- 
 ing stiff and poorly from the effects of an accident which 
 befell me on Friday. And when I have described it I 
 am sure you will join me in praising God that I am no 
 worse. William has wanted me and the children to go to 
 Sheriff Hill ever since the special services there commenced, 
 but we put it off to the last. On Friday, however, we all went 
 to the concluding services. Mr. Scott brought a very nice con- 
 veyance and his own pony to fetch us. We went in safety and 
 comfort, enjoyed the meeting, and were coming home at 
 about half-past six. 
 
 " Through a little oversight, however, it was found we could A danger' 
 not have the same conveyance for return, but only a gig be- ous f al1 - 
 longing to one of our friends. So, fortunately, I sent the 
 nurse home on foot with the baby, a young woman accom- 
 panying her. William delayed going into the meeting to 
 pack us off all right. Young Scott was driving, Willie sat in 
 the middle, and I with Ballington on my knee, all muffled and 
 cloaked, next to him. The moment we were all in I felt we 
 were too light on the horse's back, but did not say anything 
 for fear of being thought ridiculous. We had not gone many 
 yards, however, before I was sure we were not safe, and I said 
 to Mr. Scott, 'Oh, dear! I feel as though we were slipping 
 
 327
 
 3 28 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1858, 
 Age 29. 
 
 A marvel- 
 lous es- 
 cape. 
 
 Nobody 
 hurt. 
 
 The horse 
 
 was not 
 
 te blame. 
 
 "Jigboke! 
 
 Make 
 
 Pilloo 
 
 fall ! " 
 
 backwards!' I had hardly got the words out of my mouth 
 when the pony, frightened by the rising of the shafts, set 
 off, and we were all thrown out behind. 
 
 " I fell flat on the back of my head with Ballington on the 
 top of me. I' don't know how Willis fell, but, wonderful to 
 say, they were neither of them hurt. William and all Mr. 
 Scott's family still stood watching us when it happened, and 
 of course flew to our assistance, screaming as they came. In- 
 deed all the village was up in arms. The horse went off with 
 the gig at full gallop, not stopping until he fell flat down, 
 breaking both shafts. 
 
 " William lifted me in his arms and carried me back. One 
 and another took the children, and we all received the great- 
 est care and kindness from the Scotts, who were very much 
 distressed. I was greatly shaken, and nearly all the sense 
 knocked out of me, but I trust no serious harm was done. I 
 feel better this evening. Is it not a mercy that I am able to 
 write to you ! It seems wonderful to me that I have escaped 
 so well, considering that I was rendered so helpless by the 
 child being on my knee. It was a terrible crash, such as I 
 would not like again, but, bless the Lord, we are all alive and 
 the children are not a bit the worse. No one can account for 
 the accident, but I think the harnessing was wrong. I am 
 sure the horse was not to blame. It is a sweet creature and 
 never did such a thing before, but the rising of the shafts 
 frightened it. Another mercy connected with it is that we 
 had just got over some very large and sharp stones, recently 
 laid down, on to an even road. If it had happened on the 
 stones I believe my head would have been laid open. 
 
 " They borrowed a phaeton to bring us home not a very 
 comfortable ride, I can assure you, after such a fright. How- 
 ever, we arrived safely, and I am not likely to forget our visit 
 to Sheriff Hill ! Willie says, 'Jig boke ! Make Pilloo (Willie) 
 fall! And mama fall! Poor mama! Got pain!' You would 
 have been pleased to see what concern the little creature 
 manifested about me when I lay on the sofa at Mr. Scott's. 
 He seemed to forget everybody but me. It has freshly en- 
 deared him to me. How strange that after all our journey- 
 ings up and down Without a single accident, we should 
 happen to have this one in going but two miles from home ! 
 I trust I am becomingly thankful for such a favourable issue/'
 
 GA TESHEAD. 
 
 329 
 
 Mrs. Booth was careful to avoid manifesting any 
 sort of favouritism in the treatment of her children. 
 A year previous to this, soon after Ballington's 
 birth, Mr. Booth writes as follows: 
 
 " Kate says we must have no distinctions, such as forty 
 kisses for Willie and only twenty for Babs. No coat of many 
 colours. You must love both alike. Is this possible? I am 
 afraid not, especially when we remember how grandmama 
 toiled and sacrificed over our first-born ! " 
 
 The following letter from Mrs. Booth to her mother 
 shows how consistently she adhered to her principles 
 in regard to her children's dress, and this from their 
 very infancy: 
 
 " I was very sorry to hear you were so poorly. Do not sit 
 so close at work." (Mrs. Mumford was especially skilful with 
 her needle. Some graceful specimens of her handiwork have 
 been preserved with care and are now worn by her infant 
 great-grandchildren.) "I am certain you are injuring your- 
 self by it, and it is such folly when I do not desire it, and 
 when the things that cost you the most labour lie in the 
 drawers, and are seldom worn, simply because they are too 
 handsome. What will you say when I tell you that the beau- 
 tiful frock you brought Willie has never been on him yet, and 
 I am now altering it a little, to make it less showy, so that he 
 may wear it at the tea-meeting on Easter Monday? 
 
 " You see, my dear mother, William speaks so plainly on 
 the subject of dress, that it would be the most glaring incon- 
 sistency if I were to deck out my children as the worldlings 
 do. And, besides, I find it would be dangerous for their own 
 sakes. The seed of vanity is too deeply sown in the young 
 heart for me to dare to cultivate it. I confess it requires 
 some self-denial to abstain from making them as beautiful 
 as they might be made to look. But oh ! if God should take 
 them from me I should never regret it, and if He spares them 
 I trust that He will grant them the more of that inward 
 adorning which is in His sight of great price. 
 
 " Don't think I undervalue your kindness. I am most grate- 
 ful for all you have done for them. Only I want you to mod- 
 
 1858, 
 Age 29. 
 
 No 
 
 favourit- 
 ism. 
 
 No coat 
 of many 
 colours. 
 
 Plain 
 dress. 
 
 Inconsis- 
 tency. 
 
 Value the 
 kindness.
 
 330 
 
 MAS. BOOTH. 
 
 1859, 
 Age 30. 
 
 Sowing 
 the seeds 
 of vanity. 
 
 Mrs. 
 
 Booth on 
 dress. 
 
 The lace 
 tippet. 
 
 Renounc- 
 ing the 
 world. 
 
 ify it. There is, you know, a great difference between a plain 
 coat, without a bit of work at all upon it, and one which 
 would set everybody admiring and saying, ' I should think it 
 would be five shillings a yard!' I am sure you will not mis- 
 understand either what I say or the motive which prompts 
 me to say it." 
 
 Who can tell how many careless mothers sow in 
 their children's hearts the seeds of worldliness, and 
 reap an after harvest of the most painful kind ! Ah, 
 what sins and sorrows, what failures and disasters, 
 can be traced back to the wrong teachings of a 
 nursery, and, on the contrary, how many a noble 
 character has been shaped within its precincts by the 
 wise hand of a watchful mother! Referring, many 
 years subsequently, to the question of simplicity in 
 dress, Mrs. Booth remarks: 
 
 " Associated with my very earliest ideas of religion was the 
 necessity for plainness of dress. It seemed to me clear from 
 the teachings of the Bible that Christ's people should be 
 separate from the world in everything which denoted char- 
 acter, and that they should not only be separate but appear so. 
 Otherwise what benefit would their separation confer upon 
 the others? 
 
 " I remember feeling condemned, when quite a child, not 
 more than eight years old, at having to wear a lace tippet 
 such as was fashionable in those days. From a worldly point 
 of view it would have been considered, no doubt, very neat and 
 consistent. But on several occasions I had good crying fits 
 over it. Not only did I instinctively feel it to be immodest, 
 because people could see through it, but I thought it was not 
 such as a Christian child should wear. 
 
 " As I advanced in religious experience I became more and 
 more convinced that my appearance ought to be such as to 
 show to everybody with whom I came in contact that I had 
 renounced the pomps and vanities of the world, and that I be- 
 longed to Christ. Had the church to which I belonged worn a 
 uniform I should joyfully have adopted it. I always felt that 
 it was mean to be ashamed of Christ in the street or among
 
 GA TESHEAD. 
 
 331 
 
 1859, 
 Age 30. 
 
 His enemies. And it was only in conformity to the opinions 
 of those whom I regarded as my superiors in wisdom and grace 
 that I conformed to the world as much as I did in the matter 
 of dress. 
 
 " People have asked me, sometimes, whether we cannot be The heart 
 separate from the world in our hearts without being different and dress - 
 in our dress. My reply has been, 'What is the use to the 
 world of a testimony for Christ up in your bedroom? The 
 very essence of witnessing for God before the world is that we 
 should not be like it. ' The people quite recognise this, 
 whether Christians do or not. Hence their contempt for those 
 who talk to them about religion while dressed as fashionably 
 as themselves. They may listen out of politeness, but they 
 will say in their hearts, and often, when our backs are turned, 
 with their lips, 'Physician, heal thyself! ' Why does she come 
 and talk to me about giving up the world when she has not 
 done so herself, at any rate as far as dress is concerned? ' ' 
 
 A bed- 
 room tes- 
 timony. 
 
 The following is another example of the nursery 
 lessons impressed upon her children's minds: 
 
 " Willie is a generous little fellow. He has a money-box 
 and a few ha'pence in it. The other day we saw a poor boy 
 without shoes. Willie was condoling with him, so I asked 
 him whether he would rather buy some barley sugar with his 
 money or give it to the child. He said without hesitation, 
 4 Give it to the poor boy, mamma. ' I felt very grateful for the 
 generous impulse manifested. Oh for wisdom to train it 
 aright and make it the handmaid of principle, for the gener- 
 osity of mere impulse is of little worth !" 
 
 It was an interesting lesson in finance for the future 
 administrator of a great organisation's revenue. The 
 money-box betokened thrift, but there was no sin on 
 the face of God's earth against which Mrs. Booth was 
 more ready to take arms than the avarice and mean- 
 ness which are too often instilled in the childish 
 heart. How many a grasping and miserly disposition 
 is manufactured in a nursery by means of unwise 
 parents who do not distinguish between thrift and 
 
 nursery 
 lesson. 
 
 Her 
 
 hatred of 
 avarice.
 
 332 MjRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1859, avarice, and who hope to counteract evil tendencies 
 by mere prayers and Bible lessons as an antidote ! It 
 was because Mrs. Booth accompanied her Scripture 
 stories by such practical illustrations as the above that 
 she was enabled to write them so indelibly upon the 
 hearts of her children. 
 
 Caches " You will be very much pleased with Willie," she 
 at three, writes, when he was only three years and two months 
 old. " He loves to listen to stories about Joseph, 
 Moses, Daniel, and the Saviour. Indeed, he can 
 'p'each,' as he calls it, very nicely. You would like 
 to hear him repeat, as he throws his arms out and 
 speaks through his eyes : 
 
 '"All ye that pass by, 
 To Jesus draw nigh, 
 To you is it nothing that Jesus should die ? ' 
 
 A happy He is a very good boy in chapel and likes to go ! 
 
 house 
 
 They are all fine, healthy, lovable children, and as 
 sharp as needles, and amidst all the toil arid anxiety 
 they occasion I am cheered and sustained by the sym- 
 pathy and love of their father. William never was 
 kinder or more loving and attentive than now. He 
 often tells me I grow more beautiful in his sight and 
 more precious to his heart day by day. I know it 
 will gratify you to hear that your Kate is so highly 
 prized by the man of her choice, and this is the only 
 reason I write you thus. We have now been married 
 four and a half years, and I believe we love each 
 other better than on our wedding day. ' Praise the 
 Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits!' " 
 A unan- But deeply as Mrs. Booth was attached to her 
 citation, family, and ably as she fulfilled the duties of a 
 mother, many circumstances combined about this 
 period to direct her energies into a more public
 
 GATESHEAD. 333 
 
 sphere. Mr. Booth had long been convinced that she 1859, 
 was peculiarly fitted to address large audiences. 
 Others shared the opinion. "I received a unanimous 
 invitation," writes Mrs. Booth, in September, 1859, 
 "from our Leaders' meeting the other night to give 
 an address at the special prayer-meetings this week. 
 Of course I declined. I don't know what they can be 
 thinking of!" 
 
 But, although for some time longer Mrs. Booth still Another 
 
 . . .* . sphere 
 
 found it impossible to overcome her timidity in this opens. 
 direction, another path of usefulness opened out be- 
 fore her in an unexpected manner, which was, perhaps, 
 the best possible preparation for the public ministry 
 that was soon to take its place. We cannot do better 
 than describe it in her own words : 
 
 "One Sabbath I was passing down a narrow, Her own 
 thickly populated street on my way to chapel, antici- 
 pating an evening's enjoyment for myself, and hop- 
 ing to see some anxious ones brought into the King- 
 dom, when I chanced to look up at the thick rows of 
 small windows above me where numbers of women 
 were sitting, peering through at the passers by or 
 listlessly gossiping with each other. 
 
 " It was suggested to my mind, with great power, 
 'Would you not be doing God more service, and act- 
 ing more like your Redeemer, by turning into some 
 of these houses, speaking to these careless sinners, 
 and inviting them to the service, than by going to 
 enjoy it yourself?' I was startled; it was a new 
 thought; and while I was reasoning about it the 
 same inaudible interrogator demanded, 'What effort 
 do Christians put forth answerable to the command, 
 Compel them to come in, that my house may be 
 filled? ' 
 
 " This was accompanied with a light and unction
 
 334 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1859, 
 Age 30. 
 
 She obeys 
 the call. 
 
 The first 
 effort. 
 
 The next 
 group. 
 
 Contin- 
 ued suc- 
 cess. 
 
 which I knew to be Divine. I felt greatly agitated. 
 I felt verily guilty. I knew that I had never thus 
 laboured to bring lost sinners to Christ, and, trembling 
 with a sense of my utter weakness, I stood still for a 
 moment, looked up to heaven, and said, 'Lord, if 
 Thou wilt help me, I will try;' and, without stopping 
 longer to confer with flesh and blood, turned back 
 and commenced my work. 
 
 "I spoke first to a group of women sitting on a 
 doorstep; and oh! what that effort cost me words 
 cannot describe ; but the Spirit helped my infirmities 
 and secured for me a patient and respectful hearing, 
 with a promise from some of them to attend the house 
 of God. This much encouraged me ; I began to taste 
 the joy which lies hidden under the cross, and to 
 realise, in some faint degree, that it is more blessed 
 to give than to receive. With this timely, loving 
 cordial from my Master I went on to the next group, 
 who were standing at the entrance of a low, dirty 
 court. Here, again, I was received kindly, and prom- 
 ises were given. No rude repulse, no bitter ridicule 
 were allowed, to shake my new-found confidence or 
 chill my feeble zeal. I began to realise that my Mas- 
 ter's feet were behind me; nay, before me smooth- 
 ing my path and preparing my way. 
 
 "This blessed assurance so increased my courage 
 and enkindled my hope that I ventured to knock at 
 the door of the next house, and, when it was opened, 
 to go in and speak to the inmates of Jesus, death, 
 judgment, and eternity. The man, who appeared to 
 be one of the better class of mechanics, seemed to be 
 much interested and affected by my words, and prom- 
 ised with his wife to attend the revival services 
 which were being held at the chapel. 
 
 " With a heart full of gratitude and eyes full of tears
 
 GATESHEAD. 335 
 
 I was thinking where I should go next, when I ob- 1859, 
 served a woman standing on an adjoining doorstep 
 with a jug in her hand. My divine Teacher said, A drunk- 
 'Speak to that woman.' Satan suggested, 'Perhaps she "Zife. 
 is intoxicated;' but after a momentary struggle I in- 
 troduced myself to her by saying, ' Are the people out 
 who live on this floor?' observing that the lower part of 
 the house was closed. 'Yes,' she said, 'they are gone 
 to chapel ; ' and I thought I perceived a weary sadness 
 in her voice and manner. I said, 'Oh, I am so glad 
 to hear that ; how is it that you are not gone to a 
 place of worship?' 'Me?' she said, looking down 
 upon her forlorn appearance; 'I can't go to chapel; I 
 am kept at home by a drunken husband. I have to . ^ , 
 
 J husband. 
 
 stop with him to keep him from the public-house, and 
 I have just been fetching him some drink.' I ex- 
 pressed my sorrow for her, and asked if I might come 
 in and see her husband. ' No, ' she said, 'he is drunk ; 
 you could do nothing with him now. ' I replied, ' I do 
 not mind his being drunk, if you will let me come in ; 
 I am not afraid; he will not hurt me.' 'Well,' said 
 the woman, 'you can come if you like; but he will 
 only abuse you.' I said, 'Never mind that,' and fol- 
 lowed her up the stairs. 
 
 " I felt strong now in the Lord, and in the power strong in 
 of His might, and as safe as a babe in the arms of its 
 mother. I realised that I was in the path of obedi- 
 ence, and I feared no evil. Oh how much the Lord's 
 people lose through disobedience to the leadings of 
 the Holy Spirit ! If they would only keep His words 
 He would dwell with them, and then they need fear 
 neither men nor devils. 
 
 " The woman led me to a small room on the first Dealing 
 floor, where I found a fine, intelligent man, about "drunk- 
 forty, sitting almost double in a chair, with a jug by ard '
 
 336 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1859, his .side out of which he had been drinking that 
 which had reduced him beneath the level of the beasts 
 that perish. I leaned on my heavenly Guide for 
 strength and wisdom, love and power, and He gave me 
 all I needed. He silenced the demon, strong drink, 
 and quickened the man's perceptions to receive my 
 
 Heiistens. words. As I began to talk to him, with my heart full 
 of sympathy, he gradually raised himself in his chair 
 and listened with a surprised and half -vacant stare. 
 I spoke to him of his present deplorable condition, of 
 the folly and wickedness of his course, of the inter- 
 ests of his wife and children, until he was thoroughly 
 aroused from the stupor in which I found him. 
 
 A wretch- " During this conversation his wife wept bitterly, 
 and by fragments told me a little of their previous 
 history. I found that she had once known the Lord 
 but had allowed herself to be dragged down by trouble, 
 had cast away her confidence, and fallen into sinr 
 She told me that her husband had a brother in the 
 Wesleyan ministry who had done all that a brother 
 could to save him; that they had buried a daughter 
 two years before, who died triumphantly in the Lord, 
 and besought her father with her dying breath to 
 leave off drinking and prepare to meet her in hea- 
 ven ; that she had a son, then about eighteen, who, 
 she feared, was going into a consumption; that her 
 
 A clever husband was a clever workman, and could earn three 
 an ' or four pounds per week as a journeyman, but he 
 drank it nearly all, so that they were compelled to 
 live in two rooms and often went without necessary 
 food. I read to him the parable of the Prodigal Son, 
 while the tears ran down his face like rain. I then 
 prayed with him as the Spirit gave me utterance, and 
 left, promising to call the next day with a temper- 
 ance-pledge book, which he agreed to sign.
 
 GA TESHEAD. 
 
 337 
 
 " I now felt that my work was done. Exhausted 
 in body, but happy in soul, I wended my way to the 
 sanctuary, just in time for the conclusion of the ser- 
 vice, and to lend a helping hand in the prayer-meeting. 
 
 " On the following day I visited this man again. 
 He signed the pledge, and listened attentively to all 
 I said. Full of hope I left him, to find others simi- 
 larly lost and fallen. From that time I commenced 
 a systematic course of house-to-house visitation, de- 
 voting two evenings per week to the work. The 
 Lord so blessed my efforts that in a few weeks I suc- 
 ceeded in getting ten drunkards to abandon their 
 soul-destroying habits, and to meet me once a week 
 for reading the Scriptures and for prayer." 
 
 In a letter written to her parents Mrs. Booth de- 
 scribes this work as follows: 
 
 " I have commenced my operations amongst the 
 drunkards.^ I wish I could give you particulars, but I 
 cannot spare time, so it must suffice to say that I have 
 been quite as successful as I expected, and have met 
 with nothing but the greatest civility. I have visited 
 two evenings this week, and have attended two cottage 
 prayer-meetings at which I have had four penitents. 
 The rooms were very full and hot, and of course I 
 felt rather knocked up the next day. But by lying 
 down in the afternoons I don't think I am any the 
 worse." 
 
 In describing these visiting experiences afterwards 
 Mrs. Booth says: 
 
 " I was obliged to go in the evenings, because it 
 was the only part of the day when I could get away. 
 And even had it been otherwise I should not have 
 found the men at home any other time. I used to ask 
 one drunkard's wife where another lived. They al- 
 ways knew. After getting hold of eight or ten in 
 
 1859, 
 Age 30. 
 
 Happy in 
 soul. 
 
 Signing 
 
 the 
 pledge. 
 
 Rescuing 
 
 the 
 
 drunk- 
 ards. 
 
 How to 
 do it. 
 
 22
 
 338 MXS. BOOTH. 
 
 1859, this way, and persuading them to sign the pledge, I 
 used to arrange a cottage meeting for them and then 
 try to get them saved. They used to let me talk to 
 them in hovels where there was not a stick of furni- 
 ture, and nothing to sit down upon. 
 
 A liable " i remember in one case finding a poor woman 
 case. 
 
 lying on a heap of rags. She had just given birth to 
 
 twins, and there was nobody of any sort to wait upon 
 her. I can never forget the desolation of that room. 
 By her side was a crust of bread, and a small lump of 
 istetifo' l ai% d. 'I fancied a bit o' bootter (butter),' the woman 
 bootter." remarked apologetically, noticing my eye fall upon the 
 scanty meal, 'and my mon, he'd do owt for me he 
 could, bless 'm he couldna git me iny bootter, so he 
 fitcht me this bit o' lard. Have you iver tried lard 
 isted o' bootter? It's rare good ! ' said the poor crea- 
 ture, making me wish I had taken lard for 'bootter' 
 all my life, that I might have been the better able to 
 minister to her needs. However, I was soon busy 
 trying to make her a little more comfortable. The 
 Washing babies I washed in a broken pie-dish, the nearest ap- 
 
 t he twins 
 
 in a pie- proach to a tub that I could find. And the gratitude 
 of those large eyes, that gazed upon me from that 
 wan and shrunken face, can never fade from my 
 memory. 
 
 Trying "In the long run, however, the work told on my 
 health a good deal. The rooms were often hot and 
 close, and in going from them into the night air I 
 caught colds which finally resulted in a severe illness. 
 But my whole soul was in it, and I became deeply at- 
 tached to the drunkards whom I had been the means 
 of rescuing. It has been a great joy and satisfaction 
 to me since that the Salvation Army has so largely 
 directed its efforts, and with such remarkable success, 
 to their reclamation."
 
 CHAPTER XXXIII. 
 
 MRS. BOOTH'S FIRST PAMPHLET. 1859. 
 
 THE Conference of 1859 was ne ^ m Manchester, The sec- 
 and Mr. Booth, being now a superintendent minister, 7n Gates- 
 was entitled to attend. At the quarterly meeting of head ' 
 the Circuit officials held previously to the Conference 
 he had been unanimously prayed to prolong his stay 
 at Gateshead for another year. For this he was very 
 unwilling. His heart was still set upon the evange- 
 listic work. Writing to her mother Mrs. Booth says : 
 
 " I have fully and formally consented to let William go Longing 
 
 forth as an evangelist on condition tha the concentrates his f* rev ] v ' 
 . . . at worle. 
 
 efforts on one district at a time, making his home in some 
 
 central town and working the surrounding circuits, so that I 
 shall see him at least once a week. He now thinks of writing 
 to the Annual Committee, making certain proposals to them, 
 and asking their advice as to how to proceed at the next Con- 
 ference. If they decline to employ him as before in the capac- 
 ity of an evangelist, he will ask to be allowed to retain his 
 standing amongst them and to be left at liberty to accept 
 invitations wherever they may offer, raising his salary as he 
 can." 
 
 The Gateshead officials were, however, importunate, The 
 and would not take a "no." They urged upon him 
 the advantages of remaining for another year, with a 
 view to solidifying the results of his previous labours, 
 thus establishing the young converts in the faith, 
 permanently luting the condition of the Circuit, and 
 effectually clo; ig the mouths of those whose principal 
 
 339
 
 340 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 objection to revival work had been that the results 
 were evanescent. 
 
 Attending It was with feelings of considerable curiosity and 
 interest that Mr. Booth attended the ensuing Confer- 
 ence. It proved, however, to be a melancholy disap- 
 pointment, and he was glad to reach home again. To 
 one of his practical nature the debates and resolutions 
 appeared desultory and unsatisfactory. 
 
 1859, 
 Age 30. 
 
 his first 
 Confer- 
 ence, 
 
 The de- 
 bate on 
 foreign 
 missions. 
 
 The tem- 
 perance 
 question. 
 
 A good 
 resolu- 
 tion. 
 
 " The Conference drags its weary length along," he writes 
 from Manchester. " Not much that is interesting and not 
 much that is disagreeable. We are at present engaged on 
 missionary business. Messrs. Gilton, Wright and McCurdy 
 have spoken in favour of a foreign mission Mr. W*hittaker 
 against it. I shall not trouble myself on the controversy. The 
 feeling runs high. 
 
 " Later Foreign mission just carried all but unanimously." 
 
 The monotony of the debates was, however, partially 
 enlivened by the occurrence of an incident in which 
 Mr. Booth took a more active part. 
 
 "I had been selected by the Conference," he writes, "to 
 form one of a Committee to receive a deputation from the 
 United Kingdom Alliance, whose object is to secure by legis- 
 lation the opportunity for the people to decide whether or no 
 they will have a public-house in tiieir vicinity. The deputa- 
 tion was met by us and the matter discussed and reported on 
 to the Conference. Desiring to give a practical turn to what 
 is ordinarily but a useless discussion, resulting in nothing be- 
 yond the utterance of a few rapid eulogiums, I proposed that 
 we should give expression to our abhorrence of the liquor 
 traffic by passing a resolution that henceforth no one who 
 was actively engaged in it should be accepted as a member of 
 our Church. This appeared to me, and to several others who 
 had strong temperance affinities, a very simple and harmless 
 step in the direction of purging the Connexion from its com- 
 plicity in what it acknowledged to be a crying evil. I did not 
 ask that all members should be teetotalers, nor even that the 
 publicans who were already members of the Society, some
 
 MAS. BOOTH'S FIRST PAMPHLET. 
 
 341 
 
 of them holding offices of considerable influence, should be 
 expelled, but simply that our doors should in future be closed 
 against those who were engaged in carrying on the traffic. 
 
 " The proposition met, however, with the most vigorous op- 
 position. One minister, to show how undeserving were the 
 publicans of receiving such an affront, mentioned the case of 
 a lady who kept an infamous dram-drinking establishment. 
 Yet so careful was she lest her children should be contam- 
 inated by its evil influences that, when her daughters came" 
 home for the vacation from their boarding school, she took 
 them lodgings at another house ! To this I gave the natural 
 reply that the lady in question only aggravated her offence by 
 inflicting on others the evils which she was unwilling her own 
 family should encounter. 
 
 " This observation was strongly resented, and in the little 
 hubbub that ensued my motion was defeated by an over- 
 whelming majority. I believe this was the only resolution 
 that I ever sought to impose upon the Conference." 
 
 Nevertheless, it was a useful experience. As Con- 
 ferences go, the one that Mr. Booth attended was no 
 doubt a favourable specimen. But he felt like the 
 Duke of Wellington might have been expected to feel 
 supposing Waterloo had been prefaced by a parlia- 
 ment of officers elected by the soldiery and held upon 
 the battle-field ! Its argumentations and legislations 
 would have been admirably suited for the peaceful 
 courts of Westminster and the placid waters of the 
 Thames, but to carry about a huge debating machine 
 in face of an active and enterprising enemy would 
 have been altogether out of place and could only have 
 ensured defeat. The duty of the House of Commons 
 had been to decide in favour of peace or war. They 
 had done it. 
 
 And now it was for debate to give place to a totally 
 different regime, in which liberty should be sacrificed 
 for unity that unity might in the end secure the 
 greater liberty. The universal danger was to be the 
 
 1859, 
 
 Age 30. 
 
 A sharp 
 debate. 
 
 The mo- 
 tion de- 
 feated. 
 
 Debating 
 on the 
 battle- 
 field. 
 
 The rule 
 of war.
 
 342 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1859, universal bond. The mediocrities might mismanage 
 peace, but superiority was to take the lead in war. 
 Authority was to be released from its constitutional 
 iron cage in order to secure victory at all costs. Dis- 
 obedience was to be branded as mutiny and its faint- 
 est whispers drowned in blood. The wig and gown 
 were to be replaced by helmet and knapsack, and the 
 well-ordered precincts of the Law Courts by the 
 rough and ready drumhead. The barracks were to 
 be exchanged for the tent, the parade-ground for the 
 battle-field, the blank cartridge for the deadly cannon- 
 ball, the constable's baton for the soldier's bayonet. 
 At such a moment, when a nation's destiny was 
 trembling in the scales, to debate would be to delay, to 
 delay would be to perish. 
 
 Was a Mr. Booth left the Conference with a dim feeling: of 
 
 worth 
 
 while? dissatisfaction, and a wonderment as to whether the 
 results accomplished had been worth the expenditure 
 of time and strength. True, mighty interests had 
 been discussed. But the practical outcome had been 
 little more than the dispatch of a solitary missionary 
 to the foreign field, while against the advancing forces 
 of drink no greater obstacle had been opposed than an 
 empty fusilade of formal compliments. 
 
 A year of But this only added to the satisfaction with which 
 he turned once more to the activities of the battle-field. 
 The Gateshead prospects were indeed encouraging. 
 During the past year the membership of Bethesda 
 Chapel had increased from thirty-nine to three hun- 
 dred, while the Sunday congregations filled the place. 
 Revivals were also spreading in several of the outlying 
 districts, such as Sheriff Hill, Felling Shore, and 
 Mount Pleasant. 
 
 A turn- But the coming year was to prove an historical turn- 
 ing-point. J . 
 
 ing-point concerning the importance of which Mr.
 
 MRS. BOOTH'S FIRST PAMPHLET. 343 
 
 and Mrs. Booth had themselves no conception. It was 1859, 
 a singular Providence which at length impelled Mrs. ge 3 ' 
 Booth to emerge from the comparative obscurity of 
 home-life and to embrace the arduous responsibilities 
 of her public career. What the persuasions of her 
 husband and friends had failed to induce her to un- 
 dertake the taunts and denunciations of opposition 
 were to be largely instrumental in forcing upon her. 
 
 It was in December, 1859, that Mrs. Booth's atten- Dr. Rees 
 
 . attacks 
 
 tion was drawn to a pamphlet written by a neighbour- woman's 
 ing minister, the Rev. Arthur Augustus Rees, in preach" 
 which the right of woman to preach was violently at- 
 tacked on Scriptural grounds. The occasion for this 
 onslaught was the visit of the American evangelists, 
 Dr. and Mrs. Palmer, who were holding services at 
 the time in Newcastle. The Doctor himself was 
 an earnest, good-natured, easy-going personage. But 
 the principal figure in the meetings was his wife. 
 Mrs. Palmer was a remarkable woman, intellectual, 
 original, and devoted. As a speaker her chief attrac- 
 tion lay in her simplicity, and in the striking illustra- 
 tions with which her addresses were interspersed. 
 Aiming directly at the hearts of her hearers, and rely- 
 ing evidently upon the co-operation of the Holy 
 Spirit, she became a rallying-point for all that was 
 best and most earnest in the churches. Mrs. Booth 
 had been unable to attend the meetings, but reports 
 of them had from time to time reached her, and the 
 fact that a woman was the prominent agent in this 
 movement had deeply interested her. Hence she had 
 no sooner heard of the pamphlet published by Mr. 
 Rees than her soul was stirred to its deepest centre. 
 
 The replies which were issued by Mrs. Palmer's 
 
 J for ad- 
 
 friends and supporters "do not," writes Mrs. Booth 
 
 to her mother " deal with the question at all to my
 
 344 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1859, satisfaction. They make so many uncalled-for admis- 
 ge 3 ' sions that I would almost as soon answer her defenders 
 as her opponent. I send you by this post Mr. Rees' 
 notable production. It was delivered in the form of 
 an address to his congregation and repeated a second 
 time by request to a crowded chapel, and then pub- 
 lished ! Would you believe that a congregation half 
 composed of ladies could sit and hear such self-de- 
 preciatory rubbish? They really don't deserve to be 
 taken up cudgels for! 
 Contem- " Mr. Rees was once a Church clergyman, and is now 
 
 plates lec- 
 turing, an Independent minister with a congregation of up- 
 wards of a thousand people. I hear he talks of pub- 
 lishing another pamphlet. I hope he will wait a bit 
 till I am stronger! And if he does bring out any 
 more in the same style, I rather think of going to 
 Sunderland and delivering an address in answer to 
 him. William says I should get a crowded house. I 
 really think I shall try, if he does not let us ladies 
 alone! I am sure I could do it. That subject would 
 warm me up anywhere and before anybody. William 
 
 The Gen- js always pestering me to begin giving lectures, and 
 
 eral pes- 
 ters her. certainly this would be a good subject to start with. 
 
 I am determined that he shall not go unanswered." 
 "Female * n re f errm g again to Mr. Rees' pamphlet Mrs. Booth 
 
 min- subsequently writes to her mother: 
 istry." 
 
 " I am, after all, publishing a pamphlet in reply. It 
 has been a great undertaking for me, and is much 
 longer than I at first intended, being thirty-two pages. 
 When William came home and heard what I had 
 written he was very pleased with it, and urged me to 
 proceed, and not tie myself for space but deal 
 thoroughly with the subject, making a tract on female 
 ministry which would survive this . controversy. It 
 is now pretty well known that a lady has tackled him,
 
 MJtS. BOOTH'S FIRST PAMPHLET. 345 
 
 and there is consequently the more speculation and 1859, 
 curiosity abroad. I hope I have done it well. You 
 must send me your honest and unbiassed criticism, as 
 I may have to enter the field again, if spared. 
 
 "There is one thing which is due to myself, I Original. 
 think, to tell you that, whatever may be its merit, it 
 is my own, and far more original, I believe, than most 
 things that are published, for I could get no help from 
 any quarter. William has done nothing beyond copy- HOW it 
 ing for me, and transposing two or three sentences, written. 
 I composed more than half of it while he was away, 
 and when he came home he began to copy what I had 
 written while I lay on the sofa and read it to him. 
 Then when he went "out to his duties I resumed 
 writing my rough matter, so that it has all been 
 written by my own hand first. I have been at it 
 from seven in the morning till eleven at night most 
 of the week, so I leave you to judge how I am feel- 
 ing. In fact I don't believe I could have done another 
 stroke." 
 
 It has been the misfortune of religion that its ex- Society's 
 ponents have so frequently endeavoured to accom- basis. 
 plish their ends by trampling on the laws of nature. 
 God made man as dependent on woman as woman is 
 on man. Society was founded by Him on a twin 
 basis, the recognition of which is necessary to its 
 success and happiness. Humanity, and above all re- 
 ligion, requires a double motive force. A church 
 with one wing folded cannot fly : with one foot par- 
 alysed cannot walk ; with one arm motionless can do 
 but half its work ; with its starboard oars all shipped 
 will move in a perpetual circle and make but poor ad- A perpet- 
 vance. We plead for more labourers in the world's 
 great harvest, but they must be men ! If the Holy 
 Ghost sends troops of inspired women, the fields of
 
 346 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1859, 
 Age 30. 
 
 Nature's 
 purpose. 
 
 Man's 
 pious 
 fraud. 
 
 more than half Christendom are fenced with thorns 
 to prevent their entrance, though the crops fall rotting 
 on the ground and the multitudes are famishing 
 within sight and reach of plenty ! 
 
 Nature has made her purpose plain enough to be 
 grasped by the dullest comprehension. She surely 
 would not have wasted public capacities and gifts of 
 eloquence on woman had she not intended them to be 
 used. She is not so prodigal of her works. Had she 
 intended trees to move she would surely have endowed 
 them with some sort of means for locomotion. Had 
 she intended woman to be silent she would surely 
 have produced her dumb, or at least with but the 
 power to whisper. And when we speak of Nature, 
 what is it but a euphemism for God? How prepos- 
 terous is it to suppose that He would have pursued so 
 obviously self -contradictory a course as to gift woman 
 with peculiar powers and in the same breath forbid 
 their use ! 
 
 And yet, strangely enough, this pious fraud of man 
 on woman's rights is defended and concealed with 
 mis-applied passages of Scripture. Nothing is easier 
 than to separate a verse or two from their original 
 context and flourish them in defence of any error that 
 ever existed. But this is the merest casuistry. The 
 Bible is its own interpreter. One passage cannot be 
 taken in a sense which contradicts the spirit of its 
 entire teaching, but must be reconciled with the rest. 
 Such contradictions are only superficial and apparent, 
 after all, like the waves of the sea when wind and 
 current happen to be opposed. They dash against 
 each other as if to destroy, but only to unite. The 
 foam and froth upon the surface quickly drift away, 
 leaving an abiding union. 
 
 A few quotations from Mrs. Booth's pamphlet will
 
 MRS. BOOTH'S FIRST PAMPHLET, 
 
 347 
 
 suffice to show how erroneous has been the ordinarily 1859, 
 accepted view in regard to female ministry : 
 
 " Whether the Church will allow women to speak in her as- 
 semblies can only be question of time ; common sense, public 
 opinion, and the blessed results of female agency will force 
 her to give us an honest and impartial rendering of the soli- 
 tary text on which she grounds her prohibitions. Then, when 
 the true light shines and God's words take the place of man's 
 traditions, the Doctor of Divinity who shall teach that Paul 
 commands woman to be silent when God's Spirit urges her to 
 speak will be regarded much the same as we should regard 
 an astronomer who should teach that the sun is the earth's 
 satellite. 
 
 " As to the obligation devolving on woman to labour for 
 her Master, I presume there will be no controversy. The 
 particular sphere in which each individual shall do this must 
 be dictated by the teachings of the Holy Spirit and the gifts 
 with which God has endowed her. If she have the necessary 
 gifts, and feels herself called by the Spirit to preach, there is 
 not a single word in the whole book of God to restrain her, 
 but many, very many, to urge and encourage her. God says 
 she SHALL do so, and Paul prescribed the manner in which she 
 shall do it, and Phoebe, Junia, Philip's four daughters, and 
 many other women actually did preach and speak in the prim- 
 itive churches. If this had not been the case, there would 
 have been less freedom under the new than under the old dis- 
 pensation ; a greater paucity of gifts and agencies under the 
 Spirit than under the law ; fewer labourers when more work 
 was to be done. Instead of the destruction of caste and division 
 between the priesthood and the people, and the setting up of 
 a spiritual kingdom in which all true believers were 'kings 
 and priests unto God,' the division would have been more 
 stringent and the disabilities of the common people greater. 
 Whereas, we are told again and again in effect, that in ' Christ 
 Jesus there is neither bond nor free, male nor female, but ye 
 are all one in Christ Jesus. ' 
 
 " We commend a few passages bearing on the ministrations 
 of woman to the careful consideration of our readers. 
 
 "Jesus said to the two Mary's, 'All hail!' And they came 
 and held Him by the feet, and worshipped Him. 'Then said 
 
 The pam- 
 phlet. 
 
 The obli- 
 gation to 
 work. 
 
 The New 
 Testa- 
 ment 
 
 more lib- 
 erty than 
 the old. 
 
 Some ex- 
 amples.
 
 348 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1859, 
 Age 30. 
 
 TJie first 
 preach- 
 ers. 
 
 Where 
 
 were the 
 
 men ? 
 
 Pentecost. 
 
 Jesus unto them, Be not afraid: go, tell my brethren that they 
 go before me into Galilee.' (Matt, xxviii. 9, 10.) There are 
 two or three points in this beautiful narrative to which we 
 wish to call the attentions of our readers. 
 
 " First, it was the first announcement of the glorious news 
 to a lost world and a company of forsaking disciples. Second, 
 it was as public as the nature of the case demanded ; and in- 
 tended ultimately to be published to the ends of the earth. 
 Third, Mary was expressly commissioned to reveal the fact to 
 the apostles ; and thus she literally became their teacher on 
 that memorable occasion. O glorious privilege, to be allowed 
 to herald the glad tidings of a Saviour risen ! How could it be 
 that our Lord chose a woman to this honour? Well, one rea- 
 son might be that the male disciples were all missing at the 
 time. They all forsook Him and fled. But woman was there, 
 as she had ever been, ready to minister to her risen, as to her 
 dying, Lord. 
 
 " ' Not she with traitorous lips her Saviour stung, 
 Not she denied Him with unholy tongue ; 
 She, whilst apostles shrunk, could danger brave; 
 Last at the cross, and earliest at the grave." 
 
 " Acts i. 14, and ii. 1-4. We are in the first of these pas- 
 sages expressly told that the women were assembled with the 
 disciples on the day of Pentecost ; and in the second, that the 
 cloven tongues sat upon them each, and the Holy Ghost filled 
 them all, and they spake as the Spirit gave them utterance. 
 It is nothing to the point to argue that the gift of tongues was 
 a miraculous gift, seeing that the Spirit was the primary 
 bestowment. The tongues were only emblematical of the 
 office which the Spirit was henceforth to sustain to His peo- 
 ple. The Spirit was given alike to the female as to the male 
 disciple, and this is cited by Peter (16-18) as the peculiar 
 speciality of the later dispensation. What a remarkable de- 
 vice of the devil that he has so long succeeded in hiding this 
 characteristic of the latter-day glory ! He knows, whether the 
 Church does or not, how eminently detrimental to the inter- 
 ests of his kingdom have been the religious labours of 
 woman ; and while her Seed has mortally bruised his head, he 
 ceases not to bruise her heel ; but the time of her deliverance 
 draweth nigh."
 
 MRS. BOOTH'S FIRST PAMPHLET. 
 
 349 
 
 It was well that Mr. and Mrs. Booth were of one 
 accord on this subject, making it a cardinal point of 
 their doctrine to assure to woman the highest position 
 of usefulness that she was capable of occupying. 
 They did not anticipate that she would never make 
 mistakes. Had man made none? They did not wait 
 for every one to be a Mrs. Booth. Was every man a 
 William Booth? They realised that some would fail, 
 and even sin. Was man alone immaculate? But 
 they refused to accept a one-sided and maimed human- 
 ity, or to acknowledge that such a ministry could be 
 divinely ordained. 
 
 Years have passed since the issue of this modest 
 protest in defence of woman's right to minister at the 
 altar. Precept has been carried into practice, and 
 the world has passed its sentence of approval upon a 
 living mighty organisation in which there is " neither 
 male nor female, barbarian, Scythian, bond nor free, 
 but Christ is all and in all." 
 
 1859, 
 Age 30. 
 
 Woman's 
 position. 
 
 Not in- 
 fallible. 
 
 "Neither 
 male nor 
 female."
 
 CHAPTER XXXIV. 
 
 The 
 
 struggle 
 for truth. 
 
 Disturb- 
 ing the 
 present. 
 
 Purifies 
 the at- 
 mosphere. 
 
 GATESHEAD. 1860. 
 
 CONFLICT is a necessary medium for producing con- 
 viction and arriving at the truth. There has never 
 yet been a cause, however excellent, which has suc- 
 ceeded in converting men to its way of thinking with- 
 out a struggle. When error and sin, those enemies 
 of humanity, cease to exist, conflict can afford to 
 ground her arms and disband her forces. To do so 
 sooner would be the height of treachery. 
 
 It has been truly remarked that we cannot improve 
 the future without disturbing the present. Estab- 
 lished wrongs can only be put right by upheavals of 
 the public mind corresponding in some degree with 
 the magnitude of the evil to be combated. The gales 
 that blow away the leaves and purify the air are 
 God's disinfectants. The temporary inconvenience 
 and local damage they inflict are more than compen- 
 sated by the universal good. Who can calculate how 
 many epidemics they prevent? The air that is least 
 stagnant is most healthy. The unwholesome quiet 
 of the "Black Hole" is the prelude of suffocation. 
 Better perish in a tornado than stifle in a dungeon. 
 Death, if postponed for a while, is equally sure and 
 still more agonising. 
 
 Conflict, it may be said, is the purifier of the moral 
 atmosphere. If at times it destroys what it might 
 well have let alone, the preponderating good more 
 
 350
 
 GATESHEAD. 351 
 
 than compensates for the occasional loss. This is 1860, 
 fully recognised in the social and political world. A ge 3I ' 
 perpetual battle rages between society's rights and 
 wrongs, or more often still between conflicting rights ; The war 
 between lesser rights which have usurped an undue ng 
 prominence, and the greater ones which have been 
 thrust momentarily into the background. The edi- 
 torial commanders-in-chief range their papery legions 
 upon either side. Oceans of ink and tons of paper 
 are expended on each rival cause. And, if no better 
 reason for conflict remain, hairs must be split that 
 blood may flow. 
 
 What is inevitable in the social world is equally in- 
 
 ing in 
 
 evitable in the religious sphere. There are those evil. 
 who recognise the necessity for conflict in the former 
 who are opposed to it in the latter. They would 
 rather acquiesce in evil than disturb it. They cry 
 " Peace, peace ! " when there is no peace, and they 
 have no patience with those who break in upon the 
 general quietude. 
 
 Thus, when Mrs. Booth had launched her pamphlet 
 on female ministry, she found herself committed to a 
 life-long warfare, in which she would be required to 
 champion till death the cause which she had at heart. 
 The emancipation of woman from the thraldom of 
 custom was a noble task. Providence had committed 
 to her hand the playing of the most prominent part. 
 But she soon found that it would be necessary to fight 
 her way through long lines of opposing forces before 
 she could realise the accomplishment of her hopes. 
 "The right Divine" of men "to govern wrong," or Divine 
 rather to usurp all the governing and talking to them- theory 
 selves, had become too deeply rooted an idea in the 
 churches to be easily overthrown. A queen might 
 sit upon the throne, but for a woman to ascend the
 
 352 
 
 MAS. BOOTH. 
 
 1860, 
 Age 31. 
 
 Crossing 
 
 sicords 
 
 with Dr. 
 
 Stacey. 
 
 Courts 
 criticism. 
 
 An im- 
 partial 
 investiga- 
 tion. 
 
 pulpit, or occupy the ministerial chair, was, in the 
 eyes of many, a heresy too rank for toleration. 
 
 An interesting correspondence ensued between 
 Mrs. Booth and the Rev. J. Stacey, perhaps the best 
 cultured intellect in the New Connexion body, being 
 principal of their theological college, and afterwards 
 one of its annual presidents. He had written for a 
 copy of the pamphlet, and in sending it Mrs. Booth 
 accompanied it with the following letter: 
 
 " i NORMANBY TERRACE, GATESHEAD. 
 " REV. AND DEAR SIR : 
 
 " In a letter received yesterday my dear husband informs 
 me that you have expressed a wish to see my pamphlet on 
 ' Female Teaching. ' Accordingly I avail myself of the privi- 
 lege of sending you one. Although I think I have succeeded 
 in answering Mr. Rees, I am conscious that I have not done 
 anything like justice to this very important subject, and it is 
 my intention shortly to write on it again. I should esteem it 
 a great favour, therefore, if you would allow me to trouble you 
 for a critical examination of it with reference to a few con- 
 troverted passages. 
 
 " For my own part I desire above all things a thorough, 
 honest, impartial investigation of the Scriptures on the sub- 
 ject, and that by those properly qualified for the work. I am 
 deeply convinced that, when this is secured, the present pre- 
 vailing notions with reference to woman's position in the 
 church will be driven back to the abyss of darkness and error 
 from whence they originally issued, and that the gift of proph- 
 ecy to woman one of the distinguishing characteristics of 
 the latter-day glory will be rescued from the oblivion to 
 which ignorance and prejudice have so long consigned it. 
 
 " May God haste the day, and to this end bless even the 
 feeble efforts of one so unworthy as 
 
 " Your's in the love and fellowship of Jesus, 
 
 " CATHERINE BOOTH." 
 
 To this letter Dr. Stacey sent the following reply: 
 
 IY DEAR MRS. BOOTH: 
 
 " 1 thank you cordially for the pamphlet on female teaching 
 
 The 
 
 doctor's 
 reply. - MY DEAR MRS. BOOTH :
 
 GA TESHEAD. 
 
 353 
 
 just received. I will take the very first opportunity of read- 
 ing it. 
 
 " You will possibly suspect that my judgment lies counter to 
 the exercise of ministerial functions by women, though cer- 
 tainly not in the general sense to 'female teaching.' This 
 judgment is not, I think, one of prejudice, but of intelligent 
 deliberation. 
 
 " I shall be quite willing, however, to surrender it, if reason 
 demand it. I hold that error is profitable in the long run to 
 nobody, and therefore that the sooner we part with it the 
 better. 
 
 " In a controversy of this kind, two things are indispensable : 
 first, to clear the ground by a vigorous statement of the 
 subject. What is meant by female teaching? This may be 
 narrowed to one fixed, instituted, technical exercise, or it may 
 be enlarged to the comprehension of all possible forms and 
 modes of teaching. The second thing is to determine the 
 precise Scripture sense of 'prophecy.' 
 
 " Other things are in their degree needful, such as the ex- 
 amination of particular passages, the relation of the sexes to 
 each other and to Christianity, etc. 
 
 " I may observe that Dr. Clarke's authority weighs very 
 little with me, as it has little weight anywhere. I admire 
 him very much as a man, but as a deep thinker, or as an ac- 
 curate and searching scholar, his reputation does not and can- 
 not stand high. He knew many things rather than much. I 
 make this remark, because I think, from a cursory glance at 
 your pamphlet, you quote him as a chief authority. But I 
 must read before I criticise. 
 
 " I can only say in conclusion that my frank opinion on any 
 passage of Scripture I may have studied is at any time at 
 your service. 
 
 " Very truly yours, 
 
 "J. STAGEY."" 
 
 1860, 
 Age 31. 
 
 Error 
 
 profitable 
 
 to none. 
 
 Does not 
 
 think 
 much of 
 
 Dr. 
 Clarke. 
 
 Mrs. Booth, without waiting for the further letter 
 promised by Mr. Stacey, wrote to him as follows : 
 
 " REV. AND DEAR SIR : 
 
 " I am sorry to intrude myself on your notice again so soon, 
 but since reading your note I feel that it is imperative on me 
 23 
 
 Her 
 reply.
 
 354 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1860, 
 Age 31. 
 
 The com- 
 mon-sense 
 view. 
 
 The 
 
 prompt- 
 ings of the 
 Spirit. 
 
 An im- 
 portant 
 admis- 
 sion. 
 
 grievous 
 wrong. 
 
 The seal 
 of silence. 
 
 to offer a word of explanation, and to assure you that I had 
 not the slightest intention of alluding to yourself in the refer- 
 ence I made to the effects of ignorance and prejudice on the 
 subject in question, but simply to the vulgar notions of the 
 public in general. For yourself I have always entertained 
 the most profound respect and esteem. 
 
 " I may just observe that I did not quote Dr. Clarke so 
 much as a first authority, as one who gave what appears to 
 me a common-sense view of the passages in question, and one 
 which does not involve the contradictions so conspicuous in 
 some other commentators. However, I sincerely thank you 
 for your criticisms, and shall be glad to receive more when 
 you have leisure. If I am wrong, it is my judgment, not my 
 heart. I am sure I only wish to know the will of God and all 
 within me would bow in silent and loving acquiescence. 
 
 " But oh, sir, how can it be that the promptings of the Holy 
 Spirit and the precepts of the Word should be in such direct 
 antagonism as Mr. Rees makes it appear? In asking this 
 question I know that I only express the heartfelt inquiry of 
 many of the most devoted and faithful among the female dis- 
 ciples of our Lord. For it is a significant fact that it is not the 
 formal, worldly-minded professors who experience these urg- 
 ings of the Spirit to open their lips for Christ, but generally 
 those who are most eminent for piety and unreserved conse- 
 cration to the service of their Saviour. Surely there must be 
 some mistake somewhere. I cannot but think that the error 
 lies in the interpretation and application of two isolated pas- 
 sages in Paul's writings. 
 
 " You say, my dear sir, that you do not object to fe- 
 male teaching in the general sense. Then you admit of a 
 qualification of the passage, 'I suffer not a woman to teach;' 
 for, taken literally, this forbids all kinds of teaching what- 
 ever. The question to be settled is, what kind of qualification 
 do the principles and general bearing of the New Testament 
 render necessary? To my mind, there is but one reply. Sup- 
 pose commentators were to deal with some parts of the Epistle 
 of James as they do with these two passages, what would be- 
 come of the glorious doctrine of justification by faith? 
 
 " I cannot but believe that a very grievous wrong has been 
 inflicted on thousands of Spirit-baptised disciples of Jesus 
 long since gone to their reward by the seal of silence im-
 
 GATESHEAD. 355 
 
 posed on them by good but mistaken men, who thought 1860, 
 they were doing God service ! Age 31. 
 
 " But I believe the Lord himself is teaching the Church her 
 mistake on this subject, so important to her ultimate triumphs. 
 I believe thousands of loving, faithful hearts are pleading for 
 the bestowment of the promise of the Father on the hand- 
 maidens as well as on the servants of the Lord. And God 
 will in His own good time answer prayer. 
 
 " Excuse me, my dear sir. I had no intention of writing at Feeling 
 such length when I commenced. But my heart is full of feel- n y ' 
 ing on this subject not on my own account, God knows, but 
 because it does appear to me to be very intimately connected 
 with the progress and triumph of the blessed Gospel, and 
 because I am anxious to interest in it one whose learning and 
 intelligence might be so helpful to the truth, and in whose . 
 
 nobility of soul I feel I dare rely. This is my apology for 
 occupying so much of your valuable time. 
 
 " Yours in the fellowship of Jesus, 
 
 " CATHERINE BOOTH." 
 
 In replying to this letter, Dr. Stacey expressed Thedoc- 
 himself as still unconvinced. At the same time he t0 c ~ 
 appreciated fully the ability manifested by Mrs. Booth mnced - 
 in dealing with the subject, concluding his letter by 
 saying : 
 
 " I trust I need not say how much I esteem your sympathies 
 and aims. To me they are very dear, and are becoming so 
 more and more. I admire intensely your fervour of spirit 
 and simplicity of love, as well as the command of English 
 evinced in your pamphlet." 
 
 But, if there were few critics of repute who sup- The 
 ported Mrs. Booth's view at the time, there are many 
 of them now, and the more honour is due to her who 
 so bravely acted the part of pioneer and proved to de- 
 monstration the truth for which she had contended. 
 Mrs. Booth's convictions were of too robust a character 
 to give way before the opposition that her pamphlet 
 aroused. In after years, when she had reached the
 
 356 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1860, 
 Age 31. 
 
 Claimed 
 the right 
 
 for 
 others. 
 
 A 
 
 brilliant 
 success. 
 
 zenith of her success, there were few who did not ad- 
 mit her own individual right to preach the Gospel, 
 although it was still argued that others should not 
 follow in her steps unless they possessed similar 
 ability. The fallacy of such an idea is not difficult 
 to perceive. What would happen in the House of 
 Commons if a law were passed that no one should 
 speak save those who possessed the eloquence of a 
 Gladstone? Perhaps the prohibition might be a use- 
 ful one. Certainly there would be very little talking 
 done. 
 
 To Mrs. Booth it would have given but little satis- 
 faction to have shaken herself free from the bondage 
 of conventionality had she been unable to release the 
 rest of womankind. How wonderfully she succeeded 
 is now a matter of history. For what better argu- 
 ment could we find in favour of women's ministry 
 than the successes achieved by the five thousand 
 women officers and tens of thousands of women 
 speakers whom Mrs. Booth left behind at her death, 
 and who continue, in ever-increasing numbers and 
 with ever-multiplying success, to follow in her steps? 
 
 "Her brilliant life example's flame they catch, 
 And forward step that they her deeds may match. '
 
 CHAPTER XXXV. 
 
 MRS. BOOTH COMMENCES PREACHING. 
 
 1860. 
 
 IT was Sunday morning, the 8th January, 1860. The birth 
 Mr. Booth had been announced to take the service at daughter 
 Bethesda Chapel. But the expectant congregation Emma - 
 were disappointed when, after a whispered consulta- 
 tion among their leaders, one of them commenced 
 the meeting with an apology for their beloved pastor's 
 unavoidable absence. The service had not, however, 
 proceeded far when Mr. Booth himself appeared, and 
 was able not only to preach the anticipated sermon, 
 but to make the happy announcement that another 
 little woman warrior had just been added to their 
 ranks, one whose life, with God's blessing, should be 
 a practical illustration of the truths laid down in 
 "Female Ministry." 
 
 It was a bright omen for the future that Emma A happy 
 Moss Booth was born within a few days of the pub- omen ' 
 lication of her mother's stirring pamphlet, and that 
 she w&5 still an infant in her arms when the public 
 ministry commenced which was to open the door of 
 usefulness, not only to Mrs. Booth's own daughters, 
 but to multitudes of womankind. It was while she 
 was lying still weak and suffering, her babe in her 
 bosom, that Mrs. Booth received what was without 
 doubt an inward urging of the Holy Spirit to con- 
 secrate herself to the ministry which she had so 
 
 357
 
 358 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1860, 
 Age 31. 
 
 Not only 
 lawful 
 but a 
 duty. 
 
 Her 
 timidity. 
 
 A special 
 revela- 
 tion. 
 
 powerfully defended on behalf of others. She applied 
 her pamphlet to herself. 
 
 She had always been fully convinced that it was 
 lawful for woman to preach the Gospel, as much as 
 for man. But that it was their duty to rise up and 
 do it under pain of the Divine displeasure was alto- 
 gether another aspect of the question. Least of all 
 did she contemplate when writing the paper that she 
 would be singled out by Providence to pioneer the 
 way. But a sick bed allows opportunity for reflec- 
 tion which is often impossible in the busy routine of 
 e very-day life. She was forced to face the natural 
 consequences of her own teachings, and to realise that 
 what was permissible became a duty where the nec- 
 essary qualifications were possessed. 
 
 Referring to her experience, in a public meeting 
 twenty years afterwards, Mrs. Booth said: 
 
 " Perhaps some of you would hardly credit that I 
 was one of the most timid and bashful disciples the 
 Lord Jesus ever saved. But for four or five months 
 before I commenced speaking the controversy had 
 been signally roused in my soul, and I passed 
 through some severe heart-searchings. During a sea- 
 son of sickness [connected with the birth of her 
 daughter], it seemed one day as if the Lord revealed 
 it all to me by His Spirit. I had no vision, but a 
 revelation to my mind. He seemed to take me back 
 to the time when I was fifteen or sixteen, when I first 
 fully gave my heart to Him. He showed me that all 
 the bitter way this one thing had been the fly in the 
 pot of ointment, preventing me from realising what I 
 otherwise should have done. And then I remember 
 prostrating myself upon my face before Him, and 
 promising Him there in the sick room, 'Lord, if Thou 
 wilt return unto me as in the days of old, and revisit
 
 MRS. BOOTH COMMENCES PREACHING. 359 
 
 me with those urgings of the Spirit which I used to 1860, 
 have, I will obey, if I die in the attempt. ' However, 
 the Lord did not revisit me immediately. But he 
 permitted me to recover, and to resume my usual 
 duties. 
 
 "About three months afterward I went to the A , re i, 
 
 markable 
 
 chapel of which my husband was a minister (Beth- occasion. 
 esda), and he had an extraordinary service there. 
 Even then he was always trying something new to 
 get at the outside people. For this Sunday he had 
 arranged with the leaders that the chapel should be 
 closed, and a great out-door service held at a place 
 called Windmill Hills. It so happened, however, that 
 the weather was too tempestuous for carrying out this 
 design, and hence the doors were thrown open and 
 the meeting was held in the chapel. In spite of the 
 stormy weather about a thousand persons were pres- 
 ent, including ~a number of preachers and outside 
 friends. 
 
 " I was, as usual, in the minister's pew with my A gudden 
 eldest boy, then four years old. I felt much depressed caU - 
 in mind, and was not expecting anything particular, 
 but as the testimonies proceeded I felt the Holy Spirit 
 come upon me. You alone who have experienced it 
 can tell what it means. It cannot be described. I 
 felt it to the extremity of my hands and feet. It 
 seemed as if a voice said to me, 'Now if you were to 
 go and testify, you know I would bless it to your own 
 soul, as well as to the people!' I gasped again and The con- 
 said in my heart, 'Yes, Lord, I believe Thou wouldst, 
 but I cannot do it!' I had forgotten my vow. It did 
 not occur to me at all. 
 
 " A moment afterwards there flashed across my 
 mind the memory of the bed-room visitation when I 
 had promised the Lord that I would obey Him at all
 
 360 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1860, 
 Age 31. 
 
 Willing 
 
 to look a 
 
 fool. 
 
 The first 
 address. 
 
 Hanging 
 on to 
 God. 
 
 The con- 
 fession. 
 
 costs. And then the v6ice seemed to ask me if this 
 was consistent with that promise. I almost jumped 
 up and said, 'No, Lord, it is the old thing over again. 
 But I cannot do it!' I felt as though I would 
 sooner die than speak. And then the devil said, 
 'Besides, you are not prepared. You will look like 
 a fool and will have nothing to say.' He made a 
 mistake. He overreached himself for once. It was 
 this word that settled it. 'Ah!' I said, 'this is just 
 the point. I have never yet been willing to be a fool 
 for Christ. Now I will be one!' 
 
 " Without stopping another moment I rose up from 
 my seat and walked down the aisle. My dear hus- 
 band was just going to conclude. He thought some- 
 thing had happened to me, and so did the people. 
 We had been there two years, and they knew my 
 timid, bashful nature. He stepped down and asked 
 me, 'What is the matter, my dear?' I replied, 'I 
 want to say a word. ' He was so taken by surprise 
 that he could only say, 'My dear wife wishes to 
 speak,' and sat down. For years he had been trying 
 to persuade me to do it. Only that very week he had 
 wanted me to go and address a little cottage meeting 
 of some twenty working people, but I had refused. 
 
 "I stood God only knows how and if any 
 mortal ever did hang on the arm of Omnipotence, I 
 did. I felt as if I were clinging to some human arm, 
 but it was a Divine one which held me up. I just 
 stood and told the people how it had come about. I 
 confessed, as I think everybody should who has been 
 in the wrong and has misrepresented the religion of 
 Jesus Christ. I said : ' I dare say many of you have 
 been looking upon me as a very devoted woman, and 
 one who has been living faithfully to God. But I 
 have come to realise that I have been disobeying Him,
 
 362 
 
 MAS. BOOTH. 
 
 1860, 
 Age 31. 
 
 The peo- 
 ple wept. 
 
 Talking 
 good. 
 
 What was 
 involved. 
 
 Announc- 
 ed for the 
 night. 
 
 The peo- 
 ple de- 
 lighted. 
 
 The re- 
 turn 
 home. 
 
 and thus have brought darkness and leanness into my 
 soul. I have promised the Lord to do so no longer, 
 and have come to tell you that henceforth I will be 
 obedient to the holy vision.' 
 
 " There was more weeping, they said, in the chapel 
 that day, than on any previous occasion. Many dated 
 a renewal in righteousness from that very moment, 
 and began a life of devotion and consecration to God. 
 
 "Now I might have 'talked good' to them till now. 
 That honest confession did what twenty years of 
 preaching could not have accomplished. 
 
 " But oh, how little did I realise how much was 
 then involved ! I never imagined the life of publicity 
 and trial that it would lead me to, for I was never 
 allowed to have another quiet Sabbath when I was 
 well enough to stand and speak. All I did was to 
 take the first step. I could not see in advance. But 
 the Lord, as He always does when His people are 
 honest with Him and obedient, opened the windows 
 of heaven and poured out such a blessing that there 
 was not room to contain it." 
 
 The Rubicon once crossed, it became impossible 
 for Mrs. Booth to turn back, however much she might 
 have desired to do so. She had scarcely resumed her 
 seat when, true to his nature, Mr. Booth pounced upon 
 her to preach at night. She could not refuse. The 
 people were delighted. They overwhelmed her with 
 congratulations. Her servant, who was at the meet- 
 ing, went home and danced re md the kitchen table 
 with delight, calling out to the nurse, " The mistress 
 has spoken! The mistress has spoken!" 
 
 Mrs. Booth returned home drenched in perspiration, 
 with mingled feelings of satisfaction and of conster- 
 nation at having to speak again that night. What 
 could she say ? It would be useless for her to repeat
 
 MRS. BOOTH COMMENCES PREACHING. 363 
 
 what she had said in the morning. And yet there was 1860, 
 no time for preparation. She cast herself upon her ge 3I * 
 knees and asked the Lord to give her a message for 
 the people. He did so then and there, and the night 
 meeting exceeded in enthusiasm and power the pre- 
 ceding one. 
 
 The chapel presented a never-to-be-forgotten scene The . 
 
 , .,., .,, - meeting. 
 
 that evening. It was crowded to the doors, and the 
 people sat upon the very window-sills. Appropriately 
 enough, it happened to be the anniversary of Pentecost, 
 and Mrs. Booth took for her subject, " Be filled with Her 
 
 subject. 
 
 the Spirit." The audience were spell-bound as they 
 listened to her words. There are some in heaven 
 and not a few on earth to-day, who look back upon 
 that occasion as the turning-point in their spiritual 
 history. 
 The news spread far and wide, and invitations now she visits 
 
 New- 
 
 poured in thickly from all directions in greater num- castle. 
 bers than could possibly be accepted. Among other 
 places a call was received from Newcastle, and an in- 
 teresting memento of Mrs. Booth's first service in that 
 city consists in the following resolution passed by the 
 leaders' meeting of the chapel in which she preached : 
 
 " That this meeting returns its cordial thanks to Mrs. Booth The reso- 
 for the addresses delivered in the chapel on Sunday last, 
 which we have no doubt will be productive of good, and 
 earnestly hopes that she may continue in the course thus 
 begun, in which we unitedly pray that the blessing of God 
 may attend her and crown her labours with success. 
 
 "W. H. RENWICK, 
 
 " Society Steward. 
 "6th June, 1860." 
 
 In a letter dated 23d July, Mrs. Booth sends her she re- 
 parents an interesting account of her labours at this 
 time.
 
 364 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1860, 
 Age 31. 
 
 Taking a 
 meeting 
 for the 
 General. 
 
 No time 
 to study. 
 
 Seeking 
 
 the 
 
 drunk- 
 ards. 
 
 " William has been confined to the house a fortnight with a 
 bad throat attack. I have consequently had extra care and 
 work. I have spoken four times since you left at Sheriff 
 Hill, the Fell, Dunstan, and last night at Gateshead. At two 
 of the places I took the night anniversary services, had full 
 chapels and gave great satisfaction. I went to Bethesda last 
 night to supply for William. The chapel was crowded with 
 forms round the communion rail and down the aisles. I spoke 
 for an hour and five minutes from Luke xiii. 23-30 ('And one 
 asked Him, Lord, are there few that be saved?' etc.). I got on 
 very well and had three sweet cases, and from all accounts 
 the people were very much pleased. I cannot tell you how I 
 felt all day about it. I never was in such a state in my life. 
 I could neither eat nor sleep. I was pressed into it against 
 my will, and when I saw the congregation I felt almost like 
 melting away ! However, I got through, and I know I spoke 
 with freedom and power. The people listened like statues, 
 and were frequently very much moved. I dare say I have 
 been the subject of much talk to-day, but I hear nothing save 
 the most encouraging reports, and some from quarters least 
 expected. 'Praise the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within 
 me, bless His holy Name !' 
 
 " They talk of William and myself conducting revival ser- 
 vices together at Bethesda during the winter. I intend to try 
 to get a little preparation. I also hope to arrange a lecture or 
 two, one for mothers. 
 
 " William is of course very pleased, and says he felt quite 
 comfortable at home minding the bairns, knowing who was 
 supplying his place ! Of course, I can only talk like this to 
 you. If I had but time to study and write, I should not fear 
 now, but I must be content to do what I can, consistently with 
 my home duties, and leave the future to the Lord. I think, 
 however, very few have had so encouraging a beginning, and 
 I am determined to make the best of my opportunities. 
 
 " I continue my visitations among the drunkards. Our first 
 weekly meeting is to be on Thursday evening at eight o'clock 
 in a room in Lampton Terrace. I have ten pledged men to 
 begin with, most of whom have been much addicted to drink 
 for years, but who have now kept the pledge above a fort- 
 night." 
 
 Meanwhile the annual Conference had come and
 
 MJ?S. BOOTH COMMENCES PREACHING. 3 6 5 
 
 gone. Mr. Booth had not attended it, having con- 1860, 
 sented to stay in Gateshead another year. There 
 seemed, therefore, no particular object to be gained in A third 
 going. He could not help feeling, moreover, that he v ctote*- 
 had been unjustly treated by the non-fulfilment of the 
 repeated pledges that he should be recalled to the 
 evangelistic sphere. While he was willing on his own 
 part to continue in his present position for another 
 year, he could not but feel that he was wronged in 
 the evident indisposition of the opposing party to 
 carry out their promises. His absence called forth 
 some inquiries from Dr. Cooke, the President, but a 
 letter of explanation was read, and with this the Con- 
 ference appeared satisfied. 
 
 The heavy strain of his circuit duties had told Mr. Booth 
 severely for some time past upon Mr. Booth, and led 
 in September to a complete break-down, and an en- 
 forced rest. 
 
 Having been strongly recommended to try the 
 hydropathic treatment, Mr. Booth went to Mr. Smed- 
 ley's establishment at Matlock, while Mrs. Booth re- 
 mained with the children in Gateshead. But, although 
 she was prepared to do what she could in looking after 
 the interests of the Circuit, she was surprised when a 
 deputation of the leading officials waited upon her, 
 urging that she would take her husband's town ap- Mrs 
 pointments during his absence. To this she replied 
 that she could on no account consent, reminding them 
 that their credit was at stake as well as her confidence. 
 The deputation retired considerably crestfallen at the 
 result, but returned soon afterwards with renewed 
 supplications that Mrs. Booth would at least under- 
 take the Sabbath-night meetings, these being the 
 most important. After considerable pressure she circuit 
 
 r for nine 
 
 consented to this arrangement, and during the next weeks.
 
 366 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1860, nine weeks conducted these and other meetings till 
 the time of Mr. Booth's return, besides supervising the 
 general management of circuit affairs. The result 
 was most gratifying. The chapel was packed on each 
 occasion that she spoke. Numbers of gentlemen from 
 Newcastle, who had never before entered a dissenting 
 place of worship, attended the meetings. 
 
 The following letter to her parents gives a descrip- 
 tion of the position of affairs during this period : 
 
 " 24th September, 1860. 
 
 The work " ^ ** a d a ver y gd day yesterday at Sheriff Hill. A most 
 advances, precious time in the morning. Spoke an hour and ten min- 
 utes with unction and liberty. My own soul was richly 
 blessed and I think many others were. At night I had a good 
 time and splendid prayer-meeting, with several under convic- 
 tion, but only one decided case. I believe, however, we shall 
 get two very interesting young gentlemen who were present. 
 One of them is just about to be married to one of my spiritual 
 children, another fruit of my last service at Bethesda. Glory 
 be to God for all His goodness ! But I feel as though I heard 
 Him saying to my soul, 'Be faithful and I will show thee 
 greater things than these.' 'Even so,' my heart replies, 
 'Behold the handmaiden of the Lord! Be it unto me accord- 
 ing to Thy word!' Pray for me. 
 
 " I hope if my dear father has not yet got thoroughly into 
 the light, that he will do so while he is here. It may be the 
 Lord is bringing him for that purpose. 
 
 Plenty of " ^ S et plenty of invitations now, far more than I can com- 
 invita- ply with. In fact they tell me my name is being trumpeted 
 far and wide. Mr. Crow says that it is getting into the foreign 
 papers now, and that in one of them I am represented as hav- 
 ing my husband's clothes on ! They would require to be con- 
 siderably shortened before such a phenomenon could occur, 
 would they not? Well, notwithstanding all I have heard 
 about the papers, I have never had sufficient curiosity to buy 
 one ! Nor have I ever seen my name in print, except on the 
 wall bills, and then I have had some difficulty to believe that 
 it really meant me ! However, I suppose it did. And now I 
 shall never deem anything impossible any more ! "
 
 MRS. BOOTH COMMENCES PREACHING. 367 
 
 In writing to Mr. Booth during his absence she says : 
 
 " You will be anxious to hear how I got on last night. Well, 
 we had a splendid congregation. The chapel was very full, 
 upstairs and down, with forms round the communion rail. I 
 never saw it fuller on any occasion except once or twice dur- 
 ing the revival. It was a wonderful congregation, especially 
 considering that no bills had been printed. The Lord helped 
 me, and I spoke for an hour with great confidence, liberty, and 
 I think some power. They listened as for eternity, and a deep 
 solemnity seemed to rest on every countenance. I am con- 
 scious that mentally and for delivery it was by far my best 
 effort. Oh how I yearned for more Divine influence to make 
 the most of that precious opportunity ! Great numbers stayed 
 to the prayer-meeting. The bottom of the chapel was nearly 
 full. Many are under conviction, but we had only three 
 cases, I think all good ones. I kept the prayer-meeting on 
 until ten. The people did not seem to want to go. The man 
 whom I told you about as having been brought in a month ago 
 under ' Be ye reconciled, ' prayed last night with power. He is 
 a glorious case, Mr. McAllam's best helper at Gardener Street. 
 
 " The Proctors were there, also Turnbull and Buston. Mr. 
 Firbank, Thompson, and Crow were talking in the vestry 
 afterward, and they said we ought to commence special ser- 
 vices directly, for it was evident we had a splendid hold on 
 the town, and that I must prepare myself to preach at night 
 very often. I told them it was easy talking, etc. They little 
 knew what it cost me, nor anybody else either, except the 
 Lord. You see I cannot get rid of the care and management 
 of things at home, and this sadly interferes with the quiet 
 necessary for preparation, but I must try to possess my soul 
 in patience, and to do all, in the kitchen as well as in the pul- 
 pit, to the glory of God. The Lord help me ! 
 
 " I took cold coming home from the meeting last Sunday 
 night, and have had a sore throat and chest all the week. I 
 am very sorry I engaged myself for Reckington twice next 
 Sunday, but they pleaded so hard I could not refuse. I can- 
 not undertake these night services in the country, having to 
 come home in an open conveyance, as I will not let them go 
 to the expense of hiring cabs. 
 
 " I told you I had refused an application from Salem for the 
 
 1860, 
 Age 31. 
 
 A full 
 chapel. 
 
 The best 
 effort. 
 
 A grand 
 chance. 
 
 Difficul- 
 ties.
 
 3 68 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1860, 
 Age 31. 
 
 A press- 
 ing invi- 
 tation. 
 
 The 
 
 people 
 
 pleased. 
 
 Taking 
 the reins. 
 
 The unity 
 
 of the 
 
 leaders. 
 
 No time 
 to grow. 
 
 Eloquence 
 and ad- 
 ministra- 
 tive 
 ability. 
 
 afternoon of the 28th. Well, on Saturday another gentleman 
 waited on me, and begged me to reconsider my decision. He 
 evidently came determined to make me yield. He was most 
 doggedly obtuse to all my reasons and persevering in his en- 
 treaties. I thought to myself, you have got your match this 
 time ! But after half an hour's arguing, in which he assured 
 me that every office-bearer had been consulted and that all 
 were anxious for me to come, I said there was only one way it 
 could be done. If Mr. Williams would take afternoon and 
 night, I would serve them in the morning. 
 
 " The people are saying some very extravagant things. I 
 hear a stray report now and then. But I think I feel as meek 
 as ever, and more my own helplessness and dependence on 
 Divine assistance. Don't forget to pray for me. I have borne 
 the weight of circuit matters to an extent I could not have 
 believed possible, and have been literally the 'Superintend- 
 ent.' But it has been behind the scenes, and I have not 
 always been well represented in my officers, and consequently 
 all things have not been done to my satisfaction. When you 
 come you will not only resume the command, but yourself 
 take the reins." 
 
 One of the most interesting features of the Gates- 
 head work was the unanimity which prevailed within 
 the borders of the society. " This was the more re- 
 markable," says one of its oldest officials, "as the cir- 
 cuit was well known to be a difficult one to grip, the 
 quarterly meetings of office-bearers having often been 
 of a stormy character and requiring no little tact to man- 
 age. But under Mr. Booth's leadership everything 
 went on smoothly. He never permitted symptoms 
 of disagreement or coldness time to grow. If he 
 thought anything had been said calculated to give 
 rise to a misunderstanding, or unnecessarily to wound 
 any one's feelings, he would not allow twenty-four 
 hours to pass without setting the matter straight by a 
 personal interview." 
 
 It is not always that the gift of eloquence is com- 
 bined with administrative ability. Indeed, men of
 
 MRS. BOOTH COMMENCES PREACHING. 369 
 
 action are proverbially taciturn, while the capacity for 1860, 
 saying a thing well is as frequently linked with a sin- ge 3I> 
 gular aptitude for doing it badly. With Mr. and 
 Mrs. Booth there was a happy combination of both. 
 As leaders of their family, of their Circuit, and of the 
 Salvation Army, they have been a remarkable ex- 
 emplification of the "iron hand in a velvet glove," 
 which is truly said to be the most valuable qualifica- 
 tion of a wise ruler. 
 
 A bad rider will spoil the best horse. At one time A bad 
 the reins will lie loose upon its neck, so that except spoils a 
 for the weight upon its back it cannot tell it has a 
 
 master. The next moment the creature will be 
 thrown upon its haunches by a violent jerk, with 
 altogether unnecessary force. At first there is no 
 control, and then it is all control. The horse is al- 
 ternately master of the rider and the rider master 
 of the horse, until it becomes uncertain whose turn 
 will be the next, and finally it is impossible to do 
 with whip and spur what good management would 
 have accomplished without the use of either. It is 
 thus that many a vicious brute is manufactured, and 
 the rider prepares the way for his own fall. 
 
 It would be interesting to know how frequently the Human 
 parallel has held good in the case of human govern- 
 ments. They are a necessity, in some shape or form, 
 perhaps in every shape a necessary evil of our human- 
 ity. A riderless horse soon gets into mischief , or is at 
 best a comparatively useless and expensive luxury. A 
 headless community, whether it be a family, a religious 
 organisation, or a nation, cannot play its proper part 
 on the social stage. It may do no harm, but it cannot 
 accomplish the good which a combination of its in- 
 dividual powers would render possible. The divided 
 house must fall; if not into perdition, at least into 
 24
 
 370 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1860, 
 Age 31. 
 
 Systems 
 of govern- 
 ment. 
 
 The rule 
 of all is 
 the rule 
 of none. 
 
 A strong 
 govern- 
 ment. 
 
 Ability 
 and good- 
 ness. 
 
 comparative obscurity. Men are like sheep. The 
 vast majority are made and meant to follow. The 
 rare majority are fitted to lead. A happy union of 
 the two is what is required. The unfortunate experi- 
 ences of misgovernment are no argument against 
 government itself. Nor is it wise to substitute the 
 government of all for the government of some. The 
 rule of the best is the best rule. The government of 
 all is the government of none. What is needed is a 
 real aristocracy in place of an artificial one a gov- 
 ernment of the best, the best by nature and the best 
 by grace, the best in talent, but the talent must be 
 seasoned with virtue. Perverted talent is a public 
 danger. The world is cursed with the rule of clever- 
 ness, the rule of science, the rule of art, the rule of 
 wealth, the rule of birth, the rule of accident. 
 
 The Salvation Army has advanced with altogether 
 phenomenal rapidity because there has been a strong 
 government a government of the best, both in re- 
 gard to ability and piety impartially administered, 
 and based on the confidence of its rank and file. 
 Ability has been duly recognised without being im- 
 properly deified. Knowledge has been subordinated 
 to holiness, and power has been sanctified by love. 
 From a governmental standpoint ability is almost as 
 necessary to goodness as goodness to ability. It is a 
 fatal mistake to dissolve the partnership, whether in 
 the social, political, or religious world. In seeking 
 to dispense with either one or the other, society be- 
 comes more or less of a mixed muddledom.
 
 CHAPTER XXXVI. 
 GATESHEAD. 1860-1861. 
 
 THE illness and prolonged absence of Mr. Booth 
 from the Gateshead Circuit had not only the effect of 
 compelling Mrs. Booth to undertake responsibilities 
 from which she would otherwise have drawn back, but 
 gave rise to a correspondence which contains an un- 
 usually full description of the incidents occurring at 
 the time. 
 
 Her intense anxiety regarding the nervous prostra- 
 tion and complete break-down which had necessitated 
 Mr. Booth's departure may be gathered from the 
 following letter : 
 
 "September isth, 1860. 
 
 " MY PRECIOUS WILLIAM : Yours is to hand, and so deeply 
 have its contents troubled me that I can do nothing until I 
 have answered it. 
 
 " I have let you proceed with the hydropathic treatment 
 quietly and trustingly, although I have had many fears about 
 its suiting you. The difficulty in breathing of which you speak 
 distresses and alarms me. And now that you have left Mr. 
 Smedley's I shall expect to have some jurisdiction over you. 
 And I do hope that you will prove the love for me of which 
 you write by at once attending to my advice. Your health is 
 too important a matter to be trifled with. Oh, my dearest, 
 what shall I do if you don't get better? I dare not think 
 about it. The Lord help me ! I feel as though I must come 
 to you. I can scarce restrain myself at all. Write by return, 
 and let othing prevent you from sending me news every 
 day. No human means must be left untried to bring about 
 your restoration, and if our money fails I must try and get 
 
 Her 
 
 
 
 eral - 
 
 he Gen- 
 illness. 
 
 distress.
 
 372 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1860, 
 Age 31. 
 
 Prayer. 
 
 Better 
 news. 
 
 Domestic 
 troubles. 
 
 Whoop- 
 ing- 
 cough. 
 
 some more. I might arrange some lectures and charge so 
 much for entrance. With such an object in view I could un- 
 dertake the extra burden, and the people would come to hear 
 me, I feel sure. 
 
 " I shall bear you continually on my heart before the Lord. 
 Do we honour Him enough in the matter of health and sick- 
 ness? 'Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of 
 the church and let them pray over him, and the prayer of 
 faith shall save the sick and the Lord shall raise him up !' Let 
 us pray more about our health. 
 
 " With much anxiety and undiminished affection, 
 " I remain your loving wife, 
 
 " CATHERINE." 
 
 Subsequent letters, however, contained better news, 
 and Mrs. Booth had the satisfaction of hearing from 
 time to time that change, rest, and medical treatment 
 had produced, with God's blessing, a satisfactory im- 
 provement in her husband's health. 
 
 To add to her anxieties, however, her children sick- 
 ened simultaneously with whooping-cough. The fol- 
 lowing letter to her parents gives a glimpse behind 
 the scenes, showing that Mrs. Booth, though now 
 officiating as "a Mother in Israel," was none the less 
 a mother at home: 
 
 " You will be sorry to hear that all the children have got the 
 whooping-cough! It never occurred to me that the cough 
 Willie had was the commencement of it. Now, however, it 
 is beyond doubt, and very much it distresses me to hear 
 them cough one after another. Katie and Baby have it the 
 worst. I am giving them the appropriate homoeopathic 
 remedies, with their feet in hot water and mustard at night, 
 and water bandages on their chests. So far this treatment 
 answers well and they are progressing as favourably as could 
 be expected. Baby suffers the most, as she is cutting her 
 teeth. However, if they are to have it, I would rather they 
 all had it together, although it is no small job bandaging 
 them every night, I can assure you. It takes me above an 
 hour and a half before I have finished. Join us in praying
 
 GA TESHEAD. 
 
 373 
 
 that God may bless the means and speedily restore them to 
 health. 
 
 " Accept my warmest thanks for the little frock you sent. 
 We like it very much. There is only .one difficulty, namely, 
 it is too smart ! I shall have to give you full and explicit di- 
 rections in future as to the style, trimming, etc. , for we really 
 must set an example in this respect worthy of imitation. I 
 feel no temptation now to decorate myself. But I cannot say 
 the same about my children. And yet, oh, I see I must be 
 decided, and come out from among the fashion-worshipping, 
 worldly professors around me. Lord, help me ! Don't think 
 I am reflecting on you. But we must do violence to our fan- 
 cies for Christ's sake. Bless you! lam sure your kindness 
 is fully appreciated and highly prized ! " 
 
 1860, 
 Age 31. 
 
 The frock 
 is too 
 smart. 
 
 It is not tmfrequently a characteristic of the largest 
 minds that they possess a capacity for descending to 
 the veriest trifles, passing from one to the other with- 
 out apparent effort, and rinding in each their natural 
 element. It is no less surprising to watch an elephant 
 pick up a needle with its trunk than to see it push 
 down a wall, or tear a sapling from its roots. It is 
 the combination of the two which forms the contrast. 
 Of itself there is nothing striking in the capacity to 
 deal effectively with the trivialities of life. But great- 
 ness is never greater than when dealing with the little- 
 nesses of the hour at one moment sweeping the uni- 
 verse as with a. telescope, at the next dissecting an 
 atom with its microscopic eye. 
 
 Mrs. Booth, spending an hour and a half at home 
 in bandaging her sick children, abroad in addressing 
 a crowded and spellbound audience, presents a happy 
 contrast, in which each portion of the double picture 
 lends added effect to the other. It was, perhaps, the 
 consciousness of a well-regulated home that imparted 
 confidence to the speaker, and attested her message 
 as nothing else could have done. 
 
 A large 
 mind. 
 
 Dealing 
 
 with 
 details. 
 
 A happy 
 contrast.
 
 374 MRS. XOOTff. 
 
 1860, "I hear it has got into the Court Journal and. several 
 
 ge 3I> other papers," she writes to her parents, "that I am 
 
 News- to take William's appointments. The paragraph is 
 
 notices, headed 'A Minister's Wife Supplying his Place.' 
 
 There was an account in the Chronicle a fortnight 
 
 ago of my first effort in Bethesda. There is also a 
 
 notice in a Sunderland paper, and to-day I am told 
 
 it is in the Morning Star. One gentleman says that 
 
 he saw an account of it in the Scotsman, in the heart 
 
 of Scotland. 
 
 Preach- "I had a splendid congregation on Sunday night 
 
 ing on the , . 
 
 Prodigal and took the pulpit, very much against my own de- 
 sire, but in compliance with the general wish. I 
 spoke exactly an hour from the Prodigal Son. I was 
 very much agitated, and did not get a moment's 
 liberty through the whole service. In fact, I felt very 
 much discouraged, but I have heard nothing but the 
 greatest satisfaction expressed by the people. So, if 
 they were satisfied with that, I need never fear again, 
 as I had some good stuff and was well prepared with 
 material, but was so flurried I could not command it. 
 However, there was a gracious influence and several 
 were weeping. 
 
 "On Monday night I spoke for half an hour with 
 liberty and comfort to myself, and I believe with uni- 
 versal satisfaction. 
 
 A com- " I am published for anniversary sermons at Felling 
 supply. Shore morning and night. On Sunday week I am at 
 the Teams anniversary morning and night, and the 
 Sunday after they want me to take Bethesda again. 
 The following Sunday I am to be at Sheriff Hill and 
 then at Gateshead Fell. So you see I have plenty of 
 work cut out. I am anxious to do as much as I can 
 while William is away, as they esteem me a competent 
 supply for him, and this will prevent disappointment.
 
 GATESHEAD. 
 
 375 
 
 " The preparation is the greatest difficulty. I am 
 subject to such constant interruption and noise that I 
 am often almost bewildered. But the Lord has won- 
 derfully helped me so far, and He has been blessing 
 my soul very sweetly of late. I am not labouring in 
 vain, but I trust I have some fruit which will remain 
 unto eternal life." 
 
 In a later letter to Mr. Booth she says : 
 " I was at the Shore yesterday. Good congregation 
 in the morning and a precious season to myself, and 
 
 J 
 
 so far as I could judge to everybody else. It was by 
 far the best effort I have made. If I could always 
 realise as much liberty and Divine influence, I should 
 not fear to go anywhere. 
 
 " At night the chapel was well filled, with extra 
 forms, etc. Miss Newberry was present, and said 
 there was not a single defect, except a manifestation 
 of physical weakness which distressed her. The heat 
 was very oppressive, and for the first time proved a 
 hindrance to me. With time and pains and more of 
 the Spirit I believe I shall be useful yet. 
 
 "They had Mrs. Dickson from Sheriff Hill for the 
 afternoon. Miss Newberry heard her. She says she 
 is a regular Primitive female preacher ! She puts off 
 bonnet and shawl and goes at it like a ranter! She 
 says some good things, but without order or arrange- 
 ment, and shouts till the people jump ! She is a very 
 big woman, and I have no doubt a very good one too. 
 But I was sadly afraid, from hearing her shout and 
 
 J * 
 
 talk while a few friends were praying after tea, that 
 she would quite upset me at night. However, I com- 
 mitted it to the Lord, and got Miss Newberry to sit 
 behind her, so that if she did respond too loudly, she 
 could give her a hint. However, she did not need it. 
 I spoke an hour and five minutes in the morning, 
 
 1860, 
 ge 3I * 
 
 The 
 
 A 
 precious 
 
 season. 
 
 Useful 
 
 "Going 
 
 at 
 
 Quiets 
 
 down.
 
 376 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1860, 
 Age 31. 
 
 Some 
 
 plain 
 
 truth 
 
 ready. 
 
 A good 
 test. 
 
 Meta- 
 phorical 
 hydro- 
 pathy. 
 
 Speaking 
 
 with 
 liberty. 
 
 about an hour in the evening, gave two invitations, 
 and prayed. 
 
 " I saw Mr. Firbank about the quarterly meeting. 
 It is to be held as usual, and the adjourned meeting a 
 fortnight after, at which you must, if possible, be 
 present. I have got some plain truth ready for Sunday 
 morning, and I believe the Lord will help me to de- 
 liver it with the demonstration of the Spirit and with 
 power. I beg an especial interest in your prayers 
 that this may be the case. It is just what is wanted. 
 
 " I had a very good test afforded me by which to try 
 my humility. A good brother who could scarcely put 
 three words together prayed very earnestly that God 
 would crown my labours, seeing that He could bless 
 the weakest instruments in His service. You will 
 smile, and so did I, but it did me good, inasmuch as I 
 made it a probe for my heart. Why should I be un- 
 willing for the weakest and most illiterate to count me 
 among the weak things of the world and the things 
 that 'are not,' if I may be but instrumental in win- 
 ning souls for Christ? Oh, I do feel more than ever 
 the need of crying 
 
 " ' Wean my soul, and keep it low, 
 Willing Thee alone to know.' 
 
 " I perceive the water treatment has not yet brought 
 out all your weaknesses, metaphorically, I mean. 
 Pray keep my letters to yourself. I am sure I have 
 not written one fit to show to anybody." 
 A few days afterward Mrs. Booth writes: 
 " Last night my subject went well. It was by far 
 the best effort I have made. I spoke an hour and a 
 quarter with unwavering confidence, liberty, and plea- 
 sure to myself, and, if I may judge, with blessing to 
 the people. We had an excellent day altogether.
 
 BAI.LIXGTOX BOOTH.
 
 GA TESHEAD. 
 
 377 
 
 Good congregation in the morning and at night the 
 chapel was crowded as I have never yet seen it. I 
 spoke for an hour and five minutes with tolerable 
 liberty and effect. My subject was, 'Be ye reconciled 
 to God. ' The attention did not flag for a moment, and 
 no one seemed aware that I had spoken so long. I 
 intend to try and be shorter for my own health's sake. 
 But it is so difficult, in dealing with a subject, to leave 
 unsaid what you think may be useful to the people. 
 
 " Miss Newberry went home yesterday. She heard 
 me both morning and night, and said that if I could 
 get up a discourse like that in the time, and under the 
 circumstances, and then go and deliver it as I did, I 
 need not fear to go anywhere. I value her testimony 
 as that of the most intelligent and talented woman I 
 know. To God be all the praise ! May He help me 
 to devote every power He has given to His glory and 
 to His only!" 
 
 A week later Mrs. Booth says : 
 
 "We had a splendid congregation last night. I 
 took cold on Saturday and consequently had a sore 
 throat and chest to begin with, and was afraid I should 
 not be able to make the people hear. But I threw 
 myself on the Lord with some confidence that He 
 would help me, and spoke an hour with liberty and 
 strength of voice exceeding any time before. We had 
 a powerful prayer meeting, rich influence, and good 
 praying, but only one case a good one; a middle- 
 aged man, a backslider. There were several under 
 conviction, one gentleman from Newcastle, whom Mr. 
 McAllam said he was much surprised to see there. 
 Mr. Firbank talked to him, but he would not come to 
 the rail. We lacked a general. If you had been there 
 we should have had several cases, I have no doubt. 
 
 "At the quarterly meeting, I am told, very kind 
 
 1860, 
 Age 31. 
 
 Hard to 
 be short. 
 
 Able to 
 go any- 
 where. 
 
 Throwing 
 
 herself on 
 
 God. 
 
 A rich in- 
 fluence.
 
 378 MS. BOOTH. 
 
 1860, recognition was made of my labours and a resolution 
 
 ge of thanks and .sympathy unanimously passed. It was 
 
 A vote of also decided not to invite a stranger for the Christmas 
 
 effort, but to ask you to take one sermon and me the 
 
 other! This is truly marvellous. Surely it is the 
 
 Lord's doing! 
 
 "Pray for " Do not forget to pray for me. lam the subiect 
 
 me." J 
 
 of much temptation and conflict. But God knows my 
 heart. He sees I only want to do His will. 
 Meeting Qh, how thankful I am that you are better! It 
 
 death J 
 
 with seems to make all my other anxieties light and easy. 
 
 calmness. . J 
 
 Even my own health appears a trine compared with 
 yours, and I feel that infinitely easier could I meet 
 death myself than its approach to you. I think if I 
 were called to die, I could now do so with calmness, 
 reposing on the infinite merits of my Redeemer. I 
 "i know i know I love Him. I know I am striving after a full 
 
 love him. 5 
 
 Divine conformity to His righteous will. Satan 
 labours hard to terrify me, because of the past. But 
 I answer him, 'Where sin hath abounded, grace shall 
 much more abound,' yea, and I believe it. I, even I, 
 shall prove His uttermost salvation, His fulness of 
 love. Do you pray for me? Are you striving after 
 more of the mind of Christ? Are you living by faith 
 in the Son of God? May the Lord help you, and bring 
 you home in the fulness of the blessing of the Gospel 
 of Christ!" 
 The Gen- Mr. Booth returned from his furlough with health 
 
 eraVs 
 
 return, improved, fresh plans formed, and faith high for the 
 achievements of the coming year. He was received 
 by his office-bearers and people with every manifesta- 
 tion of their confidence and affection, and was es- 
 pecially gratified by their assurances concerning the 
 progress of the work during his absence, a resolution 
 having been unanimously passed expressive of their
 
 GATESHEAD. 379 
 
 satisfaction with the able and devoted manner in 1860, 
 which Mrs. Booth had superintended the affairs of ge 3I ' 
 the circuit. 
 
 Writing to her parents upon New Year's Day, Mrs. A happy 
 Booth gives the following description of the Christ- mas' 
 mas: 
 
 " We had a very good tea-meeting upon Christmas 
 Day the best attendance they have ever had. I 
 spoke an hour and a few minutes upon 'The true 
 glory of a church embodied Christianity,' as distin- 
 guished from materialism in every shape and form. 
 I illustrated it by the two temples. The latter, though 
 so far inferior to the first in all material grandeur, is 
 yet declared to exceed it in glory, being honoured by 
 the personal presence of Christ. So the glory of any The 
 church is not its architecture, etc., but the living em- o/chrisi. 
 bodiment of Christ's principles and benevolence. I 
 should not have spoken, but William wished me to, 
 and insisted on my taking time. The Christmas 
 collections have amounted to 6 more than last year, 
 when they fetched a special preacher 300 miles for 
 the meetings. 
 
 " At a society meeting held last week they passed a supply- 
 resolution that some blanks be left on the next 'plan' blanks 
 for Sunday nights at Bethesda, and that I be requested 
 to supply them. But I cannot give the time to pre- 
 paration unless I can afford to put my sewing out. It 
 never seems to occur to anybody that I cannot do two 
 things at once, or that I want means to relieve me 
 of the one while I do the other! What I do, I do 
 to the Lord. Still I am conscious they are partakers 
 of the benefit, and could wish that they would re- 
 member our temporalities a little more than they do!" 
 
 It is only due to the Circuit officials to say that they Making 
 made up somewhat for their previous forgetfulness by
 
 MRS. SOOTH. 
 
 1860, offering a little monetary assistance to Mr. and Mrs. 
 
 ge 3I ' Booth before they went away. And, no doubt, had 
 
 Financial they been aware of the financial straits which made 
 
 tts ' it so difficult for Mrs. Booth to find time for her public 
 
 work, they would have gladly come forward to supply 
 
 the needs of their beloved and respected leaders 
 
 rather than that time should have been wasted over 
 
 household details which might have been so profitably 
 
 devoted to the salvation of souls. 
 
 A thrifty A more thrifty housewife than Mrs. Booth it would 
 
 JiOttSC" 
 
 wife. have been difficult to find. She could not endure ex- 
 travagance. But she was equally free from meanness. 
 She laboured that her children should be well-fed, 
 warmly and neatly clothed, and carefully instructed 
 in all forms of knowledge that would be likely to be 
 useful to them and make them a blessing to others in 
 after life. She had a conviction or should we say, 
 one of those prophetic instincts to which she occasion- 
 ally gave utterance that her children were destined 
 standing to "stand before princes," and she was resolved that 
 princes, no pains should be spared on her part in preparing 
 them physically, intellectually, and spiritually to make 
 the best of the opportunities the future might offer for 
 serving God and their generation. God honoured her 
 faith, and though the financial burden continued to 
 press heavily upon her, the promise was fulfilled that 
 her bread should be certain and her water sure.
 
 CHAPTER XXXVII. 
 MRS. BOOTH ON HOLINESS. 1861. 
 
 OF the doctrines advocated by John Wesley, next p ar dan 
 to the necessity of conversion there was none on Jj^jL 
 which he laid more stress than on the doctrine of 
 sanctification. By the former he understood, as we 
 have already seen, the possibility of receiving the 
 conscious and immediate assurance of salvation. 
 This was his privilege nay, more, it was his duty. 
 Short of such an experience none could safely rest. 
 
 Wesley went, however, further in asserting that not indwell- 
 only could the sins of the past be pardoned and the mg sins - 
 sinner restored to the family of God, but that the 
 heart could be purified by the same power from the A heart 
 evil tendencies and tempers which would otherwise 
 prove too strong for it, arid render it the helpless prey 
 of every passing temptation. If, he argued, the cita- 
 del of the heart continued to be occupied by anger, 
 pride, love of money, fear of man, and all the other 
 thousand and one forms of selfishness, the whole at- 
 tention of the victim of such passions would neces- 
 sarily be occupied in combating those inward enemies, 
 and there would be little opportunity, inclination, 
 and capacity for serving the Lord by carrying the 
 war into the heart of the enemy's country. If, on 
 the contrary, these inward forms of evil were re- 
 moved, every energy could then be devoted to the 
 salvation of a perishing world. 
 
 The very object of the atonement appeared to him 
 
 38*
 
 382 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1861, 
 Age 32. 
 
 The name 
 Jesus. 
 
 A neglect- 
 ed doc- 
 trine. 
 
 Hoiv it 
 came 
 about. 
 
 to be the conquest and removal of these indwelling 
 evils. The very name Jesus signified that He was to 
 save His people from their sins, not merely to pardon 
 and condone sin, as so many seemed to suppose. 
 
 Of late, however, this doctrine had ceased to occupy 
 the prominence given to it by Wesley. True, the 
 possibility of attaining such an experience continued 
 to be acknowledged. Nevertheless, it was no longer 
 advocated with the same definiteness and earnestness 
 that had marked it of old. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Booth, while constantly referring to 
 the subject, and always urging upon their converts 
 the importance both of holy living and of aggressive 
 effort, had not hitherto directed their attention in any 
 special manner to the consideration and proclamation 
 of this doctrine. How they came to do so is touch- 
 ingly described by Mrs. Booth in the following letters 
 to her parents : 
 
 " My soul has been much called out of late on the doctrine 
 of holiness. I feel that hitherto we have not put it in a suffi- 
 ciently definite and tangible manner before the people I 
 mean as a specific and attainable experience. Oh, that I had 
 entered into the fulness of the enjoyment of it myself. I in- 
 tend to struggle after it. In the mean time we have com- 
 menced already to bring it specially before our dear people." 
 
 " February 4th, 1861. 
 
 " I spoke a fortnight since at Bethesda on holiness, and a pre- 
 cious time we had. On the Sunday following two beautiful 
 testimonies were given in the love-feast as to the attainment 
 of the blessing through that address. One of them, an old 
 gray-headed leader, is perhaps the most spiritual man in the 
 society. He had never before seen it his privilege to be 
 sanctified. Others have claimed it since. William has 
 preached on it twice, and there is a glorious quickening 
 ous'quick- amongst the people. I am to speak again next Friday night 
 and on Sunday afternoon. Pray for me. I only want perfect 
 consecration and Christ as my all, and then I might be very 
 
 Not 
 
 definite 
 enough. 
 
 Getting 
 
 the 
 blessing. 
 
 A glori-
 
 MRS. BOOTH ON HOLINESS. 383 
 
 useful, to the glory, not of myself, the most unworthy of all 1861, 
 who e'er His grace received, but of His great and boundless Age 32. 
 love. May the Lord enable me to give my wanderings o'er 
 and to find in Christ perfect peace and full salvation ! 
 
 " I have much to be thankful for in my dearest husband. On full 
 The Lord has been dealing very graciously with him for some 
 time past. His soul has been growing in grace, and its out- 
 ward developments have been proportionate. He is now on 
 full stretch for holiness. You would be amazed at the change 
 in him. It would take me all night to detail all the circum- 
 stances and convergings of Providence and Grace which have 
 led up to this experience, but I assure you it is a glorious 
 reality, and I know you will rejoice in it. 
 
 " As has always been the case with every quickening we The evan- 
 have experienced in our own souls, there has been a renewal 
 of the evangelistic question, especially in my mind. I felt as 
 though that was the point of controversy between me and 
 God. Indeed, I knew it was. And on the day I referred to in 
 my last letter to you I determined to bring it to a point be- 
 fore the Lord, trusting in Him for strength to suffer as well 
 as to do His will, if He should call me to it. I did so. What 
 
 I went through in the conflict I could not, if I would, describe. 
 
 , , _.. A terrible 
 
 It seemed far worse than death. Since that hour, however, conflict. 
 
 although I have been tempted, I have not taken back the 
 sacrifice from the altar, but have been enabled calmly to 
 contemplate it as done. 
 
 " Such an unexpected surrender on my part of course re- His 
 vived William's yearnings towards the evangelistic work, ye ^^ gs 
 though in quite another spirit to that in which he used to long 
 for it. In fact, now, I think the sacrifice will be almost as 
 great to him as to me. He has got so much more settled in 
 his habits, and so fond of home. But he feels as though the 
 Lord calls him to it. So we are going to make it a matter of 
 daily prayer for a week, and then decide, leaving all conse- 
 quences with the Lo r d. He says that we shall not lack any 
 good thing if we do His will, and if He puts us to the test 
 we are going to trust Him with each other life, health, 
 salary, and all. 
 
 " Will you not pray that He may reveal unto us His will so Pray for 
 clearly that we cannot err? Oh, for faith in the simple word ! 
 The curse of this age especially is unbelief, frittering the real
 
 384 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1861, 
 Age 32. 
 
 The 
 
 daughter 
 of Zion. 
 
 Unbelief 
 
 ties God's 
 
 hands. 
 
 meaning of God's word away and making it all figure and 
 fiction. Nothing but the Holy Ghost can so apply the words 
 of God to the soul that they shall be what Jesus declared 
 they were, 'spirit and life.' May He so apply them to our 
 waiting, anxious hearts on this momentously important sub- 
 ject. 
 
 " I am glad you got the book I recommended, but I would 
 not advise you to read it all at once. Just find some portion 
 that suits your case and apply it and pray over it, and ask the 
 Lord to help you to receive all the light it is fitted to impart, 
 and then act according to it. Believe it, or it is of no use ! 
 The just shall live by faith. More than ever am I deter- 
 mined to keep clear of all worldly conformity, and to say of 
 its maxims, its practices, and all its paltry gratifications, ' The 
 daughter of Zion hath despised thee !' 
 
 " The Lord will order all things if we only do His will and 
 trust Him with consequences. 'Them that honour me I will 
 honour. ' Oh, what a fool I have been ! How slow, how back- 
 ward, how blind, how hindered by unbelief! And even now 
 some bolts and bars are round me, which my foolish heart will 
 not consent to have broken down ! O unbelief, truly it binds 
 the hands of Omnipotence itself! 'He could not do many 
 mighty works because of their unbelief. ' May the Lord in- 
 crease our faith ! " 
 
 Thanks 
 
 for 
 prayers. 
 
 How to 
 
 get the 
 
 blessing. 
 
 "nth February, 1861. 
 
 " Your very kind letter came duly to hand. We are very 
 much obliged for the readiness with which you promise to 
 join us in praying about this very important matter of our 
 future work. I hope, nay, I believe, God will guide us. I 
 think we are fully willing to be led by Him. I have not 
 prayed much specifically about it at present, simply because 
 my mind has been absorbed in the pursuit of holiness, which 
 I feel involves this and every other blessing. If I am only 
 fully the Lord's He has unalterably bound Himself to be the 
 portion of my inheritance for ever. 
 
 This, of late, I have especially realised, and a week ago last 
 Friday, when I made the surrender referred to in my last, I 
 saw that in order to carry out my vow in the true spirit of 
 consecration I must have a whole Christ, a perfect Saviour. 
 I therefore resolved to seek till I found that 'pearl of great
 
 MRS. BOOTH ON HOLINESS. 
 
 385 
 
 price' 'the white stone, which no man knoweth, save he 
 that receiveth it. ' I perceived that I had been in some de- 
 gree of error with reference to the nature, or rather the at- 
 tainment of sanctification, regarding it rather as a great and 
 mighty work to be wrought in me through Christ, than the 
 simple reception of Christ as an all-sufficient Saviour, dwell- 
 ing in my heart, and thus cleansing it every moment 
 from all sin. I had been earnestly seeking all the week 
 to apprehend Him as my Saviour in this sense, but on 
 Thursday and Friday I was totally absorbed in the subject. 
 I laid aside almost everything else and spent the chief part 
 of the day in reading and prayer, and in trying to believe for 
 it. On Thursday afternoon at tea-time I was well-nigh dis- 
 couraged and felt my old visitant, irritability. The devil told 
 me I should never get it, and so I might as well give it up at 
 once. However, I knew him of old as a liar and the father of 
 lies, and pressed on cast down, yet not destroyed. 
 
 " On Friday morning God gave me two precious passages. 
 First, 'Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, 
 and I will give you rest. ' Oh, how sweet it sounded to my 
 poor, weary, sin-stricken soul ! I almost dared to believe that 
 He did give me rest from inbred sin, the rest of perfect holi- 
 ness. But I staggered at the promise, through unbelief, and 
 therefore failed to enter in. The second passage consisted 
 of those thrice-blessed words: 'Of Him are ye in Christ Jesus, 
 who is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, 
 and redemption!' But again unbelief hindered me, although 
 I felt as if getting gradually nearer. 
 
 " I struggled through the day until a little after six in the 
 evening, when William joined me in prayer. We had a 
 blessed season. While he was saying, 'Lord, we open our 
 hearts to receive Thee, ' that word was spoken to my soul : 
 ' Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If any man hear My 
 voice, and open unto Me, I will come in and sup with him. ' 
 I felt sure He had long been knocking, and oh, how I yearned 
 to receive him as a perfect Saviour ! But oh, the inveterate 
 habit of unbelief! How wonderful that God should have 
 borne so long with me ! 
 
 " When we got up from our knees I lay on the sofa, exhausted 
 with the excitement and effort of the day. William said, 
 'Don't you lay all on the altar? ' I replied, 'I am sure I do! ' 
 25 
 
 1861, 
 Age 32. 
 
 The sim- 
 ple in- 
 dwelling 
 of Christ. 
 
 Hindered 
 by un- 
 belief. 
 
 "I will 
 come in. J 
 
 All on the 
 altar.
 
 386 
 
 MXS. BOOTH. 
 
 1861, 
 Age 32. 
 
 Now are 
 ye clean. 
 
 Entering 
 into rest. 
 
 What it 
 
 depends 
 
 upon. 
 
 Jack in 
 undBoaz. 
 
 Then he said, 'And isn't the altar holy?' I replied in the 
 language of the Holy Ghost, 'The altar is most holy, and 
 whatsoever toucheth it is holy.' Then said he, 'Are you not 
 holy? ' I replied with my heart full of emotion and with some 
 faith, 'Oh, I think 1 am.' Immediately the word was given 
 me to confirm my faith, 'Now are ye clean through the word 
 which I have spoken unto you. ' And I took hold true, with 
 a trembling hand, and not unmolested by the tempter, but I 
 held fast the beginning of my confidence, and it grew 
 stronger, and from that moment I have dared to reckon my- 
 self dead indeed unto sin, and alive unto God through Jesus 
 Christ, my Lord. 
 
 " I did not feel much rapturous joy, but perfect peace, the 
 sweet rest which Jesus promised to the heavy-laden. I have 
 understood the Apostle's meaning when he says, 'We who be- 
 lieve do enter into rest. ' This is just descriptive of my state 
 at present. Not that I am not tempted, but I am allowed to 
 know the devil when he approaches me, and I look to my 
 Deliverer Jesus, and He still gives me rest. Two or three 
 very trying things occurred on Saturday, which at another 
 time would have excited impatience, but I was kept by the 
 power of God through faith unto full salvation. 
 
 " And now what shall I say? 'Unto Him who hath washed 
 me in His own blood be glory and dominion for ever and 
 ever,' and all within me says 'Amen! ' Oh, I cannot describe, 
 I have no words to set forth, the sense I have of my own utter 
 unworthiness. Satan has met me frequently with my pecu- 
 liarly aggravated sins, and I have admitted it all. But then I 
 have said the Lord ha? not made my sanctification to depend 
 in any measure on my own worthiness, or unworthiness, but 
 on the worthiness of my Saviour. He came to seek and to 
 save ' that which was lost. ' ' Where sin hath abounded grace 
 doth much more abound.' 
 
 " And now, my dear parents, will you let it abound towards 
 you? 'Whosoever will, let him come and take freely! " 
 
 Like the twin pillars, Jachin and Boaz, which were 
 reared by Solomon in the porch of the Temple, so 
 the twin doctrines, Conversion and Sanctification, 
 were raised in the forefront of the Salvation Army 
 Zion. Ir the glorious possibility of pardon, it was to
 
 MRS. BOOTH ON HOLINESS. 
 
 387 
 
 be "established," and in the no less precious privilege 
 of purity it was to find its "strength." The founders 
 of the movement were to transmit to their followers 
 the double shepherd's staff of Bands and Beauty, bind- 
 ing them on the one hand to the blessed experience of 
 a forgiven child of God, and introducing them on the 
 other to all the matchless "beauty of holiness." 
 
 Speaking subsequently on this subject Mrs. Booth 
 says: 
 
 " I think it must be self-evident that it is the most important 
 question that can possibly occupy the mind of man, how much 
 like God we can be how near to God we can come on earth 
 preparatory to our being perfectly like Him, and living, as it 
 were, in His very heart for ever and ever in heaven. Any 
 one who has any measure of the Spirit of God must perceive 
 that this is the most important question on which we can con- 
 centrate our thoughts ; and the mystery of mysteries to me is, 
 how any one, with any measure of the Spirit of God, can help 
 looking at this blessing of holiness, and saying, 'Well, even 
 if it does seem too great for attainment on earth, it is very 
 beautiful and very blessed. I wish I could attain it. ' That, 
 it seems to me, must be the attitude of every person who has 
 the Spirit of God that he should hunger and thirst after it, 
 arid. feel that he shall never be satisfied till he wakes up in the 
 lovely likeness of his Saviour. And yet, alas ! we do not find 
 it so. In a great many instances, the very first thing profess- 
 ing Christians do is to resist and reject this doctrine of holi- 
 ness as if it were the most foul thing on earth. 
 
 " I heard of a gentleman saying, a few days ago a leader 
 in one circle of religion that for anybody to talk about be- 
 ing holy showed that they knew nothing of themselves and 
 nothing of Jesus Christ. I said, 'O my God! it has come to 
 something if holiness and Jesus Christ are the antipodes of 
 each other. I thought He was the centre and fountain of holi- 
 ness. I thought it was in Him alone we could get any holi- 
 ness, and through Him only that holiness could be wrought 
 
 in us. ' But this poor man thought otherwise. 
 
 ,1 , r\ i i TT- 
 
 We are told over and over again that God wants His peo- 
 
 pie to be pure, and THAT PURITY IN THEIR HEARTS is THE 
 
 1861, 
 ge 
 
 Bands 
 Beauty. 
 
 How 
 
 resem- 
 ble God? 
 
 Hunger- 
 
 It is 
 possl e ' 
 
 The birth 
 O y ^ 
 
 Gospel.
 
 388 
 
 MAS. BOOTH. 
 
 1861, 
 Age 32. 
 
 To be and 
 to do. 
 
 A two- 
 sided 
 tcheme. 
 
 The con- 
 dition. 
 
 Worldly 
 
 conform- 
 
 ^ty. 
 
 No 
 sacrifice. 
 
 VERY CENTRAL IDEA AND END AND PURPOSE OF THE GOSPEL OF 
 
 JESUS CHRIST; if it is not so, I give up the whole question I 
 am utterly deceived. 
 
 " Oh that people, in their inquiries about this blessing of 
 holiness, would keep this one thing before their minds that 
 it is being saved from sin; sin in act, in purpose, in thought ! 
 
 " After all, what does God want with us? He wants us just 
 to be and to do. He wants us to be like His Son, and then to 
 do as His Son did ; and when we come to that He will shake 
 the world through us. People say, 'You can't be like His 
 Son. ' Very well, then, you will never get any more than you 
 believe for. If I did not think Jesus Christ strong enough to 
 destroy the works of the devil and to bring us back to God's 
 original pattern, I would throw the whole thing up for ever. 
 What! He has given us a religion we cannot practise? I say, 
 No! He has not come to mock us. What! He has given us 
 a Saviour who cannot save? Then I decline to have anything 
 to do with Him. What! does He profess to do for me what 
 He cannot? No, no, no. He 'is not a man, that He should 
 lie: neither the son of man, that He should repent:' and I 
 tell you that His scheme of salvation is two-sided it is God- 
 ward and manward. It contemplates me as well as it con- 
 templates the great God. It is not a scheme of salvation 
 merely it is a scheme of restoration. If He cannot restore 
 me He must damn me. If He cannot heal me, and make me 
 over again, and restore me to the pattern He intended me to 
 be, He has left Himself no choice. 
 
 "True, there is the condition, 'Be not conformed to this 
 world : but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, 
 that ye may prove. ' Oh ! if you could be transformed to Him 
 and conformed to this world at the same time, all the difficulty 
 would be over. I know plenty of people who would be trans- 
 formed directly ; but, to be not conformed to this world how 
 they stand and wince at that ! They cannot have it at that price. 
 But God will not be revealed to such souls, though they cry 
 and pray themselves to skeletons, and go mourning all their 
 days. They will not fulfil the condition 'Be not conformed 
 to this world;' they will not forego their conformity even to 
 the extent of a dinner-party. 
 
 " A great many that I know will not forego their confor- 
 mity to .the shape of their head-dress. They won't forego
 
 MRS. BOOTH ON HOLINESS. 
 
 389 
 
 the conformity to the extent of giving up visiting and 
 receiving visits from ungodly, worldly, hollow, and super- 
 ficial people. They will not forego their conformity to 
 the tune of having their domestic arrangements upset 
 no, not if the salvation of their children, and servants, and 
 friends depends upon it. The sine qua non is their own com- 
 fort, and then take what you can get on God's side. 'We 
 must have this, and we must have the other ; and then, if the 
 Lord Jesus Christ will come in at the tail end and sanctify it 
 all, we shall be very much obliged to Him ; but we cannot 
 forego these things. ' 
 
 " Finally, to obtain this blessed experience, there is the 
 great desideratum, faith. You can't know it by understand- 
 ing. . Oh ! if the world could have known it by understanding, 
 what a deal they would have known ! But He despises all 
 your philosophy. It is not by understanding, but by faith! 
 If ever you know God it will be by faith ; becoming as a little 
 child opening your heart, and saying, 'Lord, pour in;' and 
 then your quibbles and difficulties will be gone, and you will 
 see holiness, sanctification, purity, perfect love, burning out 
 on every page of God's Word. 
 
 " A minister a devoted, good man was trying to show me 
 that this sanctification was too big to be got and kept. I 
 said, 'My dear sir, how do you know? If another man has 
 faith to march up to Jesus Christ and say, " Here, I see this 
 in your Book ; you have promised this to me ; now, then, Lord, 
 I have faith to take it;" mind you don't measure his privilege 
 by your faith. Do you think the Church has come up to His 
 standard of privilege and obligation? I don't. It has many 
 marches to make yet. Mind you don't hinder anybody.' 
 The law of the Kingdom all the way through to your dying 
 moment will be 'According to your faith.' If you want this 
 blessing, put down your quibbles, put your feet on your argu- 
 ments, march up to the Throne and ask for it, and kill, and 
 crucify, and cast from you the accursed thing which hinders, 
 and then you shall have it; and the Lord will fill you with 
 His power and glory." 
 
 1861, 
 Age 32. 
 
 Looking 
 after 
 them- 
 selves. 
 
 How to 
 get it. 
 
 Is it too 
 
 much to 
 
 expect? 
 
 A low 
 standard.
 
 CHAPTER XXXVIII. 
 
 Critical 
 moments. 
 
 The red- 
 hot bars. 
 
 Blood- 
 money. 
 
 The Cross 
 the shib- 
 boleth of 
 the hypo- 
 crite. 
 
 "JUST BEFORE THE BATTLE." 1861. 
 
 IN the history of men, as in the history of nations, 
 there are critical moments when incalculable interests 
 tremble in the balance, and it seems that a feather 
 would suffice to turn the scale. Particularly is this 
 the case with those who rise up from time to time as 
 the champions of humanity. It is only when they 
 have dared to brave the fiery ordeal, and cross the 
 seven-fold heated bars which opposition and prejudice 
 lay at their feet, that the accomplishment of their 
 heart's desire becomes attainable. The moment ar- 
 rives when, without risking everything, nothing can 
 be won. Those who are not prepared to sacrifice 
 must be content to fail. 
 
 The choicest privileges of mankind have been 
 bought with blood. What is best worth buying 
 costs the most. The Cross is the price for the 
 Crown and Calvary the only gateway to resurrec- 
 tion glory. If good desires would save mankind, 
 it would surely have been delivered long ago. The 
 difference between idle wishes and the deliberate 
 heart choice of the world's true benefactors is, that 
 the latter consent to pay the price which some one has 
 to pay. The Cross is the divinely appointed shib- 
 boleth for the detection of the hypocrite. No insin- 
 cere and selfish heart can " frame to pronounce" the 
 
 390
 
 "JUST BEFORE THE BATTLE." 39* 
 
 word. The Ephraimite is betrayed by his lisp, and 1861, 
 fails in his attempt to cross the ford. 
 
 It was an epoch in the history of Mr. and Mrs. Broken 
 Booth. Hitherto they had bowed their necks to the promises ' 
 Connexional yoke in the belief that the promises of a 
 return to their evangelistic sphere would ultimately 
 and unanimously be afforded them. Four years they 
 had waited, but only to be disappointed. That they 
 could be useful in a circuit they had abundantly 
 proved, but that they could accomplish still greater 
 results in the coveted position where they had pre- 
 viously been blessed in so remarkable a manner was 
 equally clear. 
 
 The question now presented itself forcibly to The ques- 
 their consciences, as to whether they were justified thThour. 
 in submitting any longer to the jurisdiction of a 
 handful of persons, who were obviously influenced 
 by unworthy motives in denying them a position of 
 greater usefulness. True, it was possible that Con- 
 ference might reconsider their position, and fulfil the 
 pledges which had hitherto reconciled them to their 
 lot, but in the event of this not being the case what 
 were they to do? To face the world alone would 
 have been easy. But now a delicate wife and four 
 little children had to be considered. 
 
 The recent break-down of Mr. Booth's health had Their at- 
 reminded them that his constitution was not of the ac to"the. 
 strongest. Added to these difficulties there was a warm 
 personal attachment to the large circle of Connexional 
 members with whom their labours had brought them 
 into contact, and a deep-rooted desire to advance the 
 highest interests of the body. None of these consider- 
 ations, however, appeared to lessen the responsibility 
 of their present position. And they resolved with the 
 most perfect unanimity that if the Conference once
 
 392 
 
 MltS. BOOTH. 
 
 1861, 
 Age 32. 
 
 A letter 
 to the 
 Com- 
 mittee. 
 
 Expresses 
 his con- 
 victions. 
 
 Called to 
 it. 
 
 The two 
 spheres 
 
 com- 
 pared. 
 
 Past 
 results. 
 
 more refused to fulfil their long-standing pledge, they 
 would commit their needs to God, and go forth to do 
 His will in simple reliance upon His promises. 
 
 No sooner had this decision been arrived at than 
 they proceeded to prepare the following letter to the 
 Annual Committee, formally broaching the subject 
 and offering themselves for reappointment to the 
 evangelistic sphere : 
 
 " NORMANBY TERRACE, GATESHEAD, 
 
 "March 5th, 1861. 
 " To the Rev. James Stacey, President of the Methodist New 
 
 Connexion. 
 
 " MY DEAR SIR : It has long been on my mind to lay before 
 you, as the president of our denomination, my views and con- 
 victions with respect to my present and future position. I 
 do this in all plainness and candour, appealing to your judg- 
 ment, confiding in your sympathy, and requesting your 
 counsel. 
 
 " This question comes before me in something like the fol- 
 lowing form : 
 
 " I. For the last seven years I have felt that God has spe- 
 cially called me to this work. The impression has been clear 
 and decided. I am as satisfied of it as I am of my call to the 
 ministry. It is now four years since I was put down from it, 
 and the impression, instead of dying away, is as strong and 
 vivid as ever. 
 
 " II. I am satisfied that in that work I can be most success- 
 ful in bringing souls to Christ, promoting the prosperity of 
 the Church and the glory of God. I have seen a measure of 
 success in my present sphere ; but I submit that there is no 
 comparison between my success in the one sphere and in the 
 other. Many, very many, who during that two years and a 
 half of labour were brought to God are now safe in heaven. 
 Several, I think five or six, are now in our ministry, and 
 others are preparing for it; many are in the ranks of our 
 local preachers, and I hesitate not to say that hundreds are 
 enrolled in our membership. I think the position peculiarly 
 favourable to such results, and I largely attribute the success
 
 "JUST BEFORE THE BATTLE." 393 
 
 to the combined and consecutive labour and prayer of the 1861, 
 Church which suclj efforts call forth. A e 32. 
 
 " III. The united testimony of those who know me in the 
 work is to the effect that the Lord has given me a measure of testify. 
 adaptation for it. 
 
 " IV. In that work I am the happiest. I have never been Happy in 
 really happy or settled in m}' mind since I left it. I have 
 tried to banish all thought of it, and to conclude that if the 
 Lord wanted me He would thrust me out. For a season it 
 has been left in abeyance ; but in a very short time it has 
 come up again, and I have been as unsettled as ever. 
 
 " V. I have not been successful out of the work ; that is, the Leas suc- 
 
 I-J-L -.L 1 i-L cessful 
 
 success realized by me in a circuit has not been in any way elsewhere. 
 
 proportionate to the measures employed. God has seemed 
 ever to be disappointing my most rational and Scriptural ex- 
 pectations, as though He foresaw that, if all the success I de- 
 sired was given me, I should at once give up the evangelistic 
 work to which He called me. 
 
 " VI. I am now under no obligation to a circuit ; my third Free to 
 year expires next Conference, and I am free to go elsewhere. 
 
 " VII. The Lord has removed several other obstacles out of My wife 
 the way. Among others, my dear wife has voluntarily con- 
 sented to the separation which my going forth would involve. 
 In fact, in this matter, we have both been enabled to offer 
 our all to God, being willing to submit to any self-denying 
 circumstances He may appoint in order to do His will. 
 
 "VIII. My soul lately has been brought into a higher walk My souVs 
 
 desiTe 
 
 of Christian experience ; and with purer motives, holier de- 
 sires and aims, and a fuller consecration, my soul turns to 
 this work as to the sphere in which God designs to bless me. 
 
 " IX. The reasons assigned by the Conference for my tak- The 
 
 _ , , ,, reasons 
 
 ing a circuit have all been met. So far as I remember them me t, 
 
 that is, those that were worth noticing they were the fol- 
 lowing : 
 
 " i. That I might have a certificate according to the rule in full 
 and usage of the Connexion, it being the last year of my 
 probation. This was met by my having a certificate, and 
 being received into full connexion. No 
 
 "2. That my Connexional attachment might be proved ; it anun- 
 not being thought safe to trust an untried stranger with the 
 
 ion.
 
 394 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1861, 
 Age 32- 
 
 No 
 expense. 
 
 influence that the position of evangelist gave me. This, too, 
 I think, has been met. The very fact of my bowing to the 
 decision proved it, when I might have acted so differently. 
 The Stationing Committee must have been satisfied on this 
 point three years ago, when they entrusted me with the su- 
 perintendency of a circuit; and to this, moreover, let the 
 impi oved Connexional character of this circuit testify. 
 
 " 3. The outlay in which my labours involved the yearly 
 collection. This outlay, I submit, need not with careful ar- 
 rangement have been incurred in the past, and need not be 
 incurred in the future, as I shall afterwards show. 
 
 It is 
 Script- 
 ural. 
 
 Others 
 do it. 
 
 An open 
 door. 
 
 How to 
 do it. 
 
 A central 
 town. 
 
 My salary 
 easily 
 raised. 
 
 " X. I am clearly convinced of the Scriptural character of 
 the office of evangelist. This, I think, I have heard you 
 maintain, nor do I know that any deny it. 
 
 " XL Other churches are successfully availing themselves 
 of this kind of agency, amongst which are the Wesleyans, 
 Presbyterians, Methodist Free Churches, Independents, and 
 Baptists. 
 
 " XII. Never was there in this country so wide a door open 
 for this class of labourers as now. As you are aware, in 
 London, and many parts of Scotland, Ireland, and all over the 
 world, this class of agencies have attracted the ear of vast 
 masses of the people, and a great amount of good has been 
 done. 
 
 " To me there appear two ways by which I may find admis- 
 sion to this sphere : 
 
 " I. For the Conference to employ me in the following, or 
 some similar manner, as might appear to them wisest: 
 
 " i. To reside in some town central to a number of our inter- 
 ests, and to labour in the churches inviting me immediately 
 around it; of course going further away, if not sufficient 
 labour near home to fill up my time. When travelling be- 
 fore, I visited places where I received invitations sufficient to 
 have occupied me twelve months without going twenty miles 
 away from one centre. 
 
 " 2. To labour under the direction of the President of Con- 
 ference, the Chairman of the District, or the Superintendent 
 of the circuit where, for the time being, I resided. 
 
 " 3. My salary to be the same as other ministers'. To be
 
 "JUST BEFORE THE BATTLE." 
 
 395 
 
 obtained by the places where I labour giving so much per 
 week for my services, as before ; which, with the exception of 
 two places, Was always obtained with the greatest ease ; in 
 many cases leaving large sums of money to devote to local 
 purposes. 
 
 " 4. Every church where I laboured successfully to be re- 
 quested to make an offering towards a fund to enable me to 
 labour in poor churches. Towards this fund I' think I know 
 some of our wealthy friends who would subscribe. Further 
 details I am prepared to produce, should they be required, 
 and I am, I think, prepared likewise to meet the various 
 difficulties that may suggest themselves in the working out 
 of this plan. 
 
 " II. The second way to which I referred would be for the 
 Conference to grant me a location ; allowing my name to ap- 
 pear on the minutes, and recognising me as a regular minister 
 of the body, with the privilege of returning to the itinerancy 
 when the providence of God might direct, on the condition 
 that my labours were devoted to the Connexion so far as it 
 offers me a sphere. Of course, if a sufficient amount of labour 
 was not provided me by it, it could not be objected that I 
 should fill up my time by accepting the invitations of other 
 churches, as this plan would involve the giving up of my 
 salary, and going forth with my wife and family to trust en- 
 tirely in the Lord; as I have not the slightest idea of any 
 guarantee whatever save that of Him who has said, 'Every one 
 that hath forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or 
 mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for My name's sake, shall 
 receive an hundred-fold, and shall inherit everlasting life. ' 
 
 " On this subject my mind has been much exercised. I 
 have been impressed that, when willing to this, He would 
 open my way ; and I think I can say I am now willing. " I 
 need not say how much more agreeable and welcome the 
 adoption of the first plan would be, and how much less anxiety 
 and self-sacrifice it would involve ; I only suggest the latter in 
 case the former should be rejected. 
 
 " Probably the question will be asked, 'Is my health equal 
 to the work?' To this I reply, that, through the mercy of 
 God, my throat is perfectly restored ; and from experience in 
 a circuit, and in the evangelistic work, I am convinced that 
 
 1861, 
 Age 32. 
 
 A central 
 fund. 
 
 Locate 
 me. 
 
 No 
 salary. 
 
 Mucn ex- 
 ercised. 
 
 The 
 strain 
 not too 
 great.
 
 39 6 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1861, 
 Age 32. 
 
 Deprecate 
 a dispute. 
 
 The 
 
 Annual 
 Com- 
 mittee. 
 
 A cold 
 response. 
 
 Prepared 
 for the 
 worst. 
 
 my health will stand the one as well as the other, with season- 
 able rest and ordinary care. 
 
 " And now, my dear sir, I have laid the matter before you. 
 I should very much deplore any unpleasant discussion in the 
 Conference. I could not consent to re-engage in the work by 
 an insignificant majority. I sincerely and strongly desire to 
 spend my time and energies in promoting the highest inter- 
 ests of the Connexion. I wish to labour with the fullest ap- 
 probation and co-operation of my brethren, neither -do I see 
 any righteous reason why this should not be the case. 
 
 " All well, I intend to call at Sheffield on Friday, the 1 5th 
 instant, on my way to Birmingham, in order to consult you 
 on the question, which, to give you opportunity for consider- 
 ation, I have at this length laid before you. Should you in 
 the mean time meet the Annual Committee, will you kindly 
 lay this matter before them, and ascertain their judgment in 
 reference to it? And may the Lord guide you in counsel. 
 
 " With kind regards to Mrs. Stacey, in which Mrs. Booth 
 unites, " Believe me to remain, 
 
 " Yours affectionately, 
 
 "WILLIAM BOOTH." 
 
 It was not till the beginning of May that Mr. Booth 
 received any reply to this communication, and then 
 only to the effect that the answer had been delayed 
 owing to Mr. Stacey's illness, but that there had been 
 a meeting of the Annual Committee, at which the 
 letter had been considered, "and that three out of the 
 four members present had thought it best to lay the 
 matter before the Conference for free and open dis- 
 cussion. Not a word of counsel, nor a symptom of 
 approval was conveyed, and it was manifest that the 
 proposal would encounter from certain parties as vig- 
 orous an opposition as ever. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Booth, however, were now prepared 
 for the worst. They were assured that, whatever 
 might be the issue of the conflict, the ultimate result 
 could not fail to be a distinct improvement on their 
 present unsatisfactory position. If they were success-
 
 " JUST BEFORE THE BATTLE" 397 
 
 ful in carrying their point, they would have the in- 1861, 
 tense satisfaction of retaining their position in the ge 32 ' 
 Connexion and at the same time of obeying the dic- 
 tates of conscience. If, on the other hand, the Con- 
 ference should refuse their request, they would realise 
 they had done their duty, and their future pathway, 
 if lonely, would be clear. 
 
 In sending to her parents a copy of the letter to the 
 President, Mrs. Booth writes : 
 
 " I hope you received my last all right, with a copy of our The 
 letter to the President, and that you forwarded it to Dr. Cooke. apathy 
 Send us word what you thought of it. I don't see how they church. 
 can object to granting the second plan, and I would prefer 
 that to the first. William would be then entirely master of 
 his own movements, and would not be harassed by a com- 
 mittee. Oh, the more I see of the church and its ministry the 
 more deeply am I convinced that such an instrumentality is 
 what is needed. The apathy and blindness and unconcern of 
 Christians generally, both ministers and people, are truly 
 awful ! And while the church sleeps souls by thousands are 
 dropping into perdition. May God in mercy use us in some 
 humble degree to awaken half-hearted professors, and to 
 bring lost sinners to God ! " 
 
 Nor were they left in this critical hour without TWO hun- 
 tokens of Divine approval. A series of revival ser- {tents 
 vices held in the beginning of the year at Bethesda Bethesda - 
 Chapel had resulted in two hundred persons professing 
 conversion. The quarterly returns showed an in- 
 crease of more than three hundred members to the 
 circuit during: the three years of their appointment. The 
 
 Durham, 
 
 The annual District meeting, held in Durham previous meeting. 
 to the meeting of the Conference, had been memori- 
 alised by the Gateshead Circuit to ask that Mr. Booth 
 should be set apart for the work of an evangelist, and 
 had unanimously passed the following resolutions: Itsreso i u . 
 i. Affirming the Scriptural character of such an
 
 398 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1861, 
 Age 32. 
 
 Mr. 
 
 Joseph 
 Love. 
 
 agency and the desirability of its employment by the 
 Connexion. 
 
 2. Recommending Conference to set Mr. Booth 
 apart for the work ; and 
 
 3. Recommending his appointment to the Durham 
 District as his first sphere of labour. 
 
 One of the most influential lay members of the Con- 
 ference was a Mr. Joseph Love. He was immensely 
 rich, having risen from the position of a working- 
 man to one of affluence, and leaving at his death some 
 two millions of money. He warmly espoused Mr. 
 Booth's cause, and promised to do his utmost to secure 
 the consent of Conference to a renewal of his evange- 
 listic work. Indeed, both he and other wealthy friends 
 made it no secret that, if it were the question of ex- 
 pense which had caused hesitation as to the appoint- 
 ment, they would themselves guarantee to defray all 
 the extra cost, and thus relieve Conference of any 
 anxiety on that account. 
 
 Still more reassuring was the result of an Easter 
 visit paid by Mr. and Mrs. Booth to Hartlepool. So 
 remarkable were the results and so promising the 
 prospects that Mrs. Booth remained behind for ten 
 days to continue the services, no less than two hundred 
 and fifty persons coming to the communion rail dur- 
 ing this brief interval. This seemed to be in an es- 
 pecial manner the finger of God pointing with the 
 utmost plainness to the path that He desired them to 
 follow. The commencement of this work is graphi- 
 cally described by Mrs. Booth herself in the following 
 letter to her parents : 
 
 "HARTLEPOOL, Easter Monday, 1861. 
 
 Easter " ^ e came nere on Thursday afternoon for the Easter An- 
 
 msit. niversary meetings. I preached on Good Friday morning to 
 
 a full chapel, William on Sunday morning, and I again in 
 
 Hartle- 
 pool. 
 
 Two hun- 
 dred pen- 
 itents at 
 
 Mrs. 
 
 Booth's 
 
 meetings.
 
 "JUST BEFORE THE BATTLE." 399 
 
 the afternoon to a chapel packed, aisles and pulpit stairs, 1861, 
 while many turned away unable to get in. This morning Age 32- 
 William returned to Gateshead to attend our tea-meeting at 
 Bethesda. I am staying here to preach again to-night, and Mrs. 
 shall return, all well, to-morrow. There were many under 6 ' 
 
 conviction last evening, whom I hope to see converted to- behind. 
 night. The Lord has been very graciously present with me 
 hitherto and has given me great influence and liberty. I am 
 in my element in the work, and only regret that I did not 
 commence it years ago. Oh, to live for souls! It is a dark, 
 sinful world, and a comparatively dead and useless Church. 
 May God pour out His Spirit ! 
 
 " There is a nice society here, considering it is a new one 
 a beautiful chapel, seats about 750. They say there were 
 1000 in it yesterday afternoon. 
 
 " And now how are you getting on? I am very glad to hear f ne f em , 
 my dear father is so useful in the temperance line. I intend perance 
 
 ('11 It S'' 
 
 to do more yet in that direction. Some excellent judges spoke 
 very highly of my first speech. So I shall be encouraged to 
 try again. 
 
 " I hope, however, my dear father will not stop at teetotal- Speak for 
 ism. Why can you not speak a word for Jesus? [Shortly Jesu& 
 previous to this, while on a visit to Mrs. Booth, Mr. Mumford 
 had given his heart freshly to God.] Does not 'love so amaz- 
 ing, so divine' as He has shown to you, demand the consecra- 
 tion of your powers directly to His Name and cause? Oh, try 
 to speak a word for Him, and you will find His Spirit will be 
 with you, giving you strength and grace. The mere recital 
 of God's merciful dealings with you would be calculated to 
 melt many a hard heart, and inspire many a hopeless, reckless 
 wanderer with desires and purposes to return to the Lord. 
 Try it ! Oh let us all try to live to purpose ! 
 
 " Has my dear mother fixed on any plan by which she can Working 
 do something for the Lord, and be instrumental in winning a f r God - 
 few poor souls to Jesus? It is workers that are so woefully 
 wanted in the vineyard, and there is nothing else worth living 
 for but to minister salvation and bliss in Jesus' Name. Oh, 
 let us as a family strive to do something to make up for our 
 lost opportunities and past unfaithfulness." 
 
 A few days later Mrs. Booth writes again from 
 Hartlepool to her parents :
 
 40O 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1861, 
 Age 32. 
 
 A glori- 
 ous in- 
 gather- 
 ing. 
 
 A gen- 
 eral move- 
 
 The 
 results. 
 
 Crowded 
 out. 
 
 Forty 
 penitents. 
 
 " You will be surprised to find I am still here, but so it is. 
 I told you I had to stay on Monday evening. Well, the Lord 
 came down amongst the people so gloriously that I dare not 
 leave, so the friends telegraphed to William and I remained. 
 ... I preached again on Tuesday evening. The chapel was 
 full. I gave an invitation, and the Lord helped me as I think 
 He never did before. When I had done speaking there was a 
 general move all over the chapel, and the communion rail 
 was filled with penitents again and again and again during the 
 evening. The second time it was filled I never saw such a 
 sight before. They were all men, with two exceptions, and 
 most of them great fine fellows of mature years. All glory to 
 Jesus! He hath 'chosen the weak things to confound the 
 mighty. ' 
 
 " I preached again on the Wednesday and Friday evenings, 
 and also gave two addresses on holiness, and the Lord was 
 very graciously with me. Above 100 names were taken dur- 
 ing the week, and besides these I should think we have had 
 half the members up to seek a clear sense of their acceptance. 
 On Saturday night we had a glorious fellowship meeting. 
 Oh, it would have rejoiced your hearts to have heard one 
 after another bless God for bringing your feeble and unworthy 
 child to Hartlepool ! I shall never forget that meeting, on 
 earth or in heaven ! 
 
 " I was published to preach at night, and a quarter of an hour 
 before the time the chapel was wedged so full that the people 
 were drifting away, when it was announced to the crowd out- 
 side that Mr. Williams should preach in the school-room under 
 the chapel at the same time. It is a splendid place, capable 
 of holding nearly 500, and not only was it filled, but they tell 
 me numbers went away unable to get in. I preached in the 
 chapel, on the judgment, and experienced great liberty. The 
 people listened as though they already realised the dread 
 tribunal. Oh, it was indeed a solemn season ! For some time 
 we carried on both prayer meetings, then we amalgamated, 
 allowing the people to remain in the gallery, which they did 
 till nearly ten o'clock. We had upwards of forty cases of 
 conversion. To God be all the praise ! If we had had more 
 efficient help at the communion rail we should have got 
 many more, but there was not room for them, and the people 
 of God are awfully ignorant of the right way to lead penitents
 
 "JUST BEFORE THE BATTLE." 
 
 401 
 
 to Christ. The Lord have mercy on a half-asleep church ! 
 Oh, if I had time to particularise some of the precious cases 
 we have had I could fill sheets. But I have not. Our Christ 
 can do wondrous things, and that by the feeblest instru- 
 ments. 
 
 " The friends are thoroughly taken by surprise. They 
 were perfectly bewildered last night. They seemed lost in 
 wonder and awe. I believe we had some of the most respect- 
 able people and also some of the greatest reprobates in the 
 town, and yet during the whole service I saw but one irrever- 
 ent look or gesture. They all seemed as solemn as death, 
 and I believe many went away with the arrows of the 
 Almighty in their souls. May the great day reveal it ! The 
 friends tell me that I get numbers every night who never be- 
 fore put their heads inside a place of worship. I give an ad- 
 dress this evening, principally to the new converts, and to- 
 morrow morning I return home. It seems a thousand pities 
 to have to leave such a work, but I suppose I must. I intend 
 to try and arrange to come back again. 
 
 " Pray for me. I have my trials even in connection with 
 this work, but I hear my Lord saying, ' To him that overcometh 
 will I give to sit down with Me on My throne. ' Oh, for wis- 
 dom and grace to steer clear of every quicksand and every 
 rock, and to reach the harbour safe at last. Well, He says, 
 ' My grace is sufficient for thee, ' and I believe it. 
 
 " And now I know what you are thinking about namely, 
 that I shall be thoroughly overdone. If you knew how I have 
 laboured, talking to penitents as hard as I could for two hours 
 every night, and this after preaching, you would not believe 
 that it could be your Kate. I can hardly believe it myself, 
 but hitherto the Lord hath helped me, and though often 
 almost prostrated, and scarcely able to speak or walk, He has 
 wonderfully restored me, so that the next night I have felt 
 able for the work again. Still, I confess, I feel very poorly 
 this morning. It was a terribly heavy strain last night, but 
 the fruit makes up for it all. May God preserve it unto 
 eternal life ! 
 
 " Oh, I cannot tell you how I feel in view of the state of the 
 
 church at large. It is a dead weight on the heels of any 
 
 truly earnest minister. What can we do to wake it up, and 
 
 keep it awake? We can only pray to the Lord of the har- 
 
 26 
 
 1861, 
 Age 32. 
 
 The 
 
 friends 
 bewil- 
 dered. 
 
 Respect- 
 ables and 
 repro- 
 bates. 
 
 The trials 
 of the 
 work. 
 
 A heavy 
 strain. 
 
 The state 
 
 of the 
 
 church.
 
 4O2 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1861, 
 Age 32. 
 
 The 
 children. 
 
 vest. He can do it, and He only. The poor sinners, the poor 
 lost sheep for whom my Saviour died, how few truly care 
 for their souls ! All seek their own and not the things that 
 are Jesus Christ's. Oh, may the Lord help me to seek His. and 
 only His, glory, and to be content to wait for my reward till I 
 get to heaven ! Amen and Amen ! 
 
 " The children were all pretty well when I heard last. My 
 precious children ! Oh, how I long to inspire them with truly 
 benevolent and self-sacrificing principles ! The Lord help me, 
 and may He early take their hearts under His training! 
 William says that he does not think that they are suffering 
 from my absence, neither do I believe the Lord will allow 
 them to suffer. 
 
 " 'Fix on His work thy steadfast eye, 
 So shall thy work be done. ' 
 
 The Lord will not let us lose in the end by doing His work." 
 
 Writing after her return to Gateshead in regard to 
 the concluding services at Hartlepool, Mrs. Booth says : 
 
 "I spoke again on Monday night to a crowded chapel. 
 There were thirty-two cases besides members. Oh, it was a 
 glorious work ! I left it in the hands of Mr. Williams, but I 
 hear that they have only taken twenty names since I left. I 
 hardly expected that Dr. Cooke would put a report in the 
 Magazine, though I knew one had been sent. However, it 
 seems that he will. I hope this will not provoke any contro- 
 versy, as I should be sorry for that. If it should, however, it 
 will not be the first thing of the kind. If you can borrow the 
 February and March Magazines for 1848 you will find two 
 letters on the subject, one in defence of female preaching by 
 the Rev. J. H. Robinson, now of Canada. It is the best thing 
 I have seen on the subject. I did not feel at all anxious, how- 
 ever, for a report to be sent to either the papers or the Maga- 
 zine. I fear the Spirit is often grieved by glorying in instru- 
 mentalities, and, so far as I am concerned, I do it only unto 
 the Lord, and my record is on high." 
 
 Referring to the same meetings, Mr. Booth writes: 
 
 mr 
 
 GeneraVs " ^ J us t send a line to say how we are. Catherine came 
 account, home on Tuesday afternoon. It has been a very glorious 
 
 Thirty- 
 two more 
 names. 
 
 Dislike to 
 contro- 
 versy.
 
 "JUST BEFORE THE BATTLE.' 
 
 403. 
 
 work, one hundred and eighty from the world, besides near 1861, 
 
 a hundred for justification and holiness from the different Age 3 2 
 
 churches of the town. She came home much exhausted, and 
 
 on Thursday she had a day of violent pain. An attack of 
 
 spasms came on at four in the morning, and did not leave her 
 
 till two in the afternoon. In fact, the pain did not entirely 
 
 pass away until the next day. She managed to go to Winla- 
 
 ton yesterday, because printed and published, but it was a 
 
 great risk. She is middling this morning and must be very 
 
 quiet for some time to come. I was very lonely without her, 
 
 very much so, indeed." 
 
 Shortly afterwards Mrs. Booth paid a second visit to A second 
 Hartlepool, which she describes in the following letter : 
 
 " We had a splendid day, chapel wedged at night and num- 
 bers turned away unable to get in. A good prayer meeting 
 and seventeen cases. It was like beginning over again after 
 three weeks' cessation of special effort. The friends expressed 
 themselves as highly gratified, even more so than on any 
 former occasion. I heard a great deal of gracious and heart- 
 cheering intelligence with reference to those brought in dur- 
 ing my previous visit. They reckon to get eighty good and 
 permanent members for their own church, and have handed 
 the names of forty to other denominations. The news of this 
 work has spread far and near, and is bringing me fresh invita- 
 tions. I expect to be at Salem, Newcastle, twice next Sun- 
 day. The last time I was there I had a good congregation. 
 Though it was morning the chapel was filled as they have not 
 seen it for years, and the gentleman who has been to-day to 
 invite me says that there are inquiries on every hand as to 
 when I am going again. 
 
 " Regarding my health, be assured I do take notice of your 
 kind advice and fully appreciate your anxiety, but I really 
 cannot preach shorter ; I do try, but I always fail, and even 
 then I have often to leave much out that I would like to say. 
 However, I don't think it hurts me, as I speak very naturally, 
 and they say my voice is so adapted for it, and my utterance 
 so distinct, that I don't need to raise my voice beyond its or- 
 dinary compass. It is the prayer-meeting work that exhausts 
 me the most. 
 
 " On Sunday the Lord was very graciously with me. I 
 
 Eighty 
 
 new 
 members* 
 
 New- 
 castle, 
 
 Cannot 
 preach 
 short. 
 
 A grand 
 Sunday.
 
 404 MRS. 'BOOTH. 
 
 1861, never felt more liberty and influence than I did at night. It 
 Age 3 2 - made the twelfth public effort in Hartlepool, and on no single 
 occasion did the Lord allow me to fail. 
 
 " The children are well. Willie gets on nicely with his les- 
 sons. They all come on charmingly. Baby gets a real pet 
 such a mamma's girl as none of them have been." 
 
 They To an unprejudiced mind it would have appeared 
 
 ought to 
 
 have that the glorious results attending the Hartlepool re- 
 con- vival, together with the remarkable successes achieved 
 by Mr. Booth, would have sufficed to have convinced 
 the Conference as to the advisability of appointing 
 them to the work for which they were so specially 
 adapted. Here was an ingathering of two hundred 
 and fifty seekers in the short space of ten days, with 
 a permanent addition of eighty members to the 
 church, and of forty more to neighboring places of 
 worship. A minister who would not welcome such 
 an intrusion was not worthy of the name. And a 
 governing body that refused to set the willing seal of 
 its approval to such an enterprise thereby proved its 
 TWO to own incapacity. But there were those who did not 
 within- w i sn to be convinced, and who were only increasingly 
 stead of alarmed that four years of suppression had not suc- 
 
 one. J rr 
 
 ceeded in extinguishing the fiery zeal of the evange- 
 list. Nay, more. They had now to reckon with two 
 in place of one, for the Gateshead Patmos, instead of 
 extinguishing the ardour of the one, had inflamed the 
 enthusiasm of the other.
 
 CHAPTER XXXIX. 
 THE RESIGNATION. 1861. 
 
 THE memorable Conference, on the decisions of The 
 which were suspended events of far-reaching impor- "con 
 tance, was held in Liverpool in 1861. Mr. and Mrs. f erence - 
 Booth decided that they would together attend its 
 deliberations. 
 
 " My heart almost fails me," writes Mrs. Booth to her 
 parents, " in going to the Conference and leaving the children 
 behind. But William would like me to be there, to advise 
 with in case he is brought into a perplexing position. I shall 
 be in the gallery while the discussion goes on, so that I can 
 hear all that is said. No doubt there will be much of a try- 
 ing and discouraging character. But I shall look to the Lord 
 for discretion, patience, and wisdom. Pray for me. I have 
 many a conflict in regard to the proposed new departure ; not 
 as to our support, I feel as though I can trust the Lord im- 
 plicitly for all that; but the devil tells me I shall never be 
 able to endure the loneliness and separation of the life. He 
 draws many a picture of most dark and melancholy shade. 
 But I cling to the promise, 'No man hath forsaken,' etc., and 
 having sworn to my own hurt, may I stand fast. I have told 
 William that if he takes the step, and it should bring me to 
 the workhouse, I would never say one upbraiding word. No! 
 To blame him for making such a sacrifice for God and con- 
 science' sake would be worse than wicked ! So, whatever be 
 the result, I shall make up my mind to endure it patiently, 
 looking to the Lord for grace and strength." 
 
 Writing later to her mother, from Liverpool, Mrs. 
 Booth says: 
 
 " The time for the consideration of our case is now drawing 
 near. We anticipate some very sharp fighting. Several of 
 
 405 
 
 They go 
 together. 
 
 A dark 
 season. 
 
 Prepar- 
 ing for 
 the con- 
 flict.
 
 406 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1861, 
 Age 32. 
 
 Mr. 
 
 Love's 
 opinion 
 of her. 
 
 An 
 
 anxious 
 season. 
 
 Expecting 
 a bless- 
 ing. 
 
 What a 
 
 Con- 
 ference 
 might be. 
 
 Sadly 
 disap- 
 pointed. 
 
 the leading preachers are as much opposed as ever, but there 
 are some who are prepared to defend it to the teeth, and as 
 far as we can learn nearly all the lay members favour the pro- 
 posal. Mr. W. Rabbitts is getting ready for the occasion, and 
 we dine with Mr. Love to-day at the Royal Hotel, and I am 
 going to prepare him a bit ! I have great influence with him 
 just now. He introduced me to Dr. Cooke yesterday, and 
 told him that I outdid them all, even Mr. Cooke himself, and 
 a great deal more, which he was foolish enough to say and 
 which I should be still more foolish to repeat. However, I 
 may as well use his esteem to good purpose, if I can. Not 
 that I put my trust in man in the matter. The more I see of 
 men the less faith I have in them. Of course, we cannot help 
 feeling somewhat anxious as to the result, but really I regard 
 their acceptance of my dear William as a doubtful advantage, 
 so far as his ultimate usefulness is concerned. I believe the 
 Lord intends him to do a great work, and He is able to sus- 
 tain him in it. 
 
 " Oh, I want to help him to a right course. Pray for us, 
 that God may guide! I seem to hear Him saying, 'I will 
 guide thee by my counsel. ' Amen! Even so, Father! Thy 
 will be done ! " 
 
 Referring to this occasion in later years Mrs. Booth 
 says: 
 
 " In going to the Conference, depressed though I was in 
 heart and perplexed without measure in mind, the old illu- 
 sions of my childhood crept over me, and I went anticipating 
 something of a spiritual treat, and resolved to obtain for my 
 soul what edification I could from the gathering. 
 
 " I had pictured to myself what such a Conference might be. 
 Here was an opportunity, I thought, for ascertaining the real 
 condition of the work of God, for pointing out causes of weak- 
 ness and failure, for indicating the measures which would be 
 likely to arouse the Church, for calling each other to repent- 
 ance and reconsecration, and for waiting unitedly for such a 
 baptism of fire as would make its mark upon the world. 
 
 I must say, however, I was sadly disappointed. Apart 
 altogether from the treatment we received, which God has 
 since so wonderfully over-ruled for good, its deliberations did 
 not tend to raise the debating system of government in my
 
 THE RESIGNATION. 
 
 407 
 
 estimation. Hours were wasted in discussing trifling details, 
 in exchanging empty compliments, in speechifying, in pro- 
 posing alternate resolutions and amendments, and in the dis- 
 posal of the driest and dullest of business routine. From be- 
 ginning to end there was nothing to inflame the zeal, or 
 deepen the devotion, or heighten the aspirations of the mem- 
 bers." 
 
 1861, 
 Age 32. 
 
 Nevertheless, the study was doubtless to Mr. and 
 Mrs. Booth an interesting and, in view of the future, 
 a profitable one. It has commonly been the mistake 
 and misfortune of the church in general that it has 
 placed the reins of its government in the hands of 
 literary critics, clerks, and bookworms, who live in an 
 atmosphere of antiquity, and are largely destitute of 
 those gifts which can alone qualify for the leadership 
 of men. Mere critical knowledge and research are 
 well-nigh deified, and the bishops of the church, its 
 overseers, its rulers, those who have its destinies in 
 the palm of their hands, are chiefly chosen from those 
 who are mere encyclopedias of the past rather than 
 from those who are distinguished by their possession 
 of Divine power, and by their intimate acquaintance 
 with human nature as it is. Doubtless dictionaries as 
 such are valuable, but for the leadership of the church 
 something more is required. 
 
 What Scriptural precedent, what rational argument 
 is there, in favour of this undue preponderance of the 
 mere clerical element? It is not so in the world. 
 Our armies would be defeated, our navies swept off 
 the sea, businesses would fail, and a political party be 
 involved in chaos, if the mere literary adept, or the 
 scientific pedant, were entrusted with the helm. 
 Science is the handmaid of these professions, but the 
 mistress of none. She manufactures their powder, 
 builds their ships, coins their gold, and prints their 
 
 A 
 
 profitable 
 study. 
 
 The 
 church 
 governed 
 by book- 
 worms. 
 
 The 
 
 clerical 
 element. 
 
 Science a 
 good ser- 
 vant, but 
 
 bad 
 master.
 
 408 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1861, papers. She is allowed to serve, but is not permitted 
 ge 32 ' to command. The Tennysons and the Dores of the 
 age may depict, but they cannot lead the marshalled 
 hosts upon the field of battle. The church has surely 
 been misled in this respect, and has attached an alto- 
 gether undue importance to the acquirement of lin- 
 guistic and clerical attainments, which no more qualify 
 men for the command of their fellows than would the 
 knowledge of cookery or the plough. 
 
 The uni- True, the New Connexion was considerably in ad- 
 tendency. vance of the ordinary church Sanhedrim, admitting to 
 its deliberations a proportion of lay representatives. 
 Nevertheless there existed the same tendency to 
 over-estimate the advantages of intellect and culture 
 at the cost of more necessary and sterling qualities. 
 
 A passage " A good deal of the business," continues Mrs. Booth, " was 
 of a personal character. The first lively passage of arms 
 which took place was concerning the editorship of the Maga- 
 zine. For many years our old friend Dr. Cooke had con- 
 ducted it, his appointment having been renewed by each suc- 
 ceeding Conference. Some dissatisfaction, however, having 
 been expressed in regard to his management of the paper, he 
 tendered his resignation in an able and touching speech, 
 which considerably affected many of the members of the Con- 
 ference. No sooner had he taken his seat than some one rose 
 Clinging an d charged him with 'morbid sentimentalism, ' 'clinging to 
 to office, office,' and a number of severe, unkind, and unwarrantable 
 accusations, which did not, however, elicit a single response 
 from the audience. Our friend Mr. Rabbitts ably defended 
 Dr. Cooke, but the chairman ruled that the discussion was 
 out of order, and it was accordingly postponed, it being sub- 
 sequently decided that Dr. Cooke should continue the editor- 
 ship as before. 
 
 The Gen- " At length our case came on for consideration. As we 
 
 eT point? ^ ac ^ anticipated, the proposal for our restoration to the 
 
 ment. evangelistic sphere met with brisk opposition, although the 
 
 reasons advanced for it had undergone a complete change. 
 
 In fact, it was necessary for Mr. Wright and his friends to in-
 
 THE RESIGNATION. 
 
 409 
 
 1861, 
 Age 32. 
 
 Half- 
 hearted 
 friends. 
 
 The sin 
 of cow- 
 ardice. 
 
 Mr. 
 Wright 
 leads the 
 opposi- 
 tion. 
 
 vent some fresh pretexts for their action, inasmuch as we had 
 completely cut the ground from beneath their former objec- 
 tions. Nevertheless, there was every reason to believe that 
 nearly half the ministers and the majority of the laymen 
 present were in favour of the proposal, and we trusted that 
 with their help we should be able to carry the day. Nothing 
 surprised me, however, more than the half-hearted and hesita- 
 ting manner in which some spoke, who had in private assured 
 us most emphatically of their sympathy and support. I be- 
 lieve that cowardice is one of the most prevailing and subtle 
 sins of the day. People are so pusillanimous that they dare 
 not say 'No,' and are afraid to go contrary to the opinions of 
 others, or to find themselves in a minority. 
 
 " On three separate occasions the subject of our appoint- 
 ment was brought forward for discussion and was successively 
 adjourned, the debate occasioning considerable excitement 
 throughout. Every imaginable and unimaginable objection 
 was resorted to by the opposition, which was headed, as be- 
 fore, by the Rev. P. J. Wright. It so happened, moreover, 
 that Dr. Crofts, who had been largely instrumental on the 
 first occasion in relegating us to circuit work, was this year 
 appointed as President of the Connexion. There can be little 
 doubt that this nomination exercised an important influence 
 upon the events that followed." 
 
 The discussion was commenced by the Rev. T. The Dur- 
 
 J ham 
 
 Stokoe presenting to the Conference the resolutions petition. 
 passed by the recent meeting at Durham, advocating 
 the restoration of Mr. Booth to the evangelistic 
 sphere. 
 
 The Rev. P. J. Wright moved that this was contrary 
 to the rules and Poll Deed of the Connexion. The 
 result of the Durham resolutions would be the calling 
 out of a new class of agency affecting the fundamental 
 principles of the Connexional system. As such it 
 would be necessary to submit the question to all their 
 members for consideration, and this could not now 
 be done for six years, so that it was no use wasting 
 time over the discussion. 
 
 An 
 
 absurd 
 motion.
 
 410 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1861, It seems somewhat surprising that Mr. Wright had 
 
 ge 32 ' not made this remarkable discovery six years pre- 
 
 The state- viously, when Mr. Booth was formally appointed by 
 
 Thai- Conference for this species of work, nor during the 
 
 lenged. di scuss i O n of 1857, when it was first decided that Mr. 
 
 Booth should take a circuit. In the latter case it would 
 
 have certainly helped to a final decision of the contro- 
 
 versy at a much earlier date. However, Mr. Wright's 
 
 contention, although supported by a solicitor, did not 
 
 remain unchallenged. 
 
 T1 Deed 11 Mr. Oldham asked if the Poll Deed prevented cir- 
 
 cuits from employing extra agency for revival and 
 
 other religious work. If so, he thought the sooner it 
 
 was thrown aside the better. 
 
 Dr. Cooke Dr. Cooke also differed from Mr. Wright, pointing 
 
 replies. any new 
 
 agency. They had often instituted such. The Can- 
 adian and Irish missions, and other similar agencies, 
 were not referred to in the Deed, which offered no 
 difficulty whatever to the proposal now before the 
 Conference. 
 
 An amendment to Mr. Wright's motion was then 
 proposed to the effect that the suggestion of the Dur- 
 ^am c j rcu it was not contrary to the Poll Deed. This 
 was warmly seconded by Mr. Rabbitts, who dwelt 
 upon the free policy of the New Connexion, and ex- 
 pressed the hope that a church possessing freedom 
 such as none other could boast of was not going to hide 
 behind a musty deed, when even the Established 
 Church had commenced to employ evangelistic agency. 
 After some further argument the amendment was put 
 to the vote and carried by a large majority. 
 An insult It remained to decide whether the Conference, hav- 
 
 to the 
 
 pastor, ing affirmed its power to create the agency, would 
 proceed to act on it as desired. A long and vehement
 
 THE RESIGNATION. 411 
 
 discussion ensued. The opponents of the measure 1861, 
 argued that it was an insult to the pastor to introduce 
 any outside agency, as if he were not himself sufficient 
 to fulfill the duties of the post. Some of the speakers 
 objected altogether to revival work, and seized the op- 
 portunity for denouncing it. One of them, Mr. Mc- 
 Curdy, declared that the last state of such circuits was 
 worse than the first, although he was bound to admit 
 that in Mr. Booth's case there were gifts and graces^ 
 and an intellectual power which placed him far ahead 
 of any and all the evangelistic labourers who were at 
 present labouring throughout England. This admis- 
 sion met with hearty applause. But the speaker 
 added that he was nevertheless convinced that Mr. 
 Booth would serve the interests of the Connexion best 
 by labouring in a regular circuit. 
 
 Mr. Booth was then invited to read the letter which The , Gen - 
 
 eral reads 
 
 he had addressed to the Annual Committee in the his letter. 
 previous March. And the debate was drawing to a 
 close, with every prospect of a satisfactory result, 
 when, to their amazement, Dr. Cooke, who had pro- 
 fessed to be on their side, proposed a compromise. Acom- 
 His amendment was to the effect that Mr. Booth /d. 
 should take a circuit, but should be allowed to make 
 arrangements with his office-bearers to spend a certain 
 portion of his time in carrying on revival services else- 
 where. The impracticability of such a course Mr. and 
 Mrs. Booth had already fully proved in the case of 
 Gateshead. And they knew that if the proposed 
 appointment to a circuit should be insisted upon, its 
 affairs would necessarily absorb their whole attention, 
 and it would be impossible for them to combine the 
 
 . Mr. Booth 
 
 double work. Mr. Booth, therefore, refused point- declines. 
 blank to accept the compromise, but before time could 
 
 r * . A coup 
 
 be given to his sympathisers to recover from their d'etat.
 
 412 
 
 . BOOTH. 
 
 1861, 
 Age 32. 
 
 Mrs. 
 
 Booth in- 
 dignant. 
 
 Deserted 
 by Dr. 
 Cooke. 
 
 She rises 
 
 and 
 speaks. 
 
 A 
 
 sublime 
 scene. 
 
 A 
 
 stirring 
 episode. 
 
 surprise the amendment was put to the vote and car- 
 ried by a large majority. 
 
 This was more than Mrs. Booth could endure. She 
 had been sitting at a point in the gallery from which 
 she and her husband could interchange glances. It 
 had been with difficulty that she had restrained her 
 feelings hitherto while listening to the debate. But 
 at this stage she was overcome with indignation. She 
 felt that Dr. Cooke had sacrificed their cause in the 
 interests of peace rather than righteousness. But for 
 his suggested compromise she believed that they 
 would have carried the day with a triumphant majority. 
 
 Rising from her seat and bending over the gallery, 
 Mrs. Booth's clear voice rang through the Conference, 
 as she said to her husband, " Never!" 
 
 There was a pause of bewilderment and dismay. 
 Every eye was turned towards the speaker in the gal- 
 lery. The idea of a woman daring to utter her protest 
 or to make her voice heard in the Conference produced 
 little short of consternation. It was a sublime scene, 
 as, with flushed face and flashing eye, she stood before 
 that audience. Decision, irrevocable and eternal, was 
 written upon every feature of that powerful and ani- 
 mated countenance. Her "Never!" seemed to pene- 
 trate like an electric flash through every heart. 
 
 One, at least, in that assembly responded with his 
 whole soul to the call. Mr. Booth sprang to his feet, 
 and waved his hat in the direction of the door. Heed- 
 less of the ministerial cries of "Order, order," and 
 not pausing for another word, they hurried forth, met 
 and embraced each other at the foot of the gallery 
 stairs, and turned their backs upon the Conference, 
 resolved to trust God for the future, come what might, 
 and to follow out their conscientious convictions re- 
 garding His work.
 
 Dr. Cooke 
 follows. 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 
 
 THE RESIGNATION. 1861. 
 
 MR. AND MRS. BOOTH had scarcely reached their 
 temporary home when Dr. Cooke, in company with 
 another minister, drove up to the door. They had 
 fully expected, like many others who voted in favour 
 of the compromise, that, distasteful as it might be to 
 Mr. and Mrs. Booth, their ultimate acquiescence was 
 assured. They had succeeded in over-persuading 
 H menis U them on four previous occasions, and they could not but 
 hope that they would again prevail. They pointed out 
 to Mr. and Mrs. Booth the serious consequences of per- 
 sistence in their present course, and urged them to 
 accept the decision of the Conference, holding out the 
 hope that in another year's time the members might 
 be riper for the adoption of the evangelistic programme 
 than they at present appeared to be. 
 
 To this Mr. and Mrs. Booth replied that the appar- 
 ent compromise w r as, as a matter of fact, no compro- 
 mise at all. They were perfectly familiar with the 
 condition of the Newcastle circuit, to which it was 
 proposed they should be sent, and they knew that its 
 needs would tax their undivided energies to the ut- 
 most. If they neglected it in favour of revival work 
 they would give just cause for complaint to the Con- 
 ference. If, on the contrary, they did justice to the 
 circuit they would be obliged to disobey what they 
 had realised to be a distinct call from God. They had 
 done their utmost to meet the demands of Conference 
 
 414 
 
 No com- 
 promise 
 at all. 
 
 dilemma.
 
 THE RESIGNATION. 41$ 
 
 in offering to resign their salary, and to depend solely 1861, 
 upon God for their support, but they could not accept 
 a double responsibility which they would be unable 
 to fulfill. 
 
 It was now Saturday. The Conference was to hold A. last 
 
 attempt. 
 
 its final sitting on Monday. Dr. Cooke urged that Mr. 
 Booth should at least attend in order to re-explain 
 his views, and to see whether some way out of the 
 difficulty could not be devised. To this he agreed, 
 reiterating, however his inability to accept the present 
 arrangement. 
 
 The Sabbath which followed was a gloomy one. The 
 
 , ., - _ . Chester 
 
 They had been announced to conduct meetings in meetings. 
 Chester, and they accordingly went. The chapel was 
 crowded, and in spite of the melancholy feelings 
 which oppressed their hearts, their visit was attended 
 with success and souls were saved. 
 
 On the Monday morning they returned to Liver- 
 pool, when Mr. Booth attended the sitting of the Con- 
 ference. He was received with marked kindness, 
 Nevertheless, there appeared to be no disposition to re- 
 consider the decision or to suggest any other solution 
 of the difficulty, and there was no little rejoicing on 
 the part of the Newcastle representatives when, at the 
 last reading of the appointments, Mr. Booth's name 
 was placed against their circuit. 
 
 At the final sitting of the Conference an appeal was, An 
 however, made by one of the oldest ministers present, 
 urging him to bow to their decision. He spoke in 
 the most flattering terms of Mr. Booth's previous ser- 
 vices, and intimated that all a minister could covet 
 in connection with the body was within his reach if he 
 would conform to the wishes of his brethren, con- 
 cluding by inviting him to take the platform and 
 signify his feelings to the Conference.
 
 416 
 
 MJ?S. BOOTH. 
 
 1861, 
 Age 32. 
 
 He ivill 
 not sac- 
 rifice his 
 convic- 
 tions. 
 
 " Without 
 a friend 
 or a far- 
 thing." 
 
 The Con- 
 ference 
 obdurate. 
 
 An awk- 
 ward 
 position. 
 
 Should he 
 resign, 
 
 This Mr. Booth proceeded to do, reiterating his 
 assurance that God had called him to the evangelistic 
 sphere, and adding that if to secure his bread and 
 cheese, or to exempt himself from suffering and loss, 
 he were to sacrifice his convictions, he believed God 
 would despise him, they would despise him, and he 
 was certain that he should despise himself. Rather 
 than do so, he would go forth without a friend and 
 without a farthing. He loved the Connexion. He 
 had for seven years faithfully sought its highest in- 
 terests. He had won thousands of souls within its 
 borders. But he was now asked to carry out an ar- 
 rangement which was at once a physical impossibility, 
 and would involve him in a course of disobedience 
 to God and his conscience. 
 
 It might have been supposed that such an appeal, 
 coming from one whose past and prospective services 
 must have been deemed of some value to the Con- 
 nexion, would have elicited a generous response. But 
 the Conference was obdurate. What they had written 
 they had written. To Newcastle they had appointed 
 him, and to Newcastle it was generally expected, nay, 
 confidently believed, that he would, soon or later, 
 consent to go. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Booth were puzzled to know what 
 step should next be taken. While the Conference 
 had refused to alter its decision, it had not, on the 
 other hand, treated Mr. Booth's refusal to comply 
 as a resignation, but had simply assumed that he 
 would in the end obey. There were two courses open 
 to him. One was to place his resignation at once in 
 the hands of the Annual Committee, which had not, 
 however, the authority to accept it, but could only 
 hold the matter over for the consideration of the" next 
 year's Conference. The other course was to let mat-
 
 THE RESIGNATION. 
 
 417 
 
 ters drift for the time being, endeavouring to come to 
 an understanding with his circuit by which he should 
 forego his salary and home, be released on his part 
 from local engagements, and thus set free for accept- 
 ing invitations from other circuits and churches which 
 he knew to be desirous of obtaining his services. 
 
 Mrs. Booth was strongly in favor of the former 
 proposal. But Mr. Booth still clung to the hope that 
 some middle course might yet be discovered some 
 means for bridging the gulf in a manner satisfactory 
 at once to the Conference and themselves. His friends 
 were urgent that he should make the attempt. The 
 circuit officials were willing that it should be so, ac- 
 cepting the services of Mr. Booth's colleague as his 
 substitute during his absence. 
 
 It was necessary at once to leave the Gateshead 
 home, but the preacher's house in Newcastle was 
 standing empty, and was gladly for the time being 
 placed at his disposal. A notice was even sent to the 
 July number of the Magazine intimating that Mr. 
 Booth's "arrangements with his circuit would leave 
 him some opportunities of helping to promote the 
 work of God in other circuits where the minister and 
 people unitedly desired his labour." For some weeks 
 it seemed likely that all might yet go well, and the 
 threatened breach be healed. 
 
 In the mean time, during this period of suspense, 
 Mrs. Booth writes to her parents: 
 
 1861, 
 Age 32. 
 
 Or let 
 
 matters 
 
 drift. 
 
 Hoping 
 
 against 
 
 hope. 
 
 The 
 circuit 
 agrees. 
 
 The notice 
 in the 
 Maga- 
 zine. 
 
 " Your very kind letter came duly to hand. We should A painful 
 have answered it sooner, but have had neither heart nor op- pos 
 portunity. Neither could I reply to your questions about our 
 settlement without giving you just cause for anxiety on our 
 account, and, but for neglecting you, I would prefer not to 
 write at all. 
 
 " Our position altogether is about as trying as it well could 
 27
 
 4i8 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1861, 
 Age 32. 
 
 The Com- 
 mittee 
 objects. 
 
 Bewilder 
 ed ivith 
 anxiety. 
 
 The two 
 spheres. 
 
 The 
 
 General 
 hesitates. 
 
 No money 
 
 coming 
 
 in. 
 
 The 
 children. 
 
 be. We have reason to fear that the Annual Committee will 
 not allow even this arrangement with the circuit to be carried 
 out, and if not, I do not see any honourable course open but 
 to resign at once and risk all ; that is, if trusting in the Lord 
 for our bread, in order to do what we believe to be His will, 
 ought to be called a risk. 
 
 " The President has written to know the nature of the 
 arrangements come to with the Newcastle circuit. William 
 will send them, and if they object I shall urge him to resign. 
 
 " You see I am so nervous I can scarcely write. The fact 
 is I am but poorly, and almost bewildered with fatigue and 
 anxiety. We don't know what to do. And yet God knows 
 we only seek to do the right. If I thought it was sight to stop 
 here in the ordinary work I would gladly consent. But I 
 cannot believe that it would be so. Why should he spend 
 another year in plodding round this wreck of a circuit, preach- 
 ing to twenty, thirty, and forty people, when, with the same 
 amount of cost to himself, he might be preaching to thou- 
 sands, and bringing hundreds of wanderers into the fold of 
 Christ? And none of our friends would think it right if we 
 had an income. Then, I ask, does the securing of our bread 
 and cheese make that right which would otherwise be wrong, 
 when God has promised to feed and clothe us? I think not. 
 And I am willing to trust Him, and to suffer, if need be, in 
 order to do His will. 
 
 " William hesitates. He thinks of me and the children, and I 
 appreciate his love and care. But I tell him that God will 
 provide, if he will only go straight on in the path of duty. It 
 is strange that I, who always used to shrink from the sacri- 
 fice, should be the first in making it! But when I made the 
 surrender I did it whole-heartedly, and ever since I have 
 been like another being. Oh, pray for us yet more and more ! 
 We have no money coming in from any quarter now. Nor 
 has Willam any invitations at present. The time is unfavour- 
 able. I am much tempted to feel it hard that God has not 
 cleared our path more satisfactorily. But I will not 'charge 
 God foolishly!' I know that His way is often in the whirl- 
 wind, and He rides upon the storm ! I will try to possess my 
 soul in patience and to wait on Him. 
 
 " The children don't like the change at all. Poor little 
 Katie cried bitterly the first night when we undressed her
 
 THE RESIGNATION. 
 
 419 
 
 here. She ran to the door for the cab to take her back again ! 
 Bless them! I don't think the Lord will ever allow them to 
 suffer by the resolution of their parents to do His will. 
 David never saw the righteous hunger nor his seed begging 
 bread!" 
 
 In a subsequent letter to her mother Mrs. Booth 
 adds: 
 
 " Your kind letter came to hand this morning. I am sin- 
 cerely grateful for all your concern, and am only sorry to be 
 the occasion of so much anxiety to you now, when I hoped to 
 be able to repay you for some I have caused you in the past. 
 But perhap% a brighter day is before us. We must hope in God. 
 
 " William had a good beginning at Alnwick last week, 
 wonderful for the place. But oh, the blindness of the 
 preachers is enough to make the stones cry out! They 
 thought it would be wiser to defer the services until the win- 
 ter, as one of the leading families was going to the seaside ! 
 So poor, convicted sinners at Alnwick must wait their con- 
 venience ! However, William has delivered his soul of them. 
 
 " I trust neither you nor my dear father think that I want to 
 run precipitately into the position we contemplate. I have 
 thought about it long and much. It has cost me many a 
 struggle to bring my mind to it. But, once having done so, 
 I have never swerved from what -I believed to be the right 
 course. Neither dare I. But I am quite willing to listen to 
 argument, to receive light, and even to wait for the accom- 
 plishment of our desires if I can only see justifiable reasons. 
 But I have no hope that God will ever assure us that we shall 
 Jose nothing in seeking to do His will. I don't think this is 
 God's plan. I think He sets before us our duty, and then 
 demands its performance, expecting us to leave the conse- 
 quences with Him. 
 
 " If He had promised beforehand to give Abraham his Isaac 
 back again, where would have been that illustrious display of 
 faith and love which has served to encourage and cheer God's 
 people in all ages? If we could always see our way, we should 
 not have to walk by faith, but by sight. I know God's profes- 
 sing people are generally as anxious to see their way as world- 
 lings are, but they thus dishonour God and greatly injure 
 .themselves. 
 
 1861, 
 Age 32. 
 
 Her 
 mother's 
 
 sym- 
 pathy. 
 
 The 
 season. 
 
 God's 
 plan. 
 
 Does not 
 promise 
 before- 
 hand.
 
 42 o 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1861, 
 Age 32. 
 
 .God's 
 \cill. 
 
 Leaching 
 
 the 
 masses. 
 
 A future 
 sphere. 
 
 .Vo 
 salary. 
 
 " I don't believe in any religion apart from doing the will 
 of God. True, faith is the uniting link between Christ and 
 the soul, but if we don't do the will of our Father it will soon 
 be broken. 
 
 " If my dear husband can find a sphere where he can 
 preach the Gospel to the masses I shall want no further evi- 
 dence as to the will of God concerning him. If he cannot find 
 a sphere I shall conclude that we are mistaken. But I cannot 
 believe that we ought to wait till God guarantees us as much 
 salary as we have hitherto received. I think we ought to do 
 His will, and trust Him to send us the supply of our need. 
 Anyhow, I am convinced the Lord will guide us, and I am 
 willing to stand by my dear husband, and do all I can to help 
 him in whatever course he may decide upon." 
 
 Having settled Mrs. Booth and the children in the 
 temporary home at Newcastle, and having made with 
 the circuit the arrangements previously referred to, 
 Mr. Booth now sought further engagements. He 
 had anticipated that, as soon as it was generally known 
 that he was free to accept further invitations, they 
 would pour in upon him as numerously as ever from 
 the various circuits in the Connexion. In this, how- 
 ever, he was disappointed. The late difficulty with the 
 Conference had become generally known, and some 
 who were eager for a visit hesitated to invite him, 
 while in other cases the ministers were no longer 
 anxious, as formerly, to obtain his assistance. 
 
 The fact that he had given up his salary left him 
 free, and, indeed, made it necessary, to seek openings 
 outside the immediate pale of the Connexion. And so, 
 with a burdened heart and in much perplexity of 
 mind, he started for London. 
 
 Mrs. Booth writes later: 
 
 " My dearest is starting for London. Pray for him. He is 
 mucn harassed. But I have promised him to keep a brave 
 in store, heart. At times it appears to me that God may have some- 
 
 Some-
 
 THE RESIGNATION. 
 
 421 
 
 thing very glorious in store for us, and when He has tried us 1861, 
 He will bring us forth as gold. It will not be the first time I Age 32. 
 have taken a leap in the dark, humanly speaking, for con- 
 science' sake ! 
 
 " Of course there are some who would brand us as fanatics H efjri >J ' 
 for so persistently pursuing our course. But I am prepared 
 to 'endure the cross and despise the shame,' if God sees fit to 
 permit it to come. The same integrity of purpose which 
 would enable me to enjoy honour will likewise sustain me 
 under the reproach." 
 
 It was only for a time, however, that they were the Obscured 
 
 but not 
 
 losers, and even then it was more in appearance than extin- 
 in reality. The clouds of misfortune, which hid fora 
 moment from view the stars that lighted their firma- 
 ment, might obscure, but could not extinguish a single 
 one of them. They were too high up for that. And 
 amidst the sorrow and perplexity which ensued, Mr. 
 and Mrs. Booth were upheld by the consciousness 
 that they had not been " disobedient to the heavenly 
 vision," but had embarked upon a course which, how- 
 ever painful to themselves, must in some way result 
 in the accomplishment of God's highest purposes.
 
 The key- 
 note of 
 the con- 
 troversy. 
 
 An ut- 
 most best. 
 
 Efforts to 
 secure a 
 footing. 
 
 CHAPTER XLI. 
 THE RESIGNATION. 1861. 
 
 MR. Booth had started for London. We can pic- 
 ture him on his long and lonely journey, as he knelt 
 and once more committed his way unto the Lord. 
 And what was the burden of his cry the key-note of 
 all the past controversy the uppermost desire of his 
 soul? Not money, not position, not power, but the 
 opportunity to reach with the Gospel the greatest 
 number of people in the shortest possible time. This 
 has ever constituted the summit of his ambition, the 
 ruling passion of his life, and the pivot-principle 
 round which the Salvation Army has subsequently re- 
 volved. 
 
 William Booth was never content with doing well 
 when he could do better ; never satisfied with saving 
 some when he could save more. He despised the 
 opportunity of giving in Christ's name a cup of cold 
 water when something more substantial was in his 
 power to bestow. He measured his accomplishments 
 by his possibilities, and ever compared what had been 
 done with the what-might-have-been. Thus, through 
 all the toiling past, he has never paused to count the 
 dead deeds of by-gone days. His motto has been 
 "Onward," while each goal gained has become the 
 starting-point for some fresh enterprise. 
 
 In the light of subsequent history it is touching to 
 note these early efforts to carve out a footing in the 
 great metropolis. We cull a few extracts from his 
 
 422
 
 THE RESIGNATION. 
 
 423 
 
 letters reporting to Mrs. Booth the result of the vary- 
 ing experiences with which he met. But the language 
 of a great and restless heart can, at best, but poorly 
 word itself on paper, and we must wait to gather from 
 its throbbings on the pages of his life all that, in those 
 early days, he realised. One thing we know that He 
 with whom the darkness shineth as the light, and 
 who sees the end from the beginning, had purposes 
 too lofty and too blessed to let His faithful servant 
 tread the present path of sacrifice and uncertainty 
 in vain ! 
 
 " I saw Mr. Hammond yesterday, found him in a beautiful 
 mansion, after a long and weary search. He is a very agree- 
 able gentleman, and welcomed me cordially, giving me all 
 the information and counsel he could. He starts for America 
 on Monday in the Great Eastern. His success has been very 
 considerable in Scotland, and they have acted most gener- 
 ously towards him. He has only been a public evangelist for 
 the last twelve months held three services a day until his 
 health broke down. The people then sent him to Italy, meet- 
 ing all his expenses, and numbers of first-class ministers are 
 doing him and his work honour. 
 
 " I should like to lay the noble conduct of these men before 
 our Conference, and contrast it with the drivelling opposition 
 with which they have met my movements and convictions. 
 
 " Almost his first advice after hearing my position was, 'Cut 
 the denomination and go to work for Jesus, and He will open 
 your way. ' He says there is a Committee at Glasgow who 
 are only too glad to get the right sort of men and to find them 
 a sphere. But he adds, 'If you go to Scotland you must not 
 go as a Methodist ! If you do, you will very largely, if not 
 entirely, block your way. ' 
 
 " I must say I was pleased with him, though I far from 
 agree with all he said. Still, the interview was such a con- 
 trast to the discouraging looks and desponding words of 
 everybody I have come in contact with for the last two 
 months, save one (my Kate), that it quite cheered me. I shall 
 not, of course, decide on any plan until I see you. 
 
 "Mr. Hammond said, 'If you have power to hold a large 
 
 1861, 
 Age 32. 
 
 Visits 
 Mr. Ham- 
 mond. 
 
 Not as a 
 Meth- 
 odist. 
 
 Encour- 
 aged. 
 
 What he 
 said.
 
 424 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1861. 
 Age 32. 
 
 Another 
 visit. 
 
 The 
 
 Garrick 
 Theatre. 
 
 " Child- 
 ren, have 
 you any 
 bread? " 
 
 Dr. 
 Winslow. 
 
 audience, and to exhibit the truth and bring home the Gospel 
 to their hearts, you may go forth, and God is sure to provide 
 for you. All Britain is open to you ! ' 
 
 " Well, whatever comes, we must live to God, close to God! 
 Oh, let us give ourselves afresh to Him, and covenant anew 
 to walk in His ways and keep His commandments." 
 
 Amongst other persons visited was Mr. George 
 Pearse, who was interested in some undenominational 
 efforts then being carried on in London. Concerning 
 this visit Mr. Booth writes: 
 
 " I went to dine with Mr. Pearse. After dinner we had a 
 long conversation on the work of God, my own position, you, 
 etc. Mrs. Pearse is a very amiable lady, so free, and both 
 appeared much interested in all soul-saving work. Mr. Pearse 
 had attended a meeting of the Garrick Theatre Committee 
 that afternoon, and my name had been before them. They 
 were much interested in me and wished me to take part in 
 the service at the theatre to-morrow (Sunday) night. To 
 this I consented. 
 
 " He said they were but humble persons, and the work there 
 was but of a humble character, and they thought that if I 
 offered myself it should be in dependence upon God alone. 
 Still, if I did so, they would, as far as they were able, open 
 me halls and render me pecuniary assistance. I had said, 
 you will remember, in my letter to Mr. Radcliffe, which has 
 been forwarded to Mr. Pearse, that I did not ask for salary, or 
 a guarantee, but for a sphere. 
 
 " I said to Mr. Pearse, in the best way I could, that all I de- 
 sired at the present was a sphere tp which I was adapted, and 
 I then hesitated and stammered. Still, I said, for the first 
 few months I should need a friend or two who would look in 
 and say, 'Children, have you any bread?' He, and Mrs. 
 Pearse, too, laughed aloud at this, and on my commencing to 
 explain, he said, 'I laughed that you should think Christian 
 love should be so low as not to do that much!' We prayed 
 together, and then parted. 
 
 " This morning, according to appointment, I was at Mr. 
 Forbes Winslow's. and, on being introduced into the waiting- 
 room, who should be there, in order to see the doctor on my
 
 MRS. BOOTH-CLIBBORN.
 
 THE RESIGNATION. 
 
 425 
 
 account, but Mr. Pearse? I felt this was very kind, especially 
 as I knew he was usually at his offices on the Exchange before 
 that time. However, I saw the doctor with him, and prom- 
 ised to conduct a service, for which they were to engage a 
 hall, somewhere in the West End. 1 could not decline, as it 
 was evident he wished for himself and some other friends to 
 hear me before they advised me as to my mode of action. 
 
 " I called afterwards to see William Carter, a prominent 
 workingman's evangelist. He is an earnest Christian, I 
 should think, and very much concerned about the Lord's 
 work. He holds many of the notions of the Plymouth 
 Brethren, and has given up one branch of his business and is 
 about to give up all. He has any number of engagements, 
 and offered to set me to work at once. He advised me to 
 offer myself to the Lord for the work, and to trust in Him 
 only for my support, assuring me that all my need would be 
 supplied. I was very favourably impressed with him, and the 
 accounts he gave me of the work were delightful. 
 
 " So you see there is no lack in the direction of open doors. 
 My only fear is as to whether I am adapted for this sort of 
 work. I know what you will say. But don't be at the trou- 
 ble to say it. We shall see. I am full of desire to do the will 
 of God, and to follow my Saviour. Oh, may He help us!" 
 
 Writing on the following Monday he gives an in- 
 teresting sketch of his visit with Mr. Mumford to the 
 Garrick Theatre, describing the work that was there 
 being carried on : 
 
 " Yesterday, accompanied by father, I went over to the Gar- 
 rick Theatre. We arrived there at half-past three, and found 
 about forty 'workers,' who were receiving an address. Then 
 prayer was offered for God's blessing on the work, and after- 
 wards they went off to the surrounding neighbourhood. 
 Some went to the lodging-houses, where about sixty persons 
 were found in one room, others from door to door, and 
 others to the open air for meetings at the corners of the 
 streets. I joined the last and gave two short addresses. At 
 five all came back to the theatre for tea. Then there was 
 more prayer, and all went forth again to bring people up for 
 the service at seven. The attendance was not large. I 
 
 1 86 1, 
 Age 32. 
 
 William 
 Carter. 
 
 Open 
 doors. 
 
 A theatre 
 meetina. 
 
 A 
 
 random 
 talk.
 
 426 MKS. BOOTH. 
 
 1861, preached ; had a little liberty in talking to the people. I found 
 A?* 32- that a sermonic address is but of little service. A random 
 talk is the most effective. A meeting for conversation with 
 anxious persons was held afterwards. Several were much con- 
 cerned, and with some of the cases I was pleased. But it was 
 a very different affair altogether to what I have ever taken 
 part in. 
 
 " I feel very much easier in my mind. In fact, I have a 
 measure of trust and confidence that all things are working 
 for the desired end, to a degree that I have never had before." 
 
 Unde- For various reasons, however, Mr. Booth was un- 
 
 n ianai~ willing to attach himself to these undenominational 
 
 missions. m i ss j onSj one o f the uppermost being the lingering 
 
 hope that it might yet be possible to retain his posi- 
 
 tion in the New Connexion. To the very last he 
 
 fought against separation, and would fain have stayed 
 
 A linger- with the people whom he had made his own, and 
 
 ing hope. .- . . . 
 
 who, despite the inconsistency and opposition of the 
 few, were in the main so largely after his heart, and 
 from whom he had received so many tokens of good- 
 will and affection. There was nothing, at any rate, 
 to prevent his numerous Connexional friends from ap- 
 plying for his services, and the idea of going to labor 
 among those who more or less held views with which 
 he did not sympathise was repugnant to his mind, 
 and seemed unfeasible. 
 visiting It was with such thoughts and feelings that he 
 
 Notting- s 
 
 ham. hastened back to Newcastle once more to talk over 
 the position of affairs with Mrs. Booth. Previous to 
 this they had received a pressing invitation to conduct 
 the anniversary services of a branch mission in a suburb 
 of Nottingham, which had owed its existence to the 
 revival previously described. To this they had gladly 
 consented, and they now proceeded to fulfill the en- 
 gagement. 
 
 They had scarcely reached Nottingham, however,
 
 THE RESIGNATION. 
 
 427 
 
 when they received from Dr. Crofts a letter express- 
 ing the dissatisfaction of the Annual Committee with 
 the arrangement that had been entered into with the 
 Newcastle Circuit, and urging him to enter upon the 
 ordinary pastoral duties of the appointment. 
 
 The course was now clear. They had done their 
 best to reconcile the claims of God and man. Their 
 circuit had agreed to the arrangement. And they 
 had been willing to await the decision of another Con- 
 ference. But they could not consent to sacrifice their 
 convictions of duty, and Mr. Booth accordingly ad- 
 dressed the following letter to the President: 
 
 "12 Buxton Street, NEWCASTLE-ON-TYNE, 
 
 "July i8th, 1861. 
 
 " To the Rev. H. O. Crofts, D.D., President of the Methodist 
 New Connexion. 
 
 " MY DEAR SIR : Yours of the i6th is to hand. Its contents 
 certainly much surprised me. You say, 'I am sorry to learn 
 that you are not taking your circuit according to the rules 
 and usages of the body, nor according to the resolution of 
 Mr. Cooke. ' But, sir, I informed you of every particular re- 
 specting the arrangement, immediately after it was made; 
 since then I have received two letters from you on circuit 
 business, in which you do not refer to it; if, then, as you say, 
 this arrangement was calculated to grieve my best friends of 
 the Connexion, and of sufficient importance to bring before 
 the Annual Committee, how is it that you have waited five 
 weeks before writing me on the subject? 
 
 " The arrangement was agreed to unanimously by a special 
 circuit meeting, and at the last Quarterly Meeting, after 
 working it for some time, I informed the friends that if they 
 were dissatisfied I was perfectly willing to retire ; but they 
 preferred to abide by it for the year, and I can only account 
 for your letter on the supposition that some officious person 
 has unofficially written you on the subject. I need not re- 
 mind you, however, that there is considerable difference be- 
 tween the opinion of an individual and the resolutions of the 
 regularly constituted meetings of the circuit. 
 
 1861, 
 Age 32. 
 
 Dr. 
 Crofts 
 letter. 
 
 They 
 resign. 
 
 Letter to 
 
 Dr. 
 Crofts. 
 
 The 
 circuit 
 agrees.
 
 428 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1861, 
 Age 32. 
 
 His in- 
 tention. 
 
 Cannot 
 give up 
 his con- 
 victions. 
 
 The sac- 
 rifice. 
 
 Offering 
 himself. 
 
 The ver- 
 dict of the 
 future. 
 
 " You ask me to tell you 'frankly' what I intend to do. I 
 reply that all the way through my conduct has been open 
 and frank in the extreme. But once again I say that I intend 
 to be an evangelist, if it be possible ; and if, after a fair trial, 
 I fail in reaching that sphere, I will give it up, and conclude 
 that I have been mistaken, but not till then. 
 
 " I informed the Stationing Committee and afterwards the 
 Conference, both orally and by letter, that I could not take 
 the responsibility of the Newcastle appointment, but still the 
 Conference persisted in it. My first impulse was to resign, 
 but I clung to the idea that my connexion with the Confer- 
 ence might be retained another year without sacrificing my 
 convictions, and I thought the arrangement with the circuit 
 would secure this. In this hope I find from your letter that 
 I am mistaken, and that no plan is open to me by which I can 
 work out those convictions and retain that connexion. One 
 or the other I must give up. The former, my duty to God 
 and souls, I cannot forego ; and therefore, intensely painful 
 though it be, I must adopt the latter, and place my resigna- 
 tion in your hands. 
 
 " I do this after much prayerful deliberation. I know what 
 I am sacrificing, and I know I am exposing myself and those 
 whom I love to loss and difficulty. But I am impelled to it 
 by a sense of duty to souls, to the Church, and to God. Were 
 I to quail, and give up for fear of the difficulties which just 
 now appear to block my path, I feel sure that I should in the 
 future reproach myself with cowardice in the cause of my 
 Master, and that even those who differ with me in opinion 
 would say that I was not true to the professions I made in the 
 Conference, when I said I had offered myself to the Lord 
 for this work if I went forth 'without a friend and without a 
 farthing. ' 
 
 " Trusting in God alone, I offer myself for the evangelistic 
 work, in the first instance to our own connexional churches, 
 and, when they decline to engage me, to other portions of 
 the religious community. I offer myself to co-operate in con- 
 ducting special services, or preaching to the outlying crowds 
 of our population, in theatres, halls, or the open air. 
 
 " Looking at the past, God is my witness how earnestly 
 and disinterestedly I have endeavoured to serve the Connex- 
 ion, and knowing that the future will most convincingly and
 
 THE RESIGNATION. 
 
 429 
 
 emphatically either vindicate or condemn my present action, I 
 am content to await its verdict. In the mean time, 
 " Believe me to remain, my dear sir, 
 " Yours, very respectfully, 
 
 "WILLIAM BOOTH." 
 
 In describing their feelings at the time Mrs. Booth 
 writes to her parents : 
 
 " William received a letter from the President yesterday, 
 objecting to the present arrangement, and after a day's deep 
 anxiety and fervent prayer we decided on our knees to send 
 in our resignation. Accordingly it is, I expect, in the Presi- 
 dent's hands this morning. 
 
 " We both attended the tea-meeting last night. William 
 made a thrilling speech. It told well on the people. At the 
 close of it he announced the step he had taken, which evi- 
 dently produced a great impression on the audience. Much 
 to our surprise, Mr. Clifton, one of the ministers who occu- 
 pied the chair, instead of getting up to defend the Connexion, 
 said that, while he deeply regretted the step Mr. Booth had 
 taken, nevertheless he could not but honour him for acting out 
 his conviction. He believed that never had a man done so 
 with a single eye to God's glory who had suffered for his 
 action. He had no doubt that God would give him the desire 
 of his heart and accompany his labours with success. 
 
 " This was very cheering under the circumstances. The 
 people were most affectionate at parting, and sang with us all 
 up the road on the way home. I believe they were much 
 pleased with both my services. On Monday night we had a 
 blessed time. I enjoyed great liberty, and although it poured 
 with rain, which made a great noise on the canvas, I managed 
 with some effort to make myself heard to the end of the tent 
 in which the services were being held. The people listened 
 well, and nearly all stayed for the prayer-meeting, when we 
 had nine cases, two of them old men. One of them I should 
 think was seventy. He wept like a child, and cried, 'What a 
 merciful God He has been to spare me so long in my rebellion !' 
 All glory to Jesus ! 
 
 " I feel happier this morning than I have done for three 
 months past. I feel as though my dear husband stood forth 
 as an honourable and unflinching Christian before the world, 
 
 1861, 
 Age 32. 
 
 Their 
 feelings. 
 
 A 
 
 thrilling 
 speech. 
 
 An affec- 
 tionate 
 parting. 
 
 Feeling 
 happier ,
 
 43 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1861, 
 Age 32. 
 
 Gaining 
 light. 
 
 The last 
 
 link 
 broken. 
 
 Reaction. 
 
 Mrs. 
 
 Booth 
 
 goes 'to 
 
 London. 
 
 The Gen- 
 eral to 
 New- 
 castle. 
 
 and I am proud to help him to face the difficulties which frown 
 upon our path. I verily believe God will clear our way and 
 smile upon our work. He knows our motives. 
 
 " We have thought, and read, and prayed, and done all in 
 our power to follow right convictions and to gain light from 
 above. And we could neither of us bring ourselves to feel 
 that William could take the circuit without compromising his 
 honor, the honor of his Christianity and of his God. So, now 
 the step is taken, we both intend to brace ourselves for all its 
 consequences and manfully face all difficulties. The Lord 
 help us and show us His salvation ! Continue to pray for us." 
 
 The hour had now come. The die was cast. The 
 last link that bound them to the Connexion was bro- 
 ken. And Mrs. Booth turned her face toward her 
 mother's home in London. As is often the case when 
 a crisis has been reached, or a decision arrived at 
 which follows on a long and weary conflict, there is a 
 proportionate reaction. An inexplicable depression 
 of the nerves and emotions tends to veil the sky and 
 hides for the moment the triumphs that are at hand. 
 The chord has been struck and it vibrates for long. 
 The bow has been stretched and it quivers as it re- 
 turns. The earthly casket trembles in every fibre be- 
 neath the stupendous effort of the soul. 
 
 It was in the throes of such an experience that Mrs. 
 Booth left Nottingham. And, in facing the conse- 
 quences of her recent decision, she was tempted to 
 pray, "If it be possible, let this cup pass from me." 
 And yet that railway journey was not without its con- 
 solation, inasmuch as she possessed the unutterable 
 satisfaction of knowing that in her Calvary season she 
 had been granted grace to say, "Not my will, but 
 Thine be done." 
 
 In the mean .time Mr. Booth had returned to New- 
 castle, whence it had been decided, for economy's 
 sake, he should remove the children to London by
 
 THE RESIGNATION. 
 
 431 
 
 sea. Their faithful servant, Mary Kirton, had de- 
 clared that no change in circumstances should induce 
 her to leave her mistress, and that, with or without 
 wages, she would continue to shepherd the little ones, 
 whom she loved with all the fervour of her strong na- 
 ture and warm Irish heart. With her help Mr. Booth 
 soon packed up his few belongings and embarked for 
 London. 
 
 The sunset rays of declining day flickered upon 
 the downy heads of the baby group as they knelt 
 with their parents around the family altar within the 
 kindly shelter of Mrs. Mumford's home. Unconscious 
 children! They did not know the worth of sacrifice, 
 or the incalculable weight of prayer! And yet, all 
 innocently, they represented the tens of thousands of 
 spiritual children who, by the faithful service and 
 willing sacrifice of these but two disciples of their 
 Lord, should yet be brought to kneel, and kneel in 
 families, at the altar of the Cross. 
 
 Since that fair summer's eve multitudes innumer- 
 able have gathered under varying circumstances 
 within the sacred precincts of the altar of sacrifice, 
 bathing it with their tears, and crowning it with their 
 gifts. And thus have they freshly proved for them- 
 selves that, while the altar sanctifies the gift, yet in 
 a God-intended sense the gift adorns the altar ; for of 
 what profit is a giftless altar, and what, indeed, were 
 Calvary without its Sacrifice ? 
 
 But the future was as yet unknown, and in the 
 spirit of resignation and faith Mr. and Mrs. Booth 
 awaited the moving of the fiery pillar that lighted the 
 darkness of their wilderness-encompassed camp, and 
 the lifting of which was to be the signal for their for- 
 ward march. 
 
 1861, 
 Age 32. 
 
 A 
 
 faithful 
 servant. 
 
 A 
 
 touching 
 scene. 
 
 The altar 
 
 f 
 sacrifice. 
 
 The lift- 
 ing of the 
 
 fiery 
 pillar.
 
 00 
 OB 
 
 O Q) 
 
 >>
 
 A new 
 battle- 
 field. 
 
 CHAPTER XLII. 
 THE CORNISH CAMPAIGN. 1861. 
 
 THE battles with Conference had ended. Yet still 
 there remained battles to be fought. True, there had 
 been a considerable change of front. The combatants 
 had transferred their forces to a new and still, more 
 interesting field. But the issues remained the same. 
 To awaken a single denomination to a sense of its 
 opportunity and responsibility, and to do this through 
 the medium of its own Conference, had been Mr. and 
 Mrs. Booth's first object. They believed that if ap- 
 pointed to the position of evangelists they would be 
 enabled to infuse new life and vigour into the Con- 
 nexion. In this they were disappointed. 
 
 And now the bolder idea had been conceived of at- 
 tempting to do for the churches in general what they churches. 
 had sought to accomplish for their own denomination. 
 Freed from the fetters that had hitherto hindered 
 them, they were now in a position to visit any church 
 or town in the kingdom. There were few places 
 
 Helping 
 
 where some struggling cause would not gladly wel- the weak. 
 come their assistance, and, once having obtained a 
 footing, they believed that the work would of its own 
 weight secure an entrance' else where. However great 
 in some instances might be the secret antagonism of 
 
 28 433 
 
 Awaken-
 
 434 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1861, 
 Age 32. 
 
 Aiming 
 
 at the 
 masses 
 
 through 
 
 the 
 church. 
 
 Beyond 
 the pale. 
 
 The re- 
 gions be- 
 yond. 
 
 the pastors, it would be compelled, they thought, to 
 succumb to the influences of the revival, and to the 
 clamour of the people for a share in the blessings that 
 were being reaped by so many around. 
 
 It seems strange now, in the light of subsequent ex- 
 perience that, with their earnest longings to reach the 
 masses, they did not at once commence to work 
 amongst them on their own account. They had only 
 to take a hall, announce their meetings, and go for- 
 ward with the work. Crowds were certain, wherever 
 they might be. But the idea of aiming at the people 
 independently of the churches had not yet occurred 
 to them. The majority of the evangelistic agencies of 
 the day had devoted their attention to the revival of 
 professing Christians, and their labours were carried 
 on in, connection with some organisation to whom 
 they entrusted the care of their converts. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Booth had advanced a step beyond this. They 
 yearned even more over the godless crowds who at- 
 tended no place of worship, and who made no pro- 
 fession of religion, than over the nominal Christians, 
 who at least preserved an outward appearance of 
 morality. But they imagined that the only way to 
 reach the people was through the church. It did not 
 occur to them that for these outsiders an outside 
 agency might be, after all, the best, if not indeed the 
 only, way of effecting a permanent revolution in their 
 hearts and lives. 
 
 And yet one of the Conference speakers had uncon- 
 sciously struck fire when, in opposing the appoint- 
 ment, he had urged that if an evangelistic agency were 
 created it should be applied to the reaching of the 
 masses who in each large city were beyond the pale 
 of every church. Let Mr. Booth, he argued, go forth 
 like Paul into the "regions beyond" instead of build-
 
 THE CORNISH CAMPAIGN. 435 
 
 ing on other men's foundations. Of course the words 1861, 
 were completely misapplied. It might fairly have ge 32 ' 
 been retorted that the speaker himself did absolutely 
 nothing from year to year but build on foundations 
 sunk by some one else; or, again, that Paul himself, in 
 company with the rest of the Apostles, had spent the 
 better portion of his life in visiting and writing to 
 churches many of which had been established by 
 other agency. Nevertheless, the words were pro- 
 phetic of the course that was afterwards to be followed 
 
 out with such success. The challenge then thrown A pro- 
 phetic 
 down was to be taken up in a literal sense and applied challenge. 
 
 to all the world in a fashion that the speaker little 
 thought, and when the critic's name had passed into 
 oblivion, that of the man whose pathway he had 
 helped to block was to be handed down as a house- 
 hold word through the ages of futurity. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Booth had not long to wait for an A hopeful 
 opening that appeared of a hopeful and satisfactory per ' 
 nature. There were now in the ministry of various 
 churches some ten or twelve of those who had been 
 converted in their own services. One of these, Mr. 
 Shone, who was converted during the Chester revival, 
 was labouring in the New Connexion. He had for a 
 year been colleague to Mr. Booth in Gateshead, resid- 
 ing during that period under his roof. He was now 
 stationed at Hayle, in Cornwall, from whence he sent 
 a hearty letter inviting both Mr. and Mrs. Booth Invited to 
 to hold revival services in his circuit. From a Cornwall. 
 worldly standpoint the character of the invitation was 
 not a very alluring one. After apologising for the 
 smallness of the chapel and the scantiness of the 
 population, he went on to say that nothing could be 
 guaranteed in the way of remuneration, but that they 
 could count upon a hearty welcome.
 
 436 
 
 M&S. BOOTH. 
 
 1861, 
 Age 32. 
 
 At the 
 
 breakfast 
 
 table. 
 
 Mrs. 
 Booth's 
 feelings. 
 
 A way 
 out. 
 
 The jour- 
 ney to 
 Hayle. 
 
 A small 
 port. 
 
 This letter was received at the breakfast- table, and 
 seeing its contents Mr. Booth read it aloud. Mr. and 
 Mrs. Mumford were somewhat reluctant to agree to so 
 speedily losing their daughter, and suggested that 
 Mr. Booth should go alone. He urged, however, that 
 since they had endured together the controversy and 
 strain of the past three months, culminating in their 
 separation from the Connexion, so they should share 
 the first victory, adding that the nurse would be quite 
 competent to take the temporary oversight of the 
 children. 
 
 "My feelings," says Mrs. Booth, "could be better 
 imagined than described during this conversation. 
 The earnest way in which I had been included in the 
 invitation, and the evident appreciation and value put 
 upon my labours, seemed to me as the cloud like a 
 man's hand upon my horizon, and appeared to prelude 
 the opening of a way by which we could travel to- 
 gether, instead of the perpetual separations to which 
 I had been trying to make up my mind as a necessary 
 part of the evangelistic cross. My parents at length 
 heartily consented to take charge of the children, and 
 we immediately prepared to go. We wrote by return 
 of post, accepting the invitation, and started at the 
 time arranged for, as it were to commence life afresh." 
 
 "Although the journey to Hayle was a long one," 
 says Mrs. Booth, when referring to this episode in 
 after life, " I was myself surprised at the comparative 
 ease with which I accomplished it. We were both 
 in excellent spirits, full of that high enthusiasm which 
 only faith -and hope can inspire. True, we were 
 launched upon an unknown sea, but we realised that 
 God was at the helm, and we trustfully faced the 
 future without a fear. 
 
 " Hayle, we found, was but a small, straggling place
 
 THE CORNISH CAMPAIGN. 437 
 
 with a port, at which some little coasting trade was 1861, 
 carried on, and a large foundry employing six or seven ge 32 ' 
 hundred men. The chapel was a barn-like affair, 
 holding perhaps six hundred people. The number we 
 crowded into it night after night was quite a different 
 matter. The Cornish system of packing a congrega- A Cornish 
 tion was certainly somewhat singular. The first 
 comers occupied the seats, and then another row of 
 people would stand in front of them. The aisles 
 would next be filled, beginning at the pulpit stairs, 
 till the whole place was literally gorged. Then the 
 window-sills would be besieged, and through the open 
 windows another crowd outside would listen to the 
 echoes of the songs and to such stray sentences as 
 might reach their ears. 
 
 "The plan laid down for our labours, which was The plan 
 more or less followed throughout our Cornish cam- paign. 
 paign, was that Mr. Booth should preach on Sunday 
 morning and evening, and on the first four evenings 
 of the week, while I took the Sunday afternoon and 
 Friday night meetings, frequently speaking on the 
 afternoon of several week-days as well. In addition 
 to these regular services, we often held noon-day meet- 
 ings, visited the sick, and conducted other accessory 
 gatherings. The Saturdays were devoted to rest and 
 to preparation for the Sabbath. 
 
 " Our first meetings at Hayle were held on Sunday, The first 
 
 T . , , - meetings. 
 
 the i ith August. I must confess we had looked for- 
 ward to them with considerable anxiety; so much ap- 
 peared to depend upon their success. In the morning 
 there was a good congregation. My dearest preached, 
 and, although he did not experience much liberty, 
 nevertheless the people were evidently interested and 
 impressed. On our way home from the Chapel a gen- 
 tleman said that he hoped I should in the afternoon .
 
 438 MKS. BOOTH. 
 
 1861, service give them something of a cheering character, 
 
 A rrp 99 
 
 as what they had heard in the morning had com- 
 
 Worse pletely capsized them. To this our hostess added, 
 
 nothing, as we sat at the dinner-table, ' Before you came my 
 
 husband and I had a very good opinion of ourselves ; 
 
 but now we see that we are nothing absolutely 
 
 nothing and worse than nothing. ' 
 A new " i n the afternoon the place was jammed, and the 
 
 commis- . J 
 
 sion. Lord gave me great liberty. At night there was 
 another crowd, and a powerful impression was made. 
 Indeed, I have always reckoned that God in an es- 
 pecial manner put His seal upon the services of that 
 day, giving us, as it were, a new Divine commission for 
 our subsequent life-work, though we little dreamed at 
 the time how much was involved in it. 
 
 NO break. " There was, however, no immediate break. As in 
 the case of our previous Cornish experience, the 
 people listened with the utmost earnestness, and as- 
 sented to the truth, but they would not respond to our 
 invitations to come forward to the communion rail. 
 
 The first- " The next night the result was much the same. 
 In spite of the strongest appeals not a single person 
 would come forward. Knowing that there were many 
 present who were deeply convinced of their sin, the 
 invitation was repeated again and again, without 
 eliciting the slightest response, when suddenly the 
 silence was broken by the loud cries of a woman, who 
 left her seat, pushed her way through the crowd, fell 
 upon her knees at the penitent form, and thus became 
 the first-fruits of what proved to be a glorious harvest 
 of souls." 
 
 These early meetings are described by Mrs. Booth 
 in the following letter to her mother: 
 
 7% and ri/ " The work has commenced in earnest. We have had three 
 shout. very good nights. William preached Monday and Tuesday,
 
 THE CORNISH CAMPAIGN. 
 
 439 
 
 1 86 1, 
 Age 32. 
 
 More, in- 
 vitations. 
 
 Preach- 
 ing for a 
 minister. 
 
 and I last night. The cases in all are about twenty-one. I 
 never saw people cry and shout as they do here. I can do 
 nothing in the way of invitation in the prayer meetings, the 
 noise is so great. I occupy myself with going to the people in 
 the pews. The town is full of conviction, and I doubt not we 
 shall have a glorious work. Don't be over-anxious about our 
 sending reports to the papers. There is plenty of time before 
 us, and invitations are already numerous. 
 
 " I think the way is opening in Cornwall for a much longer 
 stay than we at first contemplated. William went by invitation 
 to see the Rev. Samuel Dunn at Camborne, four miles from 
 here, the other day, and he wants us to go there. [This was 
 the minister already referred to as Mr. Booth's Superintendent 
 at Nottingham, and leader of the Reform movement. He 
 was now the pastor of a Congregational church.] He will be 
 away from his chapel next Sunday, and I am to preach for 
 him, and to stay for two or three evenings, as my strength 
 serves. If a good work begins there we shall perhaps try to 
 work the two places at the same time, interchanging with one 
 another according to circumstances. If we can manage this 
 it will be well, as Hayle is too small as a sphere for us both. 
 There are also invitations from St. Ives and other places in 
 Cornwall. 
 
 " We cannot tell at present whether we shall return to 
 London, or whether we shall engage a furnished house and 
 have the children here. But if we are likely to stay three or 
 four months, I shall be for adopting the latter plan. I have 
 no fear about the children being well cared for, but I am afraid 
 of their becoming weaned from me ; and I must not risk that. 
 
 " Please read my letter to Willie, and read it to him two or 
 three times jus before he goes to bed at night, so that it may 
 affect his heart the more. Bless him !" 
 
 The following was the letter referred to, the first Mrs. 
 apparently that her son received from his mother. It fi r tietter 
 well exemplifies the trouble taken and the tact mani- toherson - 
 fested by Mrs. Booth in the training of her children : 
 
 "HAYLE, August isth, 1861. 
 
 " MY DEAREST WILLIE : I promised to write you a letter all 
 to yourself, and so the first thing I do this morning shall be 
 to write it. 
 
 A pro- 
 longed 
 stay.
 
 440 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1861, " I have been thinking a great deal about you, my dear boy, 
 Age 32. atl( j about Ballington, Katie, and Baby, too; but most about 
 you, because you are the oldest and biggest, and I know if 
 you are good, and do as you are told, they will most likely be 
 the same. I do hope you are praying to the Lord every day 
 to help you, and are trying to do as Grandma and Mary tell 
 Good and vou jf vou arC( \ k nO w this letter will find you happy and 
 joyous, because when little children are good they are always 
 happy. But I never knew a naughty child to be happy in 
 my life, and I dare say grandma never did. Just ask her if 
 she ever did. 
 
 " I often wish you were here with us. It is a beautiful place ; 
 fields. such nice fields and lanes, where you could run about and play 
 and romp and sing and shout, without troubling anybody, 
 and such nice places to fly kites, without trees about to catch 
 them. Well, when you have got a little older, and have 
 learned always to do as you are told, and to read little tales, 
 so that you could amuse yourself when in ladies' houses, with- 
 out touching things and troubling people, then you shall al- 
 ways come with me when I go with papa. 
 
 Do as you And oh, won't that be nice, when I can have my little Willie 
 n ' with me wherever I go, and show you all the pretty things I 
 see, and tell you all the nice tales I hear, and all about God 
 and Jesus and heaven. Would you not like this very much? 
 If you would, you must try every day to do exactly as you 
 are bid, and then you will get to do it quickly and easily. 
 And you must try hard to learn to read. Don't try how little 
 you can get off with, but try how much you can learn every 
 day. And think to yourself, 'Now the quicker I learn to 
 read, the sooner I shall go in the train with papa and mama, 
 and go with them to ladies' houses and see all the pretty 
 things. ' 
 
 The chil- I want to tell you, too, about a children's meeting which we 
 dren's have here. Papa tells all the little children to come to the 
 chapel at six o'clock of an evening, and such a lot come ! Half 
 the chapel full. And then either papa or I speak to them 
 about Jesus and teach them to sing pretty little hymns. 
 They are so good and so happy, and some of them have been 
 to Jesus for a new heart. He has given them one and made 
 them good, happy children of God. When I look at them 
 all singing so merrily, I do wish my Willie was amongst them.
 
 THE CORNISH CAMPAIGN. 
 
 441 
 
 But if you are a good boy and do as I say, you shall come by- 
 
 and-bye. Bless you ! 
 
 " From your loving 
 
 " MAMA." 
 
 A month later Mrs. Booth writes to him again, as 
 follows : 
 
 " MY DEAREST WILLIE: I fear you begin to think that it is 
 a long time before papa comes to fetch you, and I am sure I 
 think so too. But you see we cannot always do just what we 
 would like. We have to wait until the Lord lets us, and we 
 may always be sure that He knows best. 
 
 " You see, my dear boy, your papa and I came down here to 
 do the Lord's work, and although we have worked very hard 
 we have not got it all done yet, and we dare not leave it till 
 we think we have finished. So our dear little ones have to 
 wait a long time. But oh, what a good thing it is that you 
 have a kind grandma to take care of you and find you a home ! 
 The Lord does not let you want for any good thing. He 
 sends you plenty of food to eat and nice clean clothes to put 
 on and a nice bed to sleep in, just the same as though you 
 were with us. Do you ever think about this, and thank Him 
 for all His kindness? I hope you do, and that you try to 
 please Him by being a very good boy. And the better you 
 are the more quickly the time will slip away and the sooner 
 you will come to us. 
 
 " Well, it won't be long now before you come. So try to 
 learn as fast as ever you can, and let us see how much you 
 have learned since we left you. And then when you get here 
 papa and I will take you with us on to the cliffs and show you 
 the great and beautiful sea. In fact, you will perhaps live just 
 opposite to it, where you can see the ships and the boats out 
 of your nursery window. Won't that be nice! You can show 
 them to Ballington, Katie, and Baby, and tell them the names 
 of the ships as they sail past. 
 
 " I often wish very much that you were here. I am quite 
 tired of being without you all, and sometimes I cannot help 
 crying about it. But then I try to remember that the Lord 
 knows best. Do you ever pray so? I hope you do ; and if you 
 do, I am sure the Lord will not let you wait much longer. 
 
 " By-the-bye, this is Katie's birthday dear little girl! It is 
 
 1861, 
 Age 32. 
 
 Another 
 letter to 
 her son. 
 
 Finishing 
 
 the Lord's 
 
 work. 
 
 The beau- 
 tiful sea. 
 
 Cannot 
 
 help 
 crying. 
 
 Katie's 
 birthday.
 
 442 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1861, just three years to-day since the Lord sent her to us, a dear 
 Age 32. little tiny baby ! I wish I could give her a birthday kiss. 
 But as I am so far away you must give her one for me a real 
 bumper, right on her sweet little cheek, and tell her how 
 much mama loves her, and that she must be a very good gill. 
 I hope, too, that you do not quarrel with Ballington now 
 about the playthings. You must try to remember that he is 
 much younger than you, and always give way to him and try 
 to teach him to be good. Tell him all about what I have told 
 you in this letter, and all about going to see the great water 
 and the ships. 
 
 hh to " * won( ^ er k w t ^ ie dear baby is getting on. Do you think 
 she has forgotten me? I hope not. You must talk to her 
 every day about papa and mama, and try to make her under- 
 stand that she is coming to see us. Bless her little heart ! I 
 hope her brother Willie is very kind and gentle with her, now 
 she has no mama there to love her. Give my kind love to 
 grandma, grandpa, and Mary, and always remember me as 
 your loving 
 
 " MAMA." 
 
 Writing to her mother about Willie's studies, Mrs. 
 Booth says : 
 
 Don't " I am glad to hear that Willie does not feel happy unless 
 
 make it a he knows his spelling, but I would not have the book made a 
 bore. 
 
 bore to him for a hundred pounds. I have no doubt he will 
 
 take to it by-and-bye. Don't discourage him. If his memory 
 is bad he is to be pitied. He cannot help it, and it will not 
 mend it to discourage him. If his governess scolds him I 
 would rather he did not learn anything at all. This would 
 be enough to set any child against his books. Let him do a 
 little at a time, and he will like it better than being forced to 
 pore over it long together. And if his governess does not 
 know that you had better tell her. 
 
 Exercise " I am glad Ballington likes to say his lesson. Bless him ! 
 He has the most perseverance of them all, and I have no 
 doubt will make something out in the world. Exercise all 
 the authority over them that you see to be needful. I commit 
 them to your discipline entirely, while they are with you." 
 
 A long re- Meanwhile the services were carried on with en- 
 couraging success. Indeed, as if to reassure Mr. and
 
 THE CORNISH CAMPAIGN. 
 
 443 
 
 Mrs. Booth in regard to the painful step they had re- 
 cently taken, the results surpassed any of their pre- 
 vious experience, so that their stay in Cornwall, which 
 was originally intended to have lasted but six or 
 seven weeks, was ultimately extended over a period 
 of eighteen months, which proved to be one long, 
 continuous revival. 
 
 Writing to her parents on September 2d, Mrs. Booth 
 says: 
 
 " They are most impatient for us to go to St. Ives, but we 
 think of staying here another week. The work gets better 
 and better. The whole place is roused. On Saturday night 
 the Wesleyan superintendent sent one of the circuit stewards, 
 offering the loan of their chapel for Sunday and Wednesday 
 evenings. We accepted it, and accordingly William preached 
 last night in the Wesleyan chapel, crammed to suffocation, 
 and I in the New Connexion, well filled, even though I was 
 not announced. We had a glorious prayer-meeting in both 
 chapels, about thirty cases in the Wesleyan and twenty with 
 us, some of them the most precious ones I ever witnessed. 
 I could fill sheets with the account of one gentleman which 
 would thrill you with interest, and make you shout the praises 
 of God. There was much new material last night at the 
 Wesleyan chapel. Hundreds went away convicted. If the 
 Wesleyans would open their two chapels and invite us to 
 labour in them, there is no telling what the work would rise 
 to. We are both very much exhausted this morning, espec- 
 ially myself. I shall not do so much again. The prayer- 
 meeting was very , heavy. I was drenched in perspiration. 
 But it is wonderful how God brings me through." 
 
 A* few days later she writes again : 
 
 " I have attended two meetings to-day, one at ten in the 
 morning and a children's meeting at half-past five this after- 
 noon. So I am stopping at home to-night, feeling I ought 
 not to do any more. We had the chapel nearly full of children, 
 and several very sweet cases of penitence and two of conver- 
 sion. The work is altogether a very remarkable one. I wish 
 you could come and see it. 
 
 1861, 
 Age 32. 
 
 Better 
 and 
 
 better. 
 
 Thrilling 
 stories. 
 
 Chil- 
 dren '* 
 meeting.
 
 444 
 
 MAS. BOOTH. 
 
 1861, 
 Age 32. 
 
 " On Wednesday night William preached in the largest 
 Wesleyan chapel, about half a mile from the other. It was 
 crammed out into the street. I should think there were 1,800 
 people inside, and I never witnessed such a scene in my life 
 as the prayer-meeting presented. The rail was filled in a 
 few minutes with great strong men, who cried aloud for 
 A stirring me rcy, some of them as though the pains of hell had actually 
 got hold of them! Oh, it was a scene! No one could be 
 heard praying, and the cries and shouts of the penitents almost 
 overpowered the singing. The gallery was half full and the 
 bottom of the chapel crammed all the time, so that we could 
 hardly move. We came away at ten o'clock, leaving them 
 to finish. We spent the night at the house of a leading Wes- 
 leyan close by, being too wet and fagged to walk home." 
 
 Referring afterwards to this meeting, Mrs. Booth 
 says: 
 
 " This unusual noise and confusion was somewhat foreign 
 to our notions and practices. William believed strongly in 
 everything being done 'decently and in order.' Indeed, I 
 think he somewhat mistook the application of this direction. 
 How much more acceptable must be this apparent disorder, 
 in the eyes of God and angels, and all holy beings who are 
 alive to the importance of salvation and damnation, than the 
 stoical indifference and Pharisaic propriety so common in 
 places of worship ! How much better to have twenty people 
 smiting their breasts and crying, ' God be merciful to me a 
 sinner ! ' with its necessary consequent commotion, than a 
 congregation of equally guilty sinners sitting with stiff pro- 
 priety and in their own estimation 'needing no repentance!' 
 I must say that even then I thought the one far more philo- 
 sophical and Scriptural than the other." 
 
 Apparent 
 disorder. 
 
 Pharisaic 
 propriety. 
 
 "Siny 
 
 when I 
 
 say sing. 
 
 However, the following night, before commencing 
 his sermon, Mr. Booth thought it wise to speak 
 plainly to the people on the subject, avoiding at the 
 same time the severity which he had manifested on 
 a previous occasion, and which had exercised a some- 
 what discouraging influence upon the people. " I have 
 come here," he said, "to help you to bring your
 
 THE CORNISH CAMPAIGN. 445 
 
 friends and neighbours to God. If I am to be of any 1861, 
 extensive and abiding service in this direction you ge 32 ' 
 must accept me as a leader and must follow out my 
 directions. When I say 'Sing!' we must sing, and 
 when I say 'Pray!' we must pray. And when I 
 speak you must, as far as possible, listen. Should 
 any one during the sermon be so far overpowered by 
 their feelings, or by a sense of their danger, as to be 
 unable to contain themselves, let them be taken into GO into 
 
 the vestry. 
 
 the vestry, and let two or three praying men or 
 women, as the case may be, show them the way of 
 salvation, and pray with them there until the after 
 meeting commences, while we go on with the preach- 
 ing. It is the truth that makes people free, and if 
 we are to go on spreading the work of salvation we 
 must go on with the proclamation of the message of 
 God." Mr. Booth then asked all who were willing 
 to co-operate with him on these lines to hold up their 
 hands. This request was unanimously responded to A unan i. 
 and the arrangement entered into that night was 
 faithfully adhered to, and consequently it was seldom 
 that the meetings went beyond control afterwards. 
 
 Many interesting and extraordinary cases of con- A woman 
 version continued to take place. One of them was of trance. 
 a peculiar character, similar to some of those remark- 
 able manifestations recorded in connection with the 
 Irish revival of 1859, and occurring occasionally in 
 connection with the subsequent meetings of the Sal- 
 vation Army. A young woman went off into a kind 
 of trance, which lasted for about an hour, and while markabie 
 her friends watched her she appeared to be convers- 
 ing with some beings whom they could not behold. 
 Her face at times beamed with heavenly smiles, in- 
 dicating that she was the subject of very choice emo- 
 tions, and then she appeared to be speaking to some
 
 446 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1861, one in faint tones. The bystanders heard her ask 
 questions and reply, as though she had received 
 answers. At first it seemed to be her mother, who 
 had been dead for some years, and then her father, 
 and then a pious aunt, with whom she was conversing. 
 There was also another relative after whom sheen- 
 quired, but without obtaining any satisfactory reply. 
 She then asked how long they would remain with 
 er ute n ~ her, and the reply appeared to be "Ten minutes," for 
 she repeated the words, whereupon one of those pre- 
 sent looked at his watch. The conversation continued 
 for some little time, when the young woman said 
 good-bye to her invisible communicants, waved her 
 arms, and awoke from the trance exactly ten minutes 
 to the second from the time she had first repeated the 
 words. 
 
 Signs and It was a strange phenomenon, having no ap- 
 parent connection with the spiritual work that was 
 then being carried on. But there can be little doubt 
 that such special manifestations are permitted, in con- 
 nection with powerful revivals, as part of the " signs 
 and wonders" with which God has promised to accom- 
 pany the outpourings of His Holy Spirit. It appears 
 to have a parallel in Matthew xxvii. 51-53, where we 
 are told that "the earth did quake, and the rocks rent, 
 and the graves were opened, and many bodies of the 
 saints which slept arose, and came out of the graves 
 after His resurrection, and went into the holy city, 
 and appeared unto many." While it would doubtless 
 
 A mistake be a mistake to seek for such manifestations, or to 
 to them! measure spiritual results by the frequency of their 
 occurrence, nevertheless, when they do occur, they 
 may be regarded as encouraging tokens of the Divine 
 presence. We may not always have eyes to see the 
 horses and chariots of fire that surround our Dothan,
 
 THE CORNISH CAMPAIGN. 447 
 
 or the "ministering spirits" who are "sent forth to 1861, 
 minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation," but ge 32 ' 
 that is no reason why we should not rejoice and take 
 courage when the sight is occasionally granted. 
 
 The reason, no doubt, for their comparative rareness 
 is that undue importance is attached to them, and the 
 special blessedness of those who have " not seen" and 
 yet have " believed" is lost sight of. 
 
 It would be difficult, indeed, to adequately describe The 
 the Hay le revival. Each succeeding meeting appeared 
 to surpass in power and results all that had gone be- 
 fore. The whole neighbourhood was moved. Salva- 
 tion was the universal theme of conversation in the 
 mines, on board the ships, on the wharves, in the 
 factory, in the public-houses, by the wayside, and in 
 almost every home. Not only was this the case in 
 the town itself, but from the surrounding villages and 
 hamlets it was usual for both the saved and unsaved 
 to walk eight, ten, fifteen, and twenty miles to the 
 meetings. Deputations came from the neighbouring 
 towns urging Mr. and Mrs. Booth to come and con- meetings. 
 duct meetings, and assuring them of the heartiest co- 
 operation. Indeed, the love of the people was very 
 remarkable. They were hailed on all hands as mes- 
 sengers from heaven, and their name with thousands 
 became a household word . Thirty years have elapsed, 
 and yet it is common to meet with the fruits of that 
 revival in all quarters of the globe, and to receive 
 letters from those who date their spiritual birth from 
 these meetings. 
 
 The services were brought to a close by a great The 
 
 Towans. 
 
 farewell festival. Near Hayle there is a large com- 
 mon, called The Towans, on the cliff overhanging the 
 sea. Here it was arranged to hold a monster picnic 
 for one thousand people, this being reckoned to be a
 
 448 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1861, large number for so small a town. It was calculated, 
 &e 32 ' however, that no less than two thousand persons were 
 actually present, all the available supplies which could 
 be obtained from anywhere being rapidly disposed of. 
 The tea being concluded, the congregation ad- 
 journed to the large Wesleyan chapel, which was 
 farewell crowded out, and congratulatory addresses were de- 
 scene. Hvered by various persons. On the following night 
 Mr. Booth delivered his final farewell sermon which 
 was followed by a powerful and touching scene, when 
 more than sixty persons sought salvation ; it being 
 necessary to throw open the school-room as well as 
 the chapel for the anxious penitents, a large number 
 of whom were men.
 
 CHAPTER XLIII. 
 THE CORNISH CAMPAIGN. 1861-1862. 
 
 FROM Hayle Mr. and Mrs. Booth proceeded to St. st. ives 
 Ives, a thriving little town with a population of 7,000, pilchards 
 chiefly famous for its pilchard fishery. The pilchard 
 is a small fish, somewhat shorter and stouter than a 
 herring. They swim in shoals, and annually visit 
 the Cornish coasts, but are not always sufficiently 
 obliging to enter the bay of St. Ives, so that the occupa- 
 tion is a somewhat precarious one. Sometimes a few 
 miles up the channel, sometimes a few miles down, 
 they constitute a tantalising spectacle for the fisher- 
 men, who line the cliffs, or lounge about the shore, 
 with their nets piled up in their boats, ready for ac- 
 tion. All through the summer men are stationed to 
 watch their movements on the surface of the sea. 
 
 It so happened that some weeks after the meetings ^ sh .^ 
 
 signalled. 
 
 had been commenced the arrival of a shoal was sig- 
 nalled, when the boats were immediately put out, and 
 in half an hour some thirty or forty million fish were 
 captured, or, rather, enclosed in the nets* to be landed 
 at leisure. Quite two-thirds of the entire population 
 were employed in landing the fish, putting them into 
 pickle, draining the oil from them and packing them 
 in barrels, ready for transmission to the Mediterra- 
 nean, where there is a large demand for them. The 
 haul was valued at 6,000, a not unprofitable return on 
 the 80,000 which was said to be embarked in the 
 speculation, 
 
 29 449
 
 450 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1861, 
 Age 32. 
 
 The New 
 Connex- 
 ion. 
 
 A temper- 
 ance 
 move- 
 ment. 
 
 The 
 dispute. 
 
 The dis- 
 sentients 
 secede. 
 
 As in the case of Hayle, so at St. Ives the invitation 
 to visit the town came from the New Connexion con- 
 gregation, and it was at their chapel that the revival 
 services were commenced. The origin of both these 
 societies was somewhat singular. 
 
 Some years previously there had been a powerful 
 awakening which commenced with the publication of 
 the principles of total abstinence. Not only were the 
 public-houses forsaken, but about one thousand per- 
 sons professed conversion. In the meetings that were 
 held it was only natural that prominence should be 
 given to the temperance question. This gave offence 
 to the members and seat-holders who were non-ab- 
 stainers, and some of whom were personally con- 
 nected with the traffic. To put an end to the disputes 
 which ensued the Wesleyan Conference passed a gen- 
 eral order prohibiting temperance meetings from be- 
 ing held in their chapels. This gave serious offence 
 to the teetotal party, who were indignant at the action 
 of the Conference, and argued that a law should rather 
 have been passed making total abstinence a compul- 
 sory condition of membership. 
 
 Finding that their protests were ineffectual they 
 severed themselves from the Wesleyan body and 
 formed the two societies with which Mr. and Mrs. 
 Booth laboured at Hayle and St. Ives, and which had 
 meanwhile amalgamated with the New Connexion. 
 Why they should have done so rather than return to 
 the Wesleyan church is not quite clear, since, as we 
 have already seen, the New Connexion had them- 
 selves adopted a policy of non-committal on the liquor 
 question. But it was, perhaps, a case of Hobson's 
 choice, as their continued isolation would probably 
 have meant their ultimate extinction, and there was 
 no church in which total abstinence was compulsory.
 
 THE CORNISH CAMPAIGN. 
 
 451 
 
 It is sadly to be deplored that the progress of tern- 
 perance principles within the borders of the Christian 
 church has been so slow. Thirty years have passed 
 since the time of which we write, and yet there is 
 scarcely a single denomination which has made teeto- 
 talism compulsory even among its ministry! The 
 Salvation Army is the sole religious organisation of 
 the day which has boldly dared to make the subject 
 an absolute test, not only for holding office, but even 
 for membership, and in so doing it has doubtless led 
 the way to a much-needed reform in which, soon or 
 later, the various churches will be bound to follow suit. 
 
 It is a mournful fact that, in its criminal silence, 
 its avowed neutrality, and in many instances in its 
 deliberate association with the evil, the Christian 
 church is one of the strongest bulwarks of the liquor 
 traffic. Not another drop of the damnable article 
 would be manufactured or sold, except for purely 
 medicinal purposes, if the Christians of England 
 would unitedly send forth their fiat to this effect. 
 But, strange to say, morality and Christianity are for 
 once arrayed on opposite sides. The curse which 
 desolates the world enjoys the patronage of religion. 
 And is it to be wondered at, that, with the Bible for 
 his shield, the pastoral crook for his sword, and 
 the pulpit for his artillery, the demon drink should 
 defy the assault of those who seek his overthrow in 
 the highest interests of mankind? So far as the tern- 
 perance question is concerned, the battle of moral 
 progress, in which the followers of Christ have ever 
 led the van, is largely left to be fought out by those 
 who have no higher motive than mere philanthropy, 
 and the church becomes the safeguard of the pub- 
 lican ! The Meroz of to-day refuses to come to the 
 help of the Lord against the mighty ; Reuben abides 
 
 1861, 
 
 
 strange 
 
 attitude. 
 
 of the 
 
 publican.
 
 452 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1861, among the sheepfolds and listens in cold neutrality to 
 the bleatings of the flocks ; Gilead seeks safety be- 
 
 The yond the Jordan of indifference ; Dan is a mere spec- 
 tator from his ships, and Asher continues among his 
 sea-shore fisheries. Few and far between are the 
 modern Zebulons and Napthalis who jeopardise their 
 lives unto the death in the high places of the field ! 
 
 In speaking on this subject in one of her public ad- 
 dresses, Mrs. Booth eloquently pleads: 
 
 An elo- " By your peace of conscience on a dying bed, by the 
 
 ^Ua eternal destiny of your children, by your concern for the glory 
 
 of God, by the love you owe your Saviour, I beseech you, 
 
 banish the drink ! Banish it from your tables, banish it from 
 
 your homes, and, above all, banish it from His house. Banish 
 
 those who manufacture this distilled damnation ; those who 
 
 The flaq r k man f hi s reason, woman of her virtue, and children of 
 
 of death, their patrimony and bread ! Cease to recognise, not only as 
 
 Christians, but as men, those who feed on the weaknesses, 
 
 wickedness, and sufferings of others. Hoist the flag of death 
 
 over the breweries and dramshops. 
 
 High trea- " Christians of England, the time is come when to remain 
 Christ silent on this drink question is high treason to Christ. Tell 
 us no more of charity to brewers and publicans. Your false 
 charity has consigned millions to hell. Such charity savours 
 of the devil. Its speech betrayeth it. Arise and fight this 
 foe; you will come off more than conqueror, for your God 
 will fight for you." 
 
 joined by At St. Ives Mr. and Mrs. Booth were joined by the 
 children, children. It was the longest absence from them which 
 Mrs. Booth had hitherto experienced. Nor would she 
 subsequently consent to any arrangement which in- 
 volved a lengthened separation during their childhood. 
 Home du ^ n ^ ee( ^' nothing could induce her to neglect their 
 ties. highest interests, and, however loud might be the call 
 for her services elsewhere, she would undertake noth- 
 ing that clashed with the claims of her husband and 
 children. Considering her delicate health, it was the
 
 THE CORNISH CAMPAIGN. 453 
 
 more remarkable that public work of so onerous a 1861, 
 character was made to harmonize with the continued ge 32 ' 
 pressure of domestic duties. 
 
 How many are there who, while caring for the vine- Peril of 
 yards of others, have neglected their own, and have "ing? ' 
 lived to reap the bitter consequences ! The more tal- 
 ented the children the more disastrous will usually be 
 the results. Misapplied genius seems an even stronger 
 power for evil than well-directed ability is for good. 
 The devastating flood appears to have a greater capac- Misdirect- 
 ity for doing harm, and that in an incredibly short space ed talents - 
 of time, than the fertilising streams which roll peace- 
 fully for ages within the limits of their well-regulated 
 banks. And perhaps no evil is so deep-seated and so . 
 difficult to combat as that which has its source in a 
 neglected or ill-trained childhood. Mrs. Booth foresaw 
 this danger, and hence nothing could have exceeded 
 the tender solicitude and faithful effort with which she 
 reared her little ones. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Booth had scarcely removed to St. A letter 
 Ives when they received the following invitation to Prime' 
 Liverpool from Mrs. Palmer, on whose behalf, it will 
 be remembered, Mrs. Booth had taken up cudgels 
 when publishing her pamphlet on " Female Ministry :" 
 
 " MY DEAR MRS. BOOTH : Yours of several weeks since, 
 announcing your decision to leave the New Connexion, was 
 received. Pardon my long delay in answering it. 
 
 " I do not doubt but the step that you and your excellent Following 
 husband have taken will result in your both having a much closely. 
 brighter crown to cast at the feet of the world's Redeemer. 
 There is a danger of permitting earthly position and the fear 
 of grieving friends whom we love, and who we know love us, 
 to keep us from following on in the narrowest part of the nar- 
 row way. Oh, may you ever be numbered with those who 
 follow the Saviour closely ! I need not say that if you do this 
 your path will sometimes lead through evil as well as good
 
 454 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1861, 
 Age 32. 
 
 Fa ith for 
 
 the 
 future. 
 
 A revival 
 
 in 
 Licerjjool. 
 
 An invi- 
 tation. 
 
 Truth 
 
 will 
 
 triumph. 
 
 A wealthy 
 Wesley an. 
 
 report. But it is enough for the disciple that he be as his 
 Master. 
 
 " We rejoice in what the Lord is doing by you. Glory 
 be to the Triune Deity ! My faith grasps great blessings for 
 you. I do not doubt but the Captain of the Armies of Israel 
 will go. out before you and permit you to see multitudes 
 saved. 
 
 " Through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, we have been 
 permitted to see between three and four thousand added to 
 the household of faith during the past year. We are now in 
 the midst of an extraordinary work.. We entered upon our 
 labours here very unexpectedly. 
 
 " My dear Dr. Palmer was taken so ill with a severe cold, 
 which threatened to settle permanently on his lungs, that we 
 had written to disengage ourselves from numerous places, 
 and came here in view of being at the nearest point to 
 America, or some more congenial climate. We, of course, did 
 not intend to commence work here. But, owing to some 
 peculiar circumstances, we have found ourselves again in the 
 midst of our blissful toil of gathering sheaves for theheavenly 
 garner. 
 
 " My object in writing to you now is to ask whether your 
 devoted husband and yourself will be able to come and take 
 our place. I have sometimes thought that we might in some 
 way be permitted to work into each other's hands, and thus 
 increase the revenue of praise to our Lord and make our union 
 in heaven the sweeter. I have been deeply interested to 
 hear how you have borne the consecrated cross, as a co- 
 laborer with your excellent husband. 
 
 " Doubtless the time hasteneth when truth, in relation to the 
 grft of prophecy as entrusted to the daughters of the Lord 
 Almighty, must triumph. Then, perhaps, those who have en- 
 dured the crucifying process as pioneers in this work will not 
 be forgotten. 
 
 " But I must hasten to give some particulars in regard to the 
 object of my writing just now. The gentleman with whom 
 we are guests is a local preacher among the Wesleyans. He 
 is wealthy, and is expending well-nigh all his available means 
 in building chapels and supporting missionaries for the work- 
 ing classes. He has lately lost his only child, and has recently 
 expended the ,10,000 which would have been her fortune in
 
 THE CORNISH CAMPAIGN. 
 
 455 
 
 1861, 
 Age 32. 
 
 How it 
 com- 
 menced. 
 
 Neutral 
 ground. 
 
 adding two or three new chapels, so that he has now six 
 places of worship all owned by himself. 
 
 " For two or three weeks after we came Dr. Palmer still 
 continued too ill to labour, but I began in a small sort of a 
 way to do what little good I could in one of these newly 
 opened chapels. God began to revive His work, and several 
 adults were saved, and a wonderful work commenced also 
 among some of the children attached to the day school. 
 
 " Dr. Palmer getting a little better, we concluded that we 
 would be answerable for a few services the succeeding week 
 at a more central place, Richmond Hall. Evening after even- 
 ing we have continued our labours, and the work has in- 
 creased in interest, till now the number of the subjects of the 
 work is over three hundred. The ground, as you will ob- 
 serve, is neutral. Our host is unwilling that we should leave 
 until he may hear of another to take our place and carry on 
 the work, as he is all devoted to its interest, and is hoping in 
 God that it may go on with increasing power all the winter. 
 
 " If you are able to come, we are assured that the Lord of 
 the harvest will give to your united labours many souls. 
 Please write as soon as possible. Dr. Palmer joins me in 
 affectionate salutations to Mr. Booth and yourself. 
 
 " Ever yours in Jesus, 
 
 " PHOEBE PALMER." 
 
 It will be readily understood, however, that with unable to 
 the Cornish revival at its flood-tide, and with invita- Cornwall. 
 tions pouring in upon them from all sides, Mr. and 
 Mrs. Booth did not feel themselves at liberty to accept 
 Mrs. Palmer's hearty invitation. 
 
 Already the work in St. Ives was giving promise of A glorious 
 becoming as glorious in its character as any that had 
 preceded it. Meetings were held in all the principal 
 places of worship in the town, with the sole exception 
 of the Established Church, the members of which, 
 however, joined with the rest of the people in attend- 
 ing the services. In fact, there were scarcely any 
 adults in the place who did not at some time or other 
 come to the meetings and listen while the claims of 

 
 456 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1862, God and the interests of their immortal souls were 
 ge 33 ' pressed upon their attention. The services com- 
 menced on the 30th September and closed on the 1 8th 
 January following. During this time no less than 
 1,028 persons professed conversion, besides many 
 children. Their ages were as follows: 
 
 285 were above 14 and under 20 
 370 20 30 
 
 204 30 40 
 
 76 40 50 
 
 52 50 60 
 
 24 60 70 
 
 17 70 
 
 Twenty- The converts included twenty-eight captains of 
 
 eight sea- J 
 
 captains, vessels, two members of the Corporation, and three 
 mine agents. 
 
 Writing to Mrs. Mumford from St. Ives, Mrs. Booth 
 says: 
 
 " At my meeting last Sunday we had the chapel packed, 
 while hundreds went away unable to get in. I enjoyed fair 
 liberty, and have heard since that the people were very much 
 Morning pleased, and, I trust, profited. I have held morning meetings 
 meetings, through the week. They have been well attended and much 
 blessed. This morning there was a very gracious influence. 
 I am to speak again next Sunday afternoon. I do wish you 
 could both spend the day with us. It would be better than 
 Reckington, I fancy! I did not know before that my dear 
 father regarded that as the day of his decision for Jesus. Oh, 
 how my heart swelled with gratitude when I read it ! Bless 
 the Lord, O my soul ! How wonderful is His mercy an dhow 
 marvellous are His works ! 
 
 The work " The revival here is rolling on with much power. The 
 
 rolls on. c hapel is well filled every night, and from twenty to forty 
 
 names are taken. I am sorry there is nothing about it in the 
 
 Wesleyan Times this week. But William never did so much 
 
 correspondence as now. 
 
 " We have also the pamphlet (Female Ministry) on the go.
 
 THE CORNISH CAMPAIGN. 
 
 457 
 
 1862, 
 Age 33. 
 
 Never so 
 busy. 
 
 The chil- 
 dren. 
 
 I have finished the emendations for the new edition, but 
 William has to complete the copying for me. There will be 
 considerably more matter than before, and I think it is much 
 improved. 
 
 " With all these things to do, together with morning meet- 
 ings one day, children's meetings another, and the services 
 at night, you will see we have enough on hand. I never was 
 so busy in my life. I have to help Mary with the children, 
 in dressing and undressing them to go out twice a day, and 
 in washing them and putting them to bed at night. Willie 
 goes with me to the children's meetings and likes them very 
 much. He sadly wants to write to you, but I have not had 
 time to superintend him, and it is such lovely weather that 
 they are out most of their time. They go off directly after 
 breakfast and stop till eleven o'clock on the sands, and then 
 again from two till five. They each have a spade with which 
 they dig tunnels, mountains, brooks, etc. They never had 
 such fun in their lives before. You would be delighted to see 
 them running away from the waves, and then back again to 
 their rivers, which the retreating wave has filled with water ! 
 
 " The Wesleyans are all very anxious to have William in 
 their chapel. They have been so long, trustees, leaders, and 
 people, without a dissentient, but the superintendent has 
 stood in the way. They have a trustees' meeting to-night, 
 however, to try and overcome his opposition and carry their 
 point. If they should we shall probably stay here till the 
 new year sets in. The people, of all denominations and of 
 no denomination at all, are exceedingly anxious to keep us." 
 
 Many striking cases of conversion occurred, and A family 
 
 converted. 
 
 from among these we cull a few instances. A young 
 man walked into the services from a village seven 
 miles distant. He was deeply convicted, and after 
 returning home he sent for a friend to pray with him, 
 and at length found peace. His father and mother 
 were so affected by the prayers and rejoicings of their 
 son that they in turn sought and found salvation. 
 Then an aged grandmother, seventy-nine years old, 
 submitted herself to God, and finally the young man's 
 three sisters were saved. Thus the service of that 
 
 The Wes- 
 leyans.
 
 458 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1862, 
 Age 33> 
 
 " is there 
 
 mercy for 
 
 me?" 
 
 Demons 
 
 /rT'down 
 histhroat. 
 
 Crying 
 
 out for 
 
 mercy, 
 
 night was indirectly instrumental in the conversion of 
 this whole family. 
 
 Another remarkable case was that of a sailor who 
 was a notorious drunkard. On reaching port he had 
 gone as usual to the public-house, but to his amaze- 
 ment he found it deserted. On inquiring after his 
 old mates the landlady informed him that they had 
 gone to the Wesleyan chapel, and that if the revival 
 "went on much longer her business would be ruined, 
 as she had not drawn a quart of ale since morning. 
 Not caring to get drunk alone, and curious to see what 
 could have so attracted and transformed his compan- 
 ions, the sailor started off for the chapel, was con- 
 vinced of sin, and cried out in the middle of the meet- 
 [ n g- "Preacher, is there mercy for such a wretch as 
 
 & ' J 
 
 me?" On being assured that he, too, might be saved, 
 he came forward to the communion rail, professed to 
 find salvation, and became an earnest and consistent 
 Christian, attending the services in other towns, and 
 delivering his testimony with thrilling power. 
 
 One of the converted sea-captains was the means of 
 the conversion of his entire crew. 
 
 Another case was that of a man who was awakened 
 under a sermon on the sin of quenching the Spirit. 
 jj e returned home without coming to a decision, 
 and dreamed during the night that he was surrounded 
 by demons who were endeavouring to force fire down 
 his throat, but were prevented from doing so by the 
 Saviour, who held them back and assured the dreamer 
 that he would be safe if he trusted in Him. 
 
 At this point, alarmed by his outcries, his wife 
 
 , .. . i- 11 i 
 
 awoke him. He at once got out of bed, fell upon his 
 knees and cried to the Lord to have mercy upon his 
 soul. His wife hurried on her clothes, and went out 
 and fetched two or three praying men, who were only
 
 THE CORNISH CAMPAIGN. 459 
 
 too glad to come and point him to the Lamb of God. 1862, 
 After a long struggle, which lasted until five in the ge 33 ' 
 morning, he at length found peace, and was able to 
 give a joyful testimony as to the saving power of 
 Christ. 
 
 Sometimes, in trying to escape from the powerful Failing 
 influence of these meetings, people would fall down the aisles. 
 in the aisles, in the lobbies, in their houses, or in the 
 mines, and would shriek aloud for mercy as though 
 they were falling into hell, so intensely vivid were 
 their realisations of the truths to which they had lis- 
 tened. Many of these cases were no less satisfactory 
 and permanent than those of a quieter character. Nature's 
 And why should it not be so? Nature abounds in 
 contradictions of the kind. The storm is as natural 
 as the calm, and, much as we may prefer the one to 
 the other, we are obliged to accept nature as it is. 
 The means, mere manifestations, provided they be 
 not sinful, matter little. It is the accomplishment of 
 the great end we have in view that must form the 
 ultimate measure of our success or failure. In rescu- 
 ing a drowning man we soon forget the splutter that 
 he made in the joy of seeing him restored to life. A 
 burning building may become for the time being a 
 very pandemonium of shriekery, but if the hapless 
 victims can be delivered from the flames the noise and 
 confusion are soon forgotten. 
 
 As to the finality and permanence of the results ac- p e rma- 
 complished during the excitement of revival services, 
 it is sufficient to say that they will compare favourably 
 with the results of the ordinary ministerial routine. 
 Moreover, there are countless numbers, all over the 
 world, who trace their conversion to such seasons of 
 spiritual upheaval, and multitudes of such have doubt- 
 less held fast their hope to the end and have finished
 
 460 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1862, their earthly course triumphantly. The very exist- 
 ence of the Salvation Army is an unanswerable refuta- 
 tion of the old calumny as to the evanescent nature 
 of revival work. Born and cradled in a revival, it is, 
 so to speak, a permanent embodiment of the revival 
 spirit, and seeks to carry on continuously what once 
 seemed only possible by fits and starts.
 
 CHAPTER XLIV. 
 THE CORNISH CAMPAIGN. 1862. 
 
 ST. JUST stood next upon the programme, and here st Just 
 the revival is graphically described and the use of the remvat - 
 penitent form ably defended in a series of letters 
 written by Mr. Booth to a friend and published in the 
 Wesleyan Times and other revival newspapers. Lack 
 of space makes it impossible to more than summarise 
 these interesting records of the work. 
 
 "On Friday, January 25th, with unfeigned regret 
 we bid farewell to our very kind friends at St. Ives, 
 where about a thousand persons were gathered into 
 membership with the different churches, and came 
 on to this town. St. Just is situated about seven miles 
 
 * Descrtp 
 
 beyond Penzance and five from Land's End. The pop- Uon of the 
 
 3 town. 
 
 ulation in and around amounts to about ten thousand 
 souls. Most of the people are employed in mining. 
 There are two Episcopal and two Wesleyan churches, 
 together with Bible Christian, Methodist Free Church, 
 and New Connexion chapels, with an aggregate mem- 
 bership of about 1,700 persons. 
 
 " Of one of the Episcopal churches, that at Pendeen, Rev. 
 the celebrated Rev. Robert Aitken is minister. Aitken. 
 Some years ago he withdrew from the Church and 
 devoted himself to the work of an evangelist with 
 marvellous success. I am constantly meeting with 
 persons of eminent piety and usefulness who were 
 converted through his instrumentality. After travel- 
 ling for many years and leading thousands to the 
 
 461
 
 462 
 
 MRS. BOOTH, 
 
 1862, 
 Age 33. 
 
 The 
 
 churh in 
 Pe.nd.een. 
 
 Visited by 
 
 the 
 Weslei/s. 
 
 Squire 
 Eustick. 
 
 Begin- 
 ning with 
 the Bible 
 Chris- 
 tians. 
 
 Cross, he returned to the Church, settled in Pen- 
 deen, built the sanctuary in which he now preaches, 
 gathered out of the world a society of three hundred 
 members, and although in a contracted sphere, con- 
 sidering his remarkable powers, is still carrying on 
 a great work for the Lord Jesus. 
 
 " You will see, therefore, that St. Just is highly 
 favoured with the presence and labours of various 
 evangelical churches, and that an unusually large 
 proportion of its inhabitants are already avowed fol- 
 lowers of the Lord Jesus. From time to time it has 
 been the subject of powerful revivals. So long ago 
 as 1743 it was visited by John Wesley, and in later 
 years by his brother Charles. It was during one of 
 the meetings held by the latter that a remarkable in- 
 cident occurred. A country squire of the name of 
 Eustick drove a pack of hounds among the congrega- 
 tion and caused them to disperse. This mode of an- 
 noyance had been repeatedly practised. On this oc- 
 casion a number of the people retired to a spacious 
 kitchen, where a prayer meeting was held. It was a 
 season of extraordinary power, such as none present 
 had ever experienced. At the close of the service 
 Mr. Wesley stood up and said, with impressive solem- 
 nity, 'The man who has troubled you this day shall 
 trouble you no more for ever.' Shortly afterwards 
 Eustick died in a state of raving madness. 
 
 "On Sunday, the 26th, we commenced our services 
 here in the Bible Christian chapel. At night the 
 place was literally besieged with people, and it was 
 calculated that some two thousand were turned away 
 unable to gain admission. I never witnessed any- 
 thing like the crowd. Some time before the service 
 hundreds were coming away, every available space 
 within the chapel being literally choked with people.
 
 THE CORNISH CAMPAIGN. 463 
 
 The meeting was a powerful one, and five souls re- 1862, 
 sponded to the invitation to come out and proclaim ge 33 ' 
 themselves on the Lord's side. On the following 
 nights the work continued in a very hopeful manner, The old 
 save that our method of inviting sinners to come for- versy. 
 ward to the communion rail met with considerable op- 
 position. This controversy took off attention from 
 the main question and postponed the success. Many 
 were powerfully convicted of their sinfulness, but 
 when asked to come forward replied, 'Cannot we be , 
 saved here? Is not God as willing to do it here as 
 there?' To these and similar questions we gave the 
 following reply. 
 
 " We admitted that no particular merit attached to NO par- 
 this, or to any other method of approaching the Sav- merit. 
 iour ; that in the abstract God is as willing to save in 
 one place as another ; that it is not the position of the 
 body, but the condition of the soul; not the sinner's 
 attitude, or the locality in which he prays, but his 
 state of mind in drawing near to God ; not where he 
 is, but how he feels; in short, it is not the prostration Heart 
 of the body in any given place, but the submission of 
 the heart, which fits him for the reception of mercy. 
 The communion rail or penitent form, we admitted, 
 like all other 'bodily exercise, ' is of no profit except so 
 far as it assists the soul in reaching a certain state of 
 feeling, and as an indication of such a state when once 
 it has been attained. 
 
 "Nevertheless, in the first place we adopted it as A J on - 
 a convenience, affording opportunity to administer 
 counsel to anxious enquirers. The question, 'What 
 must I do to be saved?' can here be calmly answered 
 by those most conversant with the way of salvation. 
 Difficulties which more or less exist in all minds at 
 this momentous period can be heard and removed, . 
 
 submis- 
 sion. 
 
 vemence.
 
 464 
 
 BOOTH. 
 
 1862, 
 Age 33. 
 
 The old 
 method. 
 
 while at the same time the public service can proceed, 
 helped rather than hindered by the presence, pray- 
 ers, and salvation of the penitents. 
 
 " I think you will see at a glance the superiority of 
 this plan over the method which has long prevailed 
 in this part of the country. At former revivals, in 
 whatever spot of the building an individual mani- 
 
 REV. ROBERT AITKEN. 
 
 fested concern about his soul a little group would 
 gather round the penitent, praying, counselling, and 
 singing with him, while a large number would be 
 looking on out of mere curiosity. Imagine a dozen of 
 these groups in different parts of the same chapel, and 
 you will readily conceive the Babel of confusion they 
 would create. Of course, anything like rational 
 worship by the congregation at large would be im- 
 possible.
 
 THE CORNISH CAMPAIGN. 465 
 
 "Then, again, I regard it as a valuable help to 1862, 
 decision. With how many is there wanting but one 
 step, and that the all-important one of decision ! A help to 
 They know about the subject have been educated 
 from childhood in its leading principles. Taught by 
 the fireside and from the pulpit, they have become 
 familiar with the various solemn motives by which 
 God seeks to bring them to Himself. There have 
 been, no doubt, periods of special visitation, when 
 with more than ordinary power the mighty truths 
 that relate to their eternal destiny have come home 
 to their hearts, and when with more than usual dis- 
 tinctness they hear the blessed Master whispering, ^ Follow 
 'Follow Me.' But they hesitate. The difficulties me -" 
 which a religious life presents are magnified. They 
 know not exactly what to do next. 
 
 " In the third place I find this method very useful A test of 
 as a test of submission. Tne complete submission of mission. 
 the sinner must precede his conversion. Until he 
 surrenders unconditionally Christ cannot save him. 
 Now, if he be really willing to submit to God and to 
 accept the salvation of the Gospel, he will be ready at 
 once publicly to manifest his decision, and, were the 
 opportunity offered, to confess Christ before heaven 
 and earth and hell. Almost the last, if not the very 
 last thing the sinner will do, is to make known the Making 
 convictions of guilt and danger that are struggling in 
 
 his breast, or to proclaim the desires for mercy of 
 which he is the subject. He will read and weep and 
 pray in secret, but to let the church and the world 
 know that he is penitent never ! He shudders at the 
 very thought. True, he has not been ashamed to sia 
 against a loving God, to tread the offers of His grace 
 beneath his feet with contempt and indifference ; but 
 now, to turn round and trample on his pride, and to 
 30
 
 466 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1862, 
 Age 33. 
 
 Humiliat- 
 ing to 
 pride. 
 
 What will 
 
 the world 
 
 sayf 
 
 Cutting 
 at the 
 roots. 
 
 The 
 struggle. 
 
 go out bearing the cross and telling men that he takes 
 that hitherto despised Christ as his everlasting por- 
 tion, this is what he cannot and will not do until he 
 fully submits to God. 
 
 " Now this method makes evident, to the penitent's 
 own heart and to those around him, whether he does 
 thus truly and fully submit. Nothing is more com- 
 mon than deception on this subject. When under 
 the influence of the arguments and persuasions of 
 Christian truth many imagine that the)' are willing at 
 once to forsake their sins and accept the Saviour. 
 But try them with this test ask them to come out 
 and avow their decision to serve God and their pride 
 will rise and rebel against such a humiliating step, 
 and they will prove that they are far from that com- 
 plete submission without which salvation is an impos- 
 sibility. 
 
 " In most cases the last oattle prior to emancipation 
 from hell's thraldom is fought over the question, 
 1 What will the world say ? ' By this bugbear Satan has 
 prevented thousands for a considerable period, and 
 many, it is to be feared, for ever, from closing with 
 Christ, when every other snare has been broken and 
 every other sin has lost its charm. The penitent 
 form cuts at the root of this temptation. Only per- 
 suade the halting one to come out and confess the 
 Lord, and the devil retires from the conflict, shame 
 and pride are given to the winds, all the restraints with 
 which the heart has so long been bound are rent 
 asunder, and, like the returning humbled prodigal, 
 the soul is welcomed by his loving Father and blessed 
 with all the blessings of the Gospel of Peace. 
 
 " But to return from this diversion to that portion 
 of my narrative which gave rise to it. I was describ- 
 ing the struggle which took place at the commence-
 
 THE CORNISH CAMPAIGN. 467 
 
 ment of the work. For myself I had no doubt as to 1862, 
 the ultimate result. But some began to fear that ge 33< 
 their expectations would be cut off and that the long 
 desired revival would not come. On Thursday much 
 prayer had been offered, and at half-past nine that 
 night the answer came. The windows of Heaven A sudden 
 were opened and a shower of blessed influence de- 
 scended upon us. The effect was electrical. It was 
 sudden and overpowering. The sinners could re- 
 strain themselves no longer. Hearts were breaking, 
 or broken, in every direction. The chapel was filled 
 with the glory. The meeting was continued until 
 midnight, and numbers found peace. The tidings 
 spread with astonishing rapidity throughout the 
 neighbourhood, and the people rejoiced in all direc- 
 tions to hear that the revival had begun in real 
 earnest. 
 
 " On the following Sunday, as I walked to the A bright 
 chapel, I was met by a young woman, who, with up- 
 lifted hands, her face beaming with exultant joy, was 
 shouting the praises of God. She had just found 
 Jesus, and was calling on every one she met to join 
 her in thanksgiving and to taste and see for them- 
 selves that the Lord is gracious. In some parts of the 
 country this would have been looked upon as a very 
 strange proceeding, and the church and the world 
 would have combined in terming it wild excitement, if 
 not insanity. But not so here. In this county, anyway 
 in this part of it, the church and the world alike ex- 
 pect that when aroused to a sense of guilt and danger 
 men shall be in earnest in seeking deliverance, and seeking in 
 when the consciousness of safety and the assurance of 
 the Divine favour have been obtained they very 
 rationally expect that, as the soul's distress was in 
 some degree proportionate to the imminence of its
 
 468 MJ?S. BOOTH. 
 
 1862, peril, so the gladness and thanksgiving shall be in like 
 ge proportion to the deliverance. 
 
 A " We found a large congregation assembled in the 
 
 g tum\at. chapel and souls already at the communion rail groan- 
 ing to be delivered . When about half-way through 
 our discourse some simple remarks we made touched 
 chords in the hearts of the newly saved, and oh, what 
 a response was there! My voice was overpowered 
 with the shouts of glory and the ascription of praise. 
 We gave out and sang, 
 
 'Praise God for what He's done for me!' 
 
 thinking it might calm the excitement and hush the 
 An unfin- glorious tumult, and so give the opportunity to con- 
 
 ished 
 
 sermon, elude our address. But it only added fuel to the 
 flame, and we closed the Book, left the pulpit, invited 
 the penitents to Jesus, and held a prayer meeting at 
 which souls were saved. Some, I presume, would 
 deem this irregular and disorderly, and so it was. 
 But it was a glorious irregularity and a piece of 
 Heaven's own order. It was such irregularity and 
 such disorder as the people would gladly hail in many 
 a church and congregation where all has been regular 
 and orderly sadly too long ! 
 A gale of "At night we had a gale of saving grace. About 
 
 S grace. 1 1 o'clock the forms in the centre of the chapel, as 
 well as the communion rails, were filled with peni- 
 tents. The meeting did not finally close until three 
 in the morning, and the chapel was open the greater 
 part of the following day. So far as I could ascertain, 
 about seventy-five persons, exclusive of juveniles, 
 found the Saviour on this precious Sabbath day. 
 
 st. ives " The following day found us at St. Ives. It was 
 the anniversary of their Temperance Society. They 
 had informed me that some of the new converts had
 
 THE CORNISH CAMPAIGN. 469 
 
 already been turned back by the moderate use of 1862, 
 liquor, and that it was to be feared many others were 
 in danger of making shipwreck on the same fatal rock. 
 We could not, therefore, refuse the opportunity for 
 speaking plainly on the subject. Many of those who 
 mingled in the happy throng and even took part in 
 the public proceedings had previously been miserable 
 slaves to the drink. At the close of the meeting one 
 hundred and fifty-seven signed the pledge." 
 
 Writing from St. Just a short time afterwards, Mr. 
 Booth says: 
 
 " I can scarcely believe that three weeks have A con- 
 elapsed since I last wrote to you. When the mind is pupation. 
 absorbed in a congenial occupation time flies quickly. 
 And what employment so agreeable so fascinating, 
 as that in which, by the good providence of God, we 
 find ourselves just now engaged to the utmost limits 
 of our time and capacity? Not only can we say with 
 John Smith, 'Soul-saving is my business God hath sinners in 
 given me a heart for it, ' but we can add that God has 
 granted us the desires of our heart in giving us a 
 most prosperous and successful business. It has been 
 reported in Penzance that all the sinners in this town 
 have been converted save sixty ! Although this is far 
 from true, yet events and influences seem to be rapid- 
 ly shaping in that direction, and the signs of the 
 times indicate the possible realisation of such a happy 
 result. 
 
 "On Wednesday, 5th, the services were trans- The 
 f erred to the Methodist Free Church, and this led to ^^JJj 
 a temporary check in the progress of the work. The help - 
 prayer meetings were heavy and dull, and scarcely 
 any penitents came forward during the first few 
 nights. The church was dull, and held aloof from 
 personal pleading with the people. Herein lies one
 
 4/0 MRS. SOOTH. 
 
 1862, secret of the success of our work. During the first 
 ge 33< week of any considerable effort we generally find the 
 greatest difficulty in persuading any, even the leaders 
 of the society, to go and plead with sinners in their 
 pews. But when the work has been in progress for 
 some days we find that Christians require restraining 
 rather than urging in the inviting of their friends to 
 come and be reconciled to God. 
 
 Holding ^nd thus it was in the present instance, although 
 the two chapels were only a few yards distant from 
 each other. During the previous night, no sooner 
 had the after-meeting commenced than some twenty 
 or thirty of the members were passing from pew to 
 pew, inviting the sinners present to come and share 
 the blessings they enjoyed. But here all were dif- 
 fident and quiet. Instead of coming up to the other 
 chapel and assisting in the services that had there 
 been held they had been conducting meetings on 
 
 catching their own account, and had thus failed to catch the 
 
 the spint. gpij-jf. an( j influences of the revival. During the next 
 
 four days it was much the same, but on the Sabbath 
 
 . night at about 9 : 30 the clouds began to break, and 
 
 the powers of darkness yielded in all directions, and 
 
 by midnight a multitude had been saved. 
 
 Leaving " On the following day four men left their work in 
 
 themme. ^ Q mine and went to the chapel and sought salvation. 
 When we arrived at seven o'clock, in time for the 
 meeting, we found them in the midst of a sympa- 
 thetic congregation, with extended arms telling the 
 people that they had found Jesus to the unutterable 
 joy of their hearts. 
 
 The pray- " I cannot describe the service that followed this 
 affecting introduction. The praying host, flushed 
 with the triumph of the previous day and night, were 
 like giants refreshed with wine. They carried all
 
 THE CORNISH CAMPAIGN. 471 
 
 before them, and the people yielded to their faith and 1862, 
 prayers in all directions. 
 
 " The last three days have been days of tminter- Day 
 rupted triumph. By nine o'clock in the morning r 
 souls in distress have found their way to the school- 
 room. One morning nine men came out of one mine, 
 and seven from another, unable to work for anguish 
 of spirit. These day-meetings are continued without 
 interruption until about six in the evening:. Half Salvation 
 
 x every- 
 
 an hour later the people assemble for the night service, where. 
 Last night the chapel and school-room were full, al- 
 though services were held in the Wesleyan and Bible 
 Christian chapels at the same time, in all of which 
 men and women, youths, maidens, and little children 
 were turning from sin to righteousness, and from 
 Satan to the living God. 
 
 " When I say that the whole place is moved, I The town 
 
 , . . , . . moved. 
 
 mean that nearly every individual in the neighbour- 
 hood is more or less interested in the subject of re- 
 ligion. Little else is talked about, and in many in- 
 stances little else besides soul-saving work is done. 
 A gentleman informed me yesterday that a great 
 number of the miners are too absorbed either with To . anx ~ 
 
 ions to 
 
 their own salvation or with that of others to do much work. 
 work. Many of the agents of the mines had ex- 
 pressed their willingness to allow the men to leave 
 their work, only too glad that they should be con- 
 verted. Whether saved or not themselves, they 
 know that Christianity will bring about a reformation 
 of character only too desirable in many instances. 
 
 " The Inspector of Police says that last Saturday what th< 
 night was the best night he has had since he came thought 
 into the place, the Saturday night prior to the com- 
 mencement of the work having been the worst. In- 
 deed, some of the vilest characters in the town are be-
 
 472 M1?S. BOOTH. 
 
 1862, ing saved. One poor fellow, who has been in the 
 ge hands of the police times without number, cried out 
 in the school-room on Wednesday afternoon, 'He has 
 The saved me, the very worst of sinners. In that corner 
 corner. I found the blessing. I shall never forget that cor- 
 ner. ' This spot henceforth became quite popular 
 with the penitents. As one steps out of it, rejoicing, 
 another throws himself into it, so that it has become 
 quite a sacred place. 
 Deserted " Conviction is spreading: in every direction, and it 
 
 public- * J 
 
 houses, must be so. Everywhere the newly saved, their 
 
 hearts glowing with the love of Christ, are publishing 
 
 His praises. The public-houses are deserted. A 
 
 friend said last night that during the day he had been 
 
 The sou- to three of them, the entire customers of them all 
 
 tar iord ld consisting of two travelling chimney-sweeps. One 
 
 parlour in the most frequented of these houses, usually 
 
 too well furnished with guests, was on this occasion 
 
 tenanted by its solitary landlord. 
 
 Make the " You will gather from this that we are in the midst 
 
 people 
 
 think of a real religious excitement. But you will not, like 
 
 about - 1 1 -i A / 
 
 their some good people here, be alarmed at it. As for our- 
 selves, we rejoice concerning it exceedingly. Is it 
 not what we wish to see brought about everywhere? 
 What ! Would not the Christians of your great city 
 rejoice if they could only make the- truths of the 
 Bible the topic of conversation in every house? This 
 is one of the foundation principles that govern our 
 practice. We believe that if we can only make the 
 people think about these truths it will lead to their 
 salvation. Thousands around us are being absorbed 
 and carried away by the excitements of business, 
 ambition, and pleasure. It is only by means of a 
 counter-excitement such as this that we find it possi- 
 ble to successfully arrest their attention."
 
 CHAPTER XLV. 
 THE CORNISH CAMPAIGN. 1862. 
 
 IN the marvellous meetings of the St. Just campaign Mrs. 
 Mrs. Booth played a very prominent part. Her Sun- ^^f 
 day afternoon meetings were seasons of exceptional meetin & s - 
 demonstration and power. The people walked in for 
 miles round in order to be present at the one service. 
 Numbers would start on the previous night, bringing 
 their refreshments with them, although this involved 
 returning as soon as the meeting was over, and walk- 
 ing all night in order to get to their daily work by 
 Monday morning. 
 
 It was in this town that Mrs. Booth held her first One for 
 meeting for women only, These services subsequently W on^ n 
 became a special feature in her life-work, invariably 
 attracting large and select gatherings, and by their 
 practical and convincing character revolutionising the 
 homes and lives of multitudes. A few extracts will 
 serve to illustrate the pointed nature of these dis- 
 courses. 
 
 In dealing with the question of fashion she has Mrs. 
 
 Booth on 
 Said : fashion. 
 
 " Do not consider fashion when you are settling how you 
 ought to ordeT your household, but plan for the highest good 
 of your children and those around you, and for your greatest 
 usefulness in the world. Never mind fashion. 
 
 " In this day, when chaplains of prisons and reformatories A 
 tell us that gaudy, flashy dressing leads as many young girls to necessary 
 destruction as drink, it behoves every true woman to settle 
 
 473
 
 474 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1862, 
 Age 33. 
 
 Be 
 natural. 
 
 The dif- 
 ference. 
 
 instead of 
 poodles. 
 
 before God in her closet what kind of dress she ought to 
 wear, and to resolve to wear it in spite of fashion. If all 
 professedly Christian ladies would do this what a salvation 
 this one reform alone would work in the world ! You young 
 people here, resolve that you will be original, natural human 
 beings, as God would have you; resolve that you won't be 
 squozen into this mould, or into that, to please anybody ; that 
 you will be an independent woman, educated and refined by 
 intercourse with God; but be yourself , and do not aim to be 
 anybody else. Set fashion at naught. If people would do 
 this what different households they would have ! What 
 different children ! What different friends ! What different 
 results they would produce in the world, and how differently 
 they would feel when they were dying! Oh, what wasted 
 lives ! W T hat beautiful forms, and beautiful minds, and beauti- 
 ful intellects are prostrated and ruined at the shrine of the 
 god of fashion ! May God deliver us from this idol! " 
 
 In advocating the adoption of poor and neglected 
 children by those who were in a position to do so, 
 Mrs. Booth remarks: 
 
 "I have many times said what I here deliberately repeat : 
 that if I were dying, and leaving a family of helpless children, 
 I would leave it as my last request that they might be 
 divided one here, and another there amongst any poor but 
 really godly families who would receive them, rather than 
 they should be got into the most highly trumpeted orphanage 
 with which I am acquainted ; for I should infinitely prefer that 
 their bodies should lack necessary food and attention, rather 
 than that their poor little hearts and souls should be crushed 
 and famished for want of love, both human and Divine. 
 Children brought up without love are like plants brought up 
 without the sun. How blessed a way would it be of serving 
 God and your generation, by taking some such children 
 yourselves and bringing them up with all thejove and care 
 with which you bring up your own, or would have done so 
 had God granted you the privilege. It will be a happy day 
 for England when Christian ladies transfer their sympathies 
 from poodles and terriers to destitute and starving children ! " 
 
 When encouraging her audience to overcome their
 
 THE CORNISH CAMPAIGN. 475 
 
 sense of timidity and weakness, and to embark forth- 1862, 
 with in a life of consecrated service, she says : 
 
 "Weakness, my dear sister! We are of little use in any timidity. 
 department of the vineyard until we have been made to realize 
 our own weakness. The weaker we feel ourselves to be, the 
 better. It is not a question of our strength, but of our faith. A ques- 
 'Why look ye so earnestly on us (said Peter to those who 
 marvelled at the miracle wrought on the lame), as though by 
 our own power or holiness we had made this man to 
 walk? . . . Faith in the name of Jesus has made this man 
 strong, whom ye see and know.' God does not call us to any 
 work in our own strength ; He bids us go and do it in His. 
 'Give ye them to eat, ' said He to the disciples, but He knew 
 who must supply the bread ; so now He requires us to break 
 the Bread of Life to the multitude, trusting in Him for the 
 supply. 
 
 " No matter how simple the words, or how tremulous the Can't be 
 voice, if He blesses, then it shall be blessed. The 'Does you f o simple. 
 love God?' of a little child, accompanied by the 'demonstra- 
 tion of the Spirit and of power, ' will do more for Christ and 
 souls than the most talented and eloquent sermon without it ; 
 for 'it is not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit, saith 
 the Lord of Hosts. ' ' 
 
 Returning- to the pioneer occasion in St. Just, the 
 spacious Wesleyan chapel was crowded with women. 
 It was calculated that some 2,500 were present. 
 
 Mr. Alfred Chenhalls, then popularty known in the -Mr. ohen- 
 neighbourhood as " the king of the Wesleyans," being 
 a gentleman of wealth and a prominent Christian 
 worker, gives an interesting account of this meeting-. 
 
 " It was a Good Friday, and Mr. Booth had asked 
 me," says Mr. Chenhalls, "to go over with him to 
 Pendeen, to hear the Rev. Robert Aitken preach. 
 After the service we lingered behind and spoke to Mr. 
 Aitken. On our way home we learned to our surprise 
 that Mrs. Booth's special service for women was not yet ^ w ^- 
 
 derful 
 
 over. My wife met me, saying 'Oh, Alfred, we have meeting.
 
 476 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1862, had a time ! There never was such a sight seen in 
 ge 33- g t j ugt k e f ore . Mrs. Booth talked with such Divine 
 power that it seemed to me as if every person in the 
 chapel who was not right with God must at once con- 
 secrate themselves to His service. I never witnessed 
 such a scene in my life. Oh that you had been 
 there!' I went off to the chapel and found that the 
 meeting was only just breaking up, and from what I 
 gathered I firmly believe that there was no single ser- 
 vice which produced such wonderful results. Many 
 of those who had up to this time resisted Mr. Booth's 
 powerful appeals were brought in on this occasion. 
 Her "We were very much affected by Mrs. Booth's do- 
 
 domestic J 
 
 graces, mestic graces as well as by her public gifts. I re- 
 member calling upon her one day and finding her 
 busy ironing, with all the dexterity and confidence of 
 an experienced hand." 
 
 The subsequent progress of the revival is described 
 by Mr. Booth in the following letters : 
 
 The first- "Since I wrote to you last, one of the first-fruits of 
 
 gathered tne revival has been gathered by the loving hand of 
 *" our Heavenly Father and safely lodged in the Paradise 
 above. I was one morning seeking for the residence 
 of a sick man and asked at a cottage if they could 
 direct me. An old man volunteered at once to be my 
 guide. It was only a few yards, and as we walked 
 
 An old together I asked him whether he were converted, 
 
 man 
 
 saved, and on his replying in the negative I urged him to 
 avail himself of the services to secure the salvation 
 of his soul. He promised to attend the chapel and to 
 think about the matter. On the following Sunday he 
 was at the meeting, came forward, and realised the 
 pardon of his sins. On the following Thursday, 
 Dies while he sat at the tea-table, he suddenly expired 
 
 suddenly. . , . .. , . - . 
 
 without speaking a word. As they earned him to his
 
 THE CORNISH CAMPAIGN. 477 
 
 grave, followed by a long train of mourning friends 1862, 
 chanting the solemn death-song, I thanked God that ge 33 ' 
 he was safely landed, and exulted in the thought that 
 the revival was already reported before the Throne. 
 
 " A day or two previously a very different incident A. solemn 
 
 _/ . . . warning. 
 
 took place. A Christian brother exhorted an uncon- 
 verted man to go and hear the stranger preach. He 
 replied that he would rather go to the public-house. 
 Finding that his exhortations were useless, our friend 
 remarked that as the tree fell so it would lie. The 
 man repeated the words, and said he supposed it 
 would. He then went his way to the public-house, 
 where some one treated him with sixteen glasses of ale, 
 which he drank. He then went home and retired to 
 bed. The next morning he rose, but was too ill to 
 sit up. He . lay down again and almost immediately 
 expired. This has been a solemn warning to the 
 unconverted. 
 
 "On Sabbath, February 23d, we transferred our The Wes- 
 meetings from the Bible Christian to the Wesleyan chapel. 
 chapel. It is a large structure, capable of seating 
 about two thousand persons. Instead of the usual 
 pulpit it has a capacious platform, and altogether 
 speaks highly for the liberal and enterprising spirit 
 of the people who have erected it. Mr. Hobson, the Its 
 Superintendent of this circuit, is a veteran in the 
 ministry, having 'travelled' fifty-one years, during 
 nearly twenty of which he has been chairman of the 
 Cornish district. He and his two colleagues met me 
 with the greatest cordiality and the fullest assurance 
 of co-operation and sympathy. 
 
 " The first week's services exceeded our most san- 
 
 and a 
 
 guine expectations. Night after night numbers pause. 
 sought the Saviour. This continued for a month, and 
 then the power appeared in a large measure to leave
 
 478 MXS. BOOTH. 
 
 1862, us, and the work dragged heavily. I have often 
 noticed these pauses in the onward flow of revival in- 
 fluences and prosperity. There is doubtless a ten- 
 dency in success to lead to glory unduly in the la- 
 bourers. Success is looked for as a matter of course. 
 Humiliation, prayer, faith, and all that travailing in 
 birth for souls exercised at the commencement of the 
 work are no longer deemed necessary. The direct 
 operation of the Spirit is overlooked, and perhaps be- 
 fore she is aware the church goes forth to the conflict 
 in her own strength, and, forsaken by the God of 
 battles, she is worsted in the strife. 
 
 what "On Sunday, i6th March, we met together" in the 
 
 about the J & 
 
 revival? morning, conscious of these truths. Introductory to 
 the discourse, I remarked that everybody was asking, 
 'What about the revival?' Our own hearts had asked 
 the question a hundred times. Many present had 
 asked it. During the last six weeks some seven hun- 
 dred had sought mercy. Of this number at least six 
 hundred had obtained salvation and had now united 
 with the various churches in the neighbourhood. 
 Hundreds more were the subjects of serious impres- 
 sions, but, alas ! the power to secure their submission 
 
 is it over? was wanting. It appeared to slip away on the pre- 
 vious Sabbath, and now angels, devils, and men, the 
 saved and unsaved, asked 'Is the revival over?' On 
 the answer to this question the eternal destiny of 
 numbers depended. It appeared to us that, unless 
 something could be done to bring down more holy 
 influence, the revival would be at an end. There was 
 plenty of light. We wanted power. How were we 
 to get it? There was one way as yet but partially 
 tried. Let the church rise up and consecrate herself 
 afresh and fully to the Lord. We must come to this. 
 " After preaching on holiness, we invited those
 
 THE CORNISH CAMPAIGN. 479 
 
 who would make the entire consecration of all to Jesus, 1862, 
 and take Him as a complete Saviour, to come forward. ge 33 ' 
 Many of the principal Christians led the way, and A call to 
 within a few minutes more than a hundred persons co " t ^T a ' 
 were bowed in tears and prayer, waiting for the bap- 
 tism of the Holy Ghost. And the Holy Spirit de- 
 scended ; cleansing the polluted, and signifying the 
 acceptance of the many whole-hearted sacrifices here 
 laid on the altar. 
 
 " Never shall I forget that scene. All who wit- A ne <*- r 
 
 ,, . , -, approach 
 
 nessed it were well-nigh overwhelmed with a sense of to Penie- 
 the Divine presence. It was the nearest approach to 
 the descent of the mighty rushing wind on the day of 
 Pentecost to anything in my experience, or in that 
 of those present. That Sabbath morning will be 
 hallowed in the recollection of St. Just for many 
 years to come. 
 
 " The work now assumed more formidable propor- A revival 
 tions. It widened as well as deepened. Afternoon 
 and evening similar outpourings of the Spirit were 
 realised, and during the succeeding week as many as 
 forty, fifty, and sixty sought the Saviour day by day. 
 The revival is everywhere the engrossing theme. 
 
 " Last Wednesday the Cornish Telegraph announced The Voi- 
 that the drill of the Rifle Corps had been suspended, drill**- 
 and that business generally was at a standstill in con- per 
 sequence of the revival. The motto of the county 
 arms is 'One and all,' and this is a true characteristic 
 of the people. A friend told me the other day that in 
 passing one evening through a hamlet containing 
 some dozen houses, he was accosted by a man who One^and 
 told him that all the adult population were gone to a 
 distant chapel to a revival service, leaving him as the 
 sole guard and protector of their children and pro- 
 perty, so that he was going from house to house look-
 
 480 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1862, 
 Age 33. 
 
 Mr. Hob- 
 son 1 s sym- 
 pathy. 
 
 ing after all. I was also informed three weeks ago 
 that at Truthwells, a village about half a mile away, 
 out of fifty-eight adults, fifty-two were already saved. 
 By this time I trust that the devil has been deprived 
 of the remaining six." 
 
 Mr. Hobson, the Superintendent, had been at the 
 onset greatly impressed by the services. Indeed, it is 
 probable that he would have continued to favour them 
 to the end but for the powerful pressure brought to 
 bear upon him by some of his ministerial brethren. 
 In describing one of her first meetings at which Mr. 
 Hobson was present, Mrs. Booth says: 
 
 An im- 
 posing 
 sight. 
 
 Contrary 
 to rules. 
 
 " Knowing how ill I have been, you will be surprised to hear 
 of my Sunday effort. Well, I certainly did transgress as to 
 time, and have had to pay the price since. But I am not much 
 the worse for it now, and I hope many will be better for it to 
 all eternity. It was a glorious congregation. I never saw a 
 more imposing sight. I had liberty, and it was a very solemn 
 and I trust a profitable time. Mr. Hobson, although I did 
 not know it till afterwards, was present, his second preacher 
 opening the service for me. The presence of the latter did 
 not embarrass me the least. I am wonderfully delivered from 
 all fear, after I once get rny mouth open. 
 
 " When I came down from the platform Mr. Hobson re- 
 ceived me most kindly, took my hand in both of his like a 
 father, and told me he should often be coming to see us now. 
 Does it not seem wonderful hew the rough places are made 
 smooth and the crooked places straight before us? This is 
 the chairman who sent word to Hayle, in answer to the in- 
 quiries of the Superintendent there as to whether I might go 
 into their chapel at the wish of their people, that it was con- 
 rary to their rules and usages ! Rules and usages can be won- 
 derfully surmounted when the heart is touched! Well, the 
 Lord rules and overrules both men and rules, and I trust this 
 is of His doing. At any rate it enables my dear husband to 
 get a/the people, which was practically impossible in the small 
 chapels, besides almost killing him with the heat and crush. 
 You see, the Wesleyans have nearly all the large chapels."
 
 THE" CORNISH CAMPAIGN. 
 
 481 
 
 Leiant. 
 
 curious 
 
 legend. 
 
 At the conclusion of the services in the Wesleyan 1862, 
 chapel the meetings were continued at Buryan and 
 Pendeen, in the immediate neighbourhood of St. Just, 
 and afterwards transferred to Leiant, an interesting 
 suburb of the same town. There is an interesting 
 
 . . '. 
 
 legend related concerning its parish church. It is 
 situated on a piece of waste land some little distance 
 outside the village. A stranger might naturally be 
 surprised that it should have been built so far from 
 the people. It is said, however, that the original 
 site chosen was a central one, but that as fast as it 
 was built by day the angels carried away the stones 
 by night to the spot on which it now stands. As 
 soon as this became known the people are said to 
 have abandoned the proposed site and to have set to 
 work with a will to build the church in its present 
 position, even women and children helping its erec- 
 tion in various ways. 
 
 Of late, however, the angel-visits to Leiant had 
 been "few and far between." There were strong 
 hearts lying by the roadside unused, and which 
 needed only the faith, the skill, and the power of 
 some spiritual architect in order to form the frame- 
 work of a living church, whose Builder and Maker 
 should be God. The stones were to be transported, 
 so to speak, from their worldly and sinful surround- 
 ings, and heaped at the foot of the isolated, blood- 
 stained Cross of Christ, a perpetual monument of His 
 saving and preserving grace. Women and children 
 were to be allowed to take their share in the erection 
 of the sacred edifice, and angels were to rejoice over 
 rows of penitent sinners who were to constitute a 
 church not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 
 
 It was a special joy to Mr. and Mrs. Booth that 
 Leiant was in such close proximity to the scenes of 
 31 

 
 482 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1862, 
 Age 33. 
 
 The early 
 converts 
 testify. 
 
 Another 
 break . 
 
 With or 
 
 without a 
 
 sermon. 
 
 their previous labours, thus enabling many of their 
 former converts to attend the meetings and testify to 
 the genuineness, depth, and permanence of the work. 
 The chief fear of the sinner is that, if converted, he will 
 be unable to adhere to the good resolutions then sin- 
 cerely formed. And, strange to say, many professing 
 Christians participate in these doubts, and thus hinder 
 the hesitating penitent when he is on the point of 
 coming to a definite decision regarding the future. 
 But here was a triumphant refutation of all such God- 
 dishonouring anticipations. The fearing sinner and 
 the doubting saint could be pointed alike to the abid- 
 ing fruits of previous efforts. 
 
 The meetings commenced on Sunday, May i8th. 
 At night a dense crowd blocked the chapel, filled the 
 yard, and stretched out into the road, while hundreds 
 could not so much as get near the door. Numbers 
 were powerfully convicted and several sought and 
 found salvation. It was not, however, till the fol- 
 lowing Thursday that the real break commenced, 
 some twenty professing conversion. On Friday the 
 communion rail and vestry were crowded, the greater 
 part of the penitents being men. On Sunday night 
 the chapel was again filled to suffocation, large num- 
 bers coming forward, thirty of whom professed to find 
 peace. 
 
 Mr. Booth's journal contains the following particu- 
 lars concerning some of the incidents : 
 
 "Sunday, ist June. A powerful day. In the morning I 
 spoke about 'leaving the principles of the doctrine,' and 
 pressing forward to perfection. In the afternoon Mrs. Booth 
 preached. The meeting was a mighty time. In the evening 
 I was led to ask the Lord in prayer to bless and save the peo- 
 ple, whether by a good sermon or by a bad one, or without any 
 sermon at all. After preaching a short time the influence in- 
 creased and the power of God came down on the people, and
 
 THE CORNISH CAMPAIGN. 483 
 
 there was such shouting and weeping that I was compelled to 1862, 
 break off and invite the wounded to come forward. Many Age 33- 
 responded and twenty-six were converted. It was a glorious 
 season. There must have been nearly forty seeking mercy at 
 one time. Afterwards in speaking to some friends I expressed weeping. 
 a regret that I had not gone on and finished my sermon, but 
 they reminded me of my prayer, and expressed their conviction 
 that I had concluded at the right place. 
 
 " Monday, June 2d. I walked part of the way to St. Ives Converted 
 with Mr. Roberts. On my way back I was overtaken by some 
 sailors, who accosted me very heartily. I recognized one of 
 them as having been converted at St. Ives under a sermon on 
 eternity. His captain, an earnest, godly man, was with him ; 
 likewise a shipmate whom they had brought with them in 
 the hopes of seeing him converted. 
 
 " My friend at once began to give me scraps of his experi- 
 ence since we parted, and I rejoiced to find him fairly started 
 on a career of usefulness. Amongst other things he mentioned 
 the following incident : 
 
 "'We were up the Channel a few weeks ago and were in- Stirring 
 vited on board a ship to hold a prayer meeting. The cabin l 
 was full and we had a time of great power, two of the sailors 
 being converted. A few days afterwards the ship was 
 wrecked, and all hands lost, off Lundy Island. We went 
 ashore there not long afterwards and saw the grave of one of 
 the men converted in that meeting. On our way we came 
 across a lonely farm-house, where sailors are supplied with 
 food and other necessaries when they go ashore. We called 
 for some refreshments, but the mistress looked at us rather 
 suspiciously, telling us that some sailors who had passed Broken 
 there the previous week-end had smashed her crockery and broken 
 clock, and finished up by breaking her head with the poker, hearts. 
 We reassured her, and she then offered us some rum and milk. 
 We asked her how she could give us what had already led to 
 such serious consequences for herself, and assured her that 
 we wanted no rum. While she was getting us some food we 
 offered to sing her a verse or two of a little hymn called 
 
 "The Lion of Judah shall break every chain." 
 
 She replied that she had no objection, so we touched it up a 
 bit. Then said I, " Let us have a little prayer. All hands on
 
 484 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1862, 
 Age 33. 
 
 Sailing 
 under 
 black 
 colors. 
 
 Hauled 
 on board. 
 
 Rolling 
 on. 
 
 to your knees!" We fell down and began to pray. The 
 power of God came upon us and the tears streamed down the 
 woman's cheeks. So, instead of breaking her head with the 
 poker, we broke her heart with the Gospel. ' 
 
 " The meeting this night was commenced with several tes- 
 timonies from the newly saved. After some others had 
 spoken, my friend, the sailor, rose and said : 
 
 " ' For many years I was sailing under black colors. I knew 
 not whither I was bound. On the black flag above me was 
 written " The wages of sin is death." But Mr. Booth came to 
 St. Ives, and the Lord Jesus used him as a speaking-trumpet, 
 and through him He shouted, " Eternity ! Eternity ! Eternity ! " 
 I listened, was startled, looked up at the black flag floating 
 aloft, and jumped overboard astern into the sea. The Gos- 
 pel ship was sailing alongside. The life-boat of mercy was 
 sent to pick me up. They threw me a rope. I caught it and 
 was hauled on board. We have Jesus at the helm. Ahead 
 of us there is a point. Sometimes it is on the weather bow, 
 sometimes on the lee. It is the point of death. When we 
 get round it we shall find good anchorage, coil up the ropes, 
 furl the sails, and go on shore to the land of glory. ' 
 
 " This was delivered in a bold tone, as impressive as the 
 imagery, producing a powerful effect on the audience. After 
 I had given the invitation there was a blessed rush to Jesus. 
 It was altogether a wonderful sight, and many were saved." 
 
 And thus the revival rolled onward like an impetu- 
 ous and resistless stream, when checked for a time in 
 one direction ; only gathering redoubled force for an- 
 other forward sweep. It would have lent its tributary 
 waters to some of the nearest rivers which had already 
 marked out for themselves their pathway to the ocean. 
 But when this was rendered impossible, and when 
 each surface channel had been blocked, the current 
 was yet to hew out for itself an underground course, 
 as it were, through the very bowels of the earth, and 
 finally to emerge triumphantly, pouring forth in un- 
 diminished volume its fertilising waters over the most 
 arid and needy deserts of the world.
 
 CHAPTER XLVI. 
 
 THE THREE CONFERENCES. 1862. 
 
 IT has already been remarked that the Annual The Con _ 
 Committee of the New Connexion had no authority to ^ en t ce 
 accept Mr. Booth's proffered resignation, but merely 
 to refer it to the Conference which met in June, 1862, 
 at Dudley. The subject was brought forward for 
 consideration by Dr. Crofts, who moved that the res- 
 ignation should be accepted. The Rev. P. J. Wright, 
 as might be expected, seconded the motion. 
 
 Hereupon Mr. Turnbull, of Gateshead, asked that A reason- 
 the acceptance of the resignation by. Conference should posai 
 at least be more courteously worded. Mr. Wright, 
 however, objected to this very reasonable request, 
 warning the Conference that they were in danger of 
 being led into a trap, and expressing his determina- 
 tion to guard that august assembly from any attempt 
 that might be made for Mr. Booth's restoration. 
 Alderman Oldham expressed his sincere regret that 
 Mr. Booth had resigned, the Macclesfield circuit being 
 deeply indebted to him for a wonderful revival of re- 
 ligion. 
 
 In replying to this Mr. Wright denied that any- 
 thing he had said could be construed as being in- 
 tended to cast any imputation upon Mr. Booth. 
 
 Mr. Docton, of St. Ives, spoke in glowing terms of The 
 
 & * motion 
 
 the wonderful revival carried on by Mr. and Mrs. carried. 
 Booth in Cornwall. And after some further debate, 
 in which the irrepressible Mr. Wright and others took 
 
 485
 
 486 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1862, part, Dr. Crofts' motion was carried by 56 votes 
 Age33 ' against 1 5. 
 
 Not a And thus, without a " thank you" for the faithful 
 you". and brilliant services of seven years, and grudging so 
 much as the expression of a regret, the Conference 
 severed the last strand of the shadowy cable which 
 bound them to the Connexion. Nor did Mr. and Mrs. 
 Booth lift a finger to secure their return. Indeed, 
 they rather discouraged their many friends from 
 A painful making any effort on their behalf, feeling that the 
 episode. S ph ere o f usefulness which they at present occupied 
 was one of the Lord's own ordaining at any rate, for 
 the hour. Nevertheless, the episode was a painful 
 one, and they were not a little gratified when in later 
 years Dr. Cooke, for whom they had previously enter- 
 tained so high an esteem, expressed his regret in re- 
 gard to the past, and his desire to find a bridge by 
 which they might again return to" the fold of the Con- 
 nexion. 
 
 No policy In one respect, however, Mr. Booth's example was 
 ruption. especially noteworthy. Whatever might be his feel- 
 ings of dissatisfaction in regard to any existing de- 
 nomination he resolutely from the first set his face 
 against a policy of disruption. 
 
 The olive- He had persistently clung to the hope of an ulti- 
 mate reconciliation with the New Connexion, and this 
 in spite of innumerable discouragements. It had 
 mattered little that the olive-branch which he had so 
 repeatedly held out to the Conference had been dis- 
 regarded. He had offered it again and again, while 
 there was a fragment to be found, and it was not till 
 the Conference had finally placed its heel upon the 
 last existing vestige of a hope that he abandoned the 
 idea of reconciliation. 
 
 True, chances had lain within his reach for con-
 
 THE THREE CONFERENCES. 487 
 
 vulsing the denomination with a schism which would 1862, 
 have stripped it of many of its most spiritual members ge 33 ' 
 and supporters, and for this there was ample prece- Many 
 dent. He might have imitated the example of the dnte" 
 founder of the denomination, Alexander Kilham, who 
 had organised a secession from the Wesleyan ranks, 
 and had principally directed his efforts towards recruit- 
 ing his adherents from the body which had expelled 
 him. Again, there was the example of Mr. Dunn and 
 the other leaders of the Reform agitation. 
 
 But to the adoption of such a course Mr. Booth had Would 
 an inveterate objection. He had no desire to build age the 
 up his own w r ork upon the ruins of another. Hence i^' 
 he studiously avoided accepting invitations to circuits 
 where his influence was the greatest, or any other ar- 
 rangements which would be likely to damage the 
 Connexional cause. Beyond the publication of his 
 two letters to the Conference the one addressed to 
 Dr. Stacey, asking for his restoration to the evange- 
 listic sphere, and the other tendering his resignation 
 to Dr. Crofts he took no steps even towards the vindi- 
 cation of his personal character, preferring to leave 
 their own interests in the hands of Him whose in- 
 terests first they sought. 
 
 This was a source of no little gratification to Mr. A source 
 Booth when, in later years, the movement which he faction. 
 had himself inaugurated suffered from the occasional 
 secession of those who had previously aided its pro- 
 gress. Who can tell how largely the failure of such 
 attempts to create dissatisfaction and division within 
 the ranks of the Salvation Army of to-day have been 
 the natural result of, as well as the Divine reward for, 
 the self-control then displayed? He would doubtless 
 have unconsciously laid the seed of future trouble had 
 he sought to build upon the dismantled ruins of even
 
 488 
 
 BOOTH. 
 
 1862, 
 Age 33. 
 
 The Sal- 
 vation 
 Army not 
 a split. 
 
 Visit 
 London. 
 
 The 
 
 Wesley an 
 Conf'er- 
 
 a fraction of the Methodist New Connexion, instead 
 of sinking for himself new foundations upon the 
 rocky and apparently unpromising, but stable, soil 
 that lay beyond the confines of each existing church. 
 It was not impossible under such conditions to re- 
 model and fit into the edifice some of the " stones" 
 which were "rejected" and "set at naught" by other 
 "builders," who profited in exchange by the new 
 material with which they were themselves supplied. 
 But it was a source of equal satisfaction and strength 
 to the Salvation Army that it did not owe its origin to 
 a mere denominational "split, "the members of which 
 would have been too saturated with the spirit of the 
 past to have fallen in with the advances and reforms 
 which were to constitute so marked a feature of its 
 future history. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Booth had decided upon Penzance as 
 their next field of labour, this being one of the largest 
 and most important towns in Cornwall. They were, 
 however, greatl)' exhausted by their continued la- 
 bours, and arranged to take a short rest before com- 
 mencing any fresh meetings. Leaving the children 
 under the care of their trusted nurse, Mary, they ac- 
 cordingly went to London. 
 
 Meanwhile the annual Conference of the Wesleyans 
 was held in Camborne, and the question of the recent 
 revival came up for discussion. The district meeting 
 of the Cornish ministers had taken place in March, 
 when the work in St. Just was at its very height, and 
 soon after the remarkable campaigns already described 
 at St. Ives and Hayle. And yet, incredible as it may 
 appear, the ministers had passed a resolution praying 
 Conference to forbid the use of their chapels to Mr. 
 and Mrs. Booth. Similar ministerial petitions had 
 been forwarded from Bristol and other districts re-
 
 MRS. BOOTH-TUCKER.
 
 THE THREE CONFERENCES. 
 
 489 
 
 questing that Dr. and Mrs. Palmer should also be ex- 
 cluded. 
 
 How any who had the cause of Christ at heart 
 could make such a demand, is only less extraor- 
 dinary than the complacency with which Conference 
 granted their request, especially in face of the re- 
 markable additions to their numbers which these re- 
 vivals had enabled them to report. Cornwall, in 
 particular, had returned by far the largest increase of 
 any district, there being 1,311 members admitted into 
 society, besides 2,936 on trial a total of 4,247. So 
 far from making the slightest acknowledgment of the 
 valuable co-operation of Mr. and Mrs. Booth, the Pres- 
 ident of the - Conference referred to their labours, 
 with equal contempt and ill- taste, as "the perambu- 
 lations of the male and female!" At this distance of 
 time such language appears indeed utterly incompre- 
 hensible, and hardly less so was the action of the 
 Conference. Once before, as we have seen, William 
 and Catherine Booth had been driven from the church 
 of their choice by the misdirected zeal of their minis- 
 ter. But for this it might well be said that the Con- 
 ference could not be held responsible. 
 
 Now, however, the case was widely different. 
 Their exiled children had, as it were, returned to the 
 home of their childhood, and had knocked for admis- 
 sion at the parental door, not, like the prodigal of old, 
 in rags and tatters, but rather like Abraham's ser- 
 vant seeking for Rebecca, their camels laden with 
 costly presents. It would have seemed that the very 
 dictates of self-interest would have ensured a hearty 
 welcome to the messenger ; but it was not so, and even 
 the sight of the revival jewels failed to produce upon 
 the Conference the desired effect. Indeed, we are 
 tempted to wonder, had the John Wesley of the last 
 
 1862, 
 Age 33. 
 
 A strange 
 demand. 
 
 A large 
 increase. 
 
 Twice 
 rejected. 
 
 Knocking 
 at the 
 
 parental 
 door. 
 
 A stone 
 
 which the 
 
 builders 
 
 refused.
 
 490 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1862, century himself appeared upon the scenes, whether 
 ge he would not have been as completely outvoted as 
 were Mr. and Mrs. Booth. A Wesleyanism without 
 Wesley might appear too strange a paradox to be con- 
 ceivable-. But a Conference that was so destitute of 
 the spirit of its founder would probably have legislated 
 his corporeal presence beyond its bounds, and left 
 him no choice but to do what General Booth has had 
 to do organise a new society. 
 
 Referring to the decision of the Conference, in a 
 letter to a friend, Mrs. Booth says: 
 
 A pitiful " You will have heard of the resolution of the Wesleyan 
 apology. Conference, which excludes Dr. and Mrs. Palmer, ourselves, 
 and similar agencies from their pulpits. Perhaps you will 
 have seen the report of the discussion as given in the Watch- 
 man. A more pitiful apology for passing such a law could 
 not have been conceived. ' The people have no right to de- 
 mand such a thing, ' said one minister. No, poor things ! The 
 people have no rights at all ! You will have observed that 
 God and souls and heaven and hell are kept out of sight 
 altogether. 'Are such agencies owned of God?' is not the 
 question. But God does not overlook these things. He will 
 not forget, and He will protect the interests of His own 
 work. I rest in Him." 
 
 Primi- It was in this same year that the Primitive Method- 
 !ow*suft~ ists passed a resolution "strongly urging all their 
 station authorities to avoid the employment of re- 
 vivalists so-called," thus confirming the accuracy of 
 the supposition that there existed at this time an al- 
 most universal ministerial combination for the sup- 
 The pression of revivalism. The conflict between the 
 pastoral and evangelistic agencies was a long and 
 severe one, the former endeavouring to monopolise 
 for itself the entire religious field, and only yielding 
 to the latter their required recognition beneath the 
 resistless power of circumstances.
 
 THE THREE CONFERENCES. 491 
 
 Writing twenty-nine years later from Australia, 1862, 
 after a reception for which the history of the Colonies ge 33 ' 
 could furnish no parallel, at the head of an organisa- The tables 
 tion which had taken its place beside the oldest turned - 
 churches in the land, General Booth is able to show 
 how entirely the tables had been turned since the 
 strange action of the Wesleyan Conference of 1862. 
 
 " This morning I met the Wesleyan ministers of the district, 
 and had a very good time with them. They wept all round. 
 The sympathetic words they have spoken are in strange con- 
 trast with some of their past history ! Never mind ! All 
 shall work together for good ! " 
 
 Referring in the same letter to a public meeting- 
 held on the previous night, the General says: 
 
 " The enthusiasm of the meetings is beyond description. An Aus- 
 Yesterday's meetings were held in the Centennial Hall, seat- 
 ing three thousand five hundred people. It is the most mag- 
 nificent building I ever spoke in, by a long way. Apart from 
 the Albert Hall, of which I have but little recollection, there 
 is nothing to approach it in London, nor have I seen anything 
 to equal it on the continent. There must have been getting 
 on for five thousand in it last night. It was quite full in the 
 morning, packed in the afternoon, and gorged at night. The 
 crowd burst the doors in repeatedly, and rushed in whether 
 we would or not ! I had a very good time in the morning, al- 
 though very much exhausted after the hardest week's work I 
 ever did in my life. At night the power of God came upon 
 me in a manner which I have only experienced a few times 
 before. I read and spoke from the ' strait gate. ' The truth 
 fell like peal upon peal of heavenly thunder, and the lightnings 
 of conviction played over the audience and penetrated thou- 
 sands of hearts. 
 
 " To have a prayer-meeting was a very great risk under 
 such circumstances, and we hesitated a moment about the 
 penitent form. However, at all costs we went in for it, and it 
 proved a gigantic success. Scarcely anybody went away, and 
 at nine o'clock the building could not seat the people who 
 were there, although most" of them had been present since six.
 
 49 2 M&S. BOOTH. 
 
 1862, " We had sixty souls out for mercy, besides some for a clean 
 33- heart. 
 
 At 9:15, while we were singing the Doxology, others came 
 
 soul/, up, so, quite exhausted, I left them to go on with the fight. 
 
 God was wonderfully with me in this meeting. I don't think 
 
 I ever in the midst of any great revival had a more powerful 
 
 time." 
 
 The Di- ^ those who have watched the workings of the 
 vine in- designs of Providence in the case of those who are 
 
 telhgence. 
 
 prepared to follow its leadings, nothing is more in- 
 teresting than to observe the obvious finger-marks of 
 a Divine Intelligence asserting itself in the very dis- 
 appointments which appear at the time to frustrate 
 our best-laid schemes. Ultimately it becomes mani- 
 fest that "all things work together for good;" and 
 that the blocking of one pathway and the defeat of 
 one plan but means the opening out of newer, better 
 paths and more triumphant accomplishment, t"hus 
 compelling us to realise that 
 
 "There's a divinity that shapes our ends, 
 Rough-hew them how we will. "
 
 CHAPTER XLVII. 
 GOOD-BYE TO CORNWALL. 1862. 
 
 IT was towards the end of July, while the Wesleyan The visit 
 Conference was sitting at Camborne, that Mr. and Pemance. 
 Mrs. Booth returned from London to Cornwall, rejoin- 
 ing their children at Penzance, where they remained 
 during the next two months. They had looked for- 
 ward to a great work in this town, having been 
 warmly invited by a number of the leading Wesley- 
 ans, who had assured them of their hearty co-operation 
 and support. True, the minister had objected to the 
 use of the chapel, even threatening to leave the town 
 while the meetings were being held, but he had been 
 told by his own officials that, greatly as they respected 
 him, they valued infinitely more the salvation of their 
 families and friends. Mr. and Mrs. Booth had there- shut out ' 
 fore quite anticipated that his opposition would be 
 over- ruled, and that with the people so whole- 
 heartedly on their side they would be able to carry 
 the day, at any rate for a time, as in the case of St. 
 Just. When, however, the decision of the Conference 
 was made known the situation of affairs was materi- 
 ally altered, and they found themselves unable to 
 carry out their previous programme. Not that the 
 attitude of the people had been affected, as will be 
 shown by the following extract from one of Mrs. 
 Booth's letters: 
 
 " There is a very strong and universal desire amongst the Ripe for a 
 people for us to labour here. Mary cannot go into a shop, or revl 
 
 493
 
 494 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1862, 
 Age 33. 
 
 speak to an individual, but they want to know when we begin 
 meetings in Penzance. The people, saints and sinners alike, 
 are ripe for a glorious work, and there is no room for doubt 
 but that at least a thousand souls might easily be gathered in. 
 
 " In the mean time, however, William is holding meetings 
 at Mousehole. It is only a small place, with a population of 
 about one thousand five hundred, many of whom are now 
 away at the North Sea fisheries. But it will fill up the inter- 
 val, while we are arranging for larger meetings here and else- 
 where. 
 
 " I do not know what doubts and fears William had been 
 expressing to you that called forth your encouraging re- 
 marks. But I do not participate in them in the least, and 
 have no fear about the future, if only his health holds out." 
 
 Meetings 
 
 in 
 Penzance. 
 
 Birth of 
 their son 
 Herbert. 
 
 The 
 
 musician 
 of the 
 Army. 
 
 The meetings here alluded to in Mousehole were 
 succeeded by a series held in a small chapel at Pen- 
 zance. Many sought salvation in both places. 
 Nevertheless, the character of the buildings and 
 other circumstances combined to make this period a 
 somewhat trying one. 
 
 But just as the dark and discouraging days in Brig- 
 house had been brightened for Mr. and Mrs. Booth by 
 the advent of their son Ballington, so the storm-clouds 
 of Penzance displayed a silver lining in the birth of 
 their fifth child, Herbert, the future musician of the 
 Salvation Army, the composer of some of its most 
 stirring melodies and the originator of its countless 
 brass bands. 
 
 In her eldest child Mrs. Booth had presented to the 
 world a ruler, an organiser, and a financier of unusual 
 capacity; in her second was the powerful apostle; 
 her third-born was to bridge the gulf of continental 
 infidelity; her fourth was to voice the thrilling claims 
 of heathen lands. And now a fifth and fitting key- 
 stone was added to the rising arch in the unconscious 
 infant, who was to be in a special sense the sweet
 
 GOOD-BYE TO CORNWALL. 495 
 
 psalmist and musician of the modern Salvation Army 1860, 
 Israel, making palace and garret ring alike with 
 sacred song, so simple that the merest child could un- 
 derstand, and yet so rich in harmony as to carry the 
 appreciation of the best trained ear. 
 
 The great temptation in the possession of such gifts God's 
 has ever been to direct their exercise toward the pur- ulTgifts. 
 poses of selfish ambition and personal aggrandisement. 
 It is but seldom that individuals or families recognise 
 the lien that God and humanity claim upon their 
 talents. Mrs. Booth never ceased in striving to in- 
 spire her children with the all-important truth that 
 every human gift belonged to God and must be used 
 in the service of mankind. 
 
 She used to declare that she would pray a wicked Pray 
 child dead, rather than that it should grow up to dis- dead. 
 honour God and hinder the advancement of His king- 
 dom. "I remember," says her daughter Emma, 
 " how she would gather us round her and pray with 
 us. I used to wear a low frock, and her hot tears 
 would often drop upon my neck, sending a thrill 
 through me which I can never forget. She used to 
 say in her prayers that she would rather her boys 
 should be chimney-sweeps and her girls should be Childish 
 
 11 1-1-1 -1-1 reminis- 
 
 scullery-maids than that we should grow up wicked, cences. 
 Often she would pray aloud, making us repeat the 
 words after her. When I was only about three years 
 old I was saying my prayers once when a lady friend 
 of my mother's happened to be in the room. She 
 told me afterwards how I added a little impromptu of 
 my own, 'And oh, Dod, b'ess de lady and make her 
 bery dood!' She used to say that she never could 
 forget that prayer." 
 
 Referring to her children in some letters written at 
 this period, Mrs. Booth says:
 
 496 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1862, 
 Age 33. 
 
 Willie^ 
 letter. 
 
 Balling- 
 ton. 
 
 Katie. 
 
 Emma. 
 
 Home in- 
 fluence. 
 
 Redruth 
 revival. 
 
 " Willie has commenced to write you a grand letter, and has 
 spoiled I don't know how many sheets of paper, but it is not 
 finished yet. He certainly is improving very much. I be- 
 lieve the Spirit is striving with him. He is so tender and 
 tries hard to be good and obedient. Everybody says what a 
 sharp boy he is. I am very anxious about Ballington and do 
 not like his symptoms at all. I fear there is something on his 
 lungs. He has a cough, is constantly complaining of pain in 
 his chest, and has shrunk away dreadfully. It would indeed 
 be hard work to leave him behind us in Cornwall. Pray for 
 us. I would say respecting all of them, 'The will of the Lord 
 be done!' But all within me shrinks from the idea of losing 
 any of them. We are not sending either of them to school ; 
 I hate schools. 
 
 " Katie gets more interesting every day. She certainly is 
 a beautiful girl. Papa says she inherits her grandmama's 
 dignity. At any rate she inherits somebody's, for she moves 
 about like a little princess, and would grace Windsor Castle 
 itself! She and Emma sing very nicely, 'We are doin' home 
 to dory!' 
 
 " You are right. Emma does get a fine girl. She is the 
 pet of the family and has a sweet, happy disposition. People 
 stop to admire her in the street, and she is such a talker ! Mary 
 was telling her to hush the other day when she was chattering 
 to me. She looked up and said, 'Me not 'peakin to oo! Me 
 'peakin to mama!" She said to-night just before she went to 
 bed, 'Me wove (love) mama a million miles! Me wove the 
 Lord wery much ! Me go to Heaven when me die ! ' 
 
 " I am much obliged for your proposal about the children. 
 But I can never let any of them leave home for a permanency 
 while I am at all able to look after them, especially while they 
 are so young. I believe home influence and sympathies in- 
 dispensable to the right formation of character, and although 
 I cannot do as I would, I think I can do more in that direction 
 than any governess. I could manage so much better, but my 
 poor weak body is a perpetual drawback." 
 
 On September 28th a revival commenced which 
 was equal in extent and power to any of those which 
 had preceded it. Mr. and Mrs. Booth had removed to 
 the prosperous little town of Redruth, which, with its
 
 GOOD-BYE TO CORNWALL. 497 
 
 population of about 10,000, was now the scene of an 1862, 
 awakening, the influence of which extended through ge 33 ' 
 all the surYbuntlmg countryside. Mrs. Booth was 
 happily so far restored as to be able once more to 
 actively share in the labours of her husband, equally 
 to his joy and to the benefit of the work. 
 
 The meetings were carried on in the Free Metho- 
 dist chapel. This was a much larger building than 
 those in Penzance and Mousehole, and would accommo- 
 date considerably upwards of one thousand persons. 
 
 So great was the number of the penitents that Mr. Putting 
 Booth had the usual communion rails extended across barriers. 
 the entire breadth of the chapel, besides erecting 
 barriers to keep off the crowds of onlookers, who 
 pressed so closely to the front that it was found al- 
 most impossible to deal effectually with those who 
 were seeking salvation. Indeed, it was his ordinary 
 practice to complete these arrangements previously to 
 the commencement of his services in any town. This 
 in itself caused no small stir. The absolute assurance Waiting 
 of success with which these preachers set to work al- 
 most paralysed the Christians among whom they had 
 come to labour, the majority of whom wished to wait 
 and see if a revival were really forthcoming before 
 making any such preparations. How rarely, after 
 all, does the Son of man find upon the earth, even 
 among His professed followers, the faith which an- 
 ticipates the blessing, and which cries in the midst of 
 the most adverse circumstances, "It shall be done!" 
 
 The following paragraphs are selected from an in- 
 teresting pamphlet in which Mr. Booth describes the 
 Redruth revival: 
 
 "The labourers are receiving considerable acces- w&men 
 sions to their number. The sisters especially are 
 coming up to the help of the Lord, and some very 
 
 32
 
 498 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1862, valuable assistance do they render. From what I can 
 ge 33 ' gather the door for female effort has been compara- 
 tively closed in this church for some time past. If 
 there has not been the positive prohibition, the op- 
 portunity and invitation have been wanting; and ex- 
 cept there be, not only the opportunity, but the re- 
 peated and urgent invitation, this valuable accessory 
 to church prosperity will be lost. 
 
 The new " The new converts, taught from the beginning 
 rts ' their obligation to labour for souls, themselves con- 
 stitute a band of zealous workers. Their old com- 
 panions in sin and their kindred after the flesh find 
 their loving appeals almost irresistible. The praying 
 men are gathering strength daily. Many of them 
 have crossed the Jordan of unbelief, and are now 
 living in the Canaan of perfect love, and in the power 
 of the fuller baptism of the Holy Ghost they engage 
 in the work like giants. 
 
 The work " A meeting held on Monday week proved very 
 useful. For a few days past the work had dragged 
 heavily. Good was being done and souls were saved 
 daily, but still the mighter influences were withheld. 
 We therefore invited all who were thoroughly with us 
 in the movement, and who were willing to do their ut- 
 
 A fresh most to increase its power and success, to meet us on 
 
 start. 
 
 the above-named night. Many came. Different de- 
 nominations were represented. Several valuable sug- 
 gestions were offered, and three distinct resolutions 
 made by all present. We determined : 
 
 " i . To fully consecrate ourselves to God and His 
 work. 
 
 "2. To spend some portion of time daily in prayer 
 for richer outpourings of the Holy Ghost; and 
 
 " 3 . To put forth some personal effort every day to 
 bring sinners to Christ.
 
 GOOD-BYE TO CORNWALL. 
 
 499 
 
 " The public service that followed was marked by a 
 very sensible increase of power. The revival had 
 evidently received a new impetus and now took a 
 higher range. Since then it has advanced with al- 
 most all the success we could wish. Every effort has 
 been victorious, every meeting a triumph. From 
 thirty to forty souls, and sometimes more, have sought 
 Jesus each succeeding night. 
 
 " On Sabbath afternoon we had a remarkable meet- 
 ing. It was intended to afford opportunity for the 
 new converts to give their experience. The chapel 
 was crowded, but the meeting was very dead. Though 
 excellent testimonies were given, all remained com- 
 paratively dark and feelingless. We urged the people 
 to continue in the prayerful and believing waiting for 
 the Holy Ghost, and suddenly He fell upon us. 
 
 " A man who, unobserved, had been sitting with 
 his head buried in his hands, silently wrestling for 
 mercy, obtained the blessing, and the same moment 
 shouted, 'I've got it,' and full of rapture began to 
 praise God. I never saw any soul so full of gladness 
 before. It was indeed an ecstasy. Alternately he 
 wept, laughed, clapped his hands, and stamped his 
 feet. 
 
 "The same gust of glory which filled this man, at 
 almost, if not quite, the same moment filled the 
 house where we were sitting, and all the people of 
 God were visited with a measure of the Spirit of 
 power and joy. The scene that followed is not to be 
 described in words. Every one I speak now of the 
 converted portion of the audience gave expression 
 to the feelings that overwhelmed him, according to 
 his own temperament and training. As the tree or 
 mountain which, nearest to the lightning cloud, breaks 
 it and brings down the electric current to the earth, 
 
 1862, 
 Age 33. 
 
 Renewed 
 success. 
 
 A stiff 
 meeting. 
 
 Tve got 
 it." 
 
 A gust of 
 glory. 
 
 Bringing 
 down the 
 lightning.
 
 5oo 
 
 MKS. BOOTH. 
 
 1862, 
 Age 33. 
 
 A notable 
 addition. 
 
 Glorious 
 results. 
 
 Mrs. 
 
 Booth's 
 
 meetings. 
 
 Her 
 
 farewell 
 sermon. 
 
 so this man, in his mental agony and desperate faith, 
 had touched the cloud of Divine influence that had 
 hovered over us, and brought it down in its purify- 
 ing, vivifying, and enrapturing effects. By-and-bye 
 the song of praise rose above this heavenly tumult 
 disorder, some would have called it and a thousand 
 voices sang 
 
 Praise God, from whom all blessings flow.' 
 
 " The work has spread throughout the entire neigh- 
 bourhood, and I have good reason to conclude that 
 many hundreds have been saved through the influence 
 of the meetings whose faces we have never seen. 
 At the recent quarterly meeting of the Wesleyans it 
 was reported that an addition of about 400 members 
 had been made during the quarter to their societies 
 in the Redruth circuit. 
 
 " In answer to your request for information con- 
 cerning the continuance in grace of those who have 
 professed conversion during our first services in this 
 county, I am able to give you the following informa- 
 tion. As the result of the ten months' labour, which, 
 commencing at Hayle, was continued at St. Ives, St. 
 Just, and Lelant, about 3,500 persons professed con- 
 version. From the statistics of the different churches 
 in these places I find that there are of these now 
 about 2,700 in actual fellowship with them. 
 
 " Mrs. Booth's Wednesday services have been sea- 
 sons of exceptional blessing, many coming a consid- 
 erable distance on purpose to be present. The ad- 
 dresses have embraced social and religious subjects, 
 and the people have everywhere testified to the fresh 
 impetus received. 
 
 "On Sunday morning Mrs. Booth preached her 
 farewell sermon. The word was powerful and con-
 
 GOOD-BYE TO CORNWALL. 501 
 
 vincing. Many hearts were pierced and many freshly 1862, 
 consecrated themselves to the Lord. At night the ^ c 33 ' 
 chapel was too full for any comfortable speaking or 
 hearing. Nevertheless, the slain of the Lord were 
 many. Very soon the communion rail and large 
 vestry were crowded with penitents. The meeting 
 was continued until the following morning, and about 
 forty obtained mercy. " The secretary reports that One 
 about a thousand have been saved in the chapel dur- patents. 
 ing the services." 
 
 In describing the meetings to her mother, Mrs. 
 Booth says: 
 
 " The Lord gives us many cordials by the way. We con- spiritual 
 stantly see His glorious arm made bare, and we know that we cordials. 
 are instrumental in gladdening the hearts and homes of hun- 
 dreds whom He has redeemed with His most precious blood. 
 
 " The movement here has stirred the whole town and the 
 country for miles around. The chapel was open almost all 
 day yesterday, and until twelve o'clock last night the people 
 could hear the cry of the penitents as they lay in their beds. 
 All glory to Jesus !" 
 
 At the conclusion of the services, in the course of Th e c a m- 
 which a thousand persons professed conversion, Mr. 
 and Mrs. Booth commenced similar meetings in the 
 neighbouring town of Camborne. The chapel was 
 capable of seating comfortably a thousand persons, 
 but thirteen or fourteen hundred usually crowded into 
 it. On a somewhat smaller scale the revival here 
 was a repetition of the glorious work in Redruth, the 
 tokens of God's presence and favour being with them 
 to the last. It was an appropriate termination to 
 their present campaign, this being the conclusion of 
 their Cornish programme. 
 
 It was calculated that during the eighteen months 
 which had elapsed since their resignation, no less than
 
 502 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1862, 
 Age 33. 
 
 Seven 
 thousand 
 
 in 
 
 eighteen 
 months. 
 
 seven thousand persons had professed conversion. Not 
 only had the majority of these joined the various re- 
 ligious bodies of their respective towns, but a consid- 
 erable number had developed into active workers, 
 and not a few became preachers of the Gospel.
 
 CHAPTER XLVIII. 
 
 A new 
 & P here - 
 
 CARDIFF. 1863. 
 
 FOR some time past the questipn had considerably 
 exercised Mr. and Mrs. Booth as to what should be 
 their next destination. They had invitations in Corn- 
 wall which would have occupied them for some 
 months to come. They loved the people and were 
 happy in their midst. But for some time past the calls 
 from other districts had been increasing in urgency. 
 The very fact of their success, wafted abroad as it had 
 been on the wings of newspapers and by the reports 
 of their spiritual children, had created an earnest de- 
 sire in the hearts of others to share in the blessing of 
 their ministry. At length, however, they received a 
 call from Cardiff, whither they had been preceded by 
 many of their sailor converts, which appeared to be 
 of so pressing and important a character that they 
 ultimately decided upon this town as their next cen- 
 tre. 
 
 It was during the second week in February, 1863, Good-bye 
 that they bade a final farewell to their warm-hearted 
 Cornish friends and started for their new sphere. 
 The recent action of the various Conferences, in re- 
 fusing the use of their chapels to evangelists, forced 
 upon Mr. and Mrs. Booth what became afterwards 
 one of the most distinctive and successful features of 
 their work, the use of public and unsectarian build- 
 ings. True, they continued for some years to labour 
 principally in the chapels of various denominations. 
 
 503 
 
 Getting
 
 504 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1863, 
 Age 34. 
 
 The cir- 
 cus taken . 
 
 Hedged 
 in. 
 
 Neutral 
 ground. 
 
 Nevertheless, they drifted more and more in the 
 direction of popular resorts. 
 
 By this course they secured, in the first place, the 
 largest buildings in the town, and could thus reach a 
 greater number of people. Again, they were unem- 
 barrassed by denominational differences, and were on 
 common ground where all Christians could unite. 
 Finally, they could secure the attendance of the non- 
 church-going masses, toward whom their hearts were 
 increasingly drawn out. 
 
 The Cardiff visit is therefore signalised from the 
 fact that the first departure in this direction was there 
 made, a large circus being taken in which was sus- 
 tained a series of important and effective meetings. 
 
 Soon after their arrival Mrs. Booth writes to her 
 parents : 
 
 " Wednesday evening, CARDIFF. 
 
 " I have so much to say that I do not know where to begin, 
 and am far too tired to write the half of it to-night. 
 
 " I had a meeting this morning in the Baptist Chapel, at 
 which I spoke with great liberty for an hour. We had thirty 
 or forty up for full consecration. It was a blessed season. I 
 have spoken three times since our arrival. 
 
 " We are very unsettled, however. William does not feel at 
 home in the chapel, and there are several things, which it 
 would take too long to explain, that make it an anxious time 
 for us. There is every promise of a good work, but we are 
 hedged in with difficulties. We want, and the friends who 
 brought us here want, neutral ground, but the Music Hall is 
 an unwieldy, ugly place, and the circus not much better." 
 
 " Thursday morning. 
 
 " It was decided last night for us to commence in the circus 
 on Sunday. It has been taken for a fortnight at seven pounds 
 a week. 
 
 " We hear on all sides that the meeting yesterday morning 
 was a blessed season to those present. No one is more as-
 
 CARDIFF. 
 
 505 
 
 tonished than I am that God should condescend to use such 
 an instrument. 
 
 " William had a good time last night. In fact, on the whole, 
 it is as promising a beginning as we have had anywhere. 
 But we don't consider we have fairly commenced undenomi- 
 nationally till we get on to neutral ground. The Wesleyans, 
 who are very revivalistic here, will not come and help us in a 
 Baptist chapel ! But we have reason to believe they will come 
 to the circus. 
 
 " William is very anxious I think unnecessarily so. I 
 don't know what he would do at these times without me. 
 However, amidst all the unsettledness, anxiety, and trials pe- 
 culiar to the work, I love it as much as ever, nay, more, and I 
 never look back on the step we have taken with a single re- 
 gret. I believe we shall have strength according to our day 
 and shall be instrumental yet in bringing tens of thousands 
 to the Saviour. I look for the literal fulfilment of the word 
 on which He caused me to trust in the darkest hour of per- 
 plexity, 'a hundred-fold in this life,' a hundred-fold of fruit 
 to His honour and glory. 
 
 " You ask what we think of the attitude of the paper? 
 
 I must say I was utterly disappointed with its time-serving 
 spirit. The subject is worthy of better treatment by those 
 who profess to be set for the maintenance of religious liberty, 
 principle, and right. The reviewer says the Methodist con- 
 ferences must have had a reason for their action with reference 
 to evangelists. Doubtless they had, and it was his duty to 
 have dragged that reason to the daylight and sifted it to its 
 origin. Well, they must do as they please. I believe honesty 
 to be the best policy, and shall act upon it. We can do with- 
 out either their reports or reviews, and the editor will find out 
 in time who would have proved his best friends evangelists 
 or their persecutors. We have got work enough for a lifetime, 
 and while God stands by us it matters not who are against 
 us. I hate sycophancy and lying on paper as badly as by 
 word of mouth ! Let me have truth if it shakes the foundation 
 of the earth. 
 
 " I hope to live to see a real revival paper. I wish I were 
 clever enough to edit it. I believe there is a good opening for 
 a striking, out-and-out, unsectarian periodical, full of rousing 
 truth and revival intelligence. 
 
 1863, 
 Age 34. 
 
 A good 
 begin- 
 ning. 
 
 A hun- 
 dred-fold 
 in this 
 life. 
 
 Honesty 
 the best 
 policy. 
 
 "/ hate 
 
 syco- 
 phancy." 
 
 I,
 
 506 MXS. BOOTH. 
 
 1863, " I have not patience to read a lot of the twaddle about mis- 
 Age 34. sions in China and Australia. As I said in a meeting at Cam- 
 borne, 'What! Is that Christianity which pays missionaries, 
 abroad. ^ ts out ships, and prints Bibles at an immense expense to 
 convert ignorant, idolatrous Chinamen, and turns its back on 
 a work like this, in which its own children, servants, friends 
 and neighbours are being converted? Is not a Cornish miner 
 as much worth converting as a Chinaman? Will he not make 
 as good and a little better Christian on earth and as glorious 
 Is this a sa i n t m heaven? If so, where is the consistency in spend- 
 Christian- ing hundreds of pounds to convert half a dozen Chinamen, and 
 opposing agencies which God is owning in reaching the thou- 
 sands of our own population who are destitute of the means 
 of grace? Is this Christianity? Is it?' I cried as loud as I 
 could lift my voice. 'No!' I said. 'It is mean, narrow sec- 
 tarianism, and nothing more ! It is seeking to exalt my " ism," 
 to glorify my denomination, rather than Jesus Christ.' And 
 I felt my words burnt their way into the consciences of my 
 hearers. If the Lord spares me, I mean to be faithful to the 
 interests of truth, whoever is faithless. Oh, for more spiritual 
 power ! 
 
 The state " I n m Y best and most serious moments my heart aches and 
 of the grows desponding for the state of the world in view of the 
 state of the church. Oh, the hollowness is fearful ! It seems 
 to me the Lord will have to send persecution, hot and fierce, 
 if the church is to be purified. Should it happen in our time, 
 may you and I be able to abide the day of His coming! We 
 have need to pray and to labour, but oh, for power to suffer 
 without rebelling ! Lord, prepare us ! " 
 
 "MONDAY, Feb. 23d, 1863. 
 
 The circus " I know you will be anxious to have news of yesterday, and 
 described. so sna t c h a moment to report progress. The circus answers 
 much better than we expected. William had a good atten- 
 dance in the morning and a time of blessing. I had it full in 
 the afternoon and spoke for an hour with tolerable liberty. 
 The sight of the building almost overwhelmed me at first. It 
 looks an immense place. I spoke from the stage, on which 
 An im- there were a good many people sitting round. The ring in 
 scene. front of us was filled with seats. Then commences a gallery 
 in the amphitheatre style, rising from the floor to the ceiling*
 
 CARDIFF. 
 
 This, when full, forms a most imposing scene. The side gal- 
 leries and those behind the stage were likewise well filled. 
 It was a great effort for me to compass the place with my 
 voice, but I believe I was heard distinctly, so that I intend to 
 exert myself less next time. I am very much shaken to-day, 
 but nothing, I trust, that will not soon pass off again. It 
 was a great undertaking, and, considering all things, I was 
 wonderfully strengthened in doing it. The people listened 
 well, and were evidently nailed. 
 
 " William had it crowded at night a mighty service, and 
 fifty-six names taken in the prayer-meeting, I know you will 
 help us to praise our condescending, covenant-keeping God. 
 
 " William has had a great conflict. I think I never knew 
 him lower than last week. But now he sees, he believes. 
 Oh, for a stronger faith in God alone ! Humanly speaking, a 
 failure here would have been very deplorable. Thanks be 
 unto God, everything now seems to indicate a great work." 
 
 " CARDIFF. 
 
 " The congregations keep up well considering the character 
 of the building. I am to have a chapel for Wednesday morn- 
 ings. The Wesleyans have offered theirs. So, all well, I 
 shall be in it next Wednesday. If the reverend gentleman 
 who talked about 'the perambulations of the male and female * 
 hears of it, he will think that the said 'female' has been one 
 too many for him and his resolutions ! My topic is announced 
 as 'The Importance of Consistency in Professors.' 
 
 " My time is now never my own. I am subject to so many 
 callers, and if I had the strength for it and no other claims 
 upon me, I might almost always be engaged in dealing with 
 the anxious. I could tell you some very interesting incidents 
 that have transpired here. 
 
 " A physician and his wife are coming from Lanport to- 
 day on purpose to get some spiritual counsel. I have had 
 three or four sweet letters from the lady. 
 
 " We shall send you a paper by this post with a letter in it 
 signed by 'one of the unattached.' It is written by a sub- 
 editor of a paper, who told me last night that he had been led 
 to decision for Christ by my addresses." 
 
 About this time, in writing to one who was much 
 tempted to depression and unbelief, Mrs. Booth says: 
 
 1863, 
 Age 34. 
 
 Fifty-six 
 names 
 taken. 
 
 With the 
 Wesley- 
 ans 
 again. 
 
 Dealing 
 with the 
 anxious. 
 
 The saved 
 
 sub- 
 editor.
 
 508 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1863, 
 Age 34. 
 
 Obedience 
 and faith. 
 
 If right, 
 do it. 
 
 " Excuse 
 my plain- 
 
 Ponty- 
 pridd and 
 
 " I have thought a great deal about your last letter. I am 
 convinced from constant intercourse with Christians in a doubt- 
 
 ing state that it generally arises from unwillingness to obey 
 
 ., . . , ^, ,-, . ., . , 
 
 tne teachings of the Spirit on some one point or other, and I 
 
 continually tell them, 'You must obey or you cannot believe.' 
 It is just as impossible to believe while I am waging a contro- 
 versy with the dictates of the Spirit as it would be to believe if 
 I were in hell itself! I experienced this myself for four long 
 years. Whenever I used to try and appropriate the promises 
 and to get nearer to God, it was always suggested to my mind, 
 'But you are not willing to give your husband up to be an 
 evangelist. ' And before I could get right I had to settle that 
 controversy by saying, 'Lord, if it kills me I will do it.' And 
 as soon as I had done this I entered into rest. 
 
 " Now let me beseech of you to do likewise. If conscience 
 or t he spirit dictates any course, any duty, any sacrifice, do 
 it, make it, and then you will get the witness of the Spirit ; 
 and not till then, I feel persuaded. Don't stop to confer with 
 the devil. Never mind what you lose by it. If it is right, 
 do it. And you shall experience the meaning of that blessed 
 word, 'He that will lose his life for my sake shall, find it.' 
 
 " You will excuse my plainness. You ask my counsel, and 
 j n giving it I must be faithful to your soul. I long for you 
 to get out of this miserable state. And I believe you might 
 get deliverance in a moment by deciding at once to obey the 
 Spirit in all things at any cost, leaving the future with the 
 Lord. Oh, it is far better to suffer anything with His pres- 
 
 ence than to enjoy all things without Him!" 
 
 
 
 Writing to her mother, Mrs. Booth says: 
 
 " April ist, CARDIFF. 
 
 " William has gone to Pontypridd, and I have a letter from 
 ^im w hich is very satisfactory. We have an invitation from 
 the Free Methodists to go to Newport. I think the way seems 
 open, and I would rather labor with Methodists. I have such 
 an aversion to Calvinism, much as I admire many who profess 
 it. Nevertheless, it is quite different when other denomina- 
 tions come to help us on Methodist or neutral ground. We 
 have had great difficulties here, chiefly because we have had 
 no suitable place. William, too, has been fearfully low, 
 partly the result of physical exhaustion. But I cannot con-
 
 CARDIFF. 
 
 509 
 
 vince him of it. Altogether it has been an anxious and trying 
 time. 
 
 " I have myself usually spoken with much liberty. My con- 
 gregations in the afternoon have been largely composed 
 of chapel and church-going people. I . generally have un- 
 broken attention. I have had the best morning meetings I 
 ever had anywhere, and about one hundred and thirty have 
 come forward for full consecration, besides some for pardon. 
 There are several who are taking a very prominent stand now 
 in the work who have been renewed in righteousness at these 
 meetings. All praise to Him to whom alone it is due! 
 
 " Two of these meetings have been held in a large Wesleyan 
 Chapel, two in different Baptist chapels, and the rest in the 
 circus. The attendance has been excellent, the last, for 
 women only, being the best of all. I have every reason to 
 think that the people receive me gladly everywhere, and that 
 prejudice against female ministry melts away before me like 
 snow in the sun. I believe I have never been so popular any- 
 where as here. Everybody treats me with the greatest con- 
 sideration and affection. I sometimes feel quite overcome. 
 Burn this at once. I should not mention it to any one but to 
 you. Oh, for grace to improve such a precious opportunity 
 for blessing and saving souls ! I feel that this is all I want 
 to make me mighty for Christ. Pray for me. I am much 
 buffeted and often almost overwhelmed." 
 
 " CARDIFF, April 8th. 
 
 " William has had a very good time at Pontypridd, and they 
 want him to stay on another week. To this we have agreed, 
 and I am going to join him for the Sabbath. 
 
 " We had a nice meeting last night, but not more than four 
 hundred for tea. This is, however, quite as many as we ex- 
 pected under the circumstances. 
 
 " I had a good day at the circus on Sunday. I had not my 
 usual liberty in speaking in the afternoon until near the close. 
 At night we had a very good meeting and thirteen cases. 
 William had fifteen souls at Pontypridd in a small chapel, the 
 sweetest cases, he says, he ever had in his life at one meeting. 
 Praise the Lord ! " 
 
 " Thursday evening. 
 
 " You will have heard of the death of Mr. P. J. Wright. I 
 was very much surprised. Poor fellow, I hope he was quite 
 
 1863, 
 Age 34. 
 
 Speaks 
 
 with 
 liberty. 
 
 Prejudice 
 
 melts like 
 
 snow in 
 
 the sun. 
 
 The sweet- 
 est cases 
 he ever 
 had. 
 
 Death of 
 
 Mr. 
 Wright.
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1863, 
 Age 34. 
 
 Five hun- 
 dred 
 converts, 
 
 and life- 
 long 
 friends. 
 
 The 
 
 Messrs. 
 Cory. 
 
 The 
 
 steamship 
 
 " William 
 
 Booth." 
 
 ready. He now sees things in their true light, doubtless. I 
 wonder if his views about evangelism are changed? " 
 
 Mr. Wright, it will be remembered, was the leader 
 of the opposition in the New Connexion Conference, 
 who played so prominent a part in debarring Mr. and 
 Mrs. Booth from the evangelistic sphere, and in the 
 proceedings which culminated in their resignation. 
 
 The meetings in Cardiff resulted in the professed 
 conversion of some five hundred persons. Hundreds 
 more consecrated themselves freshly to the service of 
 God, and entered into the enjoyment of a new and 
 blessed experience to which they had hitherto been 
 strangers. Not the least interesting and valuable 
 outcome of the meetings was, however, the formation 
 of some life-long friendships which were to exercise a 
 considerable influence upon the future work of Mr. 
 and Mrs. Booth. 
 
 Among the most influential and prominent of the 
 Christian workers who had invited them to Cardiff 
 were the Messrs. John and Richard Cory, the well- 
 known ship and colliery owners. With shrewd sagacity 
 these two gentlemen foresaw the great future that lay 
 before the evangelists, and with rare consistency and 
 increasing liberality they have continued to support 
 the work for a period of nearly thirty years. From 
 the day when the firm named one of their newly- 
 bought ships the "William Booth," and set apart a 
 share in its expected profits for the assistance of the 
 cause in which the evangelists were engaged, their 
 interest has continued. Although the vessel was 
 soon afterwards wrecked off the island of Bermuda 
 they did not allow this catastrophe to prevent them 
 from carrying out their original intention, and proved 
 themselves, in many a dark, tempestuous hour, friends 
 who could be relied upon.
 
 CARDIFF. 5 1 1 
 
 Mr. Richard Cory, being a Baptist, differed in some 1863, 
 lesser doctrinal questions from Mr. and Mrs. Booth, ge 34 ' 
 but his ardent, impulsive nature and his intense zeal 
 for the cause of Christ usually carried him with a 
 bound over his objections, and his anxiety to see souls 
 saved enabled him to overlook the minor and theo- 
 
 Mr. 
 
 Richard 
 Cory. 
 
 JOHN CORY, OF CARDIFF. 
 
 retical distinctions which might otherwise have stood 
 in the way. 
 
 Mr. John Cory, on the other hand, was a matter- Mr. John 
 of-fact, hard-headed, clear-sighted man of business. 
 Just as, in the case of his business relationships, his 
 chief anxiety was to see the work done and the profits 
 realised, so with this spiritual partnership, which he 
 had thus early formed, he judged by results and was 
 satisfied. Often flooded with pamphlets and criticisms
 
 512 MJ?S. BOOTH. 
 
 1863, of an adverse character, Mr. Cory has always taken a 
 ge 34 ' broad, statesmanlike view of the subject, and, with- 
 A liberal out claiming for the work perfection, has proved his 
 unshaken confidence in the integrity and capacity of 
 its leaders. Refusing to let his mind be distracted 
 from the main object by petty quibbles as to small 
 details, he has persistently estimated the value of the 
 tree by its fruits. While God blessed the labourers 
 with such manifest outpourings of His Holy Spirit 
 Mr. Cory felt that he was more than justified in hold- 
 ing out the right hand of fellowship. How many 
 have pursued an opposite and mistaken course in al- 
 lowing themselves to be unduly influenced by some 
 minor differences of opinion, forgetting that it would 
 be easy for cavillers to discover motes in every 
 brother's eye and beams in that of every existing 
 organisation ! 
 
 Audi ai- Mr. Cory also pursued the straightforward course 
 partem. of seeing the work for himself, and has thus had the 
 advantage of forming his own opinions, irrespective of 
 the reports of others. The " audi alterant partem, " the 
 evenhandedness of British justice, was an essential 
 article in his creed, and if anything arose which 
 seemed to require explanation he was not slow to 
 refer it to those who were most interested in the 
 matter. Calumnies, slanders, mis-statements, and 
 Running exaggerations had to run the gauntlet of an open court, 
 gauntlet, and failed to obtain the back-door access which they 
 usually seek. The mutual confidence which such 
 conduct could not but inspire has gained for Mr. 
 Cory the satisfaction of witnessing the triumph of the 
 principles which he has so long and so consistently 
 supported.
 
 CHAPTER XLIX. 
 THE PROVINCES. 1863. 
 
 THE high standard of accomplishment set before Trying 
 himself by Mr. Booth rendered the comparative re- 
 verses with which he occasionally met the more try- 
 ing to one of his impetuous temperament. He could 
 draw little comfort from the fact that his own 
 achievements exceeded those of others similarly 
 placed, or from the existence of difficulties which 
 most would have regarded as affording a sufficient ex- 
 cuse for failure. Nothing satisfied him but at least 
 an equal measure of result to that which he had else- staw * ard - 
 where witnessed ; and even when this had been gained 
 he was ever ready to question whether the standard 
 was not still far short of the Divine ideal. 
 
 Nevertheless, the boycott established by some of The 
 the denominations could not fail to affect in a con- 
 siderable degree the progress of the work, and at 
 Newport, the next field of labour, his efforts were 
 seriously crippled by the inability to secure suitable 
 buildings. Added to this, Mrs. Booth was prostrated Mrs. 
 soon after their arrival by a serious attack of influenza, J 
 which prevented her from taking her accustomed 
 share in the meetings. 
 
 Writing to her parents Mrs. Booth says : 
 
 " May 20, 1863. 
 
 " The difficulties here have been very great. Indeed, I do The two 
 not think we should have come had we known that we should 
 
 have been thrown on to so small and unsuitable a chapel. ards. 
 
 33 513
 
 5H 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1863, 
 Age 34. 
 
 Pemliar 
 trials. 
 
 Was it a 
 f ailuref 
 
 Mr. and 
 
 Mrs. 
 Billups. 
 
 A true 
 friend. 
 
 However, there has been some very good work accomplished. 
 Above a hundred have been saved, and some of them have 
 been very good cases. Amongst others were two of the oldest 
 and worst drunkards in the town. 
 
 " I don't feel at all discouraged, and if William would only 
 look at it in the same way all would be right. We cannot 
 expect to succeed everywhere alike. Difficulties must in some 
 degree affect the measure of our success. People seem to 
 forget the circumstances under which we came. If you don't 
 succeed to the extent they expect, you may work ever so hard 
 and suffer martyrdom in trying to lift them and their little 
 interests to notice and prosperity, and they will take it all as 
 a matter of course. But never mind. The Lord knows all 
 about it, and he will supply our need. 
 
 " There is plenty of material from which to make a good 
 report even here. But there is no one to do it. The preacher 
 reports anniversaries, but a hundred souls and a general 
 quickening of the members he looks upon as a failure, and so 
 says nothing. And yet I like the man, and esteem him far 
 more highly than many of his class. If it were not for eter- 
 nity we should soon give up this life. But we dare not while 
 God so owns our efforts." 
 
 At the close of the Newport meetings Mr. and 
 Mrs. Booth were invited for a few days of rest and 
 change to Weston-super-Mare by two of their newly- 
 made Cardiff friends, Mr. and Mrs. Billups. A 
 friendship of a warm and unchanging character 
 sprang up between Mrs. Booth and Mrs. Billups. To 
 this we are indebted for a voluminous correspondence, 
 to which frequent reference will be made in the en- 
 suing pages. 
 
 Mrs. Billups was one of those self-depreciatory but 
 truly noble-minded and large-hearted characters, 
 rarely found, and seldom duly valued. Sensitively 
 conscientious, she often blamed herself for what 
 others would have praised. The very essence of 
 benevolence, she could not endure to see suffering 
 without endeavouring to alleviate it. With a mental
 
 THE PROVINCES. 515 
 
 and moral horizon that was unbounded by the nar- 1863, 
 row-mindedness of mere self-interest, she was at the ge 34 ' 
 same time both intellectual and spiritual. 
 
 It requires a heart to appreciate a heart, and a mind Her men- 
 to appreciate a mind. Mrs. Billups was endowed with ability. 
 both. Her mental abilities were such as to enable 
 her to recognise the superior gifts of Mrs. Booth, and 
 yet to companion her in a sense that few could do. 
 At the same time the intense hunger of her soul for 
 God and her boundless admiration for piety and hero- 
 ism made her an eager disciple of her friend and An eager 
 counsellor. She did not, it is true, possess the colos- dlsci P te - 
 sal strength of will and self-reliance which enabled 
 Mrs. Booth to face without flinching storms which 
 would have prostrated any ordinary mind. But it 
 would hardly be just to compare characters of so dif- 
 ferent a cast and calibre. 
 
 Mr. Billups, a contractor by profession, was not Mr. 
 only warmly attached to his amiable and talented a n optl 
 wife, but held her in the highest veneration. Him- 
 self the essence of good-nature, and an optimist of the 
 most pronounced type, he presented the very antithe- 
 sis to Mrs. Billups, whose whole life was tinged with 
 self-condemnation, the peculiar qualities of each 
 counteracting the despair of the one or the over- 
 elation of the other. 
 
 Both have proved themselves unswerving friends of unswero- 
 Mr. and Mrs. Booth alike in the dark seasons of per- ing a( 
 plexity and poverty and in the hey-day of their most 
 brilliant achievements. The short visit to Weston- 
 super-Mare served to cement the friendship which 
 had been formed amid the hurry and rush of the 
 Cardiff revival. It was a bright and long-remem- 
 bered oasis in what happened to be somewhat of a 
 desert experience. Cut off from their old associates
 
 5 i6 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1863, 
 Age 34. 
 
 The 
 clergy- 
 man's ex- 
 perience. 
 
 Com- 
 rades-in- 
 arms. 
 
 Walsall. 
 
 How the 
 work 
 
 there be- 
 gan. 
 
 by the recent decrees of the three Conferences, they 
 had not yet rallied the band of sympathisers who 
 were to help them in their future plans. " Our ex- 
 perience at this time," says General Booth, "was that 
 of the old clergyman, who said that the church would 
 not contain his acquaintances, but the pulpit was too 
 large for his friends!" Happily those days are long 
 since past, and the Salvation Army can reckon on the 
 assistance of many valued friends, who, if not actually 
 enrolled within its ranks, are able and ready to ren- 
 der services the worth of which it would be difficult 
 to estimate. But, while thankful for the many new 
 faces that sprang up around her from year to year, 
 none were more heartily appreciated and gladly wel- 
 comed by Mrs. Booth to the last than the old and 
 long-tried comrades-in-arms, whose affection had been 
 tested by the fires of adversity and the wear and 
 waste of time. 
 
 After leaving Weston-super-Mare Mr. and Mrs. 
 Booth spent the next eight weeks at the town of 
 Walsall, near Birmingham. They had been invited 
 there by a small struggling society who called them 
 selves Free Methodists, but were in reality indepen- 
 dent of that and every other church. Their previous 
 and subsequent history was, however, not a little re- 
 markable, and is worthy of notice, as somewhat fore- 
 shadowing the Salvation Army. Mr. Booth's diary 
 contains the following sketch of the origin of this 
 society : 
 
 " Just twelve months ago a few friends went over 
 from Walsall to Wolverhampton to hear Mr. Caughey, 
 and their hearts were greatly stirred by what they 
 saw and heard. Returning home they resolved to 
 make an effort to light a similar flame in their own 
 town, and to do something for the crowds who were
 
 THE PROVINCES. 517 
 
 steeped in sin and wretchedness. A Mr. Dupe, a 1863, 
 plain, earnest man, who was saved under Mr. Caughey ge 34 ' 
 at Nottingham twenty years ago, preached their first 
 sermon, on 'They shall come that were ready to 
 perish,' in a small room, which he and three others 
 had rented. From the first, souls sought salvation. 
 The work began to attract notice among the roughs, 
 and there were frequent disturbances. One night Early 
 they dressed up one of their number to represent the ances. 
 devil, with horns, hoof, and tail, and sent him in, 
 thinking it would terrify the congregation and thus 
 upset the meeting. Instead of this, however, the 
 leaders turned on him and besought to get him saved. 
 This was more than the disturbers had bargained for, 
 and they at length retired, considerably discomfited, 
 leaving behind them the horns, which were hung up 
 in the hall as a trophy, and served both as an attrac- 
 tion and warning in the meetings for some time after." 
 
 A larger room was taken, and then a still larger Their new 
 one. Mr. Caughey was then invited over and 
 preached for them in a borrowed chapel. They had 
 also been visited by Dr. and Mrs. Palmer. Finally 
 they had built for themselves the fine new chapel to 
 which they had invited Mr. and Mrs. Booth, and in 
 which on the previous Sabbath they had held their 
 anniversary services. This seems to me to speak 
 volumes for earnest measures and evangelistic effort. 
 
 "Sunday, May 3ist. The first day's services have Mrs. 
 filled us with hope. Although the congregation in a nieiting 
 the morning was small, still there was a very precious 
 influence. In the afternoon my darling wife had a 
 melting time. Above thirty persons came forward to 
 make a full consecration of themselves to the service 
 of Jesus. And at night I had hardly given the in- 
 vitation when sinners responded from all parts of the
 
 5i8 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1863, chapel. Seventeen names were recorded as receiving 
 
 ge 34 ' the blessing of pardon. 
 
 Some "Saturday, June 6th. During the week the con- 
 S saved? gregations have been small, but still the converting 
 work has gone on. Fifty persons have professed sal- 
 vation. On Thursday nine young men knelt to- 
 gether. Some of them had been notorious scoffers. 
 They had gone so far in previous services as to let a 
 bird loose in the chapel. I hope that the Lord will 
 teach and keep them. 
 The Army "Sabbath, June /th. The morning congregation 
 
 owed. ' was a very considerable improvement. At night we 
 were nearly full. Several rather noted characters had 
 come over from Birmingham to help us, and they 
 went out into the streets singing and exhorting the 
 people. One of them had been a professional horse- 
 TropMes racer an( ^ gambler. One was a prize-fighter. An- 
 of grave, other had been a celebrated thief, concerned in some 
 silk robberies, jumping on and off the train between 
 the stations when going at a considerable speed. It 
 was very gratifying to listen to their earnest plead- 
 ings, and to hear them speak of the power of Christ 
 to save to the uttermost all who come to God by Him. 
 About twenty professed to find Jesus at the close of 
 the meeting. 
 
 Servants "Thursday, June nth. Elizabeth, a servant whom 
 ed ' we engaged a few days ago, came out for salvation. 
 We had been anxious about her, but she had told 
 Mary that she did not believe in revivals. However, 
 I sent one of the leaders to speak to her and she came 
 forward. As my dear wife knelt by her side and 
 spoke to her, Elizabeth threw her arms round her 
 neck, wept bitterly, and entered into the rest of be- 
 lieving like a little child. The girl we had in Cardiff 
 and the one at Newport have also been saved.
 
 THE PROVINCES. 519 
 
 "Sunday, June i4th. Last night we held an open- 1863, 
 air service on what is called the Bridge. It is a large ge 34 ' 
 space in the centre of the town at the foot of the The 
 market street, having a clock, a drinking-fountain, ridg 
 and two cannon taken at the Crimea in the centre. 
 Underneath, a small stream of water flows, in conse- 
 quence of which it is known as the Bridge, although 
 bearing little semblance to the structures that are 
 usually dignified by that name. 
 
 " It is some time now since I attempted speaking Open-air 
 in the open air. My last effort was only a brief one, 
 and I was so much exhausted by it that, although 
 often wishing for the physical endurance necessary 
 for such labours, I had feared my utter inability, and 
 consequently for the time being abandoned it. With 
 some misgivings, therefore, I joined a handful of 
 friends there last evening. To my surprise and 
 gratification I found myself able, with comparative 
 ease, to speak for upwards of an hour to a crowd of 
 people. Many appeared deeply impressed, and I 
 doubt not bread was cast upon the waters of thought 
 and memory, which will be found again to the praise 
 and glory of God after many days. 
 
 " To-day has been, on the whole, an improvement on The work 
 previous Sabbaths. There was a good influence in advances - 
 the morning, and a powerful time in the afternoon, 
 when my dear wife was enabled to speak home to the 
 hearts and consciences of the people. At night the 
 chapel was full, and about twenty came forward. 
 
 "Wednesday, 1 7th June. At night a very useful Ameetmj 
 open-air service. I was afraid at the beginning we 
 were going to fail. I had but few supporters, and 
 there were not many listeners. However, the crowd 
 soon gathered. Just as I commenced, a horsebreaker 
 began driving a young colt round and round among
 
 520 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1863, the people. After some remonstrance he desisted and 
 ge 34 ' took his departure. For a while my spirits were 
 much depressed. I was relying entirely on the inspi- 
 ration of the moment for what I should say. But 
 with the last verse of the hymn the power of effective 
 speech was given me, and one of the best services fol- 
 lowed which I ever attended in the open air. At the 
 close of an hour and a quarter's address, during which 
 time we sang twice, I invited 'the people to accompany 
 us to the chapel. Then jumping off the chair, I 
 linked my arm in that of a navvy with a white slop on, 
 Arm-in- and we marched off arm-in-arm with a great crowd to 
 a a navvy, the chapel. In the meeting which followed about 
 twenty came forward, some of them straight from the 
 coalpit and workshop. 
 
 "Sunday, 2ist June. Much better attendance. 
 Mrs. Booth had a grand service in the afternoon. 
 At night between twenty and thirty professed to find 
 mercy. The chapel was about full, but we were dis- 
 appointed that there was no greater rush. 
 A march " Monday. We had again a season of great power 
 through on the Bri( j ge an( j in the streets. After leaving the 
 streets. s t an( j we walked singing through one of the most 
 crowded parts of the town, occasionally pausing and 
 giving exhortations or offering a few words of prayer. 
 On reaching the chapel I found my dear wife was 
 Mrs. still there. She had been holding a children's ser- 
 wfththe vice, at which some sixty or seventy little ones had 
 children. come forward enquiring their way to Jesus. She 
 stayed with us and gave a short but powerful address, 
 and very soon souls were seeking salvation in greater 
 numbers than on any previous occasion. Some were 
 me can- truly delightful cases. 
 verted "One man who has been a drunkard, and was con- 
 
 drunk- 
 
 ard. verted a few nights previously and has since attended
 
 THE PROVINCES. 521 
 
 the meetings, looking as happy and interested as any 1863, 
 of us, was sitting to-night in a front pew and anx- 
 iously watching a friend of his who had come out to 
 the rail. At length he left his seat, knelt down by Helps his 
 his companion, threw his arms round him and began f nend > 
 to encourage him to believe in Jesus. I thought this 
 was beautiful. Only the other day himself deep down 
 in the mire and clay, he is found not only anxious 
 about, but helping his comrade to find Jesus. They 
 say a Hindoo for the Hindoos, an African for the 
 Africans, and so a workingman for workingmen. A 
 man will be most likely to benefit his own class. 
 
 " When we first came here we were obliged to get The 
 the paperhangers and others into our house to help c ^^~ 
 make it habitable. . At family prayers one morning 
 we had called all together into the kitchen, the only 
 available living-room, and had just commenced when 
 a chimney-sweep looked in and asked if we should 
 require his services. Mrs. Booth said that we should, 
 and invited him to come in and sit down. He did so 
 with some reluctance, listened while I read, and after- 
 wards bowed with us in prayer. While pleading for 
 him my dear wife said that she felt assured God had 
 heard and answered our prayer. The matter had 
 passed from my mind till this evening, when I met 
 him in the aisle, and found that both he and his wife 
 had come forward to the rail for salvation a few 
 nights previously. 
 
 "Sabbath, 28th June. A few days ago it occurred A new 
 to me that a day's open-air services would be useful nlan - 
 in arousing the town and in bringing under the 
 Gospel a great number whom we cannot reach even 
 with the extraordinary means we are at present em- 
 ploying. Acordingly we laid our plans and issued a 
 large poster, of which the following is a copy:
 
 522 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1863, 
 Age 34- "'MR. AND MRS. BOOTH AT WALSALL. 
 
 " ' A United Monster Camp-Meeting will be held in 
 a field near Hatherton Lake on Sabbath, June 28th. 
 
 " 'Addresses will be given by Revs. William Booth, 
 Thos. Whitehouse, and other ministers of the neigh- 
 bourhood, and also by converted pugilists, horse- 
 racers, poachers, and others from Birmingham, Liver- 
 pool, and Nottingham. 
 
 "'Mrs. Booth will preach at Whittemere Street 
 Chapel in the evening at 6 o'clock. 
 
 '"Services to commence at 9 A.M.' 
 
 A capital " ' The dawning of this Sabbath was anxiously an- 
 ticipated, and very early many eyes peered forth to 
 discern the character of the weather, and were glad- 
 dened at the probability of a fine day. By 9 
 o'clock a large company had assembled at the chapel. 
 After prayer we started to procession the town, and 
 with a company which swelled in numbers as we pro- 
 ceeded we made the streets echo with heart-stirring 
 songs. Here and there we paused for prayer, or a 
 word of exhortation, and very often for the announce- 
 ment of the coming services. The people ran in 
 crowds. Preachers and praying men from surround- 
 ing towns and villages joined us as we passed along, 
 hundreds of stragglers followed in our train, and by 
 the time we reached the camp-ground we had quite 
 an imposing gathering. 
 
 Thecamp. "The field, which had been kindly lent for the oc- 
 casion, was admirably suited for our purpose, having 
 in it several natural eminences, at the base of which 
 we placed our wagons, and with the people lining the 
 sides of the green hills in front and on either side 
 the gathering presented quite a picturesque appear-
 
 THE PROVINCES. 523 
 
 ance. The morning services were excellent, the at- 1863, 
 tendance equalling our most sanguine expectations. 
 The afternoon excelled anything of the kind ever 
 witnessed before in the neighbourhood. It was cal- 
 culated that there were nearly five thousand people ,_ w , 
 
 J r f thousand 
 
 on the ground, three-fourths of whom were working- present. 
 men. The speakers were just of the stamp to 
 grapple with this class : chiefly of their own order, 
 talking to them in their own language, regarding 
 themselves as illustrations of the power of the Gospel, 
 and continually crying, 'Such were some of us, but 
 we are washed. ' 
 
 " One of them had been a prize-fighter, a drunkard, Theprize- 
 and a gambler, having tramped all over the country. 
 His wife and child had been in the union. So despe- 
 rate had he been that five and six policemen had been 
 required to take him to prison, and then from the 
 grating of the lock-up he had waved his hand to his 
 comrades, shouting, 'This is the boy that will never 
 give in!' Now he shouts, 'The lion's tamed! The Tkeiion 
 Ethiopian's white! The sinner's saved! Christ has 
 conquered.' By his evil ways he had nearly broken 
 his parents' hearts, but, being pious, they had never 
 ceased to pray for him. Now they rejoiced over 
 him, and the other day he sent them his portrait 
 with a Bible in his hand instead of the boxing-gloves. 
 All this and a great deal more he testified with great 
 simplicity, while his face, covered with smiles, told 
 of the happiness which now reigned within. 
 
 " Another had been a horse-racer, a professional A short 
 gambler, and a drunkard. To use his own words, P a P black 
 there was not one in that great crowd who could be 
 worse than he had been. A short pipe and a black 
 eye would give an idea of his usual appearance at any 
 time.
 
 524 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1863, " These were some of the speakers. Others spoke 
 
 Atrc *?A 
 
 with equally blessed influence. At different periods 
 the speakers left the wagons, large circles were 
 formed on the grass, and all united in prayer. It 
 was five o'clock before the afternoon service closed, 
 and then we left our ex-racing friend pleading the 
 cause of Jesus with the crowd that still lingered. 
 Forty seek " j n the evening my dear wife spoke to a great 
 
 salvation. * 
 
 J. E. BILLUPS, OF CARDIFF. 
 
 crowd in the chapel, while I held a meeting in a field 
 close by. We united for the prayer-meeting, when 
 about forty persons sought salvation." 
 
 The Hal- This day was remarkable for more reasons than 
 Band. one. Not only did the revival go forward with a 
 fresh impetus, some thirty souls professing to be con- 
 verted on each night of the following week, but after 
 Mr. and Mrs. Booth had left Walsall similar meetings 
 were held by the same workers in neighbouring towns.
 
 THE PROVINCES. 
 
 525 
 
 They announced themselves as "The Hallelujah 1863, 
 Band" engaged theatres, music halls, drill halls, ge 34 ' 
 circuses, sheds, warehouses, chapels, or whatever 
 else might be available, and held meetings which work. 
 were attended by large crowds. Numbers were saved, 
 and at one time it seemed that the work was likely to 
 become permanent and to spread over the whole 
 country. 
 
 Applications for the services of the band came in j t i ac ked 
 
 cohesion. 
 
 MRS. BILLUPS, OF CARDIFF. 
 
 from all directions. Other bands sprang up, and for 
 a season the prospects were most hopeful. But, alas, 
 the movement lacked those elements of cohesion and 
 stability which could alone ensure its permanence. 
 There being no central and recognised authority, NO cen- 
 each man did what seemed good in his own eyes, authority. 
 Divisions and rivalries were the natural consequence. 
 In their train followed detraction and slander. Then 
 mercenary motives crept in. Money was given at
 
 526 MJfS. BOOTH. 
 
 1863, the meetings with a generous hand, and the applica- 
 
 ge 34 ' tion of it became a cause of contention. Several of 
 
 the most prominent workers backslid, the meetings 
 
 dwindled, the bands became a mere show of what 
 
 they had been, and, with the exception of a few iso- 
 
 lated instances, the whole movement passed from 
 
 public view almost as suddenly as it had appeared. 
 
 Mr. Booth Mr. Booth watched this movement from the first 
 
 daylight, with keen interest, and often remarked that, .had it 
 
 been properly officered and organised, the results 
 
 might have been very different. But more important 
 
 still in its bearing upon the future was the light that 
 
 sprang from this experience in regard to the solution 
 
 of the mighty problem as to how the masses were to 
 
 be reached. 
 
 Ho t In his pugilist preachers and horse-racing leaders 
 masses, was early recognised the principle that the working 
 classes were most effectually influenced by their own 
 flesh and blood, and added another to the foundation 
 truths which contributed to the ultimate success of 
 the Salvation Army. 
 
 A typical Mr. Booth leaping down from the chair in the 
 market-place, and linking arms with the navvy in his 
 march through the streets, was eminently typical of 
 the descent he was to make from conventionality and 
 traditionalism, and of the alliance that he was to form 
 with the toiling masses of the world. The act of the 
 moment was to be the inspiration of years to come. 
 Arm-in- It was arm-in-arm, as their brother-sinner saved by 
 " m ' grace, that he was to lead the socialistic, democratic, 
 turbid, restless masses of humanity back to order, 
 back to religion, and back to God.
 
 CHAPTER L 
 
 THE PROVINCES. 1863-4. 
 
 A FEW days after the camp-meeting described in 
 the last chapter Mr. Booth met with an unfortunate 
 accident which served for a time to throw the burden 
 of the work entirely upon Mrs. Booth. In leaving 
 the chapel one night he put his foot into a hole 
 which had been made for the purpose of some alter- 
 ations to the gas-fittings of the place, and gave it a 
 wrench which completely lamed him and confined him 
 to his room for the next fortnight. As soon, how- 
 ever, as he was able to get out again he was in his 
 accustomed place, standing on one leg and resting the 
 other knee upon a chair. A day or two afterwards he 
 hobbled round the town with the procession, his in- 
 domitable spirit ever carrying him to the utmost 
 limit of his strength. 
 
 Perhaps the most cheering, and not the least im- 
 portant, incident of the Walsall revival was the 
 conversion of their son Bramwell. It took place at 
 one of the children's meetings which Mrs. Booth was 
 in the custom of conducting. "For some little time," 
 says his mother, " I had been anxious on his behalf. 
 He had appeared deeply convicted during the Cardiff 
 services, and one night at the circus I had urged him 
 very earnestly to decide for Christ. For a long time 
 he would not speak, but I insisted on his giving me a 
 definite answer as to whether he would accept the 
 
 527 
 
 Mr. Booth 
 sprains 
 his foot. 
 
 Mrs. 
 
 Booth 
 leads the 
 meetings. 
 
 The con- 
 version of 
 Bram- 
 well. 
 
 At Car- 
 diff he 
 icould not 
 be saved.
 
 5 28 
 
 MAS. BOOTH, 
 
 1863, 
 Age 34. 
 
 Among 
 the peni- 
 tents. 
 
 Cherish- 
 ing grace. 
 
 A definite 
 exper- 
 ience. 
 
 A persyn- 
 al ques- 
 tion. 
 
 offer of salvation or not. I shall never forget the 
 feeling that thrilled through my soul, when my dar- 
 ling boy, only seven years old, about whom I had 
 formed such high expectations with regard to his 
 future service for the Master, deliberately looked me 
 in the face and answered 'No!' 
 
 " It was, therefore, not only with joy but with some 
 little surprise that I discovered him in one of my 
 Walsall meetings kneeling at the communion rail 
 among a crowd of little penitents. He had come out, 
 of his own accord, from the middle of the hall, and I 
 found him squeezed in among the rest, confessing his 
 sins and seeking forgiveness. I need not say that I 
 dealt with him faithfully, and, to the great joy of both 
 his father and myself, he then and there received the 
 assurance of pardon." 
 
 Referring to the matter in a letter to her parents 
 Mrs. Booth says: "Willie has begun to serve God, of 
 course as a child, but still, I trust, taught of the 
 Spirit. I feel a great increase of responsibility with 
 respect to him. Oh, to cherish the tender plant of 
 grace aright. Lord, help!" 
 
 To some it may appear strange that a child who 
 had thus been brought up from his very infancy in 
 such an atmosphere of prayer and consecration should 
 have had so definite an experience of conversion. 
 But the history of many a pious home has proved the 
 sad possibility of children who are surrounded with 
 religious influences growing up, if not in open wicked- 
 ness, at least without coming to any real decision for 
 God. Mr. and Mrs. Booth taught their children, as 
 soon as they were able to understand, that this was a 
 question which they must settle for themselves. And 
 they had the happiness of seeing one after another 
 surrender themselves at an early age to Christ, and
 
 THE PROVINCES. 529 
 
 prove by an after-life of devotion and sacrifice the 1863, 
 sincerity of their vows and the reality of the change. ge ^ 
 
 " A great deal has devolved on me during this last fort- pj. 00 f s * 
 night. I have conducted the service every night since Wil- sincerity. 
 Ham was hurt, and have only been very poorly myself. The 
 weather and the smoky atmosphere of this place seem quite to 
 overpower me. 
 
 " To-night William has gone to speak out of doors for the jtf r . 
 first time since his accident. His ankle is wonderful, consider- Booth's 
 
 AMMftf 
 
 ing what a serious sprain it was. You would have been sprain. 
 frightened had you seen it. The leg was black and blue al- 
 most from the knee to the toes, and the joint was very much 
 swollen. We have given Mr. Smedley's hydropathic treat- Hydrppa- 
 ment a fair trial. William has had a steam bath for the limb 
 twice and three times daily, and it has answered so well as to 
 astonish all who have seen it. We are told it is no uncom- 
 mon thing for persons with no worse strains to be completely 
 laid up for six or eight weeks. Nevertheless, the confine- 
 ment and pain have made him very poorly." 
 
 After continuing the services for eight weeks, Mr. 
 and Mrs. Booth farewelled and left Walsall. Power- 
 ful and successful as had been the revival, and num- 
 erous as had been the trophies of saving grace, it had 
 been financially a severe and prolonged struggle. 
 " We have not at present received as much as our 
 travelling expenses and house-rent," Mrs. Booth 
 writes to her mother. " I feel a good deal perplexed, 
 and am sometimes tempted to mistrust the Lord. 
 But I will not allow it. Our Father knows!" 
 
 By the kindness of some friends Mr. and Mrs. 
 Booth were able to spend the next few weeks at Mr. 
 Smedley's Hydropathic Establishment, Matlock Bank. 
 The opportunity for further studying the hydropathic 
 treatment was taken advantage of by Mrs. Booth, 
 who became a thorough convert to the system, prac- 
 tising and advocating it to the end of her life. 
 
 34
 
 530 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1863, On the present occasion, but for this timely rest, a 
 ge 34< general break-down in Mr. Booth's health would have 
 
 A timely been inevitable. He was suffering from a severely 
 rest - ulcerated throat, which would alone have rendered 
 public speaking impossible. Added to this, his ankle 
 was still swollen and painful, and his constitution 
 generally run down. But it has been always dif- 
 ficult, under any circumstances, to persuade him to 
 rest. His active mind has ever revelled in employ- 
 ment, and he has contrived to wedge into the years 
 of his life what would have overtaxed the energies of 
 half-a-dozen ordinary persons. It was, therefore, with 
 
 Return to more than usual satisfaction that he hailed the op- 
 portunity of returning to his beloved work. 
 
 The next meetings were held at the New Connexion 
 Chapel in Moseley Street, Birmingham. More than 
 
 ingather- a hundred and fifty souls were ingathered as a result 
 
 Birming- of this effort, and at the farewell meeting the follow- 
 ing resolution was passed with great cordiality and 
 unanimity : 
 
 " This society desires to express its gratitude to the Al- 
 mighty for the success which has attended the labours of the 
 Rev. William and Mrs. Booth, while conducting a series of 
 special religious meetings in Moseley Street Chapel, and begs 
 to present to the Rev. William and Mrs. Booth its best thanks 
 for the great services they have rendered to this society, and 
 prays that God's blessing may attend them in all their future 
 labours, and that at last they may be crowned with glory, 
 honour, immortality, and eternal life." 
 
 Work at Without removing his family from Birmingham, 
 
 Ol and 11 Mr. Booth spent the next five weeks in carrying on 
 
 Hasbury. wor ^ a t old Hill in connexion with the Primitive 
 
 Methodists, notwithstanding the recent resolution that 
 
 their Conference had passed. As a result some two 
 
 hundred persons professed conversion. In these and
 
 THE PR O VINCES. 5 3 r 
 
 in the following meetings, at a small place called Has- 1863, 
 bury, Mrs. Booth's ill-health permitted her to take but ge 34 ' 
 little part. She was enabled, however, in December . 
 to offer material assistance in the revival then in pro- 
 gress at the Lye. Of these meetings she gives an Revival at 
 interesting sketch in her letters to her parents, from 
 which we gather the following particulars. She 
 writes from Birmingham, where she continued to 
 reside with her family, travelling backwards and for- 
 wards to the Lye as occasion might require : 
 
 "BIRMINGHAM, Dec. 8, 1863. 
 
 " I have returned this afternoon from the Lye. I was too opposi- 
 much exhausted after my service yesterday (Monday) morn- tion from 
 ing to return that day. We had a wonderful time, chapel preachers. 
 nearly full, and ten cases for pardon, sixty or seventy for full 
 consecration. I never saw so much weeping in a meeting. I 
 like the character of the people and feel equally desirous to 
 stay in these parts. But the preachers have created an oppo- 
 sition at Brierley Hill, so that door is shut. 
 
 " It does seem incomprehensible, when William has conse- glorious 
 crated life and all to the work of saving men, that we should track. 
 be opposed and thwarted by those who ought to be first to 
 encourage and help us ! But, alas, too often so it is ! There 
 is, however, one consolation. We follow in a glorious track. 
 All who have ever set themselves to the same work have had 
 to contend with the same difficulties. Even the world's great 
 Reformer and Redeemer 'came to His own, and His own re- 
 ceived Him not. ' What He did for the people He did in spite 
 of the Scribes and Pharisees. 'As it was in the beginning, 
 is now, and ever shall be!' 
 
 " Nevertheless, we have great encouragements. The bless- Some tro- 
 ing of many who were ready to perish comes upon us. There 
 is some precious fruit at the Lye yonder, some glorious tro- 
 phies of grace, and, if it be not blasted by the entrance of a 
 quarrelsome and self-seeking spirit among the officials, it will 
 be our 'crown of rejoicing' in the day of the Lord. 
 
 " I feel dreadfully unsettled at present. I don't like this 
 mode of living at all. William has now been away from home, 
 except on Friday and Saturday, for twelve weeks. I long to
 
 532 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1863, 
 Age 34. 
 
 trust. 
 
 Exhaust- 
 ing 'but 
 blessed 
 work. 
 
 Mrs. 
 
 Booth's 
 
 morning 
 
 meetings. 
 
 get fixed together again once more. The going backwards 
 and forwards and being in other people's houses does not suit 
 William. Nor do I like leaving home for the Sabbaths. I 
 am much tempted to look gloomily towards the future. But 
 'my heart is fixed.' 'I will trust and not be afraid.' 
 
 " These words have followed me much of late, ' Do good, 
 so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. ' 
 If I can only fulfil thejirst part of the direction I have no fear 
 about the second. But oh, I continually come short. I want 
 Madame Guy on' s faith and self-renunciation. Pray for me! 
 I sometimes feel as though I had taken a path which is too 
 hard for me, and duties too onerous for me to perform ; but it 
 is my privilege to say, and to feel, 'I can do all things through 
 Christ which strengtheneth me. ' " 
 
 "BIRMINGHAM, Dec. 16, 1863. 
 
 " I went to the Lye again on Saturday with William. I had 
 a crowded chapel in the afternoon and a good time ; but it is 
 the hardest place to speak in that I ever knew. It tries me 
 more than the Circus at Cardiff. Monday morning I had an- 
 other service and the chapel was full. God was with us, of 
 a truth. I don't know how many came forward, but the rail, 
 forms, and all available places were filled, and we should 
 have had as many more if there had been anywhere to put 
 them. I never saw the meeting excelled, even in Cornwall. 
 William had between twenty and thirty cases on Sunday 
 night, but he came back fearfully exhausted. It is a perfect 
 mystery to me how he stands it night after night, first the 
 long sermon, and then the tiring and protracted prayer meet- 
 ing. It is killing work, although an infinitely blessed one. 
 We conclude on Christmas day with a tea-meeting." 
 
 An interesting description of these meetings is sent 
 by a lady, who vividly recollects them after an inter- 
 val of twenty-seven years : 
 
 "I have a specially distinct recollection," she writes, "of 
 the morning meetings held by Mrs. Booth for women only. 
 The Primitive Methodist Tabernacle, in which these services 
 were held, was crowded morning after morning, and never 
 shall I forget the memorable scenes that were enacted there. 
 At the close of each meeting dear Mrs. Booth called for vol-
 
 THE PROVINCES. 
 
 533 
 
 tmteers, and numbers quickly responded to the invitation. 
 But my pen is quite inadequate to describe what we constantly 
 witnessed. Never before or since have I seen anything to 
 equal it. 
 
 " The women left their work and in all sorts of odd costumes 
 flocked to the meetings, some with bonnets, some with a 
 shawl fastened over their head, others with little children 
 clinging to their necks. All with eager, enquiring faces 
 took their seats and listened to the gracious words which fell 
 from the lips of dear Mrs. Booth. And when the invitation 
 was given, what a scene ensued ! It baffles all description. 
 Crowding, weeping, rushing to the communion rail came con- 
 victed sinners and repentant backsliders. When the rail was 
 filled the penitents dropped upon their knees in the aisles or 
 in their seats, so that it was difficult to move about. 
 
 " Many a time did dear Mrs. Booth appear to be completely 
 exhausted. She was evidently in very delicate health at the 
 time, and yet the addresses always manifested deep thought, 
 womanly feeling, and most earnest Christian solicitude ; and 
 although her pose was perfectly modest and refined, her de- 
 livery was often wonderfully impassioned, eloquent, and fer- 
 vid. My education and associations had made me very much 
 opposed to female ministry, so that I went to hear her with a 
 mind full of prejudice and prepared to criticise. But her first 
 words disarmed me, and I soon became convinced that a 
 modest, Scriptural, and earnest address such as Mrs. Booth 
 had given must of necessity, at least in the case of her own 
 sex, do even more good than if an equally eloquent one had 
 been delivered by a man." 
 
 Over the events of the ensuing year, 1864, space 
 will not permit to more than skim. The meetings 
 resembled in character those which have been already 
 described, and were attended with similar success. 
 In March meetings were commenced at Leeds, and, 
 owing to the increasing difficulty of moving from 
 place to place with so large a family, a house was 
 taken and furnished, Mr. and Mrs. Booth resolving to 
 make that city the temporary centre of their opera- 
 tions. 
 
 1864, 
 Age 35. 
 
 Eager 
 Il8tener8 - 
 
 Leeds.
 
 534 MXS. BOOTH. 
 
 1864, After some powerful services had been carried on 
 ge 3S< in the Lady Lane and Meadow Lane chapels, Mr. 
 Booth struck out once more on unsectarian lines, con- 
 
 'meetings. ducting services on Sundays in the Prince of Wales' 
 Hall, and on week-nights in some rooms called the 
 Rotation Offices. But the calls from surrounding 
 towns were too numerous, and his love for the evange- 
 listic style of work too deep-seated, to allow him to 
 settle down in Leeds. Hence he accepted invitations 
 in the latter part of the year to visit Halifax, Hyde, 
 Bury, Staleybridge, and Sheffield, besides paying a 
 flying visit to Gateshead, where he received an open- 
 armed welcome from the members of his old con- 
 gregation. 
 Her On May 4th their sixth child, Marian, was born. 
 
 daughter . <'/ 
 
 Marian The baby promised to be one of the finest of the 
 family, but suffered soon after her birth from severe 
 convulsive attacks, which left their mark upon her in 
 after life, and rendered her too delicate to take her 
 place beside her brothers and sisters in their public 
 work. Nevertheless Mrs. Booth had the joy of see- 
 ing her invalid daughter, together with the rest of 
 her family, give her heart to God at an early age, be- 
 sides doing her quiet utmost, so far as health and 
 strength would permit, to further the cause of Christ, 
 which all had learnt to look upon as their own. 
 Letter It was about this time that an interesting letter was 
 
 Caughey. received from the Rev. James Caughey, the evan- 
 gelist, to whom reference has already more than once 
 been made. 
 
 "LONDON, June 2oth, 1864. 
 "Mv DEAR BROTHER IN JESUS: 
 
 " Thanks for your sweet little hymn-book. I spoke of the 
 ' Spiritual Songs' with high appreciation several weeks ago, 
 and a brother arose and said he had a supply for sale. Shall 
 be happy to commend them. I retreat to Oxford for next
 
 THE PROVINCES. 535 
 
 Sabbath. A grand work of God here. I rejoice in your sue- 1864, 
 cess. Onward ! Great battles to be fought yet before the A K e 35- 
 great outpouring of the Spirit, but we are preparing the 
 way for it. Hallelujah! Mind and body weary enough. 
 Soul happy in purity peace love. A heart full of love and 
 good wishes to yourself and Sister Booth, from your true 
 friend and brother in Jesus, 
 
 "JAMES CAUGHEY." 
 Rev. William Booth. 
 
 Five weeks after the birth of Marian Mrs. Booth ^ new 
 resumed her public labours, and it was decided as an ure. 
 experiment that, instead of assisting Mr. Booth as 
 hitherto in his campaigns, she should strike out inde- 
 pendently, conducting meetings on her own account, 
 and thus doubling their power for good. At first it 
 seemed as though the necessary strain would be too 
 great for one so delicate. It was, moreover, a severe 
 trial to face a life which would involve constant sep- 
 arations. Mrs. Booth was, however, not one to 
 shrink from at least attempting what appeared to be 
 the path of duty, and in doing so she received an 
 abundant fulfilment of the promise that her strength 
 should be according to her day. 
 
 At Batley, Pudsey, and Woodhouse Carr she con- Mrs. 
 ducted revival services which were evidently of a 
 
 semces. 
 
 most stirring and remarkable character, and it is 
 deeply to be regretted that there is not on record a 
 more full and detailed account of this period. In the 
 course of these meetings some five hundred adults 
 and many children professed conversion. At one of 
 these places in the course of six days over one hundred Remark- 
 adults and two hundred children came forward to the revival. 
 communion rail! 
 
 The scarcity of material concerning this period 
 lends added interest to the following letter from Mrs. 
 Booth :
 
 536 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1864, "Mv BELOVED MOTHER: I have had a very good week. 
 35. The chapel, which seats about eight hundred, was nearly full 
 
 every night, and twenty or thirty came forward in each 
 A good .. 
 
 meeting. 
 
 " On Sunday night the chapel was crowded, but it was so 
 hot and I was so poorly that I could not command my usual 
 power in speaking, and, consequently, there were only a few 
 cases, whereas I had hoped for twenty or thirty souls. Never- 
 theless, it was a good service, and I am believing for a break- 
 down to-night. Oh, for more Divine unction ! They say the 
 
 The Pud- Pudsey sinners will ' bide some bringing down. ' Well, the Lord 
 
 sinners can ^ * t- They tell me I am immensely popular with the 
 
 people. But that is no comfort unless they will be saved. 
 
 There has been a precious work among the members. Al- 
 
 most all of them have been forward for full consecration. 
 
 " I have a comfortable little cot to stay in, but very small 
 and humble. However, it is clean and quiet, and when I feel 
 nervous no one knows the value of quietness. 
 
 The home " The governess whom we have just engaged for the chil- 
 
 T 7d the ^ ren promises well in many ways. She is very superior in 
 appearance and manners, and can teach thoroughly the rudi- 
 ments of French, Latin, and music, as well as English. Wil- 
 lie took his first Latin lesson last Thursday. She thinks him 
 very quick at comprehending, and so he is, but so volatile. 
 I like her, and if she only answers my expectations she will 
 be a great boon to me. 
 
 Burn the " William is concluding at Bury on Thursday. There is a 
 
 chapel. new chapel to be opened in a few weeks, and the leaders think 
 
 that the revival will interfere with the opening ceremonies! 
 
 And so, forsooth, the services must be concluded just as 
 
 things are beginning to move. I would tell them, if I were 
 
 there, that, if they did not mind, the Lord would burn their 
 
 chapel about their ears, and that I hoped He would if they let 
 
 it hinder them from seeking a revival ! It is indeed awful, 
 
 the blindness of professors everywhere. Truly, all men seek 
 
 their own and not the things which are Jesus Christ's. Well, 
 
 the Lord help us to be faithful to our convictions, even in the 
 
 dark and cloudy day. I have felt it hard work to do so lately. 
 
 Many a time have I longed to be where the weary are at rest ! 
 
 Waiting " Well, we must labor and wait a little longer, it may be 
 
 rection. t ^ ie c ^ ou d s will break and surround us with sunshine. Any-
 
 THE PROVINCES. 537 
 
 way, God lives above the clouds and he will direct our path. 1864, 
 If the present effort disappoints us I shall be quite tired of Age 35. 
 tugging with the churches, and shall insist on William taking 
 a hall or theatre somewhere. I believe the Lord will thrust 
 him into that sphere yet. We can't get at the masses in the 
 chapels. They are so awfully prejudiced against all connected 
 with the sects that they will not come unless under some 
 mighty excitement. The Lord direct us what to do that will 
 be most for his.glory ! I see more than ever that the religion 
 which is pleasing to God consists in doing and enduring his 
 will rather than in good sentiments and feelings. The Lord 
 help us to endure as seeing Him who is invisible ! 
 
 " I think I shall come and try in London before long. But Looking 
 1 must see. I like this sort of work, and feel as though it were 
 my mission. Perhaps I could arrange some services there, 
 and if I were once set going I think I should succeed. I 
 should like to live in London better than anyplace I was ever 
 in. I dreamed twice that I was going to speak in David 
 Thomas' chapel long before I ever deemed such a thing as 
 preaching possible ! Will it not be strange if I ever should? 
 I would not mind restricting my addresses to ladies, to meet 
 their prejudices, and I could do an immense deal of good, 
 no doubt, in setting them to work for God. But the future is 
 uncertain and chimerical. I must not anticipate "
 
 CHAPTER LI. 
 LONDON. 1865. 
 
 Reviving SINCE resigning their ministerial position in the 
 churches. Methodist New Connexion, Mr. and Mrs. Booth had 
 marked out for themselves the task of helping to re- 
 vive the Christian church in general from the state 
 of torpidity, inactivity and worldly conformity into 
 which it seemed to have lapsed. Through the in- 
 strumentality of an awakened church, as we have 
 seen, they hoped ultimately to reach the masses. 
 During the four past years they had clung to this ex- 
 pectation with unwavering tenacity. True, they had 
 met with a succession of ministerial rebuffs and dis- 
 appointments. They had piped to the church in its 
 own pulpits, and it had not danced ; they had mourned 
 to it in unsectarian halls, or circuses, and it had not 
 lamented. Nevertheless, they had refused to despair, 
 Miracles believing that the miracles of grace which the Holy 
 
 of grace. J 
 
 Spirit had worked through them in each town visited 
 would ultimately convince the most sceptical, and 
 serve to turn the tide of opinion so strongly in the 
 direction of a general revival that all the barriers 
 erected by ministerial opposition would ultimately be 
 swept away, and that the church, alive once more to 
 a sense of her responsibility, would launch forth in 
 supreme and united efforts for the salvation of the 
 countless multitudes who were as yet beyond the 
 borders. 
 
 But the conviction was slowly forcing itself upon. 
 
 538
 
 LONDON. 
 
 539 
 
 their minds that the best way to reach the masses was 
 by an outside agency, specially adapted to their needs 
 and independent of ordinary church usages and con- 
 ventionalities. An admirable sphere for such an effort 
 now offered itself quite unexpectedly in London. 
 For some time past Mr. and Mrs. Booth's attention 
 had been drawn towards the vast metropolis as a possi- 
 ble field for labour, where they could carry on their 
 work without the perpetual separations which had 
 made it of late so harassing, finding in the immediate 
 neighbourhood ample scope for combined effort. 
 
 Nevertheless, Mr. Booth hesitated. Personally he 
 preferred the provinces, doubting, with a modesty and 
 self-depreciation for which few might give him credit, 
 his capacity to meet the requirements of London in- 
 tellect. He was reluctant to leave the Ur of the 
 Chaldees in which he had been reared, and to ex- 
 change the nomadic life he loved for the uncertain 
 advantages of a London Canaan. He recognised, 
 however, that if the worst came to the worst he 
 would still be free to visit the provinces, returning 
 periodically to London. 
 
 It was finally settled that, before breaking up the 
 present home, Mrs. Booth should accept an invitation 
 which had recently been sent to her from Rotherhithe ; 
 that Mr. Booth should join her there at the conclu- 
 sion of the meetings he was then conducting in 
 Louth, and that together they should decide on the 
 spot what their future course was to be. The invita- 
 tion came from the Superintendent of the Southwark 
 Circuit of Free Church Methodists, wherein Mr. 
 Booth, as a local preacher, had several times con- 
 ducted services some twelve years previously. " Roth- 
 erhithe is a good chapel," he writes to Mrs. Booth. 
 " When I knew them they were the warmest-hearted 
 
 A 
 
 Age 
 
 Results of 
 exper~ 
 ience. 
 
 The way 
 open to 
 London. 
 
 The pro- 
 vincial 
 Ur. 
 
 The 
 
 London 
 Canaan. 
 
 Invitation 
 to Rother- 
 hithe. 
 
 A warm 
 hearted 
 people.
 
 540 
 
 MAS. BOOTH. 
 
 1865, 
 Good 
 
 A con- 
 
 The pub- 
 lican's 
 
 ters. 
 
 Settled in 
 
 people in London. I was once a great favourite with 
 them and saw much good done." 
 
 Mrs. Booth commenced her meetings on the 26th of 
 February, and continued them till the iQth of March. 
 Both on Sundays and week-nights the chapel was 
 crowded, and many souls sought salvation. One of 
 her converts, who is still living, says with regard to 
 these meetings : 
 
 " A friend of mine gave me a handbill on which the words 
 were printed, 'Come and hear a woman preach!' I accepted 
 the invitation. Mrs. Booth took for her text, 'Now advise 
 and see what answer I shall return to Him that sent me. ' 2 
 Sam. xxiv. 13. She asked if there were any present who 
 had promised on a bed of sickness to give their hearts to God, 
 and whose promise had remained hitherto unfulfilled. I real- 
 ized that her words applied to myself and I resolved to re- 
 deem my vows that very night. 
 
 " There were many remarkable cases of conversion at these 
 meetings. Amongst others there were the two daughters of a 
 publican who kept the 'Europa. ' When one sister was saved 
 the other went to the chapel on purpose to ridicule the ser- 
 vices. But she was seized with such an agonizing realization 
 of her sins that she came down from the top of the gallery to 
 the communion-rail, crying out aloud, 'I must come! I must 
 come !' Soon afterwards their father gave up the public-house, 
 and they afterwards became members of Mr. Spurgeon's 
 Tabernacle. 
 
 " I have seen as many as thirty persons seeking salvation in 
 a single meeting, and some years afterwards, when I looked 
 at the register of our chapel, I found about one hundred names 
 of those who had professed to be converted at this time." 
 
 The exceptional success of Mrs. Booth's London 
 dtbut finally settled the question of her future home. 
 A suitable house having been engaged in Shaftesbury 
 Road, Hammersmith, Mr. Booth brought the children 
 from Leeds, returning afterwards to Ripon, where he 
 had previously promised to conduct a series of services.
 
 LONDON. 
 
 541 
 
 1805, 
 Age 30. 
 
 A mild 
 protest. 
 
 The question of female ministry excited, as might 
 be expected, some controversy among Christian cir- 
 cles in the metropolis. But the objections quickly Woman's 
 died a natural death, or, to use Mrs. Booth's own 
 words, "melted away like snow in the sun." Indeed, 
 the opposition was never very vigorous, and London- 
 ers were quick to apprehend the argument of facts. 
 It was, however, voiced at the time in the following 
 mild protest from Messrs. Morgan and Chase, the 
 editors of The Revival, which afterwards became The 
 Christian : 
 
 "March 8, 1865. 
 
 "BELOVED BROTHER: We are completely overdone with 
 business of various kinds, nevertheless we hope at least once 
 to hear dear Mrs. Booth, and to mention the circumstance of 
 her preaching in London. 
 
 " Let us now say a word on the subject of female preaching. A word on 
 We quite feel that it is to be defended in principle, but we are 
 greatly led to question, from circumstances which have come 
 under our notice on different occasions of late, whether it be 
 right for mothers of families to be away from their home 
 duties on any account, not excepting this most important 
 work. Furthermore, besides the particular instances of harm 
 done to which we refer, it appears questionable on Scriptural 
 grounds (see St. Paul to Timothy, i Eph., and Titus). We are 
 only anxious that the Lord's will in the matter should be done. 
 " Believe us, dear brother, 
 
 " Ever very affectionately, 
 
 "MORGAN AND CHASE." 
 
 the 
 subject. 
 
 Warmth 
 
 of 
 interest. 
 
 The answer to this letter has not been preserved, 
 but the subsequent warmth of interest evinced by the 
 writers, and the ultimate attitude adopted by them in 
 regard to the subject, are sufficient to prove that their 
 objections were afterwards removed. Mr. Morgan 
 presided at many of Mrs. Booth's meetings, and the 
 friendship of these early days was continued till her Conflicts 
 death. There were conflicts of opinion from time to opinion.
 
 542 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1865, 
 Age 36. 
 
 The Ply- 
 mouth 
 Brethren. 
 
 time. Mr. Morgan had not been trained in the Metho- 
 distic school of doctrine, nor did he afterwards fall in 
 line with the external ritual of the Salvation Army. 
 His inclinations were strongly in favour of the dogmas, 
 the quiet, and the culture of Plymouth Brethrenism, 
 with which Mrs. Booth, on the contrary, had no 
 affinity. 
 
 Mrs. 
 
 Booth on 
 holiness. 
 
 R. C. MORGAN, OF The Christian. 
 
 More than once in the course of her subsequent 
 history Mrs. Booth had occasion to cross swords with 
 Mr. Morgan. At one time the vexed question of 
 holiness was raised, and called forth from Mrs. Booth 
 the following powerful response : 
 
 " DEAR MR. MORGAN : 
 
 " Thank you for your kind expression of sympathy in us 
 and ours. Truly, goodness and mercy have followed us, and 
 do follow us, and we should be worse than Saul if we did not
 
 LONDON. 
 
 543 
 
 say, We will dwell in the house of the Lord forever,' and al- 
 together body, soul, and spirit. May the Lord enable us to 
 serve him without fear in righteousness and holiness all our 
 remaining days. Amen. 
 
 " When my dearest husband sent me that message I had 
 not seen your letter. He thought it better to keep it back till 
 after Sunday. Believe me, I fully appreciate your concern 
 for our work and give you credit for godly sincerity in your 
 fears, and just because of this I expect that you will be open 
 to conviction and that you will reflect on what I say. 
 
 " i. It seems to me that you labor under a misapprehension 
 as to our real doctrine. Otherwise you could not confound it 
 with that of the Perfectionists, with whose tenets I am quite 
 familiar, but with whom we hold nothing in common. In- 
 deed, we are as far from them as you are. Now, do you think 
 this is quite fair to link us together with those with whom we 
 declare we are at utter variance? 
 
 " 2. I think, if you carefully consider that our views are sub- 
 stantially one with Upham, Wesley, Fletcher, Finney, and the 
 holiness people of America, you will see that you over-esti- 
 mate the danger accruing from them. Alas ! the Wesleyans 
 were a far more spiritual, godly people when this doctrine was 
 faithfully preached and largely professed amongst them than 
 they are now that it has almost gone out. This is no new 
 doctrine, and as I judge doctrines much as I do individuals, 
 by their fruits, I cannot but believe a doctrine that sets every- 
 body who receives it (not its caricature) longing and crying to 
 be delivered from sin, and to be filled with all the fulness of 
 God, must be of God and from God. As to what some one 
 has said about the extravagance this will lead to my dear 
 brother, the doctors and scribes have never prognosticated 
 anything but evil of 'Jesus Christ come in the flesh,' and I 
 never expect that they will ! 
 
 " The Church by wisdom knows not God. And any who do 
 not know him as an indwelling refiner are utterly unable to 
 judge. He that is spiritual is 'judged of no man,' neither are 
 the highest forms of spiritual truth. There must be the in- 
 dwelling Christ to understand and justify the outside expres- 
 sion of his mind and practice. 'He that is of God heareth us. ' 
 This is applicable in every stage of a spiritual life (Heb. v. 
 12-14). 
 
 1865, 
 Age 36. 
 
 Not Per- 
 fection- 
 ists. 
 
 By its 
 fruits. 
 
 The in- 
 dwelling 
 Christ.
 
 544 
 
 MJtS. BOOTH. 
 
 1865, 
 Age 36. 
 
 .Vo other 
 standard. 
 
 Hinder- 
 ing God, 
 
 PauVs 
 thorn in 
 the flesh. 
 
 The law 
 of love. 
 
 Experi- 
 ence of 
 Paul. 
 
 " 3. Will you, my dear brother, define for us what standard 
 we are to put before the people if we are not to tell them to 
 seek and to believe to be saved from all sin? If it were a 
 fact that no man has ever yet attained it (though I doubt not 
 thousands have, glory be to the God of all grace !), yet if I saw 
 a provision and promise of it in the Word I would follow it in 
 the face of earth and hell. How do I know that man's faith 
 has ever yet reached God's uttermost '? How do I know what God 
 would do if he were not hindered and limited by unbelief? 
 It passes human conception that God is going to be ultimately 
 outdone by the old serpent and submit , that He cannot destroy 
 his works, his worst works, his most malicious, God-circum- 
 venting, dishonouring works in man, the heart of man, the cov- 
 eted and redeemed dwelling-place of the Most High! Oh, 
 no ! Depend upon it, God will yet raise man to his own ideal, 
 even down here; and in that day when 'Holiness to the Lord' 
 is written on the bells of the horses his heart shall be cir- 
 cumcised to keep this law of his God and the original design 
 shall be fulfilled Man for God and God in man ! Haste, happy 
 day ! Oh, how my heart bounds to meet it ! And to me every 
 page of the Bible beams with light with respect to it. The 
 Church has never yet risen to her possibilities. But it is to 
 come ! Hallelujah ! 
 
 " Dear Mr. Morgan, where is there the slightest proof that 
 Paul's thorn in the flesh was inbred sin? The evidence is all 
 on the other side, that it was some purely physical infirmity. 
 Keeping under his 'body' could not mean sin any more than 
 the natural cravings of hunger in Jesus were sin, though, if 
 we could suppose such a thing as his yielding unlawfully to 
 gratify it, then, alas ! the second Adam would have fallen as 
 did the first. 
 
 " Of course if you hold that we are under Adamic law, re- 
 quiring the perfect obedience of a perfect being, and that 
 every breach .of that is sin, why, then, none can ever be saved 
 from sin in this imperfect state. But it seems to me clear as 
 the sun that we are not now under that law, but under the 
 great moral law of love, and that love is the fulfilling of the 
 law ; and he that loveth in this sense dwelleth in God and God 
 in him (i John iv., 16, 17). 
 
 " Paul has given us more of his own experience than any 
 other apostle, and there is not a word about failure and de-
 
 LONDON. 545 
 
 feat from beginning to end, and if he had not the conscious- 1865, 
 ness that he was a fully sanctified man, his own conscience A K e 3& 
 testifying that he lied not, he must have been most griev- 
 ously self-deceived when he wished that not only Agrippa, 
 but all who heard him, were both almost and altogether such 
 as he was, save his chains. Surely a man must be saved from 
 inbred sin before he could wish that ! 
 
 " Put all his experience together, from the first moment of victory 
 victory through faith in Jesus, and there is not one confession . anrf 
 of sin, failure, or defeat, but a continuous strain of victory 
 and triumph till the closing note of 'I have fought the good 
 fight,' etc. Oh, to triumph so when all my warfare's past 
 and you, dear friend ! Amen ! All through and by and in 
 Him Who loved us unto death ! 
 
 " Yours, in His service, 
 
 " CATHERINE BOOTH." 
 
 From Rotherhithe Mrs. Booth went to a still larger 
 chapel belonging- to the same body, in Grange Road, 
 Bermondsey, where remarkable success attended her 
 effort. The Gospel Guide contains the following in- 
 teresting description of the preacher : 
 
 " In dress nothing could be neater. A plain black straw Mrs 
 bonnet, slightly relieved by a pair of dark violet strings; a 
 black velvet loose-fitting jacket, with tight sleeves, which 
 appeared exceedingly suitable to her while preaching, and a 
 black silk dress, constituted the plain and becoming attire of 
 this female preacher. A prepossessing countenance, with at 
 first an exceedingly quiet manner, enlists the sympathies and 
 rivets the attention of the audience. 
 
 " Mrs. Booth is a woman of no ordinary mind, and her pow- N O 
 ers of argument are of a superior character. Her delivery 
 is calm, precise, and clear, without the least approach to for- 
 mality or tediousness. Her language is simple but well 
 chosen, and her ability for speaking is beyond the general 
 order of the other sex. Not the least appearance of anything 
 approaching nervousness or timidity was observable in her 
 manner. At the same time there was an entire absence of 
 unbecoming confidence, or of assumed authority over her 
 35
 
 546 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 A 
 Age 
 
 Go and 
 listen. 
 
 Midnight 
 meetings. 
 
 Mrs. 
 Booth's 
 address. 
 
 Numbers 
 helped. 
 
 audience. She chose for her text, 'Not every one that saith 
 unto Me, Lord, Lord ! shall enter into the kingdom of heaven. ' 
 " Might we say that many of our ministers, deacons, elders, 
 and members would do well to hear Mrs. Booth? They could 
 learn a lesson from her devotion, her evident sincerity for the 
 good of souls, her intense earnestness, her affectionate words, 
 and her perpetual labors in the cause to which she appears so 
 warmly attached." 
 
 Mrs. Booth's sympathies were specially called out 
 at this time in connection with the Midnight Move- 
 ment for reaching fallen women. On two separate 
 occasions she was invited to attend midnight meetings 
 at which some two or three hundred of these unfor- 
 tunates had been gathered together. A writer to the 
 Wesleyan Times, in describing one of these meetings, 
 says: 
 
 " The address of Mrs. Booth was inimitable ; pointed, evan- 
 gelical, impressive, and delivered in a most earnest, sympa- 
 thetic manner, bringing tears from many and securing the 
 closest attention of all. She identified herself with them as 
 a fellow-sinner, showing that if they supposed her better than 
 themselves it was a mistake, since all had sinned against God. 
 This, she explained, was the main point, and not the particu- 
 lar sin which they might be guilty of. Then the Saviour was 
 exhibited as waiting to save all alike, and the speaker urged 
 all of them, by a variety of reasons, to immediate decision. 
 Finally the consequences of neglecting or accepting the offers 
 of mercy were set before them, and they were encouraged by 
 the relation of the conversion of some of the most degraded 
 characters whom Mrs. Booth and her husband had been in- 
 strumental in bringing to Christ." 
 
 At the conclusion of both these services the names 
 were taken of a number of those who expressed their 
 willingness to enter the Homes established for 
 their reception. The sight of these victims of sin and 
 misery deeply stirred the heart of Mrs. Booth. Not 
 only did she view with compassion their unhappy con-
 
 LONDON. 
 
 547 
 
 dition, but her indignation knew no bounds that pub- 
 lic opinion should wink at such cruel slavery while 
 professing to be shocked at the scarcely more infiu- 
 man brutality that bore the name in other lands. The 
 paltriness of the efforts put forth to minimise the evil 
 staggered her, and the gross inequality with which 
 society meted out its punishments to the weaker sex, 
 allowing the participators in the vice to escape with 
 impunity, incurred her scathing denunciations. 
 
 Nor was she satisfied with the attitude of those who, 
 in their very efforts to rescue the fallen, treated them 
 rather with suspicion and pity than with confidence 
 and love. Hence it was with peculiar joy that in 
 later years she welcomed the world- wide and success- 
 ful effort of the Salvation Army, which has reformed 
 and restored to lives of virtue and happiness thousands 
 of these prisoners of despair. 
 
 1865, 
 Age 36. 
 
 Indigna- 
 tion 
 aroused. 
 
 The Army 
 
 Rescue 
 
 work
 
 CHAPTER LII. 
 
 FOUNDATION OF THE SALVATION ARMY. 
 
 1865. 
 
 A genuine " BEHOLD, how great a matter a little fire kindleth." 
 
 fire. 
 
 That is, if it be a genuine fire in the first instance, and 
 not the mere semblance of one. While many are 
 complaining that the wood is green, and will not burn, 
 the fault is too often with the original flame which 
 seeks to kindle the conflagration in the hearts of those 
 around. There is enough tinder in human nature to 
 provide fuel for a universal blaze. The modern day 
 of miracles is not really past. There is good reason 
 to believe that it has scarcely commenced. Who can 
 estimate the possibilities that are within the reach of 
 simple-hearted faith? We have only to look back 
 upon the small beginnings of many a mighty work. 
 Small be- Here is a handful of trembling disciples in an up- 
 per room, with door barred and bolted " for fear of 
 the Jews;" further on a Luther committing the Pope's 
 bull to the flames, and again a Wesley with his little 
 knot of Oxford Methodists. No less memorable in 
 the future religious history of the world will be the 
 Quaker burial-ground in Whitechapel, where, on Sun- 
 day, 2d July, 1865, William Booth held his first East 
 End services in a large marquee. 
 The It was an appropriate spot for the commencement of 
 
 Quaker . 
 
 burial- his work in more ways than one. The quiet precincts 
 
 of the disused graveyard were a fitting type of the 
 
 548
 
 FO UN DA riON OF THE SAL VA T1ON ARM Y. 549 
 
 moral valley of dry bones in the midst of which the 1865, 
 Spirit of the Lord had set down this modern Ezekiel. ge 3 ' 
 The resurrection of the one seemed as hopelessly im- A modem 
 possible, or at least as distant, as that of the other. Ezel 
 But, if neither the Jewish prophet nor his Quaker 
 antitype of two hundred years ago could take his 
 stand on Mile-End Waste, their representative was 
 there, ready to prophesy to the bones that were " very- 
 many, " and "very dry," until they "stood up upon 
 their feet, an exceeding great army." 
 
 To no spot in the world could the stirring vision of The 
 the Hebrew seer be more appropriately applied than cradle? 
 to the worse than heathen pandemonium of blasphemy 
 and ribaldry in the midst of which the Salvation 
 Army was born and cradled. As in days of old, the 
 Saviour of the world preferred to give birth to his de- 
 signs of mercy amid the rough, manger-like sur- 
 roundings of this East End Bethlehem rather than in An East 
 the wealthy and refined West End Jerusalem that lehem. 
 was close at hand. The groans of poverty and the 
 tears of misery, have ever been more attractive to the 
 Divine heart than the sweetest minstrelsy or most 
 gorgeous pageantry of wealth. Jesus Christ left the 
 matchless music and unalloyed pleasures of heaven, 
 not to exchange them for those of earth, but to seek 
 and to save that which was lost ; so lost that they 
 could not .fail to recognise the danger of their posi- 
 tion, so miserable that they possessed no make-be- 
 lieve enjoyments to take the place of those He offered 
 them. 
 
 If Sodom and Gomorrah compared unfavourably Re ^ ing 
 with the cities that rejected the message of the Pro- message. 
 phet of Galilee, what can be said or thought of the 
 modern Bethsaidas and Chorazins that constitute our 
 Christendom? Even those who believe most firmly
 
 550 MKS. BOOTH. 
 
 1865, in the gradual self -redemption of the human race can 
 ge 3 ' scarcely blink the fact that the major portion of it, in 
 spite of the utmost efforts of civilisation and educa- 
 tion, is in a sorry plight. 
 
 The poor The increased knowledge of what is good appears 
 cathedral only to accentuate the increased practice of what is 
 evil. The very brillance of modern revelation serves 
 to deepen the shadows of misery and the gloomy pall 
 of sin which enshroud the dark places of the earth. 
 If ever a Saviour were needed it is to-day, and if the 
 needs of any single spot could transcend those of the 
 rest of the world surely that space of ground must 
 have been somewhere very near the Tabernacle the 
 poor man's cathedral in the Quaker burial-ground. 
 
 A sketch of these services was sent by Mr. Booth 
 to The Christian. The fact that it was written at the 
 time adds to the interest of the narrative : 
 
 Sketch of " The moral degradation and spiritual destitution of the 
 the teeming population of the East of London are subjects with 
 which the Christians of the metropolis are perfectly conver- 
 sant. More than two-thirds of the working-classes never 
 cross the threshold of church or chapel, but loiter away the 
 Sabbath in idleness, spending it in pleasure-seeking or some 
 kind of money-making traffic. Consequently, tens of thou- 
 
 the work, sands are totally ignorant of the Gospel ; and, as they will not 
 attend the means ordinarily used for making known the love 
 of God towards them, it is evident that if they are to be 
 reached extraordinary methods must be employed. 
 The old " I nave been engaged in an effort in this direction during 
 tent. the last six weeks. Invited by Messrs. Stabb and Chase, I 
 held a week's services in a large tent erected in the Quakers' 
 bury ing-ground, Thomas Street, Whitechapel, and so evident 
 was the Divine approval that the services have been contin- 
 ued until now. Nearly every night two meetings are held, 
 first an open-air on the Mile-End Road, and afterwards in the 
 tent. On the last two Sabbaths we have conducted four ser- 
 vices each day. We have also held two very successful tea-
 
 FO UN DA TION OF THE SAL VA TION ARMY. 5 5 i 
 
 meetings, charging threepence each for admission. There 
 have been but two or three meetings at which sinners have 
 not professed to find mercy, and sometimes thirteen or four- 
 teen have come forward of an evening. Some of these cases 
 have been specially interesting. 
 
 " One evening about a fortnight ago I sat down by the side 
 of a young man whose dress betokened poverty and degrada- 
 tion of the lowest order. I spoke to him of Jesus and the 
 Christian life. He replied most frankly and freely. Among 
 other things he said: 'I promised you last night that I would 
 come again, and I am here, you see. I have been very wicked ; 
 I want to be saved. That was a very good parable of the 
 prodigal you told up there. ' I had been comparing the sin- 
 ner to a young man who had forsaken his father's house and 
 wandered to Australia, and to whom, in wretchedness, wrong, 
 and ruin, his father had sent a letter assuring him of contin- 
 ued affection, and urging upon him his immediate return 
 home. 'Yes, ' he said with emphasis, 'that was a good parable. 
 I am a prodigal. It is twelve years since I left my mother in 
 Edinburgh. I had not heard the Gospel for seventeen 
 years until I heard you speaking in the Mile-End Road last 
 night. I was then on my way to a house of infamy. It 
 might have been far different with me, but drink and debauch- 
 ery have been my ruin. I have not done a day's work in my 
 life ; the last twelve years I have spent in brothels and public- 
 houses. But I am decided. I have been happy since Sun- 
 day. ' He has attended nearly every service since. 
 
 " One morning as I walked through the city a man stopped 
 me by offering his hand. I remembered him as one who, 
 among a crowd of others, had listened to me in the Mile-End 
 Road the night before. So interested had he appeared that I 
 had supposed him to be a Christian. But no ! it was not so. 
 Once he was united with the Lord's people; was a local 
 preacher for seventeen years ; came up to London as a mer- 
 chant; neglected to join a Christian church; lost his religion, 
 his property, and all. 'And now,' said he, 'I am ashamed to 
 tell you how long it is since I was in a place of worship till 
 last night.' 'Well,' I said, 'you will come again to Jesus, 
 won't you?' He said, 'I will. I went from the meeting last 
 night to fetch my wife to the tent. ' He attends our services, 
 and, if not restored to the favour of God, I trust he soon will be. 
 
 A 
 
 Age 
 
 Encour- 
 aging 
 
 A 
 prodigal. 
 
 Another 
 case.
 
 FO UN DA TION OF THE SA L VA TION ARM Y. 553 
 
 1865, 
 Age 36. 
 
 Tokens of 
 blessing. 
 
 Services 
 every 
 night. 
 
 " These are only a few of the many tokens of the Divine 
 blessing with which we have been favoured, and which have 
 led the few earnest, loving servants of the Lord who have 
 been my helpers to desire continuance of the work. Again 
 and again have they urged me to give myself up entirely to 
 the East of London. My own heart has seconded their ap- 
 peals, for I confess to Shaving grown deeply interested in this 
 mass of humanity. I have, therefore, consented to do so, and 
 we propose, God helping us, to devote our little time and 
 energy to this part of the London vineyard. 
 
 " We have no very definite plans. We wish to be guided 
 by the Holy Spirit. At present we desire to hold consecutive 
 services for the purpose of bringing souls to Christ in differ- 
 ent localities of the East of London every night all the year 
 round. We propose to hold these meetings in halls, theatres, 
 chapels, tents, open-air, and elsewhere, as the way may be 
 opened, or as we seem likely to attain the end we have in view. 
 The Sabbath services are at present held in the Assembly 
 Rooms, New Road, Whitechapel. 
 
 " We propose to watch over and visit personally those 
 brought to Christ, either guiding them to commune with ad- 
 jacent sympathetic churches, or ourselves nursing and train- 
 ing them to active labor. 
 
 " In order to carry on this work we intend to establish a 
 'Christian Revival Association,' in which we think a hundred 
 persons will enroll themselves at once. We shall also require 
 some central building in which to hold our more private 
 meetings, and in which to preach the Gospel when not en- 
 gaged in special work elsewhere. 
 
 " To work out these plans it will be manifest to each reader 
 of this that funds will be required, and to those whom the 
 Lord has entrusted with means, and who have any sympathy 
 with the perishing thousands for whom this work is organized, 
 we appeal for help. Asking an interest for our work in the 
 prayers of the reader, I beg to be regarded as your brother in 
 the Lord, 
 
 "WILLIAM BOOTH." 
 
 The above appeal was warmly seconded by the 
 editor in the following terms : 
 
 " The condition of the East of London is more appalling W eicome. 
 
 Watching 
 the weak. 
 
 Appeal 
 for help.
 
 554 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1865, than that of any other spot of the same extent under heaven. 
 Age 36. The dregs of sin and misery, not only from this metropolis 
 and these British Isles, but from all quarters of the world, 
 are precipitated there. And God knows the labourers are few ; 
 but, few as they are, their hands are tied for want of means. 
 Hundreds of Christians spend in princely style and leisure the 
 brief interval which they believe will intervene before the 
 revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ, and thousands more are 
 unable to spare from their ample expenditure more than the 
 smallest modicum for His work and for His poor, though that 
 same Jesus Christ has left on record these prophetic words: 
 'It is more blessed to give than to receive,' and, 'Inasmuch as 
 ye have done it unto the least of these My brethren ye have 
 done it unto Me. ' We cordially welcome Mr. Booth and no 
 less his good and useful wife to the labour-field of the East of 
 London, and earnestly hope and pray that God's people may 
 prove that they agree with God, that the labourer is worthy of 
 his reward." 
 
 The lowest Among the vagabonds and outcasts who swarm the 
 purlieux of East London General Booth had found at 
 length the very lowest level of the social strata, and 
 had unconsciously driven his pickaxe into the granite 
 block which was to form the basis of the Salvation 
 Army New Jerusalem. In those subterranean cav- 
 erns he discovered the "all manner of precious 
 stones" with which the foundations were to be " gar- 
 nished, "and amidst the tangled mass of ocean-covered 
 weeds and rocks he explored the oyster-beds that were 
 to yield materials for the "pearly "gates." 
 
 Mr. Booth From his boyhood days in Nottingham, when he 
 
 and the . 
 
 chartists, stood and* cheered the Chartist orator, Feargus 
 O'Connor, he had always loved and sympathised with 
 the poor. The sights of destitution and misery he 
 then witnessed had burnt themselves in upon his 
 soul. Since then, it is true, he had climbed for a 
 time the ministerial ladder. But it had only been in 
 the hopes of dragging the people up with him. And
 
 FO UNDA TION OF THE SA L VA TION A RM Y. 555 
 
 when he found that this was impracticable he de- 
 scended, round after round, till at length his feet could 
 fairly feel the ground, and the lowest, neediest masses 
 of humanity had been reached. And now he realised 
 that he was in his natural element. 
 
 The shrewd East-Enders appreciated his keen sallies 
 of wit and respected his evident zeal and devotion. 
 The utter absence of anything in the shape of cant or 
 put-on, the refreshing simplicity and total freedom 
 from religious veneer, and the arm-linking equality 
 with which they were treated made them accept this 
 apostle of the workingman, and that at a time when 
 ninety per cent of this very class had given up all 
 pretence of religion, and never darkened the doorway 
 of a place of worship from year's end to year's end. 
 
 " I have been trying all my life," he remarked one 
 day in later years to one of his leading officers, " to 
 stretch out my arms so as to reach with one hand the 
 poor and at the same time keep the other in touch 
 with the rich. But my arms are not long enough. I 
 find that when I am in touch with the poor I lose my 
 hold upon the rich, and when I reach up to the rich I 
 let go of the poor. And," pausing for a moment to 
 give weight to his words, he added with his own pe- 
 culiar emphasis, " I very much doubt whether God 
 Almighty's arms are long enough for this!" 
 
 And yet the exigencies of the work were always 
 such that, while Mr. Booth devoted the main portion of 
 his time and attention to the poor, he was never in a 
 position to entirely turn his back upon the rich, being 
 compelled time after time to turn to them for help in 
 the carrying out of his designs. But as the eagle 
 soars only that it may the better scan the field and 
 swoop down upon its prey, or as the cloud which only 
 absorbs moisture from the earth that it may scatter it 
 
 1865, 
 Age 36. 
 
 In touch 
 with the 
 people. 
 
 God's 
 arms not 
 
 long 
 enough. 
 
 Reaching 
 the rich.
 
 556 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1865, again in fertilising showers, so through life Mr. and 
 ge 3 ' Mrs. Booth have turned only to the rich that they 
 
 might induce them to help the poor. 
 
 A valu- In this Mrs. Booth proved a valuable coadjutor to 
 adjutor. her husband. Her ministry was peculiarly accept- 
 able to the better classes, and she was not slow to 
 avail herself to the utmost of the opportunity which 
 this afforded, not only for blessing their souls, but 
 for laying before them their responsibilities in caring 
 
 Magnetic f or th e godless masses. The magnetic influence 
 
 influence. 
 
 which she exercised was the more remarkable inas- 
 much as her denunciations of society-sins were often 
 scathing in the extreme. " I used to tremble some- 
 times as I sat and listened in her meetings when I 
 was quite a little girl," says her daughter Emma. 
 " Now they will be offended, and will never come 
 again, I thought to myself. And sometimes, as I 
 grew older, I would venture to expostulate, as we 
 went home together, 'I think, Mama, you were a little 
 too heavy on them to-day !' 'Aye! You are like the 
 rest of them!' she would reply. 'Pleading for the 
 Syrup syrup without the sulphur. I guessed that you were 
 sulphur, feeling so. ' But when the time for the next meeting 
 arrived the same people would be there, and the 
 crowd would be larger than ever, and the rows of 
 carriages outside the hall more numerous, and she 
 would pour out her heart upon them, and drag out the 
 sins and selfish indulgences of society, with all their 
 attendant miseries and penalties, as mercilessly as 
 ever." 
 
 The following is an instance of the burning, lava- 
 like truths that she would pour upon the consciences 
 of her listeners at such times : 
 
 Burning " ^ et me ta ^ e y u to an ther scene. Here is His Grace the 
 truths. Duke of Rackrent, and the Right Honourable Woman Seducer
 
 FOUND A TION OF THE SAL VA TION ARM Y. 557 
 
 Fitz-Shameless, and the gallant Colonel Swearer, with half 
 the aristocracy of a county, male and female, mounted on 
 horses worth hundreds of pounds each, and which have been 
 bred and trained at a cost of hundreds more, and what for? 
 This 'splendid field' are waiting whilst a poor little timid ani- 
 mal is let loose from confinement and permitted to fly in terror 
 from its strange surroundings. Observe the delight of all the 
 gentlemen and noble ladies when a whole pack of strong dogs 
 is let loose in pursuit, and then behold the noble chase ! The 
 regiment of well-mounted cavalry and the pack of hounds all 
 charge at full gallop after the poor frightened little creature. 
 It will be a great disappoinment if by any means it should 
 escape or be killed within as short a time as an hour. The 
 sport will be excellent in proportion to the time during which 
 the poor thing's agony is prolonged, and the number of miles 
 it is able to run in terror of its life. Brutality ! I tell you that, 
 in my judgment, at any rate, you can find nothing in the vilest 
 back slums more utterly, more deliberately, more savagely 
 cruel than that; and yet this is a comparatively small thing. 
 
 " One of the greatest employments of every Christian gov- 
 ernment and community is to train thousands of men, not to 
 fight with their fists only, in the way of inflicting a few pass- 
 ing sores, but with weapons capable, it may be, of killing hu- 
 man beings at the rate of so many per minute. It is quite a 
 scientific taste to study how to destroy a large vessel with 
 several'hundreds of men on board instantaneously. Talk of 
 brutality ! Is there anything half as brutal as this within the 
 whole range of savagery? 
 
 " But, against all this, modern Christianity, which professes 
 to believe the teaching of Him who taught us not to resist 
 evil, but to love our enemies, and to treat with the utmost be- 
 nevolence hostile nations, has nothing to say. All the devil- 
 ish animosity, hard-hearted cruelty, and harrowing conse- 
 quences of modern warfare are not only sanctioned, but held 
 up as an indispensable necessity of civilized life ; and in times 
 of war patronized and prayed for in our churches and chapels 
 with as much impudent assurance as though Jesus Christ had 
 taught, ' But I say unto you, an eye for an eye, a tooth for a 
 tooth, and return evil for evil ; hate your enemies and pursue 
 them with all the diabolical appliances of destruction which 
 the devil can enable you to invent. ' 
 
 1865, 
 Age 36. 
 
 The cruel 
 chase. 
 
 Wholesale 
 murder. 
 
 Patronis- 
 ing war.
 
 558 
 
 MJtS. BOOTH. 
 
 1865, 
 Age 36. 
 
 The de- 
 testable 
 thing. 
 
 "She's all 
 there ! " 
 
 The crim- 
 inal 
 classes. 
 
 Mr. 
 
 Money- 
 maker. 
 
 " Alas, alas ! Is it not too patent for intelligent contradiction 
 that the most detestable thing in the judgment of popular 
 Christianity is not brutality, cruelty, or injustice, but poverty 
 and vulgarity ? With plenty of money you may pile up your 
 life with iniquities and yet be blamed, if blamed at all, only 
 in the mildest terms, whereas one flagrant act of sin in a poor 
 and illiterate person is enough to stamp him, with the major- 
 ity of professing Christians, as a creature from whom they 
 would rather keep at a distance. 
 
 " I had an amusing corroboration of this the other day from 
 one of my daughters, who had been visiting a poor criminal in 
 one of our large prisons. She said to one of the officers in 
 attendance, 'I suppose you do not often have rich people in 
 here?' He replied, 'No, Miss, we very seldom get anybody 
 but poor folks,' and on her replying 'No, I am afraid it is 
 because you do not look out so sharply for them, ' he remarked 
 to a fellow-officer, 'She's all there!' 
 
 " Further, 'the criminal classes' is another of the cant phrases 
 of modern Christianity, which thus brands every poor lad who 
 steals because he is hungry, but stands hat in hand before 
 the rich man whose trade is well known to be a system of 
 wholesale cheatery. 
 
 " It is inconvenient for ministers, or responsible church- 
 wardens or deacons, to ask how Mr. Moneymaker gets the 
 golden sovereigns or crisp notes which look so well in the col- 
 lection. He may be the most 'accursed sweater' who ever 
 waxed fat on that murderous cheap needlework system which 
 is slowly destroying the bodies and ruining the souls of thou- 
 sands of poor women, both in this and other civilised countries. 
 He may keep scores of employes standing wearily sixteen 
 hours per day behind the counter, across which they dare not 
 speak the truth, and on salaries so small that all hope of 
 marriage or home is denied to them. Or he may trade in 
 some damning thing which robs men of all that is good in this 
 world and all hope for the next, such as opium or intoxicating 
 drinks ; but if you were simple enough to suppose that mod- 
 ern Christianity would object to him on account of any of these 
 things in fact, that you were alluding to such as he in the 
 phrase 'criminal classes' how respectable Christians would 
 open their eyes, and, in fact, suspect that you had recently 
 made your escape from some lunatic asylum !
 
 FOUND A TION OF THE SAL VA TION ARMY. 5 59 
 
 " So the wholesale and successful thief is glossed over and 
 called by all manner of respectable names by the representa- 
 tives of a bastard Christianity. It is ready enough to cry, 
 'Stop, thief !' when some poor fellow, who has been out of 
 work for perhaps months, gets desperate at the sight of chil- 
 dren crying for bread, and makes a bungling attempt at get- 
 ting what is not his own in order to satisfy them ;' or when it 
 hears that such men, left helplessly to their own devices, take 
 to living together and bringing up a generation of thieves, it 
 cries out vigorously against the criminals. True, it may sug- 
 gest a mission to them, and even set about it in a helpless, 
 patronizing sort of way, wondering if really it is of any use 
 to try to help 'such men ' as though they were of different 
 flesh and blood to themselves. Verily, such Christianity is of 
 different blood from Him who preferred talking to a thief, in 
 His own last moments, to holding conversation with any priest 
 or whitewashed temple worshipper standing around. The 
 man who hung by His side was a great ruffian, no doubt, but 
 then he had been trained in that way, and if we want the 
 judgment of Jesus Christ on such a point he would certainly 
 give it against the pet of modern Christianity and in favour 
 of this poor rough. The man whom Jesus Christ consigned 
 to a hopeless perdition was he who made long prayers and 
 at the same time devoured widows' houses, or whose barns 
 were filled with plenty while Lazarus lay covered with sores 
 at his gate." 
 
 Many of the Army's most liberal friends were at- 
 tracted in trie first instance by Mrs. Booth's services, 
 and having once secured their sympathy she cease- 
 lessly laboured to maintain their confidence in the 
 cause. With persistent courage and amazing skill 
 she rallied them, when some more than usually venom- 
 ous attack had scattered panic in their ranks, or 
 when some new advance had shocked their conserv- 
 atism. She would reason, and explain, and encourage, 
 and rebuke with a tenderness that conquered the most 
 obstinate heart, and yet with a faithfulness and pun- 
 gency that admitted of no excuse for retreat. The 
 
 1865, 
 Age 36. 
 
 "Stop, 
 thief! " 
 
 The pet of 
 
 modern 
 Christian- 
 ity. 
 
 Rallying 
 the rich. 
 
 Bringing 
 up the 
 rear.
 
 560 MXS. BOOTH. 
 
 1865, rapidity of the Army's forward inarch has exposed it 
 ge to special losses from the number of those who were 
 unable to keep up the pace. But the impetuous, 
 Rupert-like charges with which the General has 
 amazed the world would perhaps have been impossi- 
 ble had it not been for the tact and strategy with 
 which Mrs. Booth has brought up the rear. 
 "Here, Time after time have her persistence, her logic, and 
 her personal influence restored confidence to wavering 
 friends, and closed the mouths or extorted the admir- 
 ation of the most prejudiced enemies. Her argu- 
 ments were invincible. No new effort was put forth 
 by the General without consulting her. And hence, 
 as each point arose, her mind had been fully made up 
 before the question had become a subject of debate. 
 "Here, Kate!" would sound the General's voice from 
 his desk, and she would run to his side from the 
 nursery, or from her household work, to pass her 
 opinion upon an article, an appeal, a despatch, or 
 A kitchen some new development of the work. Or he would 
 council. ta k e fa e kitchen by storm, and while her hands were 
 busy with the dough for the family bread or pudding, 
 he would sit astride the table and pour into her sym- 
 pathetic ears the story of his last rebuff, or some 
 more than usually exciting piece of news regarding 
 the progress of the Mission. 
 
 The work thus unobtrusively commenced soon made 
 its mark upon the neighbourhood, and attracted the 
 sympathetic attention of many who were beyond its 
 immediate borders.
 
 CHAPTER LIII. 
 
 MR. MORLEY AND THE EAST LONDON 
 MISSION. 1865-6. 
 
 AT the conclusion of the meetings in Bermondsey work at 
 Mrs. Booth removed to Deptford, where the chapel De P t f rd 
 soon became so crowded that the public hall was en- 
 gaged for Sundays. It was with unfeigned regret 
 that she brought these services to a close early in 
 May, but the strain of the constant travelling to and 
 from Hammersmith for ten consecutive weeks had 
 told severely on her delicate frame. 
 
 Although the journey was not a long one it was A trying 
 exceedingly trying, for, while she arranged to remain JOU 
 at Deptford from Saturday to Monday, the week-day 
 travelling added considerably to the exertion. First 
 there was the getting to the station, followed by the 
 underground trip to Moorgate Street, a cab drive to 
 London Bridge, another railway journey, and then a 
 drive to the chapel. By the time her destination was 
 reached she would often feel totally unfit for the 
 meeting, and at the conclusion of the exhausting ser- 
 vices the return home was still more wearying. 
 
 But an opportunity was not long in offering itself West End 
 for the transfer of her services to a locality nearer 
 home. It was a singular coincidence that at the very 
 time when Mr. Booth was commencing his East End 
 campaign Mrs. Booth was conducting her first West 
 End services, so that the very antipodes of London 
 society were simultaneously assailed. Space and time 
 36 561
 
 562 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 J 86s, preclude the possibility of describing in detail the 
 
 ge 3 ' interesting series of meetings which were carried on 
 
 by her in turn at the Polytechnic, the Kensington 
 
 Assembly Rooms, and the Myddleton Hall and Priory 
 
 in Islington. At each centre an impression was made 
 
 which has continued to appear and reappear down to 
 
 the present day. 
 
 TOO busy " i have b u t a dim recollection of these meetings," 
 
 to keep a 
 
 diary, said Mrs. Booth during her last illness. " I never at- 
 tempted, since my younger days, to keep a diary. It 
 was simply impossible. I was too busy doing the 
 work to find time to chronicle it, and by the time I 
 went to bed at night I was far too exhausted for writ- 
 ing. But I know I felt the responsibility of this op- 
 portunity very strongly. It was expected that a 
 number of very respectable people, so-called, would 
 attend the meetings. To preach to such a class is 
 always supposed to be a more important and difficult 
 task than to preach to people in a lower scale of soci- 
 ety and consequently possessed of less intelligence 
 and culture. 
 Sense of " j believe I was somewhat influenced by such feel- 
 
 responsi- 
 
 biiity. ings when I was about to commence. But the solemn 
 sense of my responsibility to God and my determina- 
 tion to faithfully deliver His message seemed to ab- 
 sorb me from the moment I stood up to speak, and 
 whatever might have been my previous agitation and 
 nervousness as soon as I opened my lips I was en- 
 abled to forget it all. 
 Lord This " They would come to me in the ante-room and say 
 
 c -:d Lady , 
 
 ThcOther. that Lord This and Lady The Other were in the au- 
 dience, or such-and-such popular ministers upon the 
 platform, and I confess that my heart beat quicker for 
 a time. But on entering the hall, as my eye glanced 
 over row upon row of intelligent, expectant CQUQ-
 
 THE EAST LONDON MISSION. 563 
 
 tenances, I realised that they above all others needed 1865, 
 the plainest utterances of truth, and this has inspired ge 3 ' 
 me with confidence. 
 
 " Seldom have I held a meeting in which some souls immedi- 
 have not decided to submit to God and to seek His r uits. 
 salvation through Jesus Christ. I should soon have 
 given up preaching if there had been no such results. 
 To get a congregation was never a difficulty with me, 
 but when they were there I strove to convict them of 
 sin and to persuade them to abandon it and to cast 
 themselves upon the mercy of God. Far from this 
 having the effect of driving the people away, my ex- 
 perience has been that, however small might be the 
 congregation at the commencement of the effort, it 
 has invariably increased,' until it has exceeded the 
 capacity of the largest buildings which I have been 
 privileged to occupy." 
 
 In October Mrs. Booth held some meetings in the Removal 
 Horns Assembly Rooms, Kennington, and in the fol- Hackney. 
 lowing month the family removed from Hammersmith 
 to Hackney, in order to be within convenient reach of 
 the East End work, which was more and more absorb- 
 ing the time and attention of Mr. Booth, and to which 
 he had now distinctly committed himself. 
 
 The tent in the burial-ground had been blown Thetaber- 
 down in a gale, and was too rotten to be repaired, blown 
 The uncertain climate of England, so say the Ameri- down - 
 cans, enjoys no weather, but consists of mere samples! 
 Certainly it is never very favourable to the patriarchal 
 canvas, and what is scarcely tolerable in summer be- 
 comes impossible in winter. However, a dancing- 
 saloon had been discovered, and in this the Sunday 
 services were continued, while the week-night meet- 
 ings were mostly in the open air, lasting sometimes 
 till ten o'clock, or even later.
 
 564 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1865, "I remember well," says Mrs. Booth, "when the 
 
 ge 3 ' General decided finally to give up the evangelistic life 
 
 Saving and to devote himself to the salvation of the East- 
 
 tJ Enders~ Enders. He had come home from the meeting one 
 
 night, tired out as usual. It was between eleven and 
 
 twelve o'clock. Flinging himself into an easy-chair, 
 
 he said to me, 'Oh, Kate, as I passed by the doors of 
 
 the flaming gin-palaces to-night I seemed to hear a 
 
 voice sounding in my ears, " Where can you go and 
 
 find such heathen as these, and where is there so 
 
 great a need for your labours?" And I felt as though 
 
 I ought at every cost to stop and preach to these East 
 
 End multitudes.' 
 
 " I remember the emotion that this produced in my 
 soul. I sat gazing into the fire, and the devil whis- 
 pered to me, 'This means another new departure 
 another start in life.' 
 
 Perplex- " The question of our support constituted a serious 
 thoughts, difficulty. Hitherto we had been able to meet our 
 expenses by the collections which we had made from 
 our more respectable audiences. But it was impossi- 
 ble to suppose that we could do so among the poverty- 
 stricken East-Enders. We had not then the measure 
 of light upon this subject which subsequent events 
 afforded, and we were afraid even to ask for a collec- 
 tion in such a locality. 
 
 Trusting " Nevertheless, I did not answer discouragingly. 
 again. After a momentary pause for thought and prayer I 
 replied, 'Well, if you feel you ought to stay, stay. 
 We have trusted the Lord once for our support, and 
 we can trust Him again!' There was not in our 
 minds, at the time we came to this decision, the re- 
 motest idea of the marvellous work which has since 
 sprung into existence." 
 
 A noble 
 
 answer. It was a noble answer that Mrs. Booth gave at this
 
 THE EAST LONDON MISSION. 565 
 
 critical juncture to her husband. She little dreamed 1865, 
 of the important issues that were at stake. Scarcely ge 3 ' 
 had the resolution been formed when an encouraging 
 incident occurred which strongly confirmed the con- 
 viction that the newly chosen pathway had the Divine 
 approbation. A letter was received from Mr. Samuel 
 Morley, expressing his warm interest in the effort 
 
 SAMUEL MORLEV, M.P. 
 
 and promising on his return from Scotland to hear the 
 full particulars. About a month afterwards a second 
 letter came, inviting Mr. Booth to call upon him. 
 
 The interview was alike interesting and important; Mr. ? 
 the Christian philanthropist adding another to the generos- 
 all but endless list of his generous deeds. 
 
 He received Mr. Booth with the utmost cordiality. 
 It was a historical event, reminding one of Stanley
 
 566 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 A 
 Age 
 
 The ex- 
 
 plorer of 
 
 Darkest 
 
 England. 
 
 An im 
 
 portant 
 
 interview. 
 
 Difficul- 
 ties 
 removed. 
 
 Their 
 gratitude. 
 
 finding Livingstone in the heart of Africa. The ex- 
 plorer of Darkest England's submerged tenth had not 
 quite so far to go, it is true. There was no need for 
 it. A continent of heathen souls surrounded him. 
 An impenetrable forest of sin and misery awaited 
 his exploring axe almost within a stone's throw from 
 where the apostle of the destitute and his discoverer 
 sat. In. its far-reaching consequences it would be 
 difficult to estimate the importance of that interview. 
 
 Mr. Morley inquired in the kindest manner as to the 
 plans adopted by Mr. Booth, and the results which 
 had been attained. The fact that the methods were 
 novel and unconventional served only to increase his 
 interest. The open-air meetings on the Mile-End 
 Waste, surrounded by blaspheming infidels and bois- 
 terous drunkards ; the processions down the White- 
 chapel Road, pelted with garbage; the placards 
 carried with striking texts ; the penitent form and the 
 testifying of the new converts, enlisted his unbounded 
 sympathy. 
 
 Mr. Morley then, entirely of his own accord, began 
 to question Mr. Booth as to his own personal circum- 
 stances, the number of his family, and the arrange- 
 ments necessary for their support, naming a sum 
 which he considered would be necessary, and giving 
 him a cheque for a considerable portion of the amount. 
 Then, asking Mr. Booth if he thought his friends 
 would be able to make up the remainder of the sum, 
 he closed the interview without allowing him time to 
 express his thanks. Full of gratitude to God for 
 this unexpected intervention on his behalf Mr. Booth 
 posted off to Kennington, where Mrs. Booth was at 
 the time conducting services, and together they lifted 
 up their hearts in praise for the timely answer to 
 their prayers.
 
 THE EAST LONDON MISSION. 
 
 567 
 
 In the years that followed, Mr. Morley proved him- 
 self a generous and substantial friend, describing 
 himself, at a Salvation Army meeting: over which he 
 
 J 
 
 presided, as a " sleeping partner" in the concern. 
 
 The following letters, though written at a later 
 date, may here be quoted, as showing the earnest in- 
 terest felt by him in the Mission : 
 
 " HOUSE OF COMMONS, 2oth April, 1869. 
 " DEAR MR. BOOTH : 
 
 " I have pleasure in sending my cheque. I read always with 
 pleasure of your work, which I believe to be genuine and 
 true. I will gladly co-operate in any way you can suggest to 
 secure from the Services' Committee the arrangement you 
 propose, which seems to me to be a very reasonable and suit- 
 able one. 
 
 " It will give me pleasure to pay you a visit, to see how 
 you do and to hear from your friends some account of the 
 work going on among you. 
 
 " I am, dear sir, 
 
 " Yours truly, 
 " Rev. W. Booth." " S. MORLEY. 
 
 In 1872, on receiving the news of Mr. Booth's seri- 
 otis breakdown in health, Mr. Morley sent him the 
 following sympathetic letter : 
 
 " 1 6th March, 1872. 
 
 " MY DEAR SIR : I have just heard that you are laid aside 
 and are an inmate in the hydro establishment at Matlock 
 Bank. Feeling anxious to know the facts of the case I asked 
 Mrs. Booth to call on me, which she has done this morning, 
 and I am very anxious to press you to believe that human 
 strength has its limits, and that the Gracious Master, whom 
 we desire to serve, is not willing that we should trifle with 
 so great a blessing as our health. 
 
 " I beg to press you, now you are trying the water treatment, 
 to give it a fair chance, and not to allow work or engagements, 
 or even wife and children, to tempt you back to London until 
 you have had entire rest. My eldest son is just now visiting 
 
 1865, 
 ge 3 ' 
 
 partner. 
 
 Letters
 
 568 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1865, Mr. Smedley, whom I have known many years. I shall be 
 Age 36. ver y glad to hear that you are gaining strength. 
 
 " Commending you to the care of our gracious and loving 
 Father, 
 
 " I am yours very truly, 
 
 " S. MORLEY. 
 "Rev, W. Booth." 
 
 The res- His co-operation was less regular in later years, 
 but one of his last acts was to make a munificent 
 donation towards the Rescue work of the Salvation 
 Army. It was at the time of the great purity agita- 
 tion, and Mr. Morley's sympathies had been deeply 
 stirred. Mrs. Booth called upon him and he prom- 
 A munifi- j se( j a donation of ;i,ooo, asking her whether she 
 donation, thought the amount was sufficient. She replied, with 
 characteristic courage, that, while she was deeply sen- 
 sible of the value of the gift, she was sure he would 
 not regret increasing the amount. Without waiting 
 for her to add another word Mr. Morley doubled 
 his donation, with a graceful generosity that made his 
 gifts so peculiarly acceptable, adding that she must 
 call and see him again. 
 
 Forsook The assistance of Mr. Morley at this early juncture 
 l fled n of the East End work was the more welcome owing 
 to the peculiar difficulties which Mr. Booth encoun- 
 tered at the outset. The Christian helpers who had 
 at first gathered round him had almost all forsaken 
 him and fled. 
 
 why they Their reasons for doing so were various. Some of 
 them objected to his holiness teaching. Others con- 
 sidered that he laid too much stress upon repentance 
 and works, and too little upon bare faith. Not a few 
 grew weary of the ceaseless open-airs and processions, 
 with the mobbing and mockery of the crowd. " Take 
 no notice, but march straight on," were the orders of
 
 HERBERT H. BOOTH.
 
 THE EAST LONDON MISSION. 569 
 
 the General in regard to the rough horseplay which 1865, 
 had so often to be encountered. Age * 6 ' 
 
 To others the conduct of the prayer meeting gave Dealing 
 offence. They did not like the penitent form. They "ffents 
 were accustomed to speak to the people in their seats, 
 or to invite them into what was termed the " inquiry 
 room." They would read to them a few passages 
 from the Bible, such as John iii. 16, ask them whether 
 they believed them to be true, and on obtaining their "Only be- 
 
 liavfj " 
 
 assent would assure them that they were possessed of 
 everlasting life. This mode Mr. and Mrs. Booth 
 never allowed any one to follow in their meetings. 
 
 From these and other causes a fortnight had scarcely 
 elapsed from the commencement of the work when Mr. 
 Booth found himself almost alone. A devoted handful, 
 however, still stood their ground, and some of the new 
 converts took the place of the workers who had retired. 
 
 On Sunday, September 3d, the meetings were com- Thedanc- 
 menced in the dancing-saloon. "The people danced saloon. 
 in it," the General tells us, "until the small hours of 
 the Sunday morning, and then the converts carried in 
 the seats, which had fortunately not been destroyed 
 with the tent. It was a long, narrow room, holding 
 about six hundred people. The proprietor combined 
 the two professions of dancing-master and photogra- 
 pher, the latter being specially pushed on Sundays. 
 In the front room, through which all the congregation 
 had to pass from the open street, sat the mistress 
 colouring photographs, whilst some one at the door 
 touted for business. The photography was done at 
 the top of the house, and customers had to pass on 
 their way up by a sort of parlour that was open to 
 our hall. It was a regular thing for them to pause 
 and listen to the message of salvation as they went up- 
 stairs on their Sabbath -breaking business.
 
 570 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1865, " We had wonderful meetings in that room, and in 
 ge 3 ' connection with it I put in many a hard Sunday's 
 Wonder- work, regularly giving three and sometimes four open- 
 meetings. air addresses, leading three processions and conduct- 
 ing three indoor meetings. The bulk of the speaking 
 in all these services fell on me. But the power and 
 happiness of the work carried me along, and in that 
 room the foundation was really laid of all that has 
 since come to pass. 
 The wool " F or week-nights we secured an old wool warehouse 
 
 ware- 
 house, in one of the lowest parts of Bethnal Green. Unfort- 
 unately the windows opened on to the street. When 
 crowded, which was ordinarily the case, it became 
 oppressively hot, especially in summer. If we opened 
 stones the windows the boys threw stones and mud and fire- 
 
 crackers wor ks through, and fired trains of gunpowder, laid 
 from the door inwards. But our people got used to this, 
 shouting ' Hallelujah ! ' when the crackers exploded 
 and the powder flashed. Doubtless a good many were 
 frightened away. Still many a poor dark soul found 
 Jesus there, becoming a brave soldier of the Cross 
 afterwards. It was an admirable training ground for 
 the development of the Salvation Army spirit." 
 
 An offi- One of the earliest officers in the Salvation Army 
 
 cer's first 
 
 meeting, gives an interesting account of the first of these meet- 
 ings which he attended : 
 
 " ' Pity, Lord, a wretched creature, 
 
 One whose sins for vengeance cry ; 
 Groaning 'neath his heavy burden, 
 Throbbing heart and heaving sigh, 
 
 Oh, my Saviour, 
 Canst Thou let a sinner die?' 
 
 " That was the first verse I remember hearing these people 
 sing in the open air, and their words, the looks of pity they 
 cast on the sinners, their prayers, their speeches to the peo-
 
 THE EAST LONDON MISSION. 
 
 571 
 
 pie, the very tones of their voices, remain stamped on my 
 heart, one of those impressions that cannot be rubbed out. 
 
 " As I looked at the pale faces of those East End toilers, and 
 at the threadbare garments of some of them as they stood in 
 the mud, with their poorly-covered feet dangerously near 
 pools of water, what struck me was that they were wretched 
 as far as outward circumstances could make people so. There 
 could be no question that life to them was a weary, dreary 
 struggle against starvation, and yet they had forgotten them- 
 selves, their poverty, and their necessities, and had managed 
 to give up some hours of their bread-earning time, out of 
 pure love and pity for a wretchedness so much deeper and 
 more terrible than their own. 
 
 "All their speaking and praying was in the tone of the 
 verse I have quoted. They told the crowd around them that 
 they were sinners, wretched and lost, and going to hell, with- 
 out mincing language or using any doubtful expressions; and 
 yet all through it there was not one tone of harshness or se- 
 verity ; it was all of tenderest pity for those who were ready 
 to perish, yearning in terrible anxiety to lead others to that 
 Saviour who had lifted them, in spite of their circumstances, 
 out of wretchedness and sin into the peace and joy which they 
 now possessed. 
 
 " That little open-air meeting was to me an index to their 
 work. A coming out of the poor to the poor under the con- 
 straint of Christ's own love; a coming out, not with blan- 
 kets or loaves or silver and gold, which these poor creatures 
 had not to offer, but a coming out with the very same over- 
 flowing compassion for the wandering sheep which filled the 
 heart of the Nazarene and of His apostles, and which made to 
 them poverty and toil and shame and suffering bright with the 
 coming joy of saving the lost. 
 
 "'Come along, Oram,' the General would say, as he saw 
 one of his few helpers in those days approaching in the open 
 air, 'you can help me sing, ' and then the children would gather 
 round and help, till a crowd of men and women came, and, 
 by-and-by, after a warm invitation given, the General would 
 form his devoted assistants in procession and march them 
 across one of the biggest thoroughfares in London to the 
 meeting-place." 
 
 " It used to be crowded, and many and many a soul 
 
 1865, 
 Age 36. 
 
 Their ffar- 
 
 mentsand 
 
 shoes. 
 
 A noble 
 work. 
 
 The 
 
 GeneraVs 
 methods.
 
 572 
 
 MRS. BOOTH, 
 
 1865, 
 Age 36. 
 
 " Many a 
 
 soul got 
 
 saved 
 
 there." 
 
 The 
 
 mother 
 and the 
 father. 
 
 Sorrow 
 for sin. 
 
 Quietlif 
 happy. 
 
 got saved there," was the summing-up of my inform- 
 ant, the daughter of a worthy couple, who have both 
 since passed into the skies. 
 
 " My mother," she adds, " had been converted years before, 
 but was a backslider when Mr. Booth came to the East End. 
 He used to stand near our house. So mother heard him and 
 went out to the meeting, where she sought and found mercy. 
 
 "My father, though a quiet sort of man, was all for the 
 world, and used always to be going to theatres. I never saw 
 such a change in any one as in him when he got saved. It 
 was on the ad December, 1865, and all the way, walking home 
 from the chapel the General then used in Holywell Mount, 
 Shoreditch, he kept on shouting, 'I'm a King's son! I'm a 
 King's son !' till I thought he had gone silly. Mother was in 
 bed with rheumatic fever. Ever since she had got converted 
 she used to pray with me and take me to the meetings. On 
 that night she and father prayed together for the first time. 
 
 " That Christmas some of father's friends came to see him, 
 and he was so frightened ; but he thought he must go out with 
 them, and then he was persuaded to have a little drink and go 
 with them to the theatre ; but when he came back he went 
 straight into the bed-room, fell down on his knees, and cried 
 like a child. He said he had sinned against God, and asked 
 'Do you think He will take me back?' 'Oh,' said mother, 
 ' God is always open to take poor prodigals back. ' And so he 
 got right, and after that he always went on straight with a 
 firm faith in God, a quietly happy man. At the time of his 
 conversion he owed three pounds to an uncle. He felt he 
 must pay the money, and as soon as he could get it together 
 tried to do so, but he then found that the uncle was dead, and 
 so he paid the money over to the Christian Mission."
 
 CHAPTER LIV. 
 THE EAST LONDON MISSION. 1866. 
 
 CHRISTMAS DAY, 1865, brought a new and welcome The 
 reinforcement to the East End Mission, and an appro- 4/" 
 priate token of the Divine favour, in the birth of Mr. Booth. 
 and Mrs. Booth's fourth daughter and seventh child, 
 Evangeline Eva, as she is popularly known. Faith 
 loves to trace the finger-marks of an over-ruling Provi- 
 dence in what might otherwise be passed over as the 
 merest accident. Born on Christmas Day, and born in A 
 the self-same year in which the East End Mission was 
 commenced, of all Mr. and Mrs. Booth's children none 
 has possessed in so powerful a degree the faculty of 
 attracting and managing the roughest of the roughs. 
 Seldom has there been a prolonged disturbance, or 
 prospect of a riot, but she has been the first to volun- 
 teer to fill the gap, and her appearance upon the scene 
 of action has usually resulted in a complete change of 
 front on the part of the most turbulent of the disturb- 
 ers. Like the gale-proof petrel, she has delighted to 
 be found 
 
 "Where the thunders echo loud and deep, 
 And the stormy winds do blow." 
 
 With more than a Peter's faith she has flung herself Walking 
 
 . j 1 11 j the water. 
 
 out of the boat on to the raging waves, and has walked 
 with unswerving confidence to meet the same Jesus, 
 who is still often to be found upon these troubled 
 waters and amid such perilous surroundings of tener,. 
 
 573
 
 5/4 MS. BOOTH. 
 
 1865, indeed, than amid the luscious ease in which the 
 ge 3 ' daughters of Zion too often seek, but find Him 
 not. How strange that Christian critics fail to see 
 The spirit that the spirit of Calvary is as necessary now as it 
 Calvary, was eighteen hundred and ninety years ago, and 
 that it is to be found among those who dare to face 
 the fury of a mob goaded to madness by the craft- 
 endangered worshippers of Diana, rather than in 
 ths bosoms of those who conceal their timidity be- 
 hind their disapproval, and salve the lashings of 
 their conscience by their untimely reproofs. 
 The ^ "The day has gone," remarked the General, in one 
 home- of his humorous home-thrusts, when replying on 
 one occasion to the objections of some who repeated 
 the old complaint concerning those who had turned 
 the world upside down, " The day has gone when the 
 priest and Levite are content to pass by the wounded 
 man. They must needs stop now, turn back, and 
 punch the head of any good Samaritan who dares to 
 come to the rescue!" 
 
 Not law- It is fashionable with the same breath to admire 
 good. Daniel.in the lions' den, or the three Hebrew heroes 
 in the flames, and to condemn in no measured terms 
 the brave men and women who face the savagery of 
 an Eastbourne or a Torquay mob and who refuse to 
 bow down before the image of a God-dishonouring 
 law. With all the stringency of the Mosaic dispensa- 
 tion, it used to be permissible to pull a sheep or an 
 ass out of a pit upon the Sabbath day. It has needed 
 the refinement of a Christian era to enact that upon 
 this day of all others it is not " lawful to do good," but 
 that the same man who is forbidden to sound a note to 
 the glory of God may play the same instrument, down 
 the same streets, to the same tune, provided that 
 death-dealing rifles and blood-consecrated swords fol-
 
 THE EAST LONDON MISSION. 
 
 575 
 
 low in his train and he wears the uniform that marks 
 him as a soldier of the Queen ! If this be not strain- 
 ing at a gnat and swallowing a camel, then, verily- 
 words have lost their meaning ! 
 
 But to return from this digression. In the middle 
 of February Mrs. Booth commenced a ten weeks' 
 campaign at the Rosemary Branch Assembly Rooms 
 in Peckham. The meetings lasted till the end of 
 April, this being the longest sustained effort that Mrs. 
 Booth had yet undertaken single-handed. She much 
 preferred a prolonged series of meetings to the iso- 
 lated services which towards the close of her labours 
 were alone possible. One service furnished a subject 
 for the next. Dealing personally, as was her habit, 
 at the close of each address with the penitents, she 
 became familiar with the " refuges of lies" behind 
 which those who had not come forward were seeking 
 for shelter. This afforded her a fresh opportunity for 
 unmasking their excuses, and forcing them to a defi- 
 nite decision. 
 
 During this year Mrs. Booth was completely pros- 
 trated by a severe illness which the best medical 
 skill seemed powerless to combat. She wasted away 
 so rapidly that her family became alarmed lest they 
 should lose her. Following the advice of her medical 
 attendant, Mr. Booth at length insisted on removing 
 her to Tunbridge Wells, where she was to live for a 
 time "the life of a tree." The change and rest 
 proved beneficial, although for some time to come 
 she still remained in a very delicate condition. 
 
 Mr. and Mrs. Booth were preparing to return to 
 London, when they were struck with the advertise- 
 ment of a religious meeting which was to be conducted 
 by the Rev. W. Haslam on the lawn of a. mansion 
 known as Dunorlan, the residence of a well-known 
 
 1866, 
 
 ^ 
 cam- 
 
 Booth at 
 
 Prostrat- 
 
 The life 
 ^ a 
 
 Rev. w.
 
 5/6 MJ?S. BOOTH. 
 
 1866, Christian philanthropist, Mr. Henry Reed. Happen- 
 ge 37 ' ing to know Mr. Haslam, for whom they entertained a 
 sincere regard, and being desirous to make the ac- 
 quaintance of Mr. Reed, they resolved to be present. 
 They missed their way, and were consequently late, 
 but took their place on the outskirts of the crowd. 
 Mr. Haslam was speaking in his usual easy, illustra- 
 tive, and pointed manner to an attentive and inter- 
 jteZ' ested audience. Mr. Reed followed with a few 
 Reed, words. Of tall and well-proportioned figure, with 
 snowy hair and long flowing beard, regular features, 
 a face bespeaking determination, and eyes piercing 
 and expressive, his appearance was calculated to pro- 
 duce an impression which could not easily be forgot- 
 ten. His remarks were simple and yet effective. 
 Mrs. After the concluding prayer Mr. Haslam stepped f or- 
 
 Booth at 
 
 Dunor- ward and introduced Mr. and Mrs. Booth to Mr. and Mrs. 
 
 i 
 
 Reed, who cordially invited them to conduct a service 
 on the following Sunday in his Mission Hall. Mr. 
 Booth was unable to accept the invitation, being 
 published for meetings in London, but Mrs. Booth, 
 though still unfit for public work, agreed" to be pres- 
 ent. She removed on Saturday to Dunorlan, where 
 she was very heartily welcomed by Mr. and Mrs. 
 Reed, and where she laid the foundation of a life-long 
 friendship, which proved of no little importance in 
 the early history of the East End Mission. 
 The Doncaster was Mr. Reed's birthplace. But when 
 
 mansion. . 
 
 quite a youth he had gone to Tasmania, where by 
 dint of industry, integrity, and ability he had risen to 
 a position of prominence and wealth. Returning to 
 England some twenty years previous to the time at 
 which our narrative commences, he had built for him- 
 self the beautiful mansion of Dunorlan. 
 
 The hall in which Mrs. Booth was to speak had
 
 THE EAST LONDON MISSION. 577 
 
 been specially erected by him for the convenience of 1866, 
 
 his tenantry and neighbours. Mr. Reed had his own ge 3 ^' 
 
 ideas as to the management of the services, and be- Mrs. 
 
 fore the meeting commenced he called Mrs. Booth time- 8 
 
 aside and gave her his instructions. " We shall com- 
 mence at three o'clock," he said, "and everything 
 must be over by four punctually. Consequently your 
 sermon should be concluded a few minutes before that 
 time." He repeated this injunction with so much 
 emphasis that Mrs. Booth replied, " Well, Mr. Reed, 
 you must be my timekeeper, for when once I am 
 started I am very apt to forget myself." Mr. Reed 
 was disarmed. He did not quite know what he was 
 promising when he agreed to undertake the duty. 
 
 The hall was well filled, and Mrs. Booth had no "Never 
 sooner commenced speaking than the power of God de- $* tj 
 scended, and there were few dry eyes in the audience. on/ " 
 Oblivious, as usual, of time, she suddenly remembered 
 her promise. Pausing, and turning to Mr. Reed, she 
 asked whether she ought not to conclude. Raising 
 his hands, and with the tears flowing down his ven- 
 erable face, he cried out, " Never mind the time ! Go 
 on! Go on!" Mrs. Booth complied, and it was 
 nearer five than four when she at length sat down. 
 " Let us have a prayer meeting," she then suggested 
 to her host, who joyfully consented. After singing a 
 verse or two, Mrs. Booth gave the invitation for peni- 
 tents to come forward. Many responded. Mr. Reed 
 stood in the aisle and encouraged the people, placing 
 his hand upon them and saying, "Come yer ways! 
 Come yer ways!" a homely Yorkshire expression 
 which he made use of when he was particularly 
 warmed up. 
 
 Mrs. Booth returned to the house and retired at once A fast 
 to her room thoroughly exhausted, Mr. Reed bringing fn 
 
 37
 
 578 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1866, her some tea and treating her with the most fatherly 
 
 ge 37 ' consideration. He expressed his unbounded delight 
 
 at the remarkable service which had just been held, 
 
 and became a hard and fast friend from that time 
 
 forward. 
 
 After her return from Tunbridge Wells Mrs. 
 Booth's health was considerably improved, but subse- 
 quently the disease seemed to fasten itself upon her 
 with renewed virulence, till she was reduced to a 
 An an- shadow. It was in a remarkable way, in answer to 
 
 swer to . 
 
 prayer, prayer, that she was at length restored. The workers 
 of the Mission had been gathered together at their 
 house for their usual weekly prayer meeting, and 
 Mrs. Booth's continued illness had been the special 
 subject of their prayers. She was too ill herself to 
 "be present. But while lying in bed she looked round 
 the room for something to do, since she could never 
 bear to be unemployed. Her eye fell upon a drawer 
 full of unsorted letters and pamphlets. Whilst put- 
 ting these in order she noticed a paper advocating 
 
 The char- strongly a certain preparation of charcoal for the mal- 
 ' re ' ady from which she suffered, which was chronic 
 diarrhoea. The theory advanced by the writer was 
 intelligent, and the cases he adduced of persons who 
 had been cured were so striking that Mrs. Booth re- 
 solved at once to give it a trial. From the very onset 
 she obtained relief, and before many days had passed 
 the malady was completely cured, and, though ex- 
 posed at times to temporary relapses, it never re- 
 turned again in its original force. The same remedy 
 was afterwards recommended by her to similar suf- 
 ferers, and almost invariably with equally satisfactory 
 results. 
 
 Mrs. Booth's nervous system had, however, received 
 a severe shock, from which it was long before it com-
 
 THE EAST LONDON MISSION. 
 
 579 
 
 pletely recovered. The barking of a dog, the rattle 
 of carriage wheels along the road, even the chirping 
 of a sparrow outside the window, would render sleep 
 impossible. " It seems to have been my special lot," 
 said Mrs. Booth during her last illness, " to suffer. I 
 can scarcely remember a day in my life which has 
 been free from some kind of pain or other." 
 
 It is often the case that Heaven's choicest gifts are 
 wrapped up in our darkest troubles. Indeed, sorrow 
 is frequently God's ambassador the chosen herald of 
 some special blessing. At the moment we may be 
 disappointed with the mournful appearance and mel- 
 ancholy uniform of the messenger. We may be 
 tempted even to close our hearts against his entrance, 
 and to reject the missive that he bears. We had 
 pictured to ourselves the dazzling brilliance of an 
 archangel, and behold the funereal robes and solemn 
 lineaments of Woe ! It is long, perhaps, before we 
 discover that he is in very truth an angel, but an 
 angel in disguise. We unfold with trembling, hesitat- 
 ing hand the scroll of destiny. But our tears and 
 sighs are at length changed to songs of joy when we 
 decipher in every word and line the assurances of a 
 Father's love. 
 
 Thus it was with Mrs. Booth, and the background 
 of phj'sical suffering only served to throw out into 
 greater prominence the "gladiator soul." Few had a 
 better right to claim the privileges of an invalid, and 
 yet have so persistently refused to regard themselves 
 as such, or have so successfully triumphed over bodily 
 weakness, and offered so complete a measure of ser- 
 vice to humanity. 
 
 Scores of times she sallied from her sick-bed to face 
 the eager, waiting crowds who hung upon her lips, 
 and no sooner had she finished than she hurried back 
 
 1866, 
 Age 37. 
 
 Scarcely a 
 
 day 
 
 free from 
 pain. 
 
 God's am- 
 bassador. 
 
 A dark 
 
 back- 
 ground. 
 
 Her iron 
 will.
 
 58o MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1866, to it, utterly prostrated by the effort. Again and 
 again she would be compelled, even while the meet- 
 ing was in progress, to place the hymn-book in an- 
 other's hands, rush into the vestry to relieve the 
 nausea which even her iron will could not restrain, 
 and then return to deal with penitents, who little 
 dreamed the anguish that her labours cost. 
 S flicied ^ was a lif e l n g martyrdom, none the less heroic 
 martyr- because self -inflicted and avoidable. There was no 
 
 dom. 
 
 need for an inquisitor to stand with rack and fag- 
 ot in one hand and recantation paper in the other. 
 Her weak body was its own inquisitor, but, over- 
 powered, like her Master, with a sense of compassion 
 for the shepherdless sheep, she would not surrender 
 to its calls. Her indomitable determination carried 
 her along. Like the British soldiers at Waterloo, she 
 knew not when she was defeated ; she fought when 
 she should have rested, advanced when she should 
 have retreated, lived when she should have died. 
 Nervous " What I suffered from the building of that church," 
 
 weakness. 
 
 says Mrs. Booth, no tongue can tell. There was a 
 large amount of stonework in the front and spire. 
 The chipping of these stones, the laying of the bricks, 
 and the putting down of the floors cost me what only 
 those can understand who have been similarly afflicted. 
 I encouraged myself, however, with the hope that 
 when once it was completed I should have peace. 
 But in this I was wofully disappointed. The echo of 
 the street traffic from its walls, commencing at early 
 morning and lasting till midnight, nearly distracted 
 me. In vain I tried every scheme which could be 
 suggested for deadening the sound. I padded the 
 windows, but that was useless. It came through the 
 glass and reverberated through the walls. I plugged 
 my ears with cotton -wool dipped in oil. But this
 
 THE EAST LONDON MISSION. 
 
 581 
 
 only brought the sound of the rushing of my blood, 
 which was still more difficult to endure. The house 
 became uninhabitable, and we were obliged to have a 
 change. 
 
 " When walking out with the children one morning 
 I had noticed a house opposite the Victoria Park. It 
 stood by itself and appeared to be quiet. I made 
 some inquiries about it and then mentioned it to the 
 General, who objected that it was too expensive. I 
 had thought of a way for getting over this difficulty. 
 We were already taking in one lodger, to help us to 
 meet our rent. I expressed my willingness to take 
 in two, although it meant a considerable addition to 
 my household cares. It was suited to our require- 
 ments. And it was evident that unless quiet could 
 be secured for me I should, soon be beyond the need 
 of any house at all. Finally we decided to take it. 
 
 " It was a convenient centre for our work, and was 
 largely used, as was the case with all our homes, for 
 office purposes. Indeed, as our children grew up, and 
 became in turn the heads of various departments, they 
 necessarily brought with them a large amount of 
 business, and anything like real retirement or privacy 
 became more and more impossible. Not only in this, 
 but in all our later homes, every bedroom has been 
 an office, and from the attic to the kitchen every 
 available scrap of space has been occupied with cor- 
 respondence and secretaries. 
 
 "Of course when we established a regular head- 
 quarters the greater part of the business was trans- 
 acted there, but much of the work was of a private 
 character, and the pressure upon the General and on 
 my children was always so severe that, after putting 
 in a good day's work at the office, it seemed as if still 
 more remained to be done, and so they would bring 
 
 1866, 
 
 victoria 
 
 ar ' 
 
 TaHng in 
 
 
 Every 
 an office.
 
 582 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1866, home bundles of their papers and sit up over them 
 ge 37 ' till the small hours of the morning. 
 Cabinet "The fact, too, that we have been always accus- 
 tomed to discuss among ourselves any important step, 
 and consult each 'other's views in regard to matters, 
 has also led to much of the most important work be- 
 ing transacted at home. All this would have been im- 
 possible, and the cause would have suffered materially, 
 had we refused to yield to the exigencies of the hour, 
 and confined ourselves to smaller quarters. 
 The alter- "Of course, there was another alternative. We 
 might have refused, as I suppose most people under 
 similar circumstances would have done, to allow the 
 privacy of our home to be invaded, doing what we 
 could in office hours and letting the rest drift. But 
 then the Salvation Army would never have been what 
 it is to-day, and my husband and children would have 
 had to be made of different material to what they 
 are ! I sometimes think that if our critics could have 
 seen the drudgery and toil that all this has inflicted 
 they would have been less ready to add to our sorrows 
 and our tears by their unkind reflections. 
 
 Thesacri- "Well, in the matter of our home we were influ- 
 privaey. enced by circumstances over which we had no control, 
 and always acted in the highest interests of the work. 
 Only too glad would I have been if I could have re- 
 tired to some little cottage corner where I could have 
 buried myself in the privacy which, the more I loved, 
 the less I seemed able to obtain. Look at this house 
 in which I lie .dying. It is more of a hotel than a 
 home even now, not excepting my bedroom, where 
 papa and all of you must needs bring your papers and 
 business for me to listen to and give my opinion 
 upon ! You know !" 
 
 Yes, we did! For had we not seen the General
 
 THE EAST LONDON MISSION. 
 
 583 
 
 bring his manuscripts and proofs of the great Social 
 Scheme for the perusal and suggestions of the dying 
 saint, who fell, as she had lived, with her hand upon 
 the two-edged sword that through life she had wielded 
 with such power, and to which sickness and anguish 
 seemed only to have lent a keener edge ! We knew ! 
 If ever an earthly home could be a Bethel, a house of 
 
 i CAMBRIDGE LODGE VILLAS, HACKNEY. 
 Mr. and Mrs. Booth's first residence in the East of London. 
 
 God and a gate of heaven, hers had been. Conse- 
 crated, not by the singing of a few sentimental hymns, 
 or the gabbling of a few incoherent prayers, but by 
 the training of a family of warriors, by the salvation 
 of souls upon the domestic hearth, by the creation of 
 successful plans and the preparation of writings which 
 have left their eternal mark upon numberless hearts 
 and lives, it needed no apology. 
 
 1866, 
 Age 37. 
 
 The con- 
 secrated 
 home.
 
 CHAPTER LV. 
 
 St. John's 
 Wood. 
 
 A three 
 months 1 
 
 cam- 
 paign. 
 
 Mrs. New- 
 enham. 
 
 MARGATE. 1867. 
 
 THOUGH still in some measure suffering from the 
 effects of her prolonged illness, Mrs. Booth com- 
 menced the new year with a series of meetings in St. 
 John's Wood. The Sunday services were held in the 
 Eyre Arms Assembly Rooms, the week-night in the 
 school-rooms of the Baptist and Independent chapels 
 near at hand. The first meeting was held in the teeth 
 of a severe snow-storm. Indeed, it was with some 
 difficulty that Mrs. Booth succeeded in keeping her 
 appointment. But by the third Sunday notices had 
 to be placed outside that the hall was full and no 
 more could be admitted. Many of those who were 
 shut out, having walked long distances, were bitterly 
 disappointed. One special feature of this series con- 
 sisted in the fact that more than three-fourths of the 
 congregation consisted of gentlemen. The campaign 
 was continued for three months, the interest being 
 sustained throughout. At the farewell meeting Mr. 
 Stott, the pastor of one of the chapels, in giving a 
 warm tribute to the good which had been accom- 
 plished amongst his own members, said that not only 
 had they been greatly edified and stimulated, but that 
 their numbers had been considerably increased. 
 
 Here, as usual, Mrs. Booth succeeded in gathering 
 round her a circle of friends. Amongst others was a 
 Mrs. Newenham, towards whom she experienced 
 
 584
 
 MARGATE. 585 
 
 from the first a special affinity of spirit. Mrs. New- 1867, 
 enham was one of those original, brilliant, and out- 
 spoken characters who could hardly fail to interest 
 Mrs. Booth. An able conversationalist, intensely and 
 yet good-naturedly, humorous, demonstrative to a 
 fault, she was attracted alike by the combination of 
 religious fervour and refreshing naturalness of Mrs. 
 Booth. But, perhaps better than any mere descrip- 
 tion, the following letter written to Mrs. Booth will 
 introduce her to the reader. The letter is headed 
 " Pray burn when read, unless useful as a warning:" 
 
 " 1 5th March, 1871. 
 
 " My dear Mrs. Booth once said to me, 'If you get the bless- "Begin to 
 ing of a clean heart I shall begin to hope. ' hope." 
 
 " Then, my dearest sister, begin to hope now, while your 
 eye rests on the paper. For I have got a beautiful, clean, soft 
 heart ! 
 
 " The means resolve on my part, and feeble but constant 
 prayer. I am not able, from want of time and head, to tell 
 you the story to-day. But as soon as I can I will come to see 
 you. 
 
 " Tell Mr. Booth the cooking is nearly done ! I have had 
 my last crisping and shall soon be dished up for the Master's 
 table ! 
 
 " At present I am as weak as a baby in body and soul. But 
 I must write that you may begin to hope ! 
 
 " Your most loving, 
 
 " LUCY NEWENHAM. 
 
 "'When the Lord turned again the captivity of Zion, we 
 were like them that dream. Then was our mouth filled with 
 laughter, and our tongue with singing!' " 
 
 Some little time after the services had been brought A gener . 
 to a conclusion a deputation of gentlemen waited ^dined 
 on Mrs. Booth, offering to build her a church larger 
 than Mr. Spurgeon's Tabernacle. This proposal was 
 declined, Mrs. Booth believing that she could best ex-
 
 586 MKS. BOOTH. 
 
 1867, pend her time and strength in visiting the various 
 important centres, from which the % calls were becom- 
 ing more and more numerous. The wisdom of this 
 decision has since been fully demonstrated, as it is 
 easy to recognise that in view of the subsequent exi- 
 gencies of the then Christian Mission she could not 
 have exercised the same widespread influence had her 
 attention been confined to a single locality. Perhaps, 
 however, it was the uncertainty of her health more 
 than anything else that precluded her at the time 
 from falling in with this suggestion. 
 
 Lucy Mil- On the 28th of April of this year was born Mrs. 
 Booth. Booth's eighth and youngest child, Lucy Milward. 
 With the exception of Marian she was the most deli- 
 cate of the family. But, though struggling with the 
 disadvantages of a weak constitution, she early gave 
 proof that, if the last upon the scene of action, she 
 was not to be the least. Lucy has inherited in no 
 small measure her mother's inflexibility of purpose 
 and strength of will, together with much of her fa- 
 ther's rapidity of thought and action. Endowed with 
 a soul for music, several of the. most taking Army 
 airs have been the natural expression of sad and suf- 
 fering hours, when, debarred from her coveted place 
 in the battle, her heart has found its consolation in 
 stirring up the faith and zeal of others, or in urging 
 them to purity with " psalms and hymns and spiritual 
 songs." 
 
 Heart- How often has the most soul-affecting melody bor- 
 ds ' rowed its pathos and its power from the inspiration of 
 the author's sufferings! There may be a philosophy 
 in this. Perhaps none but the hand of grief can cause 
 those heart-chords to vibrate which produce the ten- 
 der harmonies so captivating to the human ear, and 
 which doubtless find thoir echo in the Divine heart!
 
 MARGA TE. 
 
 587 
 
 " 'Tis said that when the nightingale 
 
 Would sing its sweetest lay, 
 Its breast against a thorn 'twill nail; 
 
 Thus in our saddest day 
 We sing to Thee, and piercing pain 
 
 But wakes the music sweet, 
 Attunes the cross-inspired refrain 
 
 Which love lays at Thy feet ! " 
 
 It was at one of her London services that Mrs. 
 Booth met with a lady who suggested the advisability 
 of her holding meetings at some of the fashionable 
 seaside resorts during the summer. "Our class of 
 people," she explained, "never go anywhere except 
 to church, where conversion is seldom definitely put 
 before them. But when they are at a watering-place, 
 away from their ordinary home associations, and with 
 nothing particular to do, they can often be prevailed 
 upon to attend such services as yours. It was in this 
 way that I myself was converted. I should never 
 have thought of going anywhere except to my church 
 when I was at home, but happening to be away I saw 
 a special announcement, attended the meeting, and 
 on the very first occasion gave my heart to God." 
 
 The suggestion pleased Mrs. Booth, and she re- 
 solved to make the attempt. She went to Ramsgate, 
 engaged a hall, and commenced her services. But it 
 proved far too small to contain the crowds who flocked 
 to it. An opportunity occurred for securing the 
 Royal Assembly Rooms in Margate. Mrs. Booth 
 seized the chance. It was crowded from the first, and 
 finding that there was a prospect of a powerful work 
 she decided to spend the season there. To travel 
 backwards and forwards to her family in London was 
 evidently impossible, and yet the difficulty and ex- 
 pense of securing a house seemed to preclude the 
 idea of bringing the children to Margate. But once. 
 
 1867, 
 Age 38. 
 
 Watering- 
 place 
 meetings. 
 
 Mrs. 
 Booth at 
 Rams- 
 gate. 
 
 Goes to 
 Margate.
 
 588 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1867, having made up her mind to a course she was not 
 Age s8 ' easily baffled. So, setting the children to pray about 
 the matter, she proceeded to make further inquiries. 
 joined by She had noticed a house to let which appeared to 
 children, her particularly suitable, and a peculiar assurance 
 that she would be able to secure it took possession of 
 her. On inquiry she ascertained that it belonged to 
 two gentlemen who had been deeply impressed at one 
 of her recent meetings. She was thus enabled to ob- 
 tain a lease on very reasonable terms, and a few 
 days later, to her intense satisfaction, the children 
 inarched in and took possession. The result justified 
 the venture, and not only were the entire expenses 
 connected with the effort covered, but several new 
 friends were enlisted, whose generous benefactions 
 considerably helped the East London Mission, both 
 Mrs. and then and in later years. Amongst others was a Mr. 
 ' Freeman. Freeman, who had spent some years in China, but 
 had returned to England owing to the precarious 
 health of his delicate wife. He was of a noble and 
 benevolent disposition, and appeared to have many 
 years of usefulness before him, but was suddenly cut 
 down in the prime of life, to the intense grief of his 
 devoted wife, who proved to the Mission a generous 
 and reliable friend. Mrs. Freeman was a sincere 
 and transparent character a thorough believer in the 
 self-sacrifice and separation from the world which 
 Mrs. Booth advocated and between the two hearts 
 there existed a strength of sympathy and affection 
 which was maintained unbroken to the last. 
 
 Among the first-fruits of the Margate work was 
 one of the daughters of Mrs Billups, the Cardiff friend 
 alluded to in a previous chapter. She was a gay, 
 fashionable worldling, a brilliant musician, and with 
 a strong ambition in the direction of education. Per-
 
 MARGATE. 589 
 
 haps a little wearied of the routine of home life, and 1867, 
 having formed a strong personal affection for Mrs. ge 3 ' 
 Booth, she sought and obtained her parents' consent 
 to visit her. To this arrangement Mrs. Billups the 
 more gladly agreed, since she had been anxious for 
 some time regarding the salvation of her daughter. 
 Nothing, however, could be further from the thoughts 
 of Miss Billups. She loved the world too well, and 
 openly avowed that she hated revivals and had no 
 wish for anything further than the prosecution of her 
 studies. For a time this position was maintained, 
 but a little kindly suasion induced her to attend some 
 of Mrs. Booth's services in London, and when the 
 family removed to Margate Miss Billups became a 
 regular attendant at the meetings. Nor was it long 
 before she surrendered her heart to God. The change A dearly 
 was clearly marked. She at once gave up her finery, change. 
 abandoned her educational ambitions, consecrated 
 her musical talent to the Lord, became a powerful 
 preacher, and led hundreds of souls to Christ. 
 Amongst other services she greatly helped the Gen- 
 eral in the compilation of his first hymnal music-book. 
 After years of earnest and successful toil she finally 
 married a revival minister and went over to Canada, 
 where she has done much good, maintaining still her 
 former spirit and zeal. 
 
 The Margate meetings were in some respects, how- NO one to 
 
 raise a 
 
 ever, of a trying character. At the beginning Mrs. tune. 
 Booth took her stand alone, without knowing a single 
 person present. For several weeks she could not 
 reckon upon a helper in the prayer-meeting. There 
 was no- one to give out a hymn, and what was worse 
 still, there was no one to raise a tune! Mrs. Booth 
 being unable to start the singing herself, there was 
 often an awkward pause before she could induce any-
 
 590 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1867, body to commence. " The more respectable the audi- 
 g ' ence," says Mrs. Booth in later years, "the greater 
 was my difficulty. It was almost impossible to get any- 
 body to step beyond the limits of the stereotyped con- 
 ventionalities ! If I had only been able to command 
 half a dozen reliable people, such as I could have 
 an)' > where now, I could have done almost anything!" 
 Her Nevertheless, judged by any standard, either past 
 
 success, 
 
 or present, the meetings were a marvellous success. 
 Ministers, journalists, visitors from all parts of the 
 kingdom, together with the inhabitants of the town, 
 crowded to the hall Sunday after Sunday. They 
 listened, were convicted of sin, wept, and were in 
 many cases converted to God. Seldom has Mrs. 
 Booth spoken with more power and demonstration of 
 the Spirit. 
 Only one The only symptom of opposition proceeded from 
 
 symptom. J . J f 
 
 a neighbouring clergyman, who endeavoured to take 
 away the hall by offering a higher price for its use. 
 Fortunately, however, possession was secured by a 
 properly executed agreement. 
 A publish- Amongst those who attended these meetings was 
 
 er's offer. . 
 
 Mr. Knight, the well-known publisher. He was 
 deeply impressed with the character of the truth which 
 Mrs. Booth proclaimed, declaring it to be in advance 
 of anything with which he had hitherto been ac- 
 quainted. He offered to undertake the entire respon- 
 sibility of reporting and publishing the sermons, giv- 
 ing to Mrs. Booth whatever monetary advantage 
 might accrue. She thought, however, that he had 
 over-estimated the value of her services, and declined 
 the generous offer ; a course for which she afterwards 
 experienced considerable regret, as but few of her 
 addresses were reduced to writing, and her memory 
 was so fickle she could not recall to mind the next
 
 MARGA TE. 
 
 591 
 
 day the words that she had spoken. The notes on 
 which she relied in facing her audiences were the 
 merest skeletons, and, as will be readily imagined by 
 those who have heard her, they were commonly su- 
 perseded by the inspiration of the hour. 
 
 Her plan of preparation for her public services 
 consisted in drawing up a line of argument, saturating 
 her mind thoroughly with the .subject, and then either 
 using or dispensing with her notes as occasion might 
 require. " I can do without notes," she used to say, 
 " when I have liberty. But when I have not they 
 are very useful to fall back upon, and I have the sat- 
 isfaction of feeling that, if I have not spoken with my 
 usual ease and pleasurable emotion, I have at least 
 absolved my conscience by dealing out the truth." 
 Many of the notes of her most powerful addresses 
 were scribbled on odd scraps of paper while nurs- 
 ing her baby, or jotted down between intervals of 
 household work. Perhaps this was what imparted 
 to them their special pungency. She was such a 
 happy combination of the mother, wife, and prophet- 
 ess, that in advising others she was able to draw 
 largely on her own experience. But, above all, her 
 powerful intellect was so completely mastered by her 
 tender heart that her severest rebukes were couched 
 in terms with which the most sensitive nature found 
 it impossible to take offence. 
 
 The following choice extract from one of her power- 
 ful addresses to professing Christians beautifully il- 
 lustrates this characteristic : 
 
 1867, 
 Age 38. 
 
 Her plan 
 of prep- 
 aration. 
 
 A happy 
 combina- 
 tion. 
 
 An illus- 
 trative 
 extract. 
 
 " A false love shrinks from opposition. It cannot bear per- False love. 
 sedition. Here is one unfailing characteristic of it: it is 
 always on the winning side that is, apparently ; down here ; not 
 what will be, ultimately, the winning side. When Truth sits 
 enthroned, with a crown on her head, this false love is most
 
 592 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1867, 
 Age 38. 
 
 True love. 
 
 The test. 
 
 Examine 
 your- 
 
 vociferous in her support and devotion ; but when "her gar- 
 ments trail in the dust, and her followers are few, feeble, and 
 poor, then Jesus Christ may look after Himself. I sometimes 
 think, respecting this hue and cry about the glory of God and 
 the sanctity of religion, I would like to see sorrfe of these 
 saints put into the common hall with Jesus again, amongst 
 a band of ribald, mocking soldiers. I would like to see, then, 
 their zeal for the glory of God, when it touched their own 
 glory. They are wonderfully zealous when their glory and 
 His glory go together; but, when the mob is at His heels, cry- 
 ing, 'Away with Him! crucify Him! crucify Him!' then He 
 may look after His own glory and they will take care of theirs. 
 
 " True love sticks to the LORD JESUS IN THE MUD, when 
 He is fainting under His cross as well as when the people 
 are cutting down the boughs and crying ' Hosanna ! ' I fear 
 many people make the Lord Jesus Christ a stalking-horse 
 on which to secure their ends. God grant us not to be of that 
 number, for, if we are, He will topple us from the very gates 
 of heaven to the nethermost hell. This false love cannot go 
 to the dungeon you never find it at the stake. It always 
 manages to shift its sides and change its face before it goes so 
 far as that. Never in disgrace ; never with Jesus Christ in 
 the minority, at Golgotha on the cross. Always with Him 
 when He is riding triumphant ! 
 
 " Oh, I often think if times of persecution were to come 
 again how many of us would be faithful? How many would 
 go to the dungeon? How many would stand by the truth 
 with hooting, howling mobs at our heels, such as followed 
 Him on the way to the cross such as stood round His cross 
 and spat upon Him, and cast lots for His vesture, and parted 
 His garments among them, and wagged their heads and cried, 
 'He saved others; Himself He cannot save'? How many of 
 us would stick to Him then? But, as your soul and mine 
 liveth, this is the only kind of love that will stand the test of 
 the Judgment Day. 
 
 " Oh, have you got this love? Love in the darkness; love in 
 the garden ; love in sorrow ; love in suffering ; love in isolation ; 
 love in persecution; love to the death! Have we got this 
 love? Examine yourselves, beloved, and see whether you are in 
 the faith or not, for there is much need of it in this day, when 
 there are so many false gospels and so much false doctrine."
 
 CHAPTER LVI. 
 BEHIND THE PIGEON-SHOP. 1866-1867. 
 
 FROM the story of Mrs. Booth's immediate labours The 
 we turn again to the contemporary history of the j/Ckon? 
 Christian Mission, with which from the first her life 
 was necessarily and increasingly entwined. Here 
 the spiritual and financial horizon was far from en- 
 couraging. There have always been peculiar diffi- 
 culties associated with a work of this kind, and prob- 
 ably always will be. No sooner was a genuine convert 
 made than, in the majority of instances, he evinced a 
 natural and even laudable desire to forsake his evil 
 surroundings, removing as soon as possible to a more 
 respectable quarter. In other instances, the peni- 
 tents who sought salvation in the meetings had drifted 
 in from distant places to which they were obliged to 
 return, often no more to be seen, or at least seldom 
 to be relied upon for any effectual help. 
 
 Added to these discouragements were the opposition NO brass 
 and petty persecutions with which, indoors and out, 
 at home and abroad, the workers had perpetually to 
 contend. There was no corps of trained and uni- 
 formed Salvationists to help with song and testi- 
 mony; no brass band with its enlivening music to 
 drown the jeering of the mob, or soothe them into 
 friendliness. Nevertheless, the General persevered, 
 inventing plan upon plan to hold and interest the 
 turbulent crowds, organising agency after agency, Turbulent 
 and adding building upon building to his list. The. 
 38 593
 
 594 MAS. BOOTH. 
 
 1867, halls, it is true, were of a rough-and-ready sort, as 
 ge 3 ' the following description given by Mr. Booth at the 
 time will show : 
 
 " One of our first halls was an old chapel, called 
 
 Holy well Mount. A fine place it seemed, after the 
 wretched holes and corners to which we had been ac- 
 customed. Still, it never answered our purposes, per- 
 haps just because it had been a chapel. 
 
 Summary " Then we had a stable, up a court leading off the 
 Whitechapel Road. We had it cleaned, whitewashed, 
 and fitted up, and from its situation we were full of 
 hope of seeing great results. But alas, we counted 
 our chickens before they were hatched, as others have 
 often done before us ! After the first meeting or two 
 we were summarily ejected, the room next us being 
 occupied by a sparring club, and our exercises dis- 
 turbing theirs. They were old tenants, and their 
 work being more in sympathy with the publican pro- 
 prietor there was nothing for us but to go. 
 
 Old Ford " From the beginning we were always picking up 
 
 Poplar, people in the roads from all parts of London, nay, 
 from almost every corner of the globe, some bent on 
 business and some on pleasure. They would follow 
 our processions to the halls, get saved, and then in- 
 vite us to the quarter where they lived. In this way 
 we went to Old Ford, to a carpenter's shop; to Pop- 
 lar, to a shed, between which and some stables and pig 
 styes there was only a wooden partition. The stench 
 which oozed through the open cracks was enough to 
 have poisoned us all. 
 
 A skittle- "Then we took a covered skittle-alley in White- 
 chapel, where they bowled and gambled and drank 
 and swore on week-days, while we preached and 
 prayed and sang on Sundays. A movable platform 
 was constructed over the square upon which the
 
 BEHIND THE PIGEON-SHOP. 595 
 
 pins usually stood, and on it, or in front of it, I have 1867, 
 seen as many as twenty people kneeling at once and &e 38 ' 
 weeping as they sought salvation." 
 
 One of the most interesting of these spots, however, One of the 
 in which the Salvation Army held its first hand-to- terLting 
 hand encounters with the powers of darkness its spots ' 
 Thermopylae was a little room behind a pigeon-shop 
 in Sclater Street, Shoreditch. The historian of these 
 early days, Commissioner Railton, thus describes the 
 place and its surroundings in a little pamphlet pub- 
 lished many years ago, and well worthy of a resur- 
 rection now: 
 
 " Scarcely behind the pigeon-shop, though, for the The pig- 
 entrance to the shop was the same as that which led 
 to the little room behind, so that those who went into 
 the one might very easily be supposed to be going 
 into the other, and yet the two places were very differ- 
 ent. The pigeon-shop/filled with pet birds and ani- 
 mals of all descriptions, and always as full of the 
 peculiar stench which such places alone produce, was 
 as dirty and disagreeable a spot as one could well im- 
 agine, although the people who kept it were so much 
 in their element there that they lived, ate, drank, 
 smoked, and slept in the self-same apartment wherein 
 they carried on their business, Sundays and week- 
 days alike. And this was not in some far-off island, 
 or even in a dark unseen nook of some ancient bor- 
 ough. It was one almost fears to name the name, 
 lest all the halo of surprise should at once depart it 
 was in Sclater Street, just one minute's walk from 
 Shoreditch, London. 
 
 " But if you were not inclined for birds or white Far more 
 mice, and passed by these attractions, you could cer- 
 tainly, at the time when our story begins, May, 1868, 
 have found something far more wondrous at the end
 
 596 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1867, of the little passage and across the yard, where a large 
 ge 3 ' pen of fowls kept up a ceaseless chatter. There was 
 a little room scarcely twenty feet square, lit mainly 
 in the daytime through a small skylight, the low ceil- 
 ing supported by pillars intended probably to ensure 
 the safety of the workshop above. The floor-boards 
 were in such a state that they gave way sometimes 
 beneath your feet ; the drainage was defective, and in 
 summer-time the room was almost unendurably hot. 
 Nevertheless, whoever will receive the testimony of 
 those who knew the place best, produced mainly in 
 their own words, will, we are sure, be satisfied that in 
 this little place God Almighty wrought wonders such 
 as the power of His Spirit can alone accomplish. 
 From a " The following sketch of the neighbourhood, which 
 
 London 
 
 daily appeared in a London daily paper, very accurately 
 describes the scene presented in those days: 
 
 " ' The chief attraction of the Hare Street Sunday market 
 lies in the song-birds, and herein is one of the most inexplic- 
 able mysteries that mark human nature. What natural affin- 
 ity can be traced between the innocent little caroller of the 
 A con- leafy woods and the alley-bred, heavy-jowled biped, swearing 
 trast. hideous oaths in support of his assertion that there is nothing 
 in the world he has so much admiration for? Setting aside 
 his " fancy" for song-birds, if young Muggins chose conscien- 
 tiously to reply to the question, What is the summit the ex- 
 treme tip-top of earthly bliss? he would say, " Unlimited beer 
 in a tap-room." Just fancy, then, Master Muggins making 
 love to a linnet ! hanging longingly about the cage in which 
 it is imprisoned and marked "ninepence;" manfully offering 
 sevenpence, " every precious oat I've got in the precious 
 world; bless my precious eyes if it ain't!" only it is impossi- 
 ble to reproduce the earnestness with which the fruitless bid 
 was made, or, indeed, to give the expressive word for which 
 " precious" is here substituted. It is quite touching to ob- 
 serve the manner in which Muggins removes his dirty short 
 pipe from his dirtier mouth to chirrup fondly to the little bird
 
 BEHIND THE PIGEON-SHOP. 
 
 597 
 
 that might have fondly nestled in his bosom but for that base 
 remaining twopence. 
 
 " 'There is not a bird that sings that is not represented in 
 this wonderful market. Chaffinches, goldfinches, bullfinches, 
 blackbirds, thrushes, starlings there they hang in their 
 shabby prisons outside the shops of the bird-fanciers in broad 
 rows, and stacked in solid stacks in each shop's interior. There 
 were larks thousands of larks many of them familiar with 
 bondage, who, in the midst of the clamour and chatter, raised 
 their wonderful voices as though mercifully bent on drowning 
 the blasphemous batch of human tongues, or at least on ming- 
 ling with it their sweet song to blunt the sting of the offence 
 as it ascended heavenward. Hundreds of other larks, crazy 
 with fright were beating their bodies against the iron bars. 
 
 " '" Who'll buy a lark? Who'll buy a finch? Who'll buy a 
 battling finch? Who wants a finch wot'll 'peg ' or sing ag'in 
 anything as ever piped atween wood and wire?" Rare quali- 
 ties these to be embodied in one small chaffinch ! And so it 
 seemed, judging from the appearance of the crowd that at 
 once surrounded the individual who clambered up on to a 
 window-sill and made this last-mentioned proposition. The 
 gifted chaffinch was not much to look at. It was housed in 
 a rusty old cage, which was tied in a ragged pocket-handker- 
 chief. The man tore a little hole in the handkerchief bigger 
 and revealed his treasure a rump-tailed, partly bald-headed, 
 dissipated looking wretch of a bird as ever one clapped eyes 
 on. " I'll take ten bob for him, and he's worth twice as 
 much," bawled his owner, proudly. " I've had him out 
 a-peggin' " a way of catching chaffinches with a decoy " and 
 I've sung him agin both Kent and Surrey birds, both kiss-me- 
 dear and chuck- wee-do's, and he was never licked yet. I'd a 
 wrung his - - neck if he had been. There must be no two 
 ways about a bird that I keep yer knows me, some of yer?" 
 Several persons in the crowd seemed to know him very well, 
 but I did not observe that they availed themselves of the ad- 
 vantage to eagerly embrace the splendid opportunity he offered 
 them ; and the disreputable finch was finally sold, amid much 
 swearing and cursing, for six shillings. And so the fun of 
 the fair was maintained the police, of whom there were sev- 
 eral in attendance, only interfering when words ran danger- 
 ously high or the mob thickened inconveniently at one spot. 
 
 A0 
 Age 38. 
 
 The bird 
 market. 
 
 " Who'll 
 buy?" 
 
 A dissi- 
 pated- 
 looking 
 bird.
 
 598 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 A0 
 Age 38. 
 
 As told 
 by them- 
 selves. 
 
 A regular 
 
 " lushing- 
 
 ton." 
 
 Intended 
 to kill her. 
 
 Clothed 
 
 with 
 
 curses. 
 
 Mr. Railton then goes on to describe some of the 
 early converts. We select the history of two of 
 these, both now in heaven, as told by themselves: 
 
 " At the age of thirteen I went as a pot-boy, and remained 
 so until I was sixteen. Here I got the flavour of drink and I 
 never lost it until I was converted to God, through the blessed 
 
 words of Brother L and Brother W , spoken in the 
 
 open air. When I look back and think how I have beaten my 
 poor wife it was through the drink it makes me ashamed 
 of myself. It was the word and the blow, but sometimes the 
 blow first. After I got sober sometimes it would make me 
 ashamed to look at her black eyes, but I do thank God there 
 is no fear of black eyes now, for we are very happy together. 
 
 " I wonder I have never had an explosion, for I have been 
 drunk for a week at a time. I am a stoker and engine-driver. 
 Half my wages went for drink, and my wife was afraid to 
 speak to me, and the poor children would get anywhere out of 
 the way. I was reckoned a regular ' lushington. ' I lost place 
 after place and was out of work several weeks at a time ; for 
 they did not care to employ a drunkard. Still I would have 
 beer somehow, I did not care how, so that I got it. I have 
 given one-and-sixpence for the loan of a shilling, and though 
 there was not a bit of bread at home the shilling would go 
 for beer. 
 
 " I have often had the police called in for ill-using my wife. 
 On one occasion she ran down to her mother's with her face 
 bleeding, but I went to bed. When I woke, I saw my wife 
 was not there, so I went out and got drunk. I came home 
 and got a large carving-knife, put it up my sleeve, and went 
 down to her mother's with the intention of killing her, but 
 they saw the knife. The police were called in and I was taken 
 to Spitalfields Station ; but, no one coming to press the charge, 
 I got off. . 
 
 " For some months before I was converted I could not sleep 
 unless I was drunk, very seldom going to bed without cursing 
 and swearing until I went to sleep, and woke up the same in 
 the morning waking everybody in the house with my curs- 
 ing and swearing, sometimes, in the middle of the night. 
 
 " Eight years ago God thought fit to lay me on a bed of 
 sickness for thirteen weeks, and I was given up by all the
 
 BEHIND THE PIGEON-SHOP. 599 
 
 doctors. When I got better people thought I would alter my 1867, 
 life and become a steady man ; but no, I was as bad as ever. Age 38. 
 While I was at work, another time, drunk, I lost one of my 
 eyes by an accident ; but that did not make me a sober man, l ye u 
 nor make me leave off. swearing and cursing. I was, in gen- 
 eral, drunk two or three times on Sundays. The Sunday that 
 I was convinced I was a sinner I had been drunk twice. 
 
 " I did not think there was much happiness for me, but I do 
 thank God for what He has done for me. He has changed my 
 heart; He has filled me full of the love of Christ; my greatest 
 desire is to tell sinners what a dear Saviour I have found and 
 to tell them how I found Him." 
 
 His wife gave a dreadful confirmation to -all this 
 when she added : 
 
 " I have been a wife sixteen years, and never knew The 
 happiness till my dear husband was converted." d rcTs~ 
 
 Such people, turned from darkness to light, formed wi f e - 
 the strength of the Mission force, whose headquarters 
 were behind the pigeon-shop, and who went forth 
 time after time to face the godless crowds around 
 them, fearless of earth and hell, for their Master's 
 sake. 
 
 Missioning in such places is no easy task sometimes. 
 Says Mrs. Price: 
 
 " We only lived a few doors off and the people knew us, and Mrs. 
 
 we used to catch it hot. The men would sit all along the Pnc ^ ex ~ 
 
 penence. 
 
 pavement in front of the place with their pots of beer. 
 
 " I remember when I got my first shawl after my conver- 
 sion we were reduced to such a destitute state, you know, 
 before then, that I hadn't any and when I got my new shawl 
 on, the first time I went with it, it was spit on and.torn, and 
 that wasn't easy to bear; was it? 
 
 " As we stood in the open air one day, a boy came with 
 some hot pease-pudding and spread it right on a young man's 
 face. 
 
 " We had to leave my father's house, where we were living 
 when we were converted, for it was no use. We couldn't 
 put up with their ways any longer, and they could not put up
 
 6oo MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1867, with ours. It was a hard trial to leave my father's house, but 
 Age 38. i f e i t ^ was the Lord's way, and I was determined to follow 
 Him." 
 
 An un- A band of such people is not easily daunted. They 
 
 daunted , . . . , , .. 
 
 band. used to go out into the open air every night, and al- 
 though, whilst they stood and spoke, the power of 
 God laid hold on those who heard them, so that they 
 were rarely disturbed whilst standing, yet the hulla- 
 baloo through which they had to make their way to 
 the hall, as they marched along singing, was often 
 very great. Quite a band of tin-kettle beaters at 
 times went before them ; volleys of winkle shells 
 would fall upon them from the windows, and dead 
 rats and other animals from the various shops around 
 would vary the discharge of the enemy's artillery. 
 
 The death Jack Price, a strong, healthy man to all appearance, 
 seemed to be in his usual health and strength, but 
 was one day taken ill at his work, and had to go 
 home. He was not thought to be in danger, how- 
 ever, till next Monday morning, when, at five o'clock, 
 he suddenly sprang out of bed, and said to his wife, 
 "I am going home." 
 
 He then had all his eight children gathered round 
 him, and charged them each to meet him in heaven. 
 After bidding them "good-bye," he told them that 
 he should be gone to heaven before they came home 
 to dinner. 
 
 Trusting He said repeatedly that he was " trusting in Jesus 
 
 tn Jesus. 
 
 and going^ home all right all right." 
 
 His eldest daughter had been married not many 
 months previously to a dear young man, who, after 
 only a few months of married life, had passed to his 
 reward in heaven. Referring to him, his dying 
 father-in-law added, " Willie would not expect to meet 
 me so soon."
 
 BEHIND THE PIGEON-SHOP. 
 
 60 1 
 
 Somebody asked him how it was with his soul. 
 "Triumphant, triumphant, triumphant!" he said. 
 
 His last words were, " The blood of Jesus Christ, 
 God's Son, cleanseth us from all sin." 
 
 When speech failed, however, the triumph of his 
 soul seemed, if possible, to increase, and waving his 
 handkerchief round his head he went up to wave the 
 palm of victory forever. It was exactly ten years 
 from the day when, in the little Mission Hall, he had 
 left his load of sins at Jesus 's feet. 
 
 No less interesting is the story of Carry Berry : 
 
 One Sunday evening, as the band stood at their 
 post, at the Hare Street end of Sclater Street, they 
 saw. opposite them one Mrs. Berry, familiarly known 
 amongst her friends as "Carry." She had been buy- 
 ing sweetmeats, and was then on her way to "The 
 Well and Bucket," her favourite public-house, calcu- 
 lating on what she called " a pleasant evening" with 
 her companions. But the words of one of the speak- 
 ers arrested her attention. "If," said he, "you are 
 going on any excursion or journey, you take care to 
 prepare yourself for it." 
 
 "Ah," thought Carry, "that's true; lam particular 
 to make plenty of preparation when I go anywhere." 
 
 And then the speaker pressed home on his hearers 
 the importance of getting ready for the great journey 
 their souls must so6n start upon, when the death hour 
 struck. When the invitation was given to follow to 
 the hall behind the pigeon-shop, Carry was one of 
 those who felt constrained to accept. 
 
 But she was not converted that night, although so 
 strongly affected that she came night after night after- 
 wards. Such was her character, however, that some 
 said, "She has only come to make a laugh of us." 
 It was natural enough to think so, for her life had 
 
 1867, 
 Age 38. 
 
 To dip, no 
 more. 
 
 Carry 
 Berry. 
 
 Prepare 
 
 for the 
 
 soul's 
 
 journey. 
 
 Night 
 after 
 night.
 
 602 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1867, been a rough one so far. Her own account of it was 
 Aee38 ' this: 
 
 A rough " I was born in the East of London and have lived in the 
 * e ' parish of Bethnal Green nearly all my life. There were six 
 brothers and sisters of us, and we used to be called ' the happy 
 family.' I don't know particularly why, except that we were 
 to be found together so often in the front of some public- 
 house bar, or sitting side by side in some low concert hall. 
 These places were for years my delight ; Saturday night and 
 Sunday were for years spent in this fashion. I would go 
 through a week sometimes and not take much liquor; but I 
 was always going to music-halls and such like places, and was 
 so fond of amusement that I could scarcely pass an organ in 
 the street without dancing. I got my living as a tailoress, 
 making the strong cord trousers they sell to navvies. It is 
 
 better work than the slop trade, and as I worked hard I could 
 The drink , , -. 1 . 1 jj-i 
 
 killed always earn plenty of money to spend in pleasure and drink. 
 
 him. My father was a clever tradesman who could earn any amount 
 of money, but was a dreadful drunkard. I think the drink 
 killed him, and he died suddenly. It was a solemn warning, 
 but the effect soon wore off, and all the family went on just 
 the same." 
 
 The un- Not long after her father's death a neighbour saw 
 e stood T her drinking and dancing with the undertaker who 
 treat. j^d Buried the old man, and who, on that account, 
 stood treat. 
 
 She fought with a man on one occasion, both being, 
 no doubt, completely under the influence of drink, 
 and so severe was the battle that she was confined to 
 her bed after it, and the doctor had to be called in. 
 
 No wonder that those who knew her imagined her 
 only motive for attending religious services must be 
 to "make a laugh" of them! 
 
 A lost " But when I got into the pigeon-shop hall," she says, " the 
 
 burden Word of God seemed to go right through me. I have heard 
 nd a new , 
 
 song. some say they were awakened under this text, and some un- 
 der that ; but I know nothing of that, only that I was over-
 
 BEHIND THE PIGEON-SHOP. 
 
 603 
 
 come with a feeling of my sins. I did not know what was 
 going on, only that people were praying and that I lost my 
 burden and came away singing a new song. 
 
 " My first desire was to get all the family to Christ. Two 
 of my sisters were persuaded to attend the meetings, and both 
 professed to find peace. But the persecution they had to 
 suffer overcame them. 
 
 " Then there was my brother Joseph. He was dotingly 
 fond of mfe, more so almost than any of my family ; but when 
 he got to know that I had got what they call converted he 
 persecuted me bitterly. He used to call me bad names and 
 say I was a hypocrite, and we were all hypocrites together. 
 But I used to pray for him and for all the family. He lived 
 in the same house with me. He was a hard drinker; indeed, I 
 think the drink killed him. He was in the public-house the 
 Saturday night he was taken so bad. On the Sunday I ran 
 for the doctor when I saw how bad he was, and for the first 
 time I was allowed to kneel and pray with him ; but he said 
 his heart was stony, and so it was." 
 
 With her other brothers, alas ! it was much the same. 
 Such was their life that none of them lived out half 
 their days, and the last of them was found dead in his 
 bed, but a few weeks since, after his last spree. 
 
 Carry's husband was a trial to her to an extent that 
 only her most intimate friends could form any idea of, 
 for she was anxious, as far as possible, to hide his 
 faults. She was herself naturally very irritable, and 
 this was the greatest difficulty of her religious life. 
 
 Again and again she would find her husband in a 
 drunken sleep in their one little room. 
 
 " I say to myself," she explained, "now I won't say 
 a word to him, I'll just lie down quietly by his side." 
 
 Poor woman, it is no small victory to live soberly, 
 righteously, and godly, under such circumstances! 
 But we find her and her companions, after years have 
 passed away, still following Jesus, and labouring for 
 the good of others. 
 
 1867, 
 
 Age 38. 
 
 Bringing 
 
 others to 
 
 Christ. 
 
 No hope 
 in their 
 death. 
 
 Carry's 
 husband. 
 
 No small 
 victory.
 
 604 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1867, 
 Age 38. 
 
 Help 
 from an 
 unex- 
 pected 
 quarter. 
 
 On the very last Sunday of her life she said to a 
 comrade, "I don't think I shall be long here." But 
 she went with her to an open-air service on the Mile- 
 End Waste. She felt too weak to speak, but prayed 
 very earnestly, and then marched up with the pro- 
 cession to the hall. 
 
 On the following Wednesday evening Carry went 
 to bed singing "Safe in the arms of Jesus." At two 
 o'clock in the morning she awoke in pain, called her 
 
 EYRE ARMS ASSEMBLY ROOMS, 
 St. John's Wood, London. 
 
 sister to her, and, leaning on her neck, almost im- 
 mediately breathed her last. 
 
 It was at a somewhat trying juncture in the history 
 of the Christian Mission that help was received from 
 an unexpected quarter. A young man whose brother 
 had been converted, and who had himself been power- 
 fully stirred by Mrs. Booth's St. John's Wood meet- 
 ings, had visited the East End services. Amazed and 
 delighted at all he saw, he carried the news of the 
 work to the Committee of the Evangelisation Society,
 
 BEHIND THE PIGEON-SHOP. 605 
 
 who had at this very time received from a charitable 1867, 
 gentleman, Mr. Bewley, of Dublin, a sum of .5,000 ge 3 ' % 
 for the express purpose of ameliorating the spiritual 
 
 condition of the London poor. Mr. Booth had already pM.ia.n- 
 
 . i 1 r-\ ' thropist. 
 
 invited the Society to investigate his work, but hither- 
 to his appeals had been without effect. They were 
 now, however, induced to look into it for themselves, 
 with the result that they were fully satisfied as to its 
 value, and agreed to give Mr. Booth a weekly grant 
 in order to enable him to secure a larger building. 
 
 The Effingham Theatre was accordingly engaged. The 
 It was one of the lowest resorts in all London, and %am 
 very dirty, but none the less popular with the class Thl 
 whom the Mission sought to reach. So successful 
 was this venture that the Evangelisation Society con- 
 tinued for some time to grant a weekly sum averaging 
 about 12 or 14. Subsequent history justifies the 
 supposition that no portion of Mr. Bewley 's gift was 
 better laid out in the interests of God's Kingdom than 
 the contribution which helped to lift the East London 
 Mission for the first time to a position of notoriety 
 and influence. 
 
 It was about this time that the first official Head- The 
 
 ern Star. 
 
 quarters of the Salvation Army was established. A 
 low beer-house, the Eastern Star, notorious for immor- 
 ality and other vices, had been burned down and 
 afterwards rebuilt. Mr. Booth bought the lease and 
 fitted it up. In the front was the first book-store, at 
 the back a good hall, with rooms for classes and 
 smaller meetings upstairs. The Eastern Star, or 188 
 Whitechapel Road, soon became as active a centre for 
 good as it had previously been for evil. Its name at 
 least was very appropriate. Like its original fore- 
 runner, it shone for a time over the cradle of a great 
 future, and then made way for brighter luminaries.
 
 CHAPTER LVII. 
 
 PLYMOUTH BRETHRENISM. 
 The SOME of Mrs. Booth's earliest and keenest shafts 
 
 errors of 
 
 the were directed against the errors of Plymouth Breth- 
 renism, and to the end of her life she continued to 
 lift up her voice against teachings which she looked 
 upon as fraught with the most calamitous conse- 
 quences to the church and the world at large. As this 
 subject is one of general interest, and will necessarily 
 be referred to more than once in the following pages, 
 we may here observe that the leading doctrines of the 
 Brethren are: 
 
 1 . The abrogation of the law by the Gospel. 
 
 2. The existence of a dual nature in the converted. 
 
 3. The fictitious imputation of Christ's righteous- 
 ness to those who are really not righteous. 
 
 4. Only-believism. 
 
 5. The second advent of Christ. 
 
 Mrs. On the first four of these points Mrs. Booth dis- 
 joins is- tinctly joined issue with the Brethren, denouncing 
 the doctrines in question as mischievous, dangerous, 
 and totally unscriptural. On the fifth point she de- 
 clined to enter into controversy, on the ground that 
 it was non-essential to salvation, and that evidently 
 the how and when and where of Christ's coming was 
 so purposely shrouded in mystery that it was our duty 
 rather to prepare ourselves and the world for it, than 
 to spend time in fruitless discussions as to the detail 
 of its arrangements. 
 
 606
 
 PL YMO UTH BRE THR EN ISM. 607 
 
 In regard to the other points, however, she looked 1867, 
 upon them as so intimately connected with vital god- ge 3 ' 
 liness that she believed them to be worthy of the most 
 careful consideration and refutation. 
 
 The Brethren argued in the first place that the The law 
 Christian was released from the law by the Gospel, "gatedby 
 basing the proposition upon the text, " Ye are not un- Gomel 
 der the law, but under grace," and similar passages. 
 One of their favourite hymns commenced with the 
 line "Free from the law! O happy condition !" To 
 this Mrs. Booth replied that the law referred to in 
 such passages was the Mosaic ceremonial, not the Mo- 
 saic law of righteousness. She denied in toto that the 
 latter had been, or could be, abrogated by the Gos- 
 pel. Not only had we the distinct assurance of Christ 
 that He " came not to destroy the law and the proph- 
 ets, but to fulfil," but it was evident from the whole 
 tenor of the Bible that the latter was included in the 
 former, the Gospel standard being actually much 
 higher than that of the Mosaic dispensation. In proof 
 of this she appealed to the Sermon on the Mount. 
 
 Still more emphatically did Mrs. Booth denounce "Two 
 the doctrine of the "Two Natures." She deals with 
 the subject in a masterly manner in the following 
 letter, written apparently in reply to a pamphlet by 
 one L. H. B., forwarded, it appears, by some one in 
 whom she was interested : 
 
 "If L. H. B.'s doctrine be true, will he inform us Thedoc- 
 what becomes of this 'old, wicked, black soul' of man refuted. 
 at death? If it is immortal, it cannot die. If it for- 
 ever remains unclean, it cannot enter heaven. If it 
 is not redeemed, or washed in the blood, it must go 
 to hell. So that a real believer, according to L. H. 
 B. s school, will have one soul in hell and another in 
 heaven !
 
 608 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1867, " If the old soul cannot be washed in the blood of 
 ge 3 ' Christ, which soul is it that is so washed? For the 
 The glory saints love to sing 'unto Him who hath washed us 
 demotion, from our sins in His own blood. ' A new soul, cre- 
 ated holy, and preserved holy from its creation, would 
 not need washing in anything. If regeneration 
 means simply generation, if to be born again means 
 only to be born once, if to be begotten again means 
 only to be begotten, will L. H. B. explain these 
 terms used by the Spirit of God ? For it seems to me 
 carefully to guard against the very error into which 
 Brethrenism has led him. If the old or unregener- 
 ated soul cannot be washed or redeemed, why does 
 God promise and profess over and over again to re- 
 new it, and wherein is the glory of redemption ? We 
 are taught that it was greater to redeem than to cre- 
 ate. But if this doctrine be true there is no such 
 thing as redemption, for the new soul never was in 
 bondage and therefore never could be redeemed ; it 
 never was sinful and therefore never could be washed. 
 Con- " L. H. B. seems marvellously to confound things 
 
 things 9 that differ, giving us a perfect hodge-podge of doc- 
 differ. trine. He says the creation of this new soul goes on 
 gradually and slowly through long weary years, and 
 is Scripturally called repentance. We challenge L. 
 H. B. to give us an iota of proof. Repentance is all 
 the way through the New Testament carefully distin- 
 guished from faith and regeneration, and is invariably 
 laid down as preparatory to it (Acts iii. 19, viii. 22, 
 xx. 21, xxvi. 16-20). In this last text the glorified 
 Saviour laid down forever the philosophical, as well 
 who has as the Divine, order of salvation, and who has author- 
 
 author- 
 
 ityf ity to transpose that order, any more than to alter the 
 terms ? 
 
 " Paul understood this order, and preached, first to
 
 PLYMOUTH ERETHRENISM. 609 
 
 the Jews and then to the Gentiles, 'that they should 1867, 
 repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repent- ge 3 ' 
 ance.' What a fleshly preacher Paul must have been, 
 according to L. H. B., and how mistaken Jesus must 
 have been to commission him thus to appeal to men, 
 as though they had any power or part in turning them- 
 selves to God! But L. H. B. says real regeneration 
 is the creation of a new soul, which takes long weary 
 years to bring about. I ask, how long did it take to 
 regenerate Paul, Lydia, and the Philippian jailer, and 
 the Pentecostal converts? L. H. B. confounds re- 
 generation both with repentance and complete sancti- 
 fication. Christ carefully distinguishes the three in 
 the 1 8th verse of xxvi. Acts. They are also clearly 
 distinguished in many other passages, but surely this 
 one is enough. 
 
 " L. H. B. says that regeneration is not brought God's or- 
 about by appeals to human passions. No, but ap- ^y. 
 peals to the human understanding, conscience, and 
 heart are God-ordained ways of bringing it about. 
 'Open their eyes, enlighten their understanding, turn 
 them from darkness to light. ' ' Knowing, therefore, 
 the terror of the Lord, we persuade men;' and in 
 II. Cor. v. 20; also Acts xvii. 2 ; also Acts xvii. 22-32, 
 xviii. 4. Preaching is God's great instrumentality 
 for saving men, and will be till the Gospel is preached 
 to 'every creature.' 
 
 " L. H. B. again confounds working out salvation The prize. 
 with working for salvation, in saying that he who has 
 received eternal life does not agonize for it, and he 
 who has been beguiled into thinking he has won 
 Christ, and is in Him, does not count everything but 
 loss if haply he attain that 'most blessed prize.' 
 What most blessed prize ? Not the knowledge of sal- 
 vation, for this the Apostle has already, so that he 
 
 39
 
 6 io MS. BOOTH. 
 
 1867, knew to live was Christ and to die was gain, and that 
 
 he lived not, but Christ lived in him. The prize he 
 
 was running for was eternal glory the perfection or 
 
 finishing of his salvation in heaven." 
 
 What sin The error in regard to the doctrine of the dual 
 
 ana hoh- 
 
 ness con- natures has arisen doubtless from a misapprehension 
 
 sist in, 
 
 as to what sin and holiness consist in. The very word 
 " nature " is in' this connection a misnomer. Sin and 
 holiness are not physical phenomena, but consist .in 
 the voluntary obedience to or transgression of the 
 moral law. Sin is not a constituent part of our flesh 
 and blood, only to be " shuffled off " simultaneously 
 with this " mortal coil." If it were so it would indeed 
 be what the defenders of this doctrine tacitly imply, 
 if they do not positively urge a something that we 
 cannot help. 
 He creates And herein lies the deadly danger of the doctrine. 
 
 sin who J 
 
 commits It practically throws the blame back in the face of 
 God. "I have an evil nature; I was born with it, I 
 cannot get rid of it, it is in my blood and bones ; there- 
 . fore I cannot help it ; and therefore I am not to blame, " 
 and therefore it irresistibly follows that God is. But 
 sin is not a nature, it is not a created substance, it is 
 not something constitutional, it is not something we 
 cannot help. Sin, according to the plain English of 
 the Bible, is the transgression of the great unchange- 
 able moral law of love, and he creates it who commits 
 it. In other words, sin consists in a wilfully depraved 
 choice. We may entertain at the same time and for 
 different reasons two opposite desires, but we cannot 
 
 T rsion.~ make two opposite choices. Self, in some of its 
 thousand and one modifications, is the ultima Thule of 
 the sinner, the universal law of love that of the saint; 
 and conversion consists in the exchanging of the one 
 for the other which is surely possible, with the blood
 
 PLYMOUTH BRETHRENISM. 
 
 6n 
 
 of Jesus and the power of God at our disposal. The 
 confusion arises, therefore, from the confounding of 
 the physical and moral natures, and the laws by which 
 they are governed. 
 
 The error in regard to "imputed righteousness" 
 is the inevitable consequence of the foregoing 
 doctrines. It supposes that our " standing in Christ " 
 is altogether independent of our life and actions. 
 It being impossible for God Himself to change 
 the evil nature, He is supposed to do the next best 
 thing to cover it up; to pretend that it is not 
 there, when it really is ; to whitewash the sepulchre 
 whilst the inside is full of rotting bones ! What else 
 can God do? He has no alternative! It is impossi- 
 ble for us to be holy so say the apostles of this 
 strange gospel which is no gospel, this gospel, of mis- 
 ery, this " good news " of despair ! And herein lies the 
 mischievous tendency of the doctrine. It is nothing 
 more nor less than a plea for sin, and once more 
 throws back the blame of our sinfulness upon God. 
 
 In again referring to this subject, Mrs. Booth says : 
 
 " Another modern representation of the Christ is 
 that of a substitutionary Saviour, not in the sense of 
 atonement merely but in the way of obedience. This 
 Christ is held up as embodying in Himself the sum 
 and substance of the sinner's salvation, needing only 
 to be believed in that is, accepted by the mind as 
 the atoning sacrifice, and trusted in as securing for 
 the sinner all the benefits involved in His death 
 without respect to any inwrought change in the sinner 
 himself. 
 
 " This Christ is held up as a justification and pro- 
 tection in sin, not as a deliverer from sin. Men and 
 women are assured that no harm can overtake them, 
 if they believe in this Christ, whatever may be the 
 
 1867, 
 Age 38. 
 
 Imputed 
 righteous- 
 ness. 
 
 A substi- 
 tutionary 
 Saviour. 
 
 Whatever 
 the state 
 of their 
 hearts.
 
 6 12 MAS. BOOTH. 
 
 1867. state of their hearts, or however they may, in their 
 ge 3 ' actions, outrage the laws of righteousness and truth.. 
 
 " In other words, men are taught that Christ obeyed 
 the law for them, not only as necessary to the efficacy 
 of His atonement for their justification, but that He 
 has placed His obedience in the stead of, or as a sub- 
 stitution for, the sinner's own obedience or sanctifica- 
 tion ; which in effect is like saying, ' Though you may 
 be untrue, Christ is your truth; though you may be 
 unclean, Christ is your chastity; though you may be 
 dishonest, Christ is your honesty; though you may 
 be insincere, Christ is your sincerity. And hence you 
 have nothing to fear. ' 
 
 The " The Christ of God never undertook to perform any 
 
 God. such offices for His people, but He did undertake to 
 make them 'new creatures,' and thus to enable them 
 to perform them for themselves. He never under- 
 took to be true instead of me, but to make me true to 
 the very core of my soul. He never undertook to 
 make me pass for pure, either to God or man, but to 
 enable me to be pure. He never undertook to make 
 me pass for honest or sincere, but to renew me in the 
 spirit of my mind so that I could not help but be both, 
 as the result of the operation of His Spirit within me. 
 He never undertook to love God instead of my doing 
 so with 'all my heart and mind and soul and strength, ' 
 but He came on purpose to empower and inspire me 
 to do this. 
 
 What sort " The idea of a substitutionary Christ, accepted as 
 Christ is an outward covering or refuge, instead of the power 
 
 yours? Q < an enc Q ess ijf e> ' i s a c heat of the devil, and has been 
 the ruin of thousands of souls. I fear this view of 
 Christ, so persistently preached in the present day, 
 encourages thousands in a false hope while they are 
 living in sin, and consequently under the curse not
 
 PLYMOUTH BRETHRENISM. 613 
 
 only of a broken law, but of a Saviour denied and 1867, 
 abjured. Let me ask you, my hearers, what sort of a ge 38 * 
 Christ is yours? Have you a Christ who saves you, 
 who renews your heart, who enables you to live in 
 obedience to God, or are you looking to this outside 
 and imaginary Christ to do your obeying for you?" 
 
 The caricature of faith implied in only-believism "Only be- 
 also called forth strenuous protest from Mrs. Booth. 
 The practice of picking out some text, such as I. John 
 v. 10-13, separating it from its context, and applying 
 it indiscriminately to all descriptions of sinners, she 
 believed to have been the cause of the damnation of 
 thousands of souls. She pointed out that the direction 
 to 'only believe ' was applied strictly by the apostles 
 to convicted sinners, while hardened, impenitent, or 
 careless ones were warned to repent, and flee from the 
 wrath to come. To divorce repentance from faith 
 was to separate two things which God has indissolubly 
 joined together. An unrepentant sinner could no 
 more exercise saving faith than he could fly. And to 
 confound mere intellectual assent to a set of doctrines saving 
 with conversion was calculated to cause the ship- 
 wreck of countless souls, as surely as to confound the 
 Eddystone Lighthouse with the North Fore Light ! 
 
 On this point Mrs. Booth has said : 
 
 " No mere intellectual beliefs can save men, because 
 right opinions do not make right hearts. Alas! we 
 all know the little practical effect opinions have on 
 character. Look around you. Do you know any 
 man who is not a thorough intellectual believer in 
 chastity being better for a man, or a woman, in the 
 end, than uncleanness? Is there any wicked, profli- 
 gate young man who, if you could take him aside 
 and talk fairly to him, would not tell you that he be- 
 lieved that chastity was the best for a man ? and yet
 
 6 14 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1867, you have only to look at him to see that he is a sepul- 
 ge 3 ' chre of uncleanness and debauchery. What avails 
 his intellectual belief in chastity while he is the slave 
 of his lusts? What better is the man who believes 
 in chastity, and sins, than a man who does not believe 
 in chastity, and sins? As a French infidel, answering 
 a caviller against holiness, said the other day, 'You 
 believe and sin, I do not believe, and sin : where is the 
 
 The better difference ? It seems to me I am the better of the 
 two.' Exactly; for, however true or grand a man's 
 beliefs may be, of what use are they if he does not 
 act them out? 'Can faith, save him?' Nay, verily, 
 but such a faith can damn him. 
 
 NO safety " Further, any theory which leads men to suppose 
 
 unless 
 
 saved, that they are safe without being actually saved is the 
 
 most dreadful of all. 
 An intei- " Such a theory adds an intellectual opiate to the de- 
 
 lectual 
 
 opiate, ceit of the heart, and prevents the truth from trou- 
 bling the conscience. Now, the only use of appealing 
 to the understandings of the unregenerate is, that 
 through their understandings you may get at their 
 hearts, but if Satan has 'blinded their minds' by some 
 intellectual opiate there is no chance. The under- 
 standing is darkened, the conscience seared, and the 
 soul paralysed. These are the worst people in the 
 world to preach to; when I had to preach to them, 
 how I groaned many a time for a congregation of 
 heathen ! 
 A damn- " A man is either saved or not ; the fact is inde- 
 
 theory. pendent of his theory, and it is of comparatively little 
 consequence what his theory may be if he be saved. 
 Hence many savages and Catholics have rejoiced in 
 a consciousness of pardon, while many evangelicals 
 have never known it. A man is either under the 
 dominion of sin or else he is delivered from it. If
 
 PL YMO UTH BRE TH REN ISM. 6 1 5 
 
 he is under the dominion of sin, what an awful theory 1867, 
 is that which makes him believe he is saved ! Could ge 3 ' 
 the devil have invented a more damning theory than 
 that? And yet, alas! alas! he allures millions to de- 
 struction through it, who otherwise would take alarm 
 and begin to seek salvation. He says to all the 
 qualms of conscience and the pangs of remorse, 'You 
 are all right ; you believe this or the other, your faith 
 is orthodox, you are safe,' frequently quoting sep- 
 arated or mutilated texts to back up his lying insin- 
 uations, such as, 'By faith ye are saved;' 'He that 
 believeth shall be saved;' 'You are complete in Him,' 
 etc. This latter phrase has come to express, in num- 
 bers of instances, the most utter ruin to which the 
 human soul can be brought. 'Complete in Christ!' 
 'Complete ' without any true repentance, without any 
 offering of the heart, without the slightest change, in- 
 ward or outward; 'complete in Him,' while living 
 without Him, and having no conscious connection 
 with Him whatever; 'complete' without losing one 
 evil feature of the godless life, without receiving one 
 grace of any kind, without doing or suffering any- 
 thing, except, perhaps, a whispered 'I believe;' 'com- 
 plete' all in a minute, since somebody pointed to a 
 text with which perhaps the poor victim had been 
 familiar all his life! 'Complete in Christ' with a 
 gnawing consciousness at the heart that it is as sin- 
 ful, as empty, as powerless, and as joyless as ever; 
 'complete' as a poor corpse would be 'complete' if 
 painted and dressed in the clothes of a living man ! 
 May God save you from any such mock salvation as 
 this !"
 
 CHAPTER LVIII. 
 
 THE PROGRESS OF THE MISSION. 1868. 
 
 Norwood. UPON the conclusion of the Margate services Mrs. 
 Booth was invited to conduct meetings in a mission 
 hall erected by a gentleman of fortune in Norwood. 
 This was one of those independent philanthropic 
 efforts such as are to be found dotted over the coun- 
 try, and which, as a rule, produce but scanty results in 
 proportion to the labour and expenditure of money 
 which they involve. That they are exceedingly well 
 intentioned there can be no doubt. But that the 
 effort put forth to sustain them would be better spent 
 in other ways, and that they involve a minimum of 
 success with a maximum of expenditure, seem equally 
 undeniable. 
 
 The inter- Take the present instance. A hall had been built 
 fc> r the benefit of the godless non-churchgoing inhab- 
 itants of the neighbourhood. A great effort had been 
 put forth to secure their attendance at its opening. 
 They had been visited from house to house, handbills 
 had been scattered, free teas provided, collections 
 abrogated, and every reasonable inducement proffered. 
 For a short time they had complied. But very soon 
 the interest had languished, the congregations dwin- 
 dled, and nothing but the .generosity of its founder 
 had kept the effort from dying a natural death. A 
 few devoted persons had struggled on, but there was 
 little to show as a result for their toil. Outside help 
 was sought for and obtained. Amongst others Mrs. 
 
 6t6
 
 THE PROGRESS OF THE MISSION. 617 
 
 Booth was asked to come. She complied. There 1868, 
 was an encouraging revival of the interest, and souls ge 39> 
 were saved. And then the work declined again. Mrs. 
 
 In the following year the East London Mission 
 were invited to take it over. Mr. Booth agreed, thus 
 stepping for the first time beyond the original sphere. 
 But the gentleman to whom the hall belonged wanted 
 to keep in his own hands the control of the evange- 
 lists sent. There could not be two masters, and Mr. 
 
 Booth therefore retired, with the consequent result C< dition8~ 
 that, instead of the cause being linked to an organi- 
 sation which would sooner or later have lifted it to a 
 position of permanence and success, it retained its 
 spasmodic and uncertain character. 
 
 It is well, perhaps, to point out the cause of such fail- The 
 ures, if only as a warning to those who may be ca faUue. 
 tempted to embark on similar enterprises. For 
 while it is possible to imagine circumstances arising 
 in which it is practically the only course open, it is 
 well to be acquainted beforehand with its disadvan- 
 tages. As a rule, if we search deep enough, we shall 
 find there is a reason for failure, and, setting aside the 
 comparatively rare instances in which such attempts 
 have been accompanied with success, there can be no 
 doubt that the country, nay, the world, abounds with 
 disappointing dwarfish efforts of the kind. 
 
 The first obvious deviation from the laws of com- "Like a 
 mon sense consists in their separation of themselves steamer." 
 from every organised section of Christ's host. To 
 this it may be replied that General Booth has done the 
 same. If they were General Booths, the contention 
 would be sound. But unfortunately this is not the- 
 case. It is interesting, moreover, to remark that so 
 satisfied was Mr. Booth of the necessity and impor- 
 tance of organisation that he only left the church
 
 618 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1868, with the utmost reluctance when it had itself 
 ge driven him forth. And eve then he sought to re- 
 unite himself to some existing organisation, " like a 
 boat to a steamer," as he graphically described it. 
 It was only the rapid and unexpected growth of the 
 Mission which precluded either the necessity or pos- 
 sibility of such a course. 
 
 ^otics**' Entirely different is the case of an isolated mission 
 Not for- hall, such as we are now describing, which is neither 
 what botanists would describe as an endogen, an ex- 
 ogen, or an acrogen; neither growing internally by 
 additions to its membership, nor externally by casting 
 out fresh colonies, nor upwards by increasing in spiri- 
 tuality. Feeble exotics, dependent upon an artificial 
 hot-house atmosphere for their very existence, they 
 present a striking contrast to the forest oaks, which 
 may cast off their leaves for a time, but only to put 
 them on again with returning spring, or to the per- 
 ennial pines and evergreens which dare the winter 
 frosts and snows. 
 
 The But another cause of failure is to be found in the 
 
 ' wlS ihe fact that a rich man is at its head. This in itself is 
 on ' usually enough to spoil the concern, destroying, on the 
 one hand, the sense of responsibility for self-support, 
 and leading, on the other, to an undue tendency to pan- 
 der to the wishes and favour of the patron rather than 
 seek disinterestedly the good and progress of the 
 work. 
 
 A double Again, there is a double difficulty in dealing with 
 the agent entrusted with the prosecution of the work. 
 If he be a mere figure-head the work necessarily 
 languishes. If, on the other hand, he be a man of 
 power and parts, and consequently popular, he will 
 not, as a rule, be willing to be effaced, and trouble will 
 probably arise.
 
 THE PROGRESS OF THE MISSION. 619 
 
 Nor is it possible to enforce necessary discipline. 
 The independent spirit of the founder naturally and 
 inevitably reproduces itself in his followers. He likes 
 his liberty they like theirs. He will not be bound 
 by any red-tape rules. They applaud his sentiment 
 to the skies, and apply it to themselves. He will 
 not have any organisation step in between himself 
 and Christ, as he expresses it, and they will not have 
 him. Lawlessness breeds lawlessness. " In order to 
 govern you must first learn to obey " is as true now 
 as in the days when Alexander the Great heard the 
 sentiment from his father's lips. And the man who 
 disconnects his work from others must not be sur- 
 prised if his followers disconnect themselves from him. 
 His isolation reacts upon himself. 
 
 True, he reckons to strengthen his weakness and 
 sustain the interest of the work by borrowing workers 
 from elsewhere. But this is no easy task. All who 
 are worth absorbing, or nearly all, are absorbed in 
 existing organisations, and their time and talents 
 fully utilised. The number of those who are actually 
 free to afford their help is few, their ability limited, 
 and the doctrines which they hold so contradictory 
 that to reconcile them is impossible. What is the re- 
 sult? One preacher believes in sudden conversion, 
 the next doubts it seriously ; one believes in holiness, 
 the other does not; one believes in two natures, the 
 next regards it as a dangerous error; one believes in 
 hell, the other only in heaven. The same hearers 
 listen to all, and are expected to accept whatever may 
 be said as the pure undiluted Gospel. What wonder 
 that they are puzzled and bewildered? 
 
 The permanent staff of workers, moreover, consists 
 usually of as strange a mixture as these occasional 
 visitors. Some believe one thing and some another. 
 
 1868, 
 Age 39. 
 
 Discip- 
 line. 
 
 Occasion- 
 al help. 
 
 Puzzled 
 hearers. 
 
 The per- 
 manent 
 staff.
 
 620 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1868, All sow their diverse seeds in the same field, and 
 ge 39 ' add to the general confusion of the whole. Uniformity 
 may not be necessary, but unity requires some sort 
 of common basis to build upon, and money is a poor 
 substitute for the " one-idea'dness " which can alone 
 insure happy, hearty, and successful co-operation. 
 NO con- In a word, there is neither continuity of effort nor 
 continuity of doctrine, and to anticipate anything but 
 failure is sheer fatalism. It is like a soldier rushing 
 into battle, borrowing a sword from one, a scabbard 
 from another, a rifle from here, and cartridges from 
 there. At the critical moment (and there will be a 
 crisis in every history) the sword sticks in the scab- 
 bard for which it was never made, and the cartridges 
 refuse to fit the rifle, and the time that should be 
 spent in fighting has to be given up to putting them 
 right. Meanwhile the opportunity is gone, the bat- 
 tle lost, and the soldier blames everybody except 
 himself. 
 
 The Mis- In 1 868 the Mission's first formal balance-sheet was 
 '"balance- published, covering the twenty-one months from the 
 sheet. Is t January, 1867, to 3Oth September, 1868. It was duly 
 audited by a leading firm of accountants, Messrs. J. 
 Beddow & Sons. Not only so, but in order to guarantee 
 to the public that the funds were being administered in 
 a straightforward and honourable manner the financial 
 The over- affairs of the Mission were submitted to the oversight 
 f a council of gentlemen, who met together from time 
 to time, received Mr. Booth's reports, examined the 
 financial position, and appointed their own auditors. 
 The following is a list of the gentlemen who com- 
 posed the council : 
 
 REFEREES. 
 
 Samuel Morley, Esq., M. P. 
 Captain Fishbourne, R. N., C. B.
 
 THE PROGRESS OF THE MISSION. 621 
 
 George Pease, Esq., Stock Exchange. 1868, 
 
 Rev. J. H. Wilson, Secretary of the Home Missionary A 2 e 39- 
 
 Society. 
 
 Rev. W. Tyler, Minister of New Town Chapel. 
 Rev. Robert Ashton, Secretary of the Congregational Union. 
 Messrs. Morgan & Chase. 
 
 Capt. W. E. Smith, Secretary of Evangelization Society. 
 Mr. Gawin Kirkham, Secretary of Open-Air Mission. 
 
 COMMITTEE. 
 
 Nathaniel James Powell. George Hamilton. 
 
 Charles Owen. John Lee Dale. 
 
 John Alfred Merrington. Edmund Ives. 
 
 John Eason. W. H. Crispin. 
 
 C. S. Mitchell. 
 
 Treasurer : Nathaniel James Powell. Hon. Sec. , Chas. Owen : 
 
 Mr. Booth worked in perfect harmony with this The coun- 
 cotmcil for some years, and when, finally, the work had dissolved. 
 assumed such proportions and so established itself in 
 the public favour and confidence as not to require 
 such financial sponsorship, it was dissolved in the 
 most friendly manner. A goodly number of those 
 who composed the council have since passed away, 
 but there is no reason to doubt but that all were 
 pleased to have been associated with the work, and 
 to have endorsed what has since been the means of 
 blessing to so many thousands. 
 
 It is not, however, to be supposed that when the Annual 
 financial oversight of the committee ceased the ac~ sheets*' 
 counts were any less carefully audited than before. 
 From that time to this, annual balance-sheets have 
 been published, and every penny of money that has 
 passed through the hands of the International Head- 
 quarters of the Salvation Army has been accounted 
 for to the satisfaction of the firm of auditors to whose 
 careful and constant supervision they have been en-
 
 622 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1868, trusted. And yet the following letter to a newspaper 
 ge 39 ' from the present auditors speaks for itself : 
 
 "THE SALVATION ARMY BALANCE-SHEET AND 
 ACCOUNTS. 
 
 Reply to a "DEARSiR: Our attention having being directed to your 
 lc ' issue of the ist inst, wherein you refer to the above accounts 
 as muddle-headed, we were curious to know the meaning of the 
 expression, and find from your issue of to-day that it was sub- 
 jective rather than objective. We should be in error were we 
 to accuse your critic ' Scrutator ' of a knowledge of book-keep- 
 ing, and, therefore, can easily forgive his blundering references 
 to the balance-sheet and accounts. He is entirely wrong in his 
 conclusions. 
 
 " As you accuse us of signing inaccurate statements, we are 
 prepared, should you wish, personally to submit the printed 
 accounts to Mr. Saffery, the President of the Institute of 
 Chartered Accountants in England and Wales, and let him 
 pass judgment as to whether we are right or ' Scrutator. ' 
 
 " We see no reason, after 'Scrutator's ' criticism, to alter our 
 opinion as to the accuracy of the accounts, or to vary our cer- 
 tificate. 
 
 " Yours faithfully, 
 
 " KNOX, BURBRIDGE, CROPPER & Co., 
 
 " Chartered Accountants and Auditors to the Salvation Army, 
 
 16 Finsbury Circus, London. 
 "January 8th, 1891." 
 
 The The balance-sheet of 1868 contains some interesting 
 particulars in regard to the progress of the work. 
 The following is a list of what were called the Preach- 
 ing Stations : 
 
 New East London Theatre, Whitechapel. 
 
 St. Leonard's Hall, Shoreditch. 
 
 Mission Hall, 188 Whitechapel Road. 
 
 Mission Room, Sydney Street, E. 
 
 Oriental Theatre, High Street, Poplar. 
 
 Temperance Hall, High Street, Poplar. 
 
 Mission Hall, corner of Worship Street, Bishopsgate.
 
 THE PROGRESS OF THE MISSION. 623 
 
 Eastern Alhambra, St. Anne's Place, Limehouse. 1868, 
 
 Preaching Room, Sclater Street, Spitalfields. A e 39- 
 
 People's Hall, near Bow Bridge, Stratford. 
 Large Shop, Hackney Road, Cambridge Heath. 
 Gospel Hall, Three Colts Lane, Cambridge Road. 
 Mission Hall, Cheval Street, Millwall. 
 
 "In these stations," says the report, "we have ac- The 
 
 means 
 
 commodations for 8,000 persons, every seat free; 140 employed. 
 services, out-doors and in, are held weekly, at which 
 the Gospel is preached \.o over fourteen thousand people" 
 There is also an imposing array of the means em- 
 ployed by the Mission, a number of which foreshad- 
 owed the great Social Scheme of recent days, and 
 doubtless served in some measure to prepare the way : 
 
 PREACHING in the OPEN AIR, and in THEATRES, CONCERT 
 HALLS, SHOPS, and ROOMS, in prominent situations or very 
 dark neighbourhoods. 
 
 VISITING from house to house. 
 
 BIBLE CARRIAGE, for the sale of Bibles, traces, and soul-sav- 
 ing literature. 
 
 MOTHERS' MEETINGS. 
 
 BIBLE CLASSES. 
 
 BELIEVERS' MEETINGS. 
 
 TEMPERANCE MEETINGS. 
 
 BANDS OF HOPE. 
 
 TRACT SOCIETIES. 
 
 EVENING CLASSES, for reading, writing, and arithmetic. 
 
 SUNDAY, DAY, and RAGGED SCHOOLS. 
 
 READING ROOMS. 
 
 PENNY BANKS. 
 
 RELIEF of the DESTITUTE and SICK POOR, by the distribution 
 of bread, meat, small sums of money, and by 
 
 SOUP KITCHENS. 
 
 The report contains the following plea on behalf of 
 the necessity of the Mission : 
 
 " The temporal and spiritual destitution of the East of Lon- destit l it- J 
 don is appalling. In other parts of the metropolis, and of the tion.
 
 624 
 
 MJZS. BOOTH. 
 
 1868, 
 Age 39. 
 
 Relief 
 
 and 
 
 Rescue. 
 
 great cities of our land, there are quarters, of limited extent, 
 as dark and wicked ; but they are as islands in a surrounding 
 sea of intelligence and wealth, while here is a vast continent 
 of vice, crime, and misery. Of the great bulk of the popu- 
 lation not one in a hundred attends any place of worship. In 
 the Whitechapel Road alone it has been calculated that 18,600 
 persons go into the public-houses on the Sabbath. 
 
 " THE WORKERS IN THIS MISSION 
 
 have, for the most part, been brought to God in the movement, 
 or have, through its instrumentality, been raised from a back- 
 sliding state to a new and quickened life. 
 
 " The Lord has given us hundreds of precious souls. Since 
 the commencement there have been over 4,000 anxious in- 
 quirers at the different stations, besides multitudes of persons 
 who have been seriously impressed. Many thousands of the 
 starving poor have been relieved. Fallen girls have been 
 rescued from the streets. Situations have been obtained 
 for numbers, while others have been assisted to emigrate. 
 Hundreds of drunkards have signed the pledge and the Gos- 
 pel has been preached to tens of thousands who otherwise 
 would not have heard the glad sound. 
 
 THE SUPPORT OF THE MISSION. 
 
 " This mission is entirely dependent on the voluntary offer- 
 ings of the Lord's people. Over fifty pounds are required 
 
 Sustained 
 by volun- 
 
 offerings. weekly. The annexed balance-sheet will show that so far the 
 Lord has disposed His people to sustain this expenditure." 
 
 An interesting quotation is also appended from the 
 columns of The Revival (now The Christian] : 
 
 "More " We recently spent a Sunday with Mr. Booth in his work, 
 gratified " an( ^ were more than gratified. The above notice altogether 
 fails to convey an adequate idea of the extent and depth of the 
 movement which God has used him to establish. There is 
 not in this kingdom an agency which more demands the hearty 
 and liberal support of the Church of Christ. In the East of 
 London are crowded and condensed a large proportion of the 
 poorer labouring population of London. The ruined, the un- 
 fortunate, the depraved, the feeble ones outrun in the race
 
 THE PROGRESS OF THE MISSION. 625 
 
 of life gravitate thither, and jostle one another in the daily 1868, 
 struggle for bread. Thousands are starving from day to day, A K e 39- 
 and the bulk of these teeming multitudes are as careless of 
 eternity as the heathen, and far more uncared for by the great 
 majority of the professed people of God. Mr. Booth's oper- 
 ations are unparalleled in extent, unsectarian in character, 
 a standing rebuke to the apathy of Christians, and a witness 
 of the willingness of God to show His work unto His servants, 
 and to establish the work of their hands upon them. In His 
 name we commend this deeply important and self-denying 
 mission to the hearts, and purses, and cheque-books of His 
 faithful servants." 
 
 An important step in advance was taken in October, The" East 
 1868, in the publication of the first number of the Mis- Evangd- 
 
 ist 
 
 sion's magazine. Hitherto Mr. Booth had been con- 
 tent with reporting progress in the columns of vari- 
 ous religious papers. This was for many reasons 
 an undesirable expedient. The reports had to be 
 trimmed and dressed to suit the editorial fancy, and 
 might even then not find a place. It was not to be 
 expected that a struggling organisation should be al- 
 lowed to usurp much space. Besides, there was no 
 opportunity for the free expression of opinion, or for 
 the advocacy and defence of methods which might not 
 suit the general taste. It is amusing at this date to 
 consider the hesitation and fears with which this little 
 venture was regarded at the onset. The launching 
 of the little papery craft caused as much perturbation 
 and speculation as if it had been a monster ironclad 
 from the printing arsenal. Would it float at all? or 
 would it go straight to the bottom, as some were 
 not slow to prophesy ? But the trim little East London 
 Evangelist survived all criticisms, and went forth on 
 its errand of mercy with success. Mrs 
 
 The publication of the magazine afforded Mrs. J?j^jf_ 
 Booth the fulfilment of the wish she had expressed filled. 
 40
 
 626 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1868, some years previously, of being able to edit a paper 
 ge 39 ' which should advocate more advanced views in regard 
 to the privileges of Christians and their duty in 
 working for God. By force of circumstances she and 
 the General were its first editors. There was no one 
 else to whom they could turn for help. And together 
 they revised the first proofs of the East London Evan- 
 gelist. One is ^empted to regret that the day ever 
 came when they were able to turn over the task to 
 others ! 
 Early ar- Mrs. Booth's first article was on " Prevailing 
 
 tides. 
 
 Prayer." This was succeeded by another on "Com- 
 pel them to come in," and this again by the report of 
 an address on "Heart Backsliding." As they are 
 included in Mrs. Booth's published works, a single 
 passage will suffice to quote : 
 
 The work " This is the work that most needs doing of any work in the 
 thC need St vineyard. There are teeming thousands who never cross the 
 doing. threshold of church, chapel, or mission-hall, to whom all con- 
 nected with religion is as an old song, a byword, and a reproach. 
 They need to be brought into contact with a living Christ in 
 the characters and persons of His people. They want to see 
 and handle the Word of Life in a living form. Christianity 
 must come to them embodied in men and women who are 
 not ashamed to 'eat with publicans and sinners ; ' they must 
 see it looking through their eyes, and speaking in loving ac- 
 cents through their tongues, sympathising with their sorrows, 
 bearing their burdens, reproving their sins, instructing their 
 ignorance, inspiring their hope, and wooing them to the foun- 
 tain opened for sin and uncleanness. Dear reader, here is a 
 A sphere sphere for you ! You have long wished to do something for 
 for you. y Our blessed Master. Here is work, boundless in extent, and 
 momentous beyond an angel's power to conceive. For it you 
 need no human ordination, no long and tedious preparation, 
 no high-flown language, no towering eloquence ; all you 
 want is the full baptism of the Spirit on your heart, the Bible 
 in your hand, and humility and simplicity in your manner. 
 Thus equipped, you will be mighty through God to the pulling
 
 THE PROGRESS OF THE MISSION. 627 
 
 down of strongholds. You will find your way to many a 1868, 
 heart long since abandoned by hope, and given up to despair ; A 8 e 39- 
 and in the great day of account you shall have many a sheaf 
 as the result of your labour and the reward of your self- 
 denial." 
 
 Next year it was rechristened as the Christian Mis- changes 
 
 n f 
 
 ston Magazine ; in 1879 ^ was converted into the Sal- 
 vationist, and in 1880 it was docked and broken up, 
 and its place taken by the redoubtable War Cry, 
 which during the next eleven years, although being 
 the only religious or secular paper which does not 
 deal in advertisements, achieved the phenomenal 
 circulation of close upon a million copies a week. 
 The newspaper history of the world does not present 
 a parallel to so remarkable an achievement. Nor is 
 this all. The success of the War Cry led to the sub- 
 
 cess of the 
 
 sequent publication of various monthly magazines, the war Cry. 
 most important of these being All the World, the 
 international organ of the foreign work of the Salva- 
 tion Army; The Deliverer, representing especially 
 the progress of the Rescue work; Full Salvation 
 (Australia), especially advocating the doctrine of other ma- 
 holiness; The Conqueror, the American equivalent of 
 All the World ; and The Musical Salvationist, furnish- 
 ing the Army with a limitless supply of new songs 
 and tunes. 
 
 This spiritual armada, this immense flotilla of 
 dumb and yet eloquent Salvationists, sweeps the 
 world with its messages of "Glory to God in the 
 highest, on earth peace, good will toward men." 
 Like Joel's countless army, "they run like mighty The 
 men ; they climb upon the wall like men of war ; they 
 march every one in his ways, and break not their 
 ranks ; neither does one thrust another (the spiritual, 
 the social, the criminal, the missionary, the musical
 
 628 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1868, organs having each its separate and appropriate 
 ge sphere) ; they walk every one in his path ; and when 
 they fall upon the sword they are not wounded ; they 
 run to and fro in the city ; they run upon the wall ; 
 they climb up upon the houses ; they enter in at the 
 windows like a thief," and appear in places where the 
 uniform of the Salvationist cannot yet be endured. 
 
 Heralds of mercy and harbingers of hope, they link 
 the palace with the garret, and heaven with both. 
 beautiful " ^ow beautiful upon the mountains " of sin and in 
 upon the the valleys of sorrow are these white-winged messen- 
 
 - J 
 
 gers of peace! Unappreciated, it maybe, even dis- 
 liked by some, the social " wilderness and solitary 
 places" of the world are "glad for them;" its deserts 
 of sin and sorrow "rejoice and blossom as the rose." 
 Even now they may be said to " blossom abundantly," 
 and to "rejoice with joy and singing." The eyes of 
 the spiritually blind are opened and the ears of the 
 deaf unstopped. The socially lame man leaps as an 
 hart, and the tongue of the sorrow-dumb sings. For 
 "in the wilderness have waters broken out and 
 streams in the desert, and the parched ground become 
 a pool, and the thirsty land springs of -water." 
 
 moun-
 
 CHAPTER LIX. 
 CORRESPONDENCE. 1868. 
 MRS. BOOTH'S private correspondence, beiner writ- A vaiu- 
 
 6 able 
 
 ten concurrently with passing events, provides a val- index. 
 uable index to her opinions and feelings. Her reg- 
 ular letters to her parents had, however, as might be 
 expected, ceased. They were close at hand, and 
 mutual visits obviated the necessity for writing. In 
 fact, Mr. Mumford was a regular attendant at his 
 daughter's meetings, superintending the various ar- 
 rangements and helping to the best of his ability. 
 Too appreciative to criticise, and too proud of his 
 child to imagine that anything she said or did could 
 fall short of perfection, he was the more receptive of 
 the truths that fell from her lips. Indeed, for the 
 past twenty years had she not been the leading spirit, 
 the presiding genius, and the guardian angel of his The . 
 home? Happy the parents who in their old age can guardian 
 thus lean upon a daughter's faithful arm. Alas, that 
 such a phenomenon is comparatively rare ! 
 
 But, though Mrs. Booth's correspondence with her 
 parents had almost ceased, we are able to resume 
 the broken thread in the letters written to her chil- 
 dren and friends, which increase in number and im- 
 portance from year to year, and which are the more 
 interesting from the variety of subjects with which 
 they deal. 
 
 Among" the public questions on which Mrs. Booth views on 
 
 . vaccina- 
 
 had a strong conviction was that of vaccination. In tion. 
 
 629
 
 630 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1868, writing to her friend, Mrs. Billups, with reference to 
 ' a child who was about to be vaccinated, she says : 
 
 " I send by this post a pamphlet on vaccination. Do read it, 
 if only for the exhibition it gives of the prejudice of the 'pro- 
 fession. ' It seems as though all advance in the right treat- 
 ment of the disease has to be in the first instance largely in 
 spite of the doctors, instead of their leading the way. And 
 as it .was in the beginning it is now, in many respects. I 
 should sooner pawn my watch to pay the fines, and my bed, 
 too, for the matter of that, than have any more children 
 vaccinated. The monstrous system is as surely doomed as 
 blood-letting was. This is one of the boons we shall get by 
 waiting and enlightening. 
 
 " Who knows how much some of us have suffered through 
 life owing to the 'immortal Jenner'? Let us fall into the hands 
 of God, and not of man. There is nothing worse in this 
 pamphlet than several cases I have come across personally. 
 But these were the direct effects. It is the indirect I dread 
 most. The latent seeds of all manner of diseases are doubt- 
 less sown in thousands of healthy children. It has only been 
 the stupid treatment which has made small-pox so fatal. 
 Mrs. Smedley (of the Hydropathic Institute) says, in her last 
 manual, that they have nursed numbers of bad cases, and 
 never lost one. M. was one of the worst cases. She was very 
 delicate, had never been vaccinated, and was in her seventh 
 year, which is supposed to be the most fatal time. Yet she 
 recovered, and has been much better in her general health 
 since. I do hope you will succeed in converting the parents." 
 
 A book on We find the following commentary on an undated 
 
 Faith. r -, .1 / 1- -u i 
 
 scrap of paper, referring evidently to a religious book 
 on Faith: 
 
 " Good for real saints, but to be sent out promiscuously to 
 people who have no more claim to it than publicans and har- 
 lotsawful ! Oh, that God would pour out the spirit of wis- 
 dom and of a sound mind ! Deception is the great forte of the 
 devil in this age. The Lord help us to tear the bandages off !" 
 The art of . , 
 
 deception. " My dear child," she says, writing to one of her
 
 CORRESPONDENCE. 63 1 
 
 daughters with regard to the same question, "the art 1868, 
 of deception is to be able to appear true /" 
 
 But Mrs. Booth was not always severe, any more 
 than she was always tender. It was the right " di- 
 viding" of the word of truth that largely constituted 
 her power. To one of her friends whom she knew to 
 be intensely sincere in her consecration, and for this 
 very reason peculiarly open to the shafts of doubt, she 
 sends the following comforting epistle. In this case 
 there was no mask to lift, no bandage to tear off, no 
 self-deception to reveal. And she was as skilful and 
 sympathetic in " binding up " the " broken-hearted " 
 as she was remorseless in shattering the false hopes 
 of the self-deceived : 
 
 "Mv DEAREST FRIEND: 
 
 " I do indeed sympathise with you, and I think I can divine A com- 
 a little as to the nature of your trials. I wish I were near to 
 comfort and help you such help as it is I have to offer. 
 Only, I am sorry to say, I am often down very low myself. 
 But, dear friend, we have the promise that the waters shall 
 not overflow us, and though almost overwhelmed we are yet 
 not destroyed. The only way of comfort I see for you is 
 to try and walk alone, shutting your eyes to what you cannot 
 help. 
 
 " It is useless, dear, to harrow ourselves up about the past, 
 or to waste time in vain regrets. It is past now and can never 
 be altered. But we can cast it under the blood, and go on 
 praying Him to avert the consequences, and maybe He will 
 stoop to answer us. Do your own part in witnessing for God 
 and truth, and hope that at some future time (perhaps as they 
 stand over your grave) it will produce its effect. 
 
 " Comfort yourself in the Lord. He is very pitiful and of 
 tender mercy, and when He sees us truly penitent for our mis- 
 takes and failures He delights to pardon. Do not perplex 
 yourself about the experience of others. I am more than ever 
 satisfied that God looks more propitiously on those who are 
 striving and struggling to do right and to please Him, even 
 in fear and despondency, than on those who make light of
 
 632 MS. BOOTH. , 
 
 1868, sin and yet make their boast in Him. I fear there are sadly 
 
 -Age 39. t. oo man y who can rejoice when they ought to weep, while 
 
 some who can never forgive themselves weep when they 
 
 ought to rejoice. Perhaps these latter are amongst those who, 
 
 though they mourn now, 'shall be comforted' hereafter! 
 
 " Still, dear friend, unbelief dishonors our God as much as 
 it robs us. Therefore, if our hearts bear us witness that we 
 do above all things desire to obey and honour Him, let us dare 
 to take His promises to ourselves and to rejoice in Him. You 
 can only pray for the little ones, that they may be taken from 
 the evil to come or so visited in the future that, in spite of the 
 terrible ordeal through which they have to pass, they may be 
 saved. Ah, how little parents think of the bitter anguish they 
 are laying up for their loved ones ! Some most painful cases 
 have come to my knowledge lately. I long to help mothers 
 more than ever. 
 
 " We are on the incline as a nation, and are going down hill 
 at an awful rate ! God will be avenged for these things, or 
 His nature and government have changed! I often think 
 perhaps our children are destined to see terrible times. If 
 so, the Lord put them amongst His faithful witnesses, even 
 if they have to seal His testimony with their blood. 
 
 " We do feel deeply for you in your present trials, and still 
 pray that, if He sees it best for all concerned, He will deliver 
 you, and I believe He will, unless He sees that the eternal 
 interests of your loved ones demand the other course. Then 
 we dare not say, 'What doest Thou?' 
 
 " Try to rest in His will, dear friend, because there is no- 
 where else to rest. I am trying to do so. He knows why these 
 wearisome months of suffering are appointed me, and amidst 
 all my depression, and sometimes distress, the devil shall not 
 drive me from this one refuge that He does it all in love. I 
 know it, I believe it, and I pray that I may not frustrate His 
 design. I return home but little better in the main than 
 when I came. So the time and expense seem to be thrown 
 away, and I am useless still! Well, praise the Lord, He 
 reigns over death as well as life. The keys of death and hell 
 
 are at His girdle. 
 
 " Yours, as ever, 
 
 " CATHERINE BOOTH." 
 
 A vivid 
 
 picture. A vivid picture of the illness and depression in the
 
 CORRESPONDENCE. 633 
 
 midst of which she frequently toiled is contained in 1868, 
 the following letter: Age 39> 
 
 " I do not suppose you intended to reprove me in your last. 
 Nevertheless I felt the implied reproof, because it was so 
 well deserved, and, intended or not, I received it as the 
 "wound of a true friend. I know I ought not, of all saints, or 
 sinners either, to be depressed. I know it dishonours my 
 Lord, grieves His Spirit, and injures me greatly, and I would 
 fain hide from everybody to prevent their seeing it. But I 
 cannot help it. I have struggled hard, more than any one 
 knows, for a longtime against it. Sometimes I have literally 
 held myself, head and heart and hands, and waited for the 
 floods to pass over me. But now I appear to have lost the 
 power of self-command to a great extent, and weep I must. 
 The doctors say, 'Never mind. Regard it as one result of 
 your affliction. ' But this does not satisfy me. I know there 
 is grace to overcome. And yet, there seems much in the 
 Bible to meet such a state. Well, at present I am under, un- 
 der, under ; and for this very reason I shrink from coming to 
 you, or going anywhere. I don't want to burden others. 
 
 " My dearest says, ' Never mind all these rubs and storms. Con 
 Let us fight through all, in order to save the world. ' To this 
 I say 'Amen!' But one must have strength to fight. It is 
 easier for some of us to fight than to lie wounded in the camp. 
 I can neither fight nor run. I can only endure oh that I 
 could always say with patience ! 
 
 " We are compassed with difficulties on every side. Still 
 there is so much to praise God for that I ought never to look 
 at these troubles. Well, we shall pull through and get HOME! 
 Then we will have a shout and a family gathering, and no mis- 
 take ! Will we not? 
 
 " I feel about these troubles just as I do about my own 
 health, when I pray about it. I am met with 'Ye know not 
 what ye ask. ' I have such a sense of the wisdom and benevo- 
 lence of God, underlying every other feeling, that I dare not 
 go beyond 'Nevertheless, not my will, but Thine be done.' 
 
 " I cannot think what makes you destroy your letters to me 
 after you have been at the trouble to write them. Can you 
 not trust me? and have we not arrived at that maturity of 
 friendship in which we can faithfully speak our thoughts to
 
 634 MAS- BOOTH. . 
 
 1868, each other without fear of causing offence? I assume that 
 Age 39. we have. Hence I write freely to you, as though you were 
 really a sister. 
 
 " I thought, after my last was posted, perhaps some of it 
 would sound harsh, and different to what the same senti- 
 ments would have appeared had they been spoken. But 
 then I said to myself, ' Oh, but my friend knows me, and will 
 understand that I have not spoken in an uncharitable spirit. ' 
 I think I did not, though it is difficult to put truth sometimes 
 as softly as one woul like. Pray take the same license with 
 me, and don't burn your letters." 
 
 A singu- On the last day of 1 868 a somewhat singular inci- 
 incfdent. dent occurred. Mr. Booth was preparing for the 
 watch-night service, which he was about to conduct 
 with the members of the Mission, when a telegram 
 was placed in his hands pressing him to take the last 
 train to Dunorlan, as Mr. Reed wished to see him on 
 some important business. This was the more un- 
 expected since there had arisen some coolness be- 
 tween them during the past few months. With but 
 an imperfect knowledge of each other, both possessed 
 an iron will. Mr. Reed had unbounded confidence in 
 his own judgment. He had labored successfully for 
 the salvation of souls during some forty years, had 
 studied Methodism, and was acquainted with some of 
 its best and noblest spirits. He thought that he 
 knew quite as well as Mr. Booth what were the best 
 plans for reaching sinners, and did not hesitate to 
 question the wisdom of some of those adopted. 
 "Difficult Mr. Booth, on the other hand, looked back upon a 
 but ivorth long experience in which he had carefully studied 
 trouble." the problem as to how the masses were to be reached, 
 and had achieved far greater success in his efforts 
 than any which Mr. Reed had seen. He had the 
 courage of his convictions, and, while flexible to a 
 fault on minor points, when any vital principle was
 
 CORRESPONDENCE. 635 
 
 concerned he would not yield an inch to please any- 1868, 
 body. "The Booths will be difficult to hold," was A * e 39 ' 
 Mr. Reed's dictum, soon after he formed their ac- 
 quaintance, "but they are worth the trouble." And 
 he thought so to the end. 
 
 Mr. Reed received him with great cordiality. He A cordial 
 had for some little time now been thoroughly ac- rece P tton - 
 quainted with the working of the Mission, and had 
 manifested great interest in Mr. Booth's efforts to se- 
 cure some central premises for the prosecution of the 
 work. He objected to the use of theatres on Sundays, 
 because of the money which it put into the pockets of 
 the proprietors for their soul-destroying week-day 
 performances. 
 
 Taking Mr. Booth into his library, he unfolded to An 
 him a proposal which he had evidently for some time 
 been revolving in his mind. He was in a position to 
 secure, he said, a suitable site for .3,000 or ,4,000, 
 near the very spot where Mr. Booth had commenced 
 his tent services, and in the heart of the population 
 whom he desired to reach. Upon this he proposed to 
 build a hall, at a cost of 6,000 or 7,000, with seat- 
 ing accommodation for 2,000 persons, and every pos- 
 sible requisite for the carrying on of the work. When 
 completed he proposed to place the building entirely 
 at the disposal of Mr. Booth, reserving only to himself 
 the right to conduct an occasional service to which he 
 might invite the help of his personal friends. 
 
 Mr. Booth was dumfounded. For weeks he had 
 been toiling with pen and tongue to raise 3,000 for 
 the purchase of the People's Market in Whitechapel. 
 The response had been but small, and the place 
 when gained would not be what he really required. 
 But here was an opportunity of which he had 
 never dreamed in his most sanguine moments and
 
 636 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1868, few people could at times be more sanguine than 
 
 Age39 ' himself! 
 
 And a With the rapid grasp of a nature-created general 
 
 St twn?~ he took in the importance of the opportunity at a 
 glance, and visions of a crowded hall and rows of 
 penitents flashed before his eyes. But the dazzling 
 cup had scarce been raised to his lips when, with the 
 next breath, it was dashed to the ground. Mr. Reed 
 went on to stipulate that, if the Mission should be con- 
 ducted in a manner of which he disapproved, he 
 should reserve to himself the right to resume posses- 
 sion of the building. 
 
 The dtffi- There was an awkward pause. Mr. Reed waited 
 for a response. Mr. Booth saw in a moment that this 
 would mean a practical sacrifice of liis liberty, while, 
 if he were turned out, his last state would be worse 
 than his first. And yet the offer was a tempting 
 one. With his usual candour, but in the mildest 
 words he could command, he expressed his difficulty. 
 A principle was involved. Practically the leadership 
 of the Mission would pass out of his hands into those 
 of Mr. Reed. For this he was not prepared. And 
 of what use is a prophet who has not a conviction 
 as to his Heaven-entrusted commission? Mr. Reed 
 perceived the difficulty, gave up the proposal, and 
 promptly changed the subject, saying that he thought 
 they could do most good by pursuing a separate path. 
 "This Mr. Booth returned to London and recounted all 
 that had occurred to Mrs. Booth, who, while deeply 
 sympathizing with the disappointment, thoroughly 
 approved of his action, exclaiming with characteristic 
 warmth, " With a great price obtained we this free- 
 dom, and we will not sell it no, not for 20,000!" 
 Letter The next day the following letter was received 
 
 from Mr. J 
 
 Reed, from Mr. Reed:
 
 CORRESPONDENCE. 
 
 637 
 
 "DuNORLAN, TUNBRIDGE WELLS, ist January, 1869. 1868, 
 
 "Mv DEAR BROTHER: Age 39. 
 
 " My dear wife and myself have talked over matters. The 
 result is, we dare not move any further, and I write at once 
 that your mind may not be unsettled. 
 
 " To expend ; 10,000 at least of the Lord's money is a step 
 so important that unless the way is clear as the noonday sun 
 we dare not take it. 
 
 " Your views and ours differ so much that to attempt to- 
 gether such a work would be unwise. You say, if we had 
 only three months' experience on the spot our views would 
 change. It might be so. Still, I must be ruled by the word 
 of God according to the light that I have. At present I am 
 not fully persuaded in my own mind. 
 
 " I am so glad you came down. I need not say we shall 
 continue to pray for you, and rejoice to hear of a year of great 
 spiritual blessing, and that thousands may be gathered in by 
 the Good Shepherd. 
 
 " Yours in Christ, 
 
 " HENRY REED." 
 
 It was several months after this incident, and just Removal 
 as Mr. and Mrs. Booth were changing homes and Hackney. 
 removing to 3 Gore Road, Hackney, that Mr. Reed 
 called upon them. Not having heard from him for 
 some time, they were as pleased as they were sur- 
 prised told him of the progress of the work. He 
 expressed his pleasure and interest in all he heard, 
 and soon afterwards invited the seventy principal 
 workers in the Mission to spend a day at Dunorlan, 
 offering to meet the entire expenses, and arranging 
 for conveyances to take them from the station to his 
 home. Mr. Booth thus describes the occasion: 
 
 " I had gone down the day before to be ready to meet the 
 party. They arrived in splendid spirits and were treated by 
 Mr. and Mrs. Reed with the most generous hospitality. The 
 bulk of them were truly devoted people, possessing the real 
 Salvation Army spirit, and the day was spent in the most 
 heavenly enjoyment we had hitherto experienced. Thisfeel- 
 
 Thf 
 
 workers 
 at Dun- 
 orlan.
 
 6 3 8 
 
 MJ?S. BOOTH. 
 
 1868, 
 Age 39. 
 
 Tfie mem- 
 bers at 
 Dunor- 
 lan. 
 
 Dunor- 
 lan. 
 
 From Mr. 
 
 Bramwell 
 Booth's 
 diary. 
 
 ing was shared by Mr. and Mrs. Reed, and by several Wes- 
 leyan ministers whom they had invited from London and 
 elsewhere to meet with us. The Missioners sang, prayed, 
 testified, processioned, and shouted the praises of God, in the 
 drawing-room and in the garden, filling the place with Divine 
 influence. So powerful was the impression produced upon 
 Mr. Reed that, although the annual excursion of our members 
 had already been arranged for Upton Park, he insisted on our 
 bringing them to Dunorlan, himself undertaking to pay the 
 difference of two-and-sixpence on each fare. We brought 
 them accordingly, to the number of 1,450. If the effect of the 
 seventy workers was so gratifying, that of the larger number 
 was, as may easily be imagined, infinitely more so." 
 
 An interesting description of this meeting is given 
 in the East London Evangelist, and from it we quote 
 the following: 
 
 " The estate ~is most beautifully situated, and laid out with 
 classical taste and beauty. Lawns, terraces, an avenue termi- 
 nated at the foot of a considerable descent by a fountain, be- 
 yond which the ground again rises, and is shaded by trees and 
 arbours, winding walks among shrubs and flowers, with a de- 
 licious rosary, statues, rocks, and cascades; a lake of no 
 mean dimensions, bordered in one part by a thicket, through 
 which a miniature cataract breaks over huge stones, and in 
 other parts by smooth turf walks or pasture-fields ; park-like 
 plots here and there intervening, and beyond the farm fields 
 occupying the ascent in front of the mansion all together 
 form a little paradise that to many of the poor people might 
 be almost a foretaste of heaven itself, connected as it was with 
 devotions and thanksgivings rising to heaven from every 
 part into which a company of the excursionists strayed." 
 
 A scrap of diary written by Mr. Bramwell Booth 
 on this occasion, during a few days spent by him at 
 Dunorlan, has been preserved, and casts an interesting 
 light upon his boyhood : 
 
 "Friday, July 16, 1869. Good class, great blessing, very 
 happy. Mrs. S. cried very much. May the Lord deepen the
 
 CORRESPONDENCE. 639 
 
 work. Fred kind, very. Heart not well at all [he was suffer- 1868, 
 ing from a weak heart] . All are very kind indeed to me. The A e 39- 
 Lord is present with me. I want to get nearer to Him, be 
 more like Him. 
 
 " Saturday, July 17. Happy. God with me. Talked to 
 - on 'lying.' Heart middling. Great preparations for 
 Monday, 19, the day our people come. The Lord is good. 
 I want to be bolder for Jesus. 
 
 " Sunday, July 1 8. Very full of glory. Trusting Jesus for 
 
 present moment, and letting to-morrow alone. Talked to 
 
 very much and he seemed affected. We shall have a glori- 
 ous day to-morrow. 
 
 "Monday, July 19. Very happy in Jesus. Glory! All 
 seemed to enjoy themselves very much." 
 
 Soon after his return to London he writes to Mrs. 
 Booth as follows : 
 
 " MY VERY DEAR MAMA : I do feel so low in spirits to- TO hi 
 night. I am quite disappointed with myself. I feel quite de- mother - 
 spairing with respect to future health ; it seems as if my Heav- 
 enly Father did not see it best for me to be strong and well, 
 and it is a great trial to me to think I shall always be a burden 
 to those near and dear to me. I feel that in the state of 
 health that I now am, it would only be a waste of money to 
 send me to school. When I try to sit and write or think a lit- 
 tle while, I feel quite bad, and my heart, I find, is far from 
 well. 
 
 " Dear mama, I don't know what to say, or what to think. 
 I do try to leave it to my Heavenly Father's will, but I can- 
 not help thinking about it. And I can tell you that it often 
 makes me cross and down. A few weeks ago I thought I was 
 going to be strong again, but now I am not so well. I do 
 pray about it and try to leave it with Him who cannot err, 
 and He does bless me in my own soul. Many, many glorious 
 seasons I have in my own room, and when I appear to speak 
 unkindly I am sure I do not mean it, it is only my abrupt 
 way, but I will try and be better. Only forgive me for the 
 past, for I do love you very, very dearly, and I believe Jesus 
 will do all I want, and will bless me, and keep me right, and 
 then all will be well. Sometimes I think I shall die, and then 
 I think of you and wish I could go to be with Christ, my
 
 640 MJtS. BOOTH. 
 
 1868, blessed, loving Saviour, who died for me. Oh, I do love Him, 
 Age 39. an( j ^0 wish I was more like Him. 
 
 " With regard to my studies, I do not know what to say. I 
 should so much like to go on a little while if it be the Lord's 
 will and your wish. I often think I might have made much 
 better use of past opportunities, but they are gone forever, and 
 I hope it will teach me a lesson to make the best of every mo- 
 ment. 
 
 " I hope yourself and dear papa are better, and that you 
 will come home better in body and well in soul. May the 
 Lord bless you abundantly. He will ; He /tas done, and He 
 will do so again. 
 
 " The children are all pretty well. Miss Short, who is very, 
 very kind, has got a little sore throat, but hopes it will pass off 
 by morning. She is writing the magazine wrappers, and is 
 very busy. Tell papa I am very sorry that I sent the maga- 
 zine to him, but did not know till this morning that I ought 
 not to have done so, when Mr. Rapson told me he ought to 
 have had it ; but he only came in yesterday in the morning, or 
 I should have seen him. The covers came this morning and 
 I gave them to him. There were two week-days unfilled on 
 them. I do not know what pa will do with those. I do not 
 think they should be left blank, as it will look as if there 
 were no services at all. 
 
 " They all send love, and accept the same from your own 
 loving boy, 
 
 " WILLIE." 
 
 Foreshad- The Dtmorlan festival was especially interesting as 
 foreshadowing anniversary celebrations which subse- 
 quently took place at the Crystal Palace. Within the 
 brief interval of twenty-two years the 1,420 excur- 
 sionists had swelled to upwards of 60,000. If they 
 could have obtained a glimpse into the future they 
 would hardly have recognised themselves in the red- 
 coated warriors and bonneted Amazons who with 
 countless brass bands joined in the march-past. 
 
 But the germ of the one was in the other, needing 
 only time and patience for the development. We can 
 see it all, now that it has been actually accomplished.
 
 CORRESPONDENCE, 641 
 
 Seeing is believing, to the vast majority. But dare 1868, 
 we learn from the past to lift the veil of time and ge 39 ' 
 glance down the vista of the future? Why not? Is 
 it too much to prophesy that Dunorlan and Crystal A 
 Palace scenes will be repeated, on a vastly larger scale, p 
 in every quarter of the globe, while the gala days 
 which our weak-eyed faith has been accustomed to 
 look for as only possible in heaven shall be witnessed 
 upon earth and all to the glory and honour of our 
 covenant-keeping God ! 
 41
 
 CHAPTER LX. 
 
 CROYDON, EDINBURGH, BRIGHTON DOME. 
 Mr. ONE of the earliest spheres of Mrs. Booth's labours 
 
 Holme 
 
 and Mr. was Croydon, where the public hall was engaged for 
 
 Cobbett. x , * . _ 
 
 the services. Although commencing, as usual, alone 
 and unaided, an impression was quickly made, and it 
 , was not long before Mrs. Booth secured the sympathy 
 and co-operation of some earnest Christian workers. 
 Two of these in particular, a Mr. Holme and a Mr. 
 Cobbett, united in rendering her valuable assistance. 
 " Inseparable in their affection for each other as David 
 and Jonathan," says Mrs. Booth, "they were two of 
 the most estimable characters whose co-operation I 
 have been ever privileged to enjoy. Naturally ami- 
 able, truly religious, lovers of good men and of good 
 work, full of compassion for the lost, given up to lives 
 
 f self-denial for Christ, they were ever ready, night 
 or day, in season or out of season, to labour for the 
 salvation of souls. I never asked them for any help 
 that they did not cheerfully promise to render, and 
 what they promised I could always count upon them 
 to fulfil." 
 
 Mr. Holme was a commercial traveller, and be- 
 longed to the religious union organised for the bene- 
 fit of his profession. He was afterwards actively en- 
 gaged in various forms of Christian effort in connec- 
 tion with the North London branch of the Young 
 Men's Christian Association. 
 
 Mr. Cobbett has long since passed to his reward. 
 
 642
 
 CROYDON, EDINBURGH, ETC. 643 
 
 Although the labours of his later years were sorely 1868, 
 hindered by weakness and disease, he earnestly sup- gc 39 ' 
 ported the Croydon branch of the Mission in its early 
 struggles, endeavouring to create sympathy and to 
 obtain the supplies necessary for the maintenance of 
 the work. 
 
 The visible results of the Croydon meetings, in the Mission 
 number of penitents seeking mercy, were not such as 
 to satisfy Mrs. Booth. Nevertheless a powerful and 
 permanent impression was produced, resulting in the 
 formation of a Mission station. 
 
 It was during the week after the festival at Dunor- 
 lan that a new and important step in advance was 
 taken by the amalgamation of a work in Edinburgh 
 with the East London Mission. Founded, as we have 
 seen, in July, 1865, for the evangelisation of the East 
 of London only, the Mission had in September, 1868, 
 stepped for the first time beyond the bounds of its 
 self-appointed parish in accepting the offer to take 
 
 charge of the hall in Norwood. And now the capital 
 of Scotland had followed in the wake of the metropolis * 
 of the British world by inviting Mr. and Mrs. Booth 
 to extend to it the operations which had been so suc- 
 cessfully established in the latter. 
 
 Indeed, the work had been already commenced by a The work 
 gentleman who had attended some of the meetings "Zom-* 
 in London and had been fired with a desire to start 
 meetings of a similar character in Edinburgh, con- 
 fident that the measures which had proved so success- 
 ful in the one would be found as suitable for the other. 
 In the early part of 1869 he had carried back from 
 London to the mission which he had himself pre- 
 viously established an enthusiastic account of what 
 he had seen and heard, induced them to subscribe for 
 a hundred copies of the East London Evangelist, re-
 
 644 
 
 MJ?S. BOOTH. 
 
 1868, 
 Age 39. 
 
 The 
 
 " marri- 
 age cere- 
 mony." 
 
 Scotch 
 charac- 
 teristics. 
 
 The room. 
 
 P'reju- 
 dices for- 
 gotten. 
 
 ported their meetings regularly to it, and finally suc- 
 ceeded in persuading them to invite Mr. and Mrs. 
 Booth to take the personal oversight of the work. 
 
 The prospect of such a union was hailed with satis- 
 faction by the members of the Mission, and Mr. and 
 Mrs. Booth resolved to go in person to conduct the 
 " marriage ceremony. " It was their first visit to Scot- 
 land, and it was with some degree of wonderment and 
 trepidation that they looked forward to the result. 
 They had been told that the Scotch were so wedded 
 to their Presbyterianism, with its republican form of 
 government and cold Calvinistic doctrines ; that they 
 were stiff, hardheaded, and difficult to be moved, and 
 would require a great deal of time and consideration 
 before they would accept methods and teachings so 
 diametrically opposed to those to which they had from 
 their youth been accustomed. But the result of the 
 first meetings soon dissipated the last doubt as to the 
 advisability of the step, and this notwithstanding the 
 unlikely character of the hall in which they were con- 
 ducted. 
 
 Situated in one of the lowest slums, it was a dull, 
 dingy, dirty-looking loft, which had served at one 
 time as a chapel, with a pulpit at the end, a gallery 
 round three sides, and accommodating some five hun- 
 dred people. Nevertheless it was crowded at the first 
 services, and the power of God was wonderfully mani- 
 fested. 
 
 It became evident from the onset, and was con- 
 firmed by the remarkable experiences of later years, 
 that no people in the world were quicker to appreciate 
 and more enthusiastic to admire the close, incisive, 
 unanswerable reasonings of Mrs. Booth. Their preju- 
 dice against female ministry, their antipathy to dem- 
 onstrative religion, their dislike to anything approach-
 
 CROYDON, EDINBURGH, ETC. 645 
 
 ing excitement, and their opposition to the doctrine of 1868, 
 holiness ware all forgotten, as they followed with Ag " e 39< 
 intense eagerness every point of her argument. The 
 boldness of the preacher, the courage with which she 
 assumed the offensive without giving time to be at- 
 tacked, her unpretentious modesty, her cogent, resist- 
 less force of logic, her perfect insight into human na- 
 ture, her fearless, Knox-like denunciations of evil, 
 her intimate familiarity with the Scriptures, her alter- 
 nate appeals to the reason, the emotions, and the con- 
 science, her command of language, her transparent 
 simplicity, and her all-devouring zeal, carried them 
 away. 
 
 It was like a resurrection. Here was an old-fash- Affection. 
 
 dtc 
 
 ioned outspoken Covenanter in the land of Covenant- crowds. 
 ers. A spiritual Bruce, a woman Wallace, stood before 
 them a champion who had come to enfranchise 
 from the thraldom of sin and Satan. Her skilful 
 hands swept across their hearts, making them vibrate 
 with spiritual melodies resembling the beautiful na- 
 tional airs that they so loved. They were convinced, 
 they were fascinated, and from the opening service in 
 that rude hall to the last meeting that she ever held 
 in Scotland nowhere was Mrs. Booth followed by 
 more affectionate and appreciative crowds. 
 
 Doubtless the realisation of this helped to act upon Creating 
 
 contact. 
 
 her as an inspiration. It must always be so more or 
 less. The best speakers are largely dependent on 
 their audience for their power. It is when the two 
 electric currents come in contact that the light leaps 
 forth. True, it is the highest art of the preacher to 
 create this contact. There are many, also, who pos- 
 sess neither the Divine unction nor the human sym- 
 pathy requisite. But it is none the less true that the 
 character of the listener largely affects the liberty of
 
 646 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1868, the speaker, and the presence of a critical, cynical, 
 ge 39 ' unresponsive spirit in the one will often rftar the best- 
 
 planned efforts of the other. 
 
 A bewild- The sympathetic feeling of that first Scotch audi- 
 ence was unmistakable. The spirit of conviction 
 
 worked irresistibly in their hearts. The people fell 
 in every part of the building. In the pews, in the gal- 
 lery, round the pulpit, in the dingy little vestry with 
 its break-neck approach there were men and women 
 sobbing and crying aloud for salvation. Mrs. Booth 
 was anxious to remain, take some large hall, and con- 
 duct a series of meetings in so encouraging a sphere. 
 But circumstances required her presence in London, 
 and she abandoned with regret so promising an op- 
 portunity. Her position in this respect was, to the end 
 of life, a bewildering one. So many doors of useful- 
 ness opened before her that it was often difficult to 
 decide which had the superior claim, and she could 
 only pray that, if unconsciously a mistake were made, 
 it would in the end be overruled for the glory of God 
 in the furtherance of His cause. 
 
 Call to But the regrets with which Mrs. Booth left Scot- 
 Bnghton. \ an ft were soon i os t sight of in the important work 
 which immediately afterwards engaged her attention. 
 The success of her seaside campaign of 1867 at Mar- 
 gate had led to a proposal from Mr. Gilbert, the sec- 
 retary of the Evangelisation Society, for a similar 
 effort at Brighton, which had then, and which we 
 suppose still retains, the reputation of being the most 
 fashionable and popular of the watering-places to 
 which Londoners resort. 
 
 It was twenty-two years since Mrs. Booth had as 
 
 drcum- a young girl visited the place in search of health. 
 Very different were the circumstances under which 
 she now visited this "London by the sea." A large
 
 CROYDON, EDINBURGH, ETC. 647 
 
 concert-hall in High Street was engaged for the open- 1868, 
 ing meetings. It was well situated, and compara- * e 39 ' 
 tively'easy for speaking, considering that it would ac- 
 commodate some fifteen hundred people. The first 
 two Sundays were full of promise, when the pro- 
 prietor, thinking he could secure his own terms now 
 that the success of the meetings was ensured, thought 
 proper to raise the rental agreed upon, and to de- 
 mand what was considered an unreasonable sum. 
 Objecting to this, she applied for and obtained the use 
 of the Dome a far superior building, with accommo- The 
 dation for about three thousand persons ; undoubtedly 
 one of the finest public halls in England, and well 
 known to every Brighton visitor as part of the hand- 
 some suite of edifices erected by George IV. 
 
 "The first sight of it," says Mrs. Booth, "appalled Appalled 
 me. It was indeed a Dome! As I looked upwards couraged. 
 there appeared space enough to swallow any amount 
 of sound that my poor voice could put into it. To 
 make any considerable number of people hear me' 
 seemed impossible. On this point, however, I was 
 greatly encouraged to learn at the conclusion of the 
 first meeting that I had been distinctly heard in every 
 portion of it by the two thousand people who were 
 present. 
 
 " I can never forget my feelings as I stood on the 
 platform and looked upon the people, realising that 
 among them all there was no one to help me. When 
 I commenced the prayer-meeting, for which I should 
 think quite nine hundred must have remained, Satan 
 said to me, as I came down from the platform accord- 
 ing to my usual custom, 'You will never ask such 
 people as these to come out and kneel down here. 
 You will only make a fool of yourself if you do!' I 
 felt stunned for the moment, but I answered, 'Yes, I
 
 CROYDON, EDINBURGH, ETC. 649 
 
 shall. I shall not make it any easier for them than 1868, 
 for others. If they do not sufficiently realise their ge 39 ' 
 sins to be willing to come and kneel here and confess 
 them they are not likely to be of much use to the 
 Kingdom of God.' And subsequent experience has 
 confirmed this opinion. 
 
 " However, the Lord was better to me than my A great 
 fears, for ten or twelve came forward, some of them 
 handsomely dressed and evidently belonging to the 
 most fashionable circles. The way was led by two 
 old gentlemen, of seventy or more years of age. One 
 of them said that he had sinned for many years 
 against light and privilege, asking the Lord to save 
 him with all the simplicity of a little child. Others 
 followed, until there was a goodly row of kneeling 
 penitents. This was a great triumph in the midst of 
 so many curious onlookers." 
 
 The work was continued with unvarying power and A severe 
 
 strain 
 
 success until the end of November, Mrs. Booth leav- with joy- 
 ing her home in London on the Saturday, and return- results. 
 ing to it on the Monday morning. It was a severe 
 strain, but the results justified the effort. The spec- 
 tacle was indeed an unwonted one, and must have 
 caused the very angels to weep for joy, if weep they 
 can and weep they surely must, over the sins and 
 repentings of the world to which they minister. 
 
 The tenderness with which Mrs. Booth had dealt De .^^ 
 
 trifn r he 
 
 with the two hundred fallen outcasts whom she had f f 
 
 . society. 
 
 addressed on a previously described occasion was 
 exchanged for the sternest and most unqualified de- 
 nunciations when dealing with the sins of society. 
 And yet time after time her hearers came, not to be 
 smoothed over, but to be lashed, and lashed again, 
 with a faithfulness which, had it not been so con- 
 science-appealing and convincing by the evident aid
 
 650 
 
 MJ?S. BOOTH. 
 
 1868, 
 Age 39. 
 
 Letter to 
 
 Mrs. 
 Billups. 
 
 Reply to 
 
 Father 
 
 Ignatius. 
 
 of the Holy Spirit, would have been altogether intoler- 
 able. Unfortunately no shorthand reports were taken 
 of these addresses, but some of the feelings which ex- 
 ercised her at the time may be judged of from the fol- 
 lowing letter to her friend Mrs. Billups : 
 
 " BRIGHTON. 
 "Mv DEAREST FRIEND: 
 
 " We have two select meetings arranged here at the Pavil- 
 ion, one on Monday and the other on Tuesday. 
 
 " This is the quietest and most comfortable retreat I was 
 ever in. Our host is himself an invalid, and therefore obliged 
 to live very quietly. But some of his relations are very 
 worldly. Oh, what such people will have to answer for! 
 Living in pleasure, eating, drinking, dressing, riding, sight- 
 seeing! Spending their precious gifts all on self, self, self! 
 How can such escape the damnation of hell ? Well might 
 the Saviour give them up ! Oh, to get at them ! But they 
 are armed to the teeth, worse off than savages, for Satan has 
 mailed the only vulnerable spot, conscience, by a false creed ! 
 They are 'Believers '/ O Jesus! Was ever Master so belied 
 and betrayed as Thou art? Well, we will praise Thee for the 
 poverty, sickness, and trial which have been instrumental in 
 saving us from a like fate ! Oh, how we shall praise Him 
 by-and-by ! 
 
 " How much better to be 'emptied from vessel to vessel ' 
 than to be left on the lees of this world, to rot and be lost for 
 ever ! We will take our crosses up afresh, and gladly carry 
 them after Jesus; yea, learn, like Paul, to glory in the cross! 
 
 " The Lord comfort and bless you, prays 
 
 " Yours, as ever, 
 
 " CATHERINE BOOTH." 
 
 During her visit to Brighton Mrs. Booth received 
 a kind and cordial letter from Father Ignatius, which 
 called forth the following reply : 
 
 "REV. AND DEAR SIR: I return your kind and Christian 
 greeting with all sincerity and Christian affection, and I pray 
 most earnestly that your desires for me may be fully realised, 
 that I may be led into 'all truth.' From a child I have loved
 
 CJROYDON, EDINBURGH, ETC. 65 i 
 
 and studied the Scriptures, and I bless God that He has given 1868, 
 me His Holy Spirit, thus revealing to me that 'the kingdom A e 39- 
 of God is not meat and drink, ' or anything outward, but 'right- 
 eousness and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.' And this is 
 to be realised only by a living faith in Jesus. I pray, my 
 dear sir, that whatever other revelation you may hold, above 
 or beyond this, that you may not fail of this, but that our 
 gracious God may lead you to its full realisation and enjoy- 
 ment, and enable you to lead hundreds of poor deluded souls, 
 who are seeking rest in ' washings and carnal rites, ' to find this 
 blessed inward kingdom. 
 
 " I trust that we shall meet when the fogs of time will be 
 dispersed, and all His saints will see eye to eye. My heart 
 burns in anticipation of that glorious oneness with all His 
 real Israel. 
 
 " I will convey your message of love and good wishes to 
 my fellow-labourers in the Gospel, and I am sure many of us 
 will henceforth remember you at the mercy-seat with special 
 interest and fervency. 
 
 " In sincere Christian affection, 
 
 " I am, yours in Jesus, 
 
 " CATHERINE BOOTH." 
 
 Writing to a friend many years later, on receipt of 
 the news of the death of Mrs. Booth, Father Ignatius 
 expresses himself as follows: 
 
 " What a glorious woman! What 'a mother ' of giants 'in 
 Israel'! What an astounding Fact is the Salvation Army! 
 What a shame and what a glory to the churches ! 
 
 " I wish you would see General Booth and tell him how 
 deeply and affectionately I have mourned with him. New- 
 man, Liddon, Booth true saints 'promoted' almost to- 
 gether ! "
 
 CHAPTER LXI. 
 THE CHRISTIAN MISSION. 1869-70. 
 
 Mrs. ON the 1 6th December, 1869, Mrs. Mtimford, after 
 Hi- a distressing illness which had lasted for more than 
 two years, entered peacefully into rest. Some eigh- 
 teen months previous to her death Mrs. Booth had 
 insisted on taking her to see Dr. Kidd, who had al- 
 ready acquired eminence in his profession, and who 
 had manifested much Christian sympathy towards the 
 Mission. Finding that the malady from which her 
 mother suffered was of a serious character, and that 
 it precluded all possibility of recovery, Mrs. Booth 
 persuaded her to go home with her for a few weeks of 
 change and communion, and finally arranged for her 
 to settle down in an adjacent house, giving up the 
 Brixton home where she had now lived for so many 
 
 Mrs years and to which she had become greatly attached. 
 
 at her Mrs. Mumford yielded to her daughter's wishes, as 
 m sidl r . S was usually her way when the latter had made up her 
 mind. Before long she was fully convinced of the 
 wisdom of the step, and' tenderly appreciated Mrs. 
 Booth's presence and comfort in the dark and trying 
 days of her affliction. Soon afterwards she became 
 bed-ridden, and through those long months of suffer- 
 ing every hour that Mrs. Booth could possibly spare 
 from the immediate claims of her family and work 
 she would hasten to spend at her mother's side. And 
 when at length the agony became so excruciating that 
 injections of morphia afforded the only relief it was 
 
 652
 
 THE CHRISTIAN MISSION. 653 
 
 with her own hand that Mrs. Booth applied the needle, 1869, 
 sometimes walking up and down for several minutes A * e 4 * 
 in front of the house before she could summon her 
 courage and nerve for the painful task. 
 
 A distressing feature<of the illness had been the Aweary 
 intense mental depression with which it was accom- "against 
 panied. Indeed, for many years Mrs. Mumford's life 
 had been a weary struggle against care and fear. 
 Her faith seemed to have lost its early vigour and her 
 spirit its former buoyancy. She had seasons of con- 
 fidence and comfort, and then again her sky would 
 be overcast with clouds. So great was her horror of 
 self-deception that she often put away the comforting 
 passages that were evidently suggested to her by the 
 Holy Spirit, fearing to appropriate promises of which 
 she felt herself unworthy. Doubtless her physical 
 condition was largely the cause of this despondency, 
 for in the integrity of her purpose and in the com- 
 pleteness of her consecration she had not swerved. 
 And hence, although Satan was permitted to afflict her 
 for a time, her end was gloriously triumphant. 
 "When in the midst of the Jordan, "says Mrs. Booth, 
 "and scarcely able to articulate, she grasped my hand 
 and whispered, 'We shall all meet again.' A little 
 while after her lips moved. We fancied we heard 
 her murmur 'Sing,' but thought we must be mis- 
 taken, as she had never cared much for singing and 
 always preferred us to pray with her. She was suffer- 
 ing intensely at the time, and not wishing to trouble 
 her to speak we asked her to raise her hand if she 
 wished us to sing. She did so, and listened with evi- 
 dent emotion as we sang, 
 
 '"We are waiting by the river, 
 
 We are watching by the shore ; 
 Only waiting for the angels, 
 
 Who will come and bear us o'er. '
 
 654 
 
 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1869, 
 Age 40. 
 
 Peace, 
 
 victory, 
 
 and 
 
 glory. 
 
 A severe 
 bloiv. 
 
 All- 
 roundness 
 of char- 
 acter. 
 
 After singing this and other verses we paused, but 
 she beckoned with her hand for us to go on, and 
 seemed transcendently joyful when we did so. I said 
 to her, 'You feel that you are going home, mother 
 dear?' She immediately raised her hand. I asked 
 again, 'Jesus is with you, is He not?' Again she 
 gave the signal of assent. 
 
 " After this she slept. We never expected her to 
 wake again. But in about nine hours' time she came 
 to herself, and such a heavenly look of peace, and 
 victory, and glory passed over her face as we had 
 never witnessed before. It was indeed a transfigu- 
 ration. Her countenance became illumined with un- 
 earthly radiance ; it was just as though a sun had been 
 lighted within and the light was shining through 
 the transparent face. She was evidently in sight of 
 the celestial city and fully conscious that it was hers. 
 She cast a look of mingled love and triumph upon us 
 all, and her lips moved in an effort to frame 'Jesus.' 
 I said it for her, 'Jesus, precious Jesus!' and without 
 a struggle or a sigh the weary wheels of life stood 
 still, and she passed away from us into the presence 
 of her Redeemer!" 
 
 It was a severe blow to Mrs. Booth, who had tenderly 
 loved her mother from infancy, but the sorrow was 
 softened by the glorious departure, and by the real- 
 isation that her intense sufferings were at an end. 
 So pure, so strong, so fervent had been her love that 
 neither family cares, public services, nor her own del- 
 icate health had been permitted to hinder her in do- 
 ing her utmost on the sufferer's behalf. 
 
 It was this beautiful all-roundness of character 
 that caused those who knew her best to love her most. 
 The fulfilment of one duty was never made the ex- 
 cuse for the neglect of another. Could any one have
 
 THE CHRISTIAN MISSION. 655 
 
 been justified in pleading " Corban" to their parents 1869, 
 it would have been herself. The combined claims of Age 4 ' 
 her family and public life constituted a sacrifice which 
 absorbed already her limited store of strength and 
 time, and she could only touch upon her reserves by 
 endangering the whole. When, however, love or 
 duty was in question, Mrs. Booth did not pause to 
 calculate the consequences, preferring to leave them 
 in the hand of God. She could not then foresee that 
 the day was coming when she herself would need 
 similar ministrations on the part of her own children, 
 to whose young eyes and hearts she was offering all 
 unconsciously an object-lesson which they were learn- An object 
 
 j. lesson . 
 
 ing never to forget. 
 
 The new year, 1870, commenced with a new de- A new de- 
 parture full of hope and significance for the future. 
 The East London Mission underwent its first trans- 
 migration of name, if not of soul. The grovelling 
 caterpillar stage was exchanged for that of the still 
 dormant but silk-encompassed chrysalis, which was 
 to burst its shell nine years later and flutter forth in 
 its more brilliant and world-captivating garb. " Your 
 people have been particularly happy," said a journal- 
 ist recently, "in combining freshness with simplicity t - tu(ie 
 in their choice of names. The public are fastidious. ' 'he 
 
 choice of 
 
 Only the other day a sound and hopeful commercial titles.' 
 enterprise went into bankruptcy for no other reason 
 than that of choosing a name which did not suit the 
 popular fancy. But with yourselves there has been 
 an unusual aptitude in the choice of titles which have 
 caught the public ear." 
 
 The remark was a just one, for in the popular es- Power in 
 
 , 1t a name. 
 
 timation a rose by any other name does not smell so 
 sweet. At any rate, there is power in a name, and if 
 by itself the talisman ceases to conjure it often lends
 
 6$ 6 MS. BOOTH. 
 
 1869, wings to some great truth, and affords it an impetus 
 Age 40. 
 
 which would otherwise be impossible. 
 
 ^ The " The Christian Mission" was a felicitous choice, 
 
 Mission, only surpassed by that of "The Salvation Army" in 
 1878. Without waiting to be nicknamed by their ad- 
 versaries, the founders of the Mission, with their 
 finger ever resting on the public pulse, sought for 
 and obtained inspiration in what they wisely judged 
 to be an important portion of their task, the couching 
 of their aims and claims in terms so simple that the 
 merest child could understand, so terse as to carry all 
 the force of an epigram, and yet so original as to con- 
 vey the oldest truths to the mind with the resistless 
 attraction of the latest novelty. Mr. and Mrs. Booth 
 accepted human nature as it is, and herein lay one 
 
 o/eru&T great secret of their success. Let us have the naked 
 truth, say some; but the garb in which it is dressed 
 will -often make a world of difference in regard to its 
 acceptance or rejection. And so it must be while 
 humanity is what it is. 
 
 Lease of it was in the early part of this year that the lease 
 
 pie's of the People's Market in Whitechapel Road was pur- 
 
 in white- chased. Although it cost considerably less than the 
 
 C Road. sum which had at first been asked, the subsequent al- 
 terations that were made greatly exceeded the orig- 
 inal estimate. It rendered, however, good service 
 during the next twelve years. Not only was it a use- 
 ful centre for special demonstrations, but the regular 
 
 Holiness weekly holiness meetings conducted in later years by 
 Mr. Bramwell Booth were seasons of exceptional power 
 and blessing. 
 of " All- Nights of Prayer ;" which afterwards became an 
 
 Prayer, important institution in the Salvation Army, were 
 first conducted by Mr. Booth in this building. At 
 these and other meetings so mighty was at times the
 
 658 
 
 MAS. BOOTH. 
 
 1869, 
 Age 40. 
 
 The work 
 
 of the 
 
 Holy 
 
 Spirit. 
 
 Careless 
 sinners 
 awak- 
 ened, 
 penitent, 
 converted 
 
 and 
 faithful. 
 
 An ex- 
 periment 
 aban- 
 doned. 
 
 influence that it was no uncommon thing for persons 
 to be struck down in different portions of the hall, 
 overwhelmed with a sense of the Divine presence. 
 Thousands of sinners have been converted and saints 
 renewed in righteousness, the work being often ac- 
 companied with the most striking demonstration of 
 rapturous joy. Mr. and Mrs. Booth were determined 
 that the Holy Spirit should be free to work in what- 
 ever way He might see fit, and if to some He imparted 
 His inward gifts without an outward sign that was no 
 reason why in other cases they should not be accom- 
 panied by visible manifestations of His grace. If He 
 could approach some souls best by the zephyr breeze, 
 others might require a heavenly hurricane. And if 
 in one direction the river flowed with the calmness of 
 a land-locked lake, it might be equally necessary to 
 assume elsewhere the speed and brilliance of a cas- 
 cade in order to force its way over the barriers that 
 interrupted its course. 
 
 Ah, if walls could only speak, those of the first Sal- 
 vation Army Corps would be eloquent indeed ! Many 
 a hardened sinner who entered the porch careless 
 and indifferent, and took his seat among the motley 
 throng he scarce knew why, has remained to kneel 
 in penitence and contrition at the Cross, to abandon 
 his sins and to make his first start for heaven. And 
 numbers such are now to be found in various portions 
 of the world's wide white harvest-field, toiling suc- 
 cessfully for the salvation of those who are still what 
 they themselves once were. 
 
 Connected with the People's Market was all the 
 material for a large soup kitchen. This led to the 
 first experiment in the direction of establishing de- 
 pots for the sale of cheap food to the poor. Not hav- 
 ing, however, the necessary capital with which to
 
 THE CHRISTIAN MISSION. 659 
 
 commence, nor a sufficient staff of workers to super- 1869, 
 intend the effort, and finding, moreover, that it inter- ge 4 ' 
 fered considerably with the ever-increasing claims of 
 the spiritual operations of the Mission, it became evi- 
 dent that the hour had not yet come, and the attempt 
 was accordingly abandoned. Nevertheless much val- Valua *>ie 
 
 & * expem- 
 
 uable experience was gained, which was turned to e e 
 
 gained. 
 
 good account in the subsequent inauguration of the 
 Social Scheme upon a sound and promising basis. 
 
 In 1882 the glories of the Whitechapel Hall were More pub- 
 superseded by other larger and more convenient pub- buildings. 
 lie buildings, such as the Rink at Regent Circus, the 
 Clapton Training Homes, and the notorious Grecian. 
 The glory of our East End Shiloh was for a time 
 transferred to our London Zions. And yet year after 
 year the soul-saving was steadily carried on ; and when 
 the Social Scheme was launched it was only meet that 
 the spot which furnished Mr. Booth material for his first 
 practical experiment, of twenty years before should 
 become a special centre of activity, as one of the larg- 
 est and most successful food and shelter depots of ^ ^oety 
 the metropolis. Here hundreds of hopeless and de- 
 spairing destitutes have been not only warmed and 
 fed and housed, but have been restored to the know- 
 ledge and enjoyment of a pardoning Saviour's love. 
 
 A second anniversary trip to Dunorlan was perhaps Dunorian 
 the brightest feature of the year. The weather was 
 less propitious than it had been upon the previous 
 occasion. The party started in a violent thunder- 
 storm, during which the lightning struck a church- 
 steeple and brought a portion of it crashing to the 
 ground within their very view. But above the raging 
 of the storm rose the happy Hallelujahs and irrepres- Above the 
 sible songs of the 1,400 excursionists. And by the 
 time Tunbridge Wells was reached the sky had once
 
 660 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1869, more cleared. After the party had been welcomed 
 ge 4 * by Mr. and Mrs. Reed, and given their instructions 
 for the day by Mr. Booth, they were dismissed, with 
 permission to visit every portion of the beautiful 
 grounds. A friend who was present on the occasion 
 gives a vivid description of the scene : 
 
 A "A general adjournment to the farm buildings fol- 
 
 lowed the assemblage on the lawn, for there refresh- 
 
 tl( scene. * ments were stored by the directors of the Mission, to 
 be sold out at very low prices. Thus fortified, the 
 company broke up again into bands, and, selecting 
 different spots, held meetings for prayer and praise 
 all over the grounds. Some few preferred to saunter 
 about and see how all the happy people enjoyed them- 
 selves; but the majority joined the devotional parties, 
 and so proved how much their hearts were in the 
 proper work of the Mission. Everybody was happy 
 and in earnest. 
 
 " Active preparations for feasting the whole com- 
 pany on the grass in a large field near the farm build- 
 ings were commenced at two o'clock, and at half -past 
 two the gong was sounded for all to assemble on the 
 terrace, that, after singing and prayer, they might 
 move off in procession to their proper positions. Now 
 came the chief disappointment of the whole day. 
 The gong had not ceased its call when a few prelim- 
 inary drops called attention to the gathering blackness 
 overhead and the mutterings of a thunderstorm, and 
 A very quickly a very tempest of rain came down. The peo- 
 Pie fled to the farm buildings for shelter, and filled 
 them all barn, cow-houses, stables, sheds, a commo- 
 dious school-room or chapel, and some of the houses 
 of the farm servants. Room was found for all, with 
 a little difficulty, though some who were caught by 
 the rain at a 'distance were thoroughly drenched.
 
 THE CHRISTIAN MISSION. .661 
 
 " It soon became evident that it was no mere pass- 1869, 
 ing shower, and measures were taken at once to serve ge 4 ' 
 out the tea. Boards of crockery had been laid out in Good hu- 
 the field with baskets and trays of provisions ; these U nddis- 
 were brought in by troops of ready waiters, and dis- coin f ort - 
 tributed among the various buildings under the di- 
 rections of the managers, with Mr. Reed and Mr. 
 Booth at their head. Mr. Booth was everywhere, 
 looking into every place giving counsel, a word of 
 direction, or a hint for arrangement himself wet 
 through, and profusely perspiring with exertion and 
 anxiety; but it was due to the active and wise care 
 and generous preparations of Mr. Reed that so much 
 could be done in so short a time to meet the emer- 
 gency. The good-humour of the people under the 
 disappointment was beautiful to witness, adding an- 
 other proof of the power of Divine grace to soften, 
 refine, and elevate even the roughest and most un- 
 cultivated when brought under its influence. As Mr. 
 Reed remarked, it was worth all the trouble of alter- 
 ing the arrangements to see how the people bore it. 
 
 " For two hours it rained heavily. There seemed Blessed 
 no prospect of suitable weather for holding the love- * " i^g* 
 feast on the terrace at half-past four, and therefore 
 the happy, good-tempered, good-humoured people, so 
 soon as tea was over, began prayer-meetings and love- 
 feasts or experience-meetings where they were. The 
 whole cluster of farm buildings resounded with praise, 
 and many blessed and striking incidents occurred. 
 In one of the cow-sheds three seeking souls found 
 their Saviour were born again in circumstances simi- 
 lar to those which surrounded the lowly birth of their 
 glorious Redeemer; songs and shouts of glory and 
 salvation from the saints around taking the place of 
 the songs of the heavenly host over the plains of
 
 662 MRS. BOOTH. 
 
 1869, Bethlehem. It is impossible to describe the whole 
 scene. Such an exhibition of the power of real reli- 
 gion to control and make happy seriously, earnestly, 
 joyfully happy a mixed multitude of all ages must 
 be seen to be appreciated. 
 
 Love-feast " It became fair between four and five o'clock, and 
 
 terrace, soon after the gong sounded for the love-feast on the 
 
 terrace. Nearly a thousand people assembled, formed 
 
 a ring round a central spot in which stood Mr. and 
 
 Mrs. Reed, Mr. Booth, and some of the leaders and 
 
 preachers, and for nearly two hours some scores of 
 
 persons testified of the grace of God in their personal 
 
 salvation, and the power of God in connection with the 
 
 The child work of the Christian Mission. The child of ten or 
 
 aged saint twelve and the aged saint of seventy spoke of their 
 
 testify. | Qve an( j devotion to Jesus. 
 
 " It was difficult to conduct a meeting like this, 
 
 where hundreds of happy souls were eager to tell of 
 
 their joy ; and it seemed still more difficult to conclude 
 
 it while scores of precious saints were left with un- 
 
 opened mouths on this great subject. But at length 
 
 the end came: Mr. Booth's well-known voice called 
 
 Grateful attention to a few brief directions for the return to 
 
 thanks to the train, and with much earnestness and feeling he 
 
 Mr. and 
 
 Mrs. presented to Mr. and Mrs. Reed the grateful thanks 
 
 of the people for the day's entertainment. 
 Prayer, " The journey home was in perfect keeping with 
 
 and peni- the entertainment of the day. The voice of prayer 
 
 fence in , , , ,. . , 
 
 the train, and praise resounded from every carriage, and even 
 in the train penitent sinners were being pointed to 
 Jesus. Would to God that such sights and sounds 
 were more common in connection with the excursions 
 of His professed people ! but, judging from the sur- 
 prised and puzzled air of the railway officials, such 
 demonstrations on the side of Christ and His gospel
 
 THE CHRISTIAN MISSION. 663 
 
 do not often come across them. Of one fact this an- 1869, 
 nual excursion furnished most emphatic and glorious ge 4 ' 
 proof: that the labours of Mr. and Mrs. Booth and 
 their coadjutors have been abundantly owned in bring- Proof of 
 ing souls to Christ. Such a band of living and ear- 
 nest believers it was never before our lot to meet in 
 one gathering ; and we earnestly commend this blessed 
 work to the sympathy and support of all who love the 
 Lord Jesus and desire the coming of His kingdom." 
 
 END OF VOL. I.
 
 
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