OFFICERS
MEMORIAL EDITION
*
THE LIFE
OF
MRS. BOOTH
VOL.I.
BX
9743
B63
B 73
V.I
(700
B 1,225,775
]
Catherine Booth
I
>

THE
VERSITY
UNIVERSITY
SATE
OF
S...
F MICHIGAN.
SAN
NTIA
MICHIGAN
VERI
LIBRARIES
;
+
THE LIFE
OF

CATHERINE BOOTH
The Mother of the Salvation Army
1
•
THE SALVATION ARMY PRINTING WORKS,
J8, 100 à 102. Olerkenwell Road, LONDON, E.C.
3

(from
CATHERINE MUMFORD.
a Daguerreotype taken shortly before her marriage/
1
F
CATHERINE
THE LIFE
COPYRIGHT.]
A
Arederick
OF


The Mother of the Salvation Army
THE
DE L L₁ BOOTH-TUCKER
Autour
BY
BLOO
VOL. I.
BOOTH

·
SAL
FIRE
ATION
ARMY
LONDON:
INTERNATIONAL HEADQUARTERS: IOI QUEEN VICTORIA STREET, E.C.
PRINTING & PUBLISHING OFFICES: 98, 100 & 102 CLERKENWELL ROAD, E.C.
SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, HAMILTON, KENT & Co., LTD., LONDON, E.C.
Or of any Bookseller.

BX
دو
9743
.B6.3
B73
V.
حسن س
:
897257-190
66
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 disappointment as I
have struggled to describe the indescribable! 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 un-
speakably 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.
I 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 frame-
work of such explanations as have seemed necessary for the
occasion.
I claim for Mrs. Booth infallibility? No! Only sanctified common
sense. Jesus Christ made unto her wisdom, righteousness, sancti-
fication, and redemption."
She made mistakes? Undoubtedly! But I have not found many
to record. As a Mother-her family speak for her in the gates. As
·
vi
PREFACE.
a Wife-her husband lives and testifies. As an Apostle-thousands
of her spiritual children are scattered through the world.
I 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.
Sensitive 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 canvas,
lest any should charge me with claiming perfection for the picture. I
have claimed, may I call it, the artistic privilege of dispensing with the
blots, which my imagination refused to invent, or my researches tc
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
adjectives where they seemed most to be required, and I certainly
must have declined the task had I not been allowed this, in my
estimation, legitimate freedom.
1
""
Are there no shadows then? Oh, yes! Alas, almost too many!
Victory shadowed by defeat, joy by sorrow, 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 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? The entire private corre-
spondence of Mrs. Booth from 1847 onwards has been placed at my
disposal. Never has biographer been more privileged to peer with
PREFACE.
vii
life.
prying eye behind the scenes and ransack the minutest details of a
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, when they are not those
of My Booth, I assume the entire responsibility.
I 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 her's.] Piles of hurriedly-written, ill-
digested manuscripts, which but for her I would fain 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 sentence, almost word by word. Dissected—yes, that is the word
-dissected at home, till I almost feel criticism-proof abroad!
I have taken a long time? Not very. I received my material at the
end of July, 1891. I sit writing these lines on the 2nd 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 cannon-ball, and he writes as best
he may amid the whiz and crash of flying shot and shell, the rush
and excitement 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. Thousands of letters,
Vill
PREFACE.
articles, speeches, and reports have required to be studied, till my
head has fairly reeled and my eyes have ached.
But I said, I 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 labour of love. I undertook it with reluctance, 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
sincere 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.
and July, 1892.
F. DE L. BOOTH-TUCKER.
IOI QUEEN VICTORIA STREET, LONDON, E.C.
The Author is indebted to various photographers-including Messrs. Elliot and
Fry, Messrs. Russell and Sons, the London Stereoscopic Company, of London;
Messrs. Debenham and Gould, of Bournemouth; and Mr. R. H. Preston, of Penzance—
for many of the portraits contained herein.
GENERAL CONTENTS.
CHAPTER I.
SHADOWLAND.
1820-1829.
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 Mumford
-Turned out of home-Sarah Milward's marriage-A touching recon-
ciliation—Grandfather's death-"Beyond the river
CHAPTER II.
CHILDHOOD. 1829-1834.
Mrs. Booth's birth-place-A death-bed scene-A wise mother-About
nurseries-No 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
CHAPTER III.
EARLY DAYS.
""
1834-1841.
Removal to Boston-The child politician and temperance secretary-Con-
tributing to magazine-Catholic emancipation question-Sense of
responsibility-Sympathetic character-The child and the criminal-
First open-air procession-Death of favourite dog-Love for dumb
animals-Kindness to donkeys-Feeding horses by night-Saving a
donkey from ill-treatment-Love for religious meetings—“Over the
Bible to Hell"-Love of Methodism-Self-sacrifice-Collecting for
missions
CHAPTER IV.
SCHOOL LIFE. 1841-1843.
Modern system of education-Its evils-Mrs. Booth's views-"One language
enough for the devil "-Mrs. Booth at school-Character for truthful-
FAGE
I
IO
16
་
I
•
X
GENERAL CONTENIS.
"
ness-Appointed monitor—Helping others with their studies-Estimate
of Napoleon and Cæsar-Spinal complaint-Knowledge of church
history-Notes on "Butler's Analogy "-" Pilgrim's Progress"-In the
wilderness
CHAPTER V.
YOUTH. 1844-1847.
A love episode-Removal to London-The Metropolis-Carriage accident—
Mrs. Booth's conversion-Joins the Wesleyan Church-Indefinite
preaching-Praying in the class-meeting-Mechanical testimonies
Class-leader's daughter-Worldly conformity.
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
CHAPTER VII.
1844-1852.
Reform agitation-Wesley's successors-The legal hundred--The fly-sheets
-The men in masks-The brotherly question-The Wesleyan Times—
Acrimonious disputes-Caughey's banishment-Wanted an Elisha-
Miss Mumford a radical-Her sympathy with the Reformers-Retalia-
tory measures-Miss Mumford expelled from the Wesleyan Church-
Joins the Reformers-Becomes a class-leader-Disappointed with the
Reformers
THE REFORMERS.
CHAPTER
WILLIAM BOOTH.
VIII.
1829-1852.
Born in Nottingham 10th April, 1829-His mother-His father-Converted
at fifteen-His friend Sansom-Cottage meetings - Processions and
open-airs-Please go to the back-door-Sunday toil-A local preacher
at seventeen-Called to the ministry at nineteen-The doctor's
objection-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 campaign-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
preachership-His ticket of membership withheld-A heresy-hunting
superintendent-Joins the Reformers-His friend Mr. Rabbits—
Binfield House-Meets Miss Mumford-The best sermon yet-
Meeting at Mr. Rabbits'-The Grogseller's dream-Water was the
favoured drink.
PAG
24
30
38
45
51
GENERAL CONTENTS.
CHAPTER
IX.
THE ENGAGEMENT. 1852.
10th 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 trample on the desolations of my own heart
-15th May-A memorable engagement-An eloquent betrothal letter
—Don't sit up singing till midnight—The Ganges and Jumna
CHAPTER X.
CONGREGATIONALISM. 1852.
Mr. Booth tired of debates-Proposes to join the Congregationalists-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
CHAPTER XI.
SPALDING. LONDON. 1852.
Mr. Booth rejoins the Reformers-Spalding Circuit-Engagement letters—
Admirable advice-Fear of man-Prayer-Ambition-Study-Teeto-
talism—"Spalding will not be your final destination"
CHAPTER XII.
WOMAN'S RIGHTS. 1853.
Preparations for future duties--Woman's sphere-A parlour skirmish-
Letter to Dr. Thomas on woman's equality-Scriptural evidence-
Intellectual and moral heroines-" Those who rock the cradle rule the
world"-Woman and the Press - Mr. Booth converted to woman's
right to preach-Minister's wives-Tattle and tea-parties—" Light
reading "-Novels
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-Congeniality of temperament-Friend
and counsellor rather than breadwinner and housekeeper-Refinement
linked to drudgery-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-Preference
of taste-Rules for married life-No secrets-One purse-Unity of
thought and action—No controversy before the children
xi
PAGE
63
70
76
82
92
xii
GENERAL CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XIV.
SPALDING. 1853.
The first Salvation Army captain-Mr. Booth's popularity-His first
journal-Swineshead Bridge revival-Caistor revival-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 evangelistic
career opens out-Joins the New Connexion.
CHAPTER XV.
CORRESPONDENCE and ConfLICTS. 1854.
Conflicting views-Sacrificing a present for a 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 Cæsars of the past the Napoleons of
the present-The spirit of the times
CHAPTER XVI.
LONDON. 1854.
Mr. Booth's reception by Dr. Cooke—Studying for the ministry—A revival
in the East End-Unanimously accepted by the Conference-Letter
from Miss Mumford-Caistor revisited-Sermon sketches by Miss
Mumford-She visits Burnham-Some beautiful letters-An Irvingite
Chapel-No hobbies—Nor fanaticism—A beautiful scene
•
CHAPTER XVII.
MRS. BOOTH'S FIRST PUBLISHED ARTICLE.
How to take care of new converts-A simple analogy-Congenial 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
1854.
CHAPTER XVIII.
LONDON. GUERNSEY. 1854-1855.
London as a field for work-Hard soil-Conditions of life-Poverty and
wealth-London successes-Guernsey revival-An unpromising begin-
ning—A grand finish-Two hundred and sixty conversions-Longton
and Hanley revivals-Four hundred and sixty penitents-A touching
letter from Miss Mumford-No fear of loving too much
CHAPTER XIX..
THE WEDDING. 1855.
A striking contrast-A great opportunity-A quiet ceremony-June 16th,
1855-Married by Dr. Thomas-A congregationless chapel-Craving
PAGE
98
107
113
120
125
1
GENERAL CONTENTS.
for privacy--Talent-hiding tendencies-The pictureless frame, and the
frameless picture-A brief honeymoon-Guernsey again-The old
autographs
CHAPTER XX.
REVIVALS AND CORRESPONDENCE.
1855.
One thousand seven hundred and thirty-nine penitents seek salvation-
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
SHEFFIELD.
CHAPTER XXI.
•
CHATSWORTH.
CORRESPONDENCE.
1855.
Six hundred and sixty-three conversions in a month-The progress of the
work described by Mrs. Booth in letters to her mother-The General's
mother-A remarkable love-feast-A forest of heads-Seventy-six peni-
tents-Do not worry-Luke Tyerman-Visit to Chatsworth-My native
county-Romantic scenery-The rocks of Middleton Dale-Mark Firth
-The designer of the Crystal Palace
CHAPTER XXII.
DEWSBURY. 1855.
Mrs. Booth seriously ill-Studies homoeopathy-Revival in Dewsbury-Four
hundred and forty converts-The Wesleyan Times-Helping the
penitents-Letters to mother—The Pilot—A triumphant farewell—The
Wesleyans welcome Mr. Booth
•
CHAPTER XXIII.
LEEDS. 1855-1856.
A Christless Christmas-The Hunslet revival-Mrs. Booth describes 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
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-Subjugating 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
xiii
•
· 133
·
PAGE
139
145
• 159
153
2
xiv
GENERAL CONTENTS.
sudden conversions-There go -'s mushrooms-The devil's toad-
stools-Thirty babies baptised with Bramwell-A holiness preacher-
Renewal of Mr. Booth's evangelistic commission by the Conference-
Yarmouth-Mrs. Booth on spiritual children
CHAPTER XXVI.
BIRMINGHAM. NOTTINGHAM. CHESTER. 1856-1857.
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 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 177
. 170
The Birmingham campaign-Mrs. Booth on religious excitement―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. Reginald Radcliffe at an execution-
Makes Mr. Booth an offer-The country people-A poacher converted
-Correspondence-Mr. Booth on homoeopathy-Not a congenial soul,
except the disembodied ones that dwell in books
CHAPTER XXVII.
BRISTOL. TRURO. ST. AGNES.
1857.
Mr. and Mrs. Booth meet in London-Start for Bristol-A hard struggle-
Thwarted by circumstances-The mysterious 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 hurri-
cane of excitement-St. Agnes-"Going off"-The woman who
jumped-Decency and order—Mrs. Booth on manifestation of feeling—
Afraid of a kind-hearted grandmother-Ominous rumours
CHAPTER XXVIII.
THE CONFERENCE OF 1857.
PACE
•
Mr. and Mrs. Booth at. Stafford-The nest and the beetle-Is it an
omen?-The Conference stop the evangelistic work by a majority
185
194
GENERAL CONTENTS.
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 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-Your's as square as a brick-The
value of organisaton-Mrs. Booth more of a free-lance Whitfield than an
organising Wesley-A happy design of providence.
CHAPTER XXIX.
1857-1858.
BRIGHOUSE.
A sad year-A difficult cause-But many are converted-And 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
CHAPTER XXX.
BRIGHOUSE.
1858.
•
Serious illness of Mrs. Booth-Ballington is baptised by Mr. Caughey-
Thirty years afterwards, Mr. Booth meets Mr. Caughey in America-
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 evange-
listic work-A compromise proposed -Mr. Booth consents to take
Gateshead circuit
CHAPTER XXXI.
GATESHEAD. THE CONVERTING SHOP. 1858.
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-Tap-room phraseology-A
Gelavoonkaraya - The Ratchagar caste Pedantic phraseology
Theology wedded to the language of bygone days-Christopher Colum-
bus and the greyhounds of the Atlantic-Birth of La Maréchale—A
powerful revival-Three hundred converts--The town stirred-Another
bazaar-Mrs. Booth on church bazaars
•
XV
PAGE
202
210
217
224
xvi
GENERAL CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XXXII.
GATESHEAD. 1858-1859.
A narrow escape-No distinctions, such as forty kisses for Willie and twenty
for the baby-No coat of any 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 interesting
scrap of autobiography—“ Have you ever tried lard instead o’booter?”、
Washing the twins in a pie-dish
CHAPTER XXXIII.
MRS. BOOTH'S FIRST PAMPHLET. 1859.
The Annual Conference meets at Manchester-Mr. Booth re-appointed to
Gateshead-Mr. Booth attends the Conference-He proposes a resolu-
tion in favour of teetotalism-But is defeated-Dissatisfaction with
conferences-Advantages 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-Perfection not necessary.
CHAPTER XXXIV.
GATESHEAD. 1860.
—
Necessity for conflict-Impossible to improve the future without disturbing
the present-A life-long warfare on behalf of women-A skirmish with
Dr. Stacey-A grievous wrong inflicted on thousands of spirit-baptised
disciples-Mrs. Booth opened the door for thousands
•
•
CHAPTER XXXVI.
GATESHEAD. 1860-1861.
Mr. Booth's illness-The children ill with whooping cough-The frock is too
smart-Capacity for dealing with trivialities of life-Mrs. Booth in the
PAGE
231
CHAPTER XXXV.
GATESHEAD. 1860.
1860. MRS. BOOTH COMMENCES PREACHING.
The birth of Emma-A call to public work-Whit-Sunday at the convert-
ing 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-Invitations
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 autobiographical letters-Harmony among
the officials—Mr. Booth's administrative ability—The iron hand in the
velvet glove-A headless community like a riderless horse-The
government 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
• 253
240
248
GENERAL CONTENTS.
Nursery-Preparing sermons under difficulties-" We lacked a General”
—A unanimous resolution-Mr. Booth returns from his furlough—
Careful but not mean-Financial struggles
CHAPTER XXXVII.
GATESHEAD. MRS. BOOTH ON HOLINESS. 1861.
A believer's privilege-Wesley's teaching-Theory and practice-Mrs. Booth
preaches on holiness-Seeks the blessing-The question of the evan-
gelistic work-The controversy 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
xvii
PAGE
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 are willing-But the president objects-Alnwick-Mr. Booth
starts for London
263
270
CHAPTER XXXVIII.
"JUST BEFORE the Battle." 1861.
A turning point-The cross the shibboleth of the hypocrite-Mr. and Mrs. Booth
appeal to the Conference for the fulfilment of their pledges regarding
the evangelistic sphere-The Annual Committee send a cool reply-
Preparing for the worst-A revival in Gateshead-Two hundred names
taken-The district meeting memorialises 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
276
CHAPTER XXXIX.
THE RESIGNATION. 1861.
The Conference meets in Liverpool-Mr. and Mrs. Booth attended it
together-They anticipate some sharp fighting-Mr. Rabbits 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 compromise proposed
-Mrs. Booth protests from the gallery-" Order! Order!" -A thrilling
scene-Mr. and Mrs. Booth leave the Conference-The ark is launched 285
293
xviii
GENERAL CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XLI.
THE RESIGNATION. 1861.
Mr. Booth in London-Measuring accomplishments by possibilities
Letters from London-Mr. Hammond-Mr. Pearse-The Garrick
Theatre-Undenominational missions-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 presi-
dent-Mrs. Booth returns to London-Mr. Booth brings the children
by sea from Newcastle-A new departure-Waiting for the moving of
the fiery pillar.
CHAPTER XLII.
THE CORNISH CAMPAIGN.
1861.
Reviving the churches-Reaching the masses viâ the Christians-The
"regions beyond "-The Cornish plan of campaign-How to "seat" a
congregation-A glorious commencement-With the Wesleyans again
-An emotional people-" Decently, and in order "-A remarkable
manifestation-Salvation the universal theme-Monster tea-meeting on
The Towans-A touching farewell .
CHAPTER XLIII.
THE CORNISH CAMPAIGN. 1861-1862.
St. Ives and its pilchards-A temperance movement-The Church 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 ?"-Conversions
noisy and quiet-Do they stand?
•
•
CHAPTER XLV.
THE CORNISH CAMPAIGN.
CHAPTER XLIV.
THE CORNISH CAMPAIGN. 1862.
St. Just-Rev. Robert Aitkin 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
PAGE
299
306
• 317
325
Mrs. Booth's first service for women-Her views on fashion-On orphan-
ages-On timidity-The king of the Wesleyans-His opinion of Mrs.
Booth-Mrs. Booth at home-The Wesleyan chapel-"What about the
revival?"-The volunteers leave their drill -The suspension of busi-
ness-"One and all "-The Lelant church and its legend-The angel
visits-Sailing under black colours.
• 334
GENERAL CONTENTS.
CHAPTER XLVI.
CHAPTER XLVII.
GOOD-BYE TO CORNWALL. 1862.
Mousehole-Penzance-Birth of herbert Booth-The sweet psalmist and
musician-"I will not have a wicked child". "Dod b'ess de lady and
nake her bery dood"-" Me not 'peakin to oo
"Me not 'peakin to oo "—Redruth-Putting up
the barriers-Seven thousand five hundred conversions in eighteen
months
THE THREE CONFERENCES. 1862.
The M.N.C. accept Mr. Booth's resignation Without a "thank you".
Not a "split"-The Cornish Wesleyans-An increase of four thousand
two hundred and forty-seven-Their Conference-"The perambulations
of the male and female "-Boycotted again—A pitiful apology—The
Primitive Methodists follow suit-Conflict between pastoral and
evangelistic agencies-Raising of the blockade-An Australian triumph 343
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.
•
xix
CHAPTER L.
THE PROVINCES. 1863-1864.
The General meets with an accident-Mr. Bramwell Booth's conversion-
Mrs. Booth leads the meetings-Hydropathy-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 Marion Booth-A letter from Caughey- Mrs.
Booth at Batley; Pudsey and Woodhouse Carr-Five hundred
conversions—“We can't get at the masses in the chapels"
M
PAGE
349
CHAPTER XLIX.
THE PROVINCES.
1863.
Newport-Mr. and Mrs. Billups—An intimate friendship-Walsall-Upset-
ting 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
chimney-sweep-A monster camp-meeting-The Hallelujah Band-The
future foreshadowed.
• 363
356
373
XX
GENERAL CONTENTS.
Y
CHAPTER LI.
LONDON. 1865.
The metropolis and the provinces-Mrs. Booth's first meetings in London—
Rotherhithe "Come and hear a woman preach"-The daughters of
the landlord of the Europa-Mr. and Mrs. Booth settle in Hammer-
smith-Mr. Morgan questions female ministry-But is convinced-His
journalistic umbrella-The Christian-A letter regarding holiness-
Bermondsey-The Gospel Guide describes Mrs. Booth-The midnight
movement.
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 Association "-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 f
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.
•
•
CHAPTER LIV.
THE EAST LONDON MISSION. 1866.
""
•
PAGE
CHAPTER LIII.
MR. MORLEY AND THE EAST LONDON MISSION. 1865-1866.
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-A veritable Job-
The meeting of the Stanley and Livingstone of Darkest England-A
sleeping partner-Some letters from Mr. Morley-A generous donation
-The dancing saloon-Some early converts
• 398
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 Dunorlan-Mrs. Booth at Dunorlan-Makes Mr.
Reed her timekeeper--" Never mind the time! Go on"-Nervous
collapse-Heaven's gifts in strange wrappers-A lifelong martyrdom—
The family homes-Each room an office-A latter day Bethel
381
388
407
GENERAL CONTENTS.
CHAPTER LV.
MARGATE. 1867.
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, Margate-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
CHAPTER LVI.
BEHIND THE PIGEON SHOP. 1866-1868.
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 Thermopyla-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
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 natures-One soul in hell and another in
heaven-Regeneration-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-Complete in Christ—A mock salvation.
·
•
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 cele-
bration-One thousand four hundred and twenty Missioners visit
Dunorlan-Hearty reception by Mr. Reed
•
xxi
PAGE
416
423
CHAPTER LVIII.
THE PROGRESS OF THE MISSION. 1868.
Mrs. Booth in Norwood-Little Missions-Neither exogen, endogen, nor
acrogen-Isolated efforts-One-ideaedness-Self-invited defeat-The
first balance-sheet-The Mission Council-Four thousand penitents
during the year-Launching the first magazine The East London
Evangelist-Mrs. Booth's articles-The spiritual armada-Joel's vision 439
CHAPTER LIX.
CORRESPONDENCE. 1868.
432
449
CHAPTER I.
SHADOWLAND.
1820-1829.
"Coming events cast their shadows before."
THE early days, of those who have achieved greatness, and who
have left their mark, either for good or evil, upon the world, constitute
a sort of shadowland, 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
surroundings 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-assertiveness, shall
we call it ?-about true genius, which enforces recognition and extorts
admiration, so that, even in the undeveloped bud of early life, we find
ourselves involuntarily exclaiming: The child is veritably father to
the man!
True, at the time, few eyes are keen enough to discern the
substance, of which these shadows are but the type and promise.
The great To Be is still enveloped in the mists of futurity. Its
shadow falls 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 retrospect, much that was once obscure and
difficult becomes luminously plain. Shadows are converted into
substance, possibilities into actualities, fugitive expectations into sober
accomplishment. To look forward 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 promise 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.
B
2
Chap. I.
MRS. BOOTH.
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 tantalising glimpses, when
what our heart would crave is a long satisfying look.
We are told there is a mountain peak in Africa, 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 traveller, who has at one time passed
the spot and noted nothing remarkable, has been surprised when, on
a later occasion, the clouds have suddenly unfolded, the sun shone
forth, and a snowy summit of surprising height and surpassing
grandeur has disclosed 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 dis-
appointed. 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 enchantment 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 landscape. Every turn
in the road, every inch of upward 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 will ever develop
A REMARKABLE MOTHER.
3
to the size and power of the other. And yet we cannot doubt the
The impossible has already come to pass
evidence of our senses.
1820.
before our eyes.
And thus 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 mer-
chandise of spiritual blessing will desire, no doubt, to trace the river
to its rise. Like Hindoo pilgrims, not content 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 skyborn
Ganges descends from the heavens to the broadening of its waters in
the trackless ocean of Eternity.
At a very early age flashes 'of the spirituality, genius, 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 became,
almost from infancy, her chief companion and comforter. Mrs.
Mumford was herself a remarkable woman, and some of the leading
traits in the daughter's character were no doubt inherited from the
intensely practical and courageous mother.
At the very threshold of her life, an event occurred which 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 surroundings helped
Miss Milward to think the more of 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 promptness and decision
which afterwards 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
B 2
4
Chap. I.
MRS. BOOTH.
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 despair, 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-galloped 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 probably spend the rest of his days.
P
The shock was a terrible one! Not that she ever allowed herself to
regret for a moment, either then 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 overtake 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 gladden
and console her after life, assuring her of abated floods, of returning
sunshine, and of "joy unspeakable and full of glory."
Sickness gave Miss Milward the opportunity to think, while sorrow
and suffering combined to force her attention in the direction of those
spiritual interests 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 abhor that
which was wrong, cruel, or cowardly. Her conscience, moreover,
was particularly sensitive. But this only helped to increase the
misery of her position, since it enabled her to realise more acutely
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
'
1820.
HER MOTHER'S CONVERSION.
had striven with her. She had listened 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. Opening its pages,
her eyes fell upon the passage, "I 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 themselves upon her
mind. Continually she heard them ringing in her ears, "I 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!"
5
The question preyed upon her mind to such an extent as to render
her recovery impossible. The doctor who had been attending her
seized an opportunity for telling Mr. Milward that some secret sorrow
was evidently affecting his daughter, and neutralising 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 original cause of her illness, little
thinking that the grounds for her mental anxiety had undergone so
radical a change. Desiring to comfort her, he manifested a tenderness
and solicitude to which the motherless girl had hitherto been a
stranger. And 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.
By a remarkable coincidence, which was surely more than
accidental, the Methodists at this very time commenced to hold
meetings in the town, buying 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. Encouraged, however, by her father's
kindness, she asked that the new minister might be allowed to visit
6
Chap. I.
MRS. BOOTH.
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.
The minister gladly responded to the call. If 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 salvation flashed in upon her soul in all its
glorious simplicity. 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 salvation 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, for the guilt of a life to be
blotted out in a moment. The preacher's recipe,
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 the first interview that her sins were forgiven.
Wonderful to relate, scarcely had the minister left, 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 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 considerably 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," conscience had shuddered. But now such pleasures were for
ever abandoned, and from that moment she never cast upon them a
single backward glance.
"
Even to the details of her dress was the change manifest. Her hat
was stripped of its ornaments 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
MISS MILWARD'S ENGAGEMENT.
were plastered into similar soberness. Her relentless scissors made
havoc of ball-dresses, the remnants of which in after years served to
furnish frocks for her daughter's dolls! With heart and soul she set to
work to please God in everything, embracing 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 back.
1820.
7
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 suc-
ceeded in cajoling even her aunt to endure the familiar vulgarities and
loud Amens, with which the proceedings of Methodism were in its
early days commonly enlivened.
From time to time special preachers came to conduct the services.
One of the most popular of these was John Mumford. Even the
Gorgonian aunt was constrained to appreciate him, and was heard to
declare 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.
He then sternly called upon his daughter to choose between her
lover and her home. Either the proposed engagement must be for ever
abandoned, or she must leave at once her father's roof, and face the
consequences, be they what they might. The ordeal was a trying
one, but her courage did not waver. She had sacrificed one lover,
actuated by the highest principles, and she would again have been
prepared to do the same, could her father have shown her any
reasonable cause. In the present instance, however, she realised
that he was influenced by unworthy motives. She had made her
choice in the interests of God's Kingdom, as well as in keeping with
the promptings of her woman's heart. And she was therefore as
unfaltering in her determination to continue this engagement as
she had been to abandon the previous one. Nor was it in her

THE RECONCILIATION.
VICTOR PHOT
THE RECONCILIATION.
9
nature to temporise for the sake of peace. She would not, even in
appearance, bow before the storm.
True to his word, and urged on by the aunt, Mr. Milward at length
commanded his daughter to leave the house. She went forth
penniless, without so much as a change of clothing, sacrificing every
worldly prospect. Despite these trying circumstances, she was kept
from saying an angry word, or even from entertaining an angry
feeling; and when turning her back upon her home, she was led to
make a vow that without her father's consent she would not marry,
feeling confident that what seemed, humanly speaking, so utterly
hopeless, could yet be brought about by God.
How few would have had on the one hand the courage 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 confidence in God was rewarded, and within a few
months she was married to John Mumford with her father's full
consent and blessing.
Still greater was her joy when on his dying bed Mr. Milward sent
for John to pray with him. "Let us pray with you," volunteered a
relative, who was in the room. "No, you are not competent," 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
previous 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 for ever closed. And so, with a heart overflowing with gratitude,
the once exiled daughter watched her husband kneel beside her dying
father's bed and point him to the "Lamb of God, that taketh away the
sin of the world." What satisfaction must she have gathered from
the thought that, humanly speaking, it was to her courage and
patience, under circumstances of such an adverse and difficult
character, that he owed his salvation! And how triumphant must
have been the final re-union, when, some fifty years later, father and
daughter met
1820.
"Beyond the river,
Where the surges cease to roll."
CHAPTER II.
CHILDHOOD. 1829-1834.
KATE MUMFORD, or as she is more familiarly known, Catherine
Booth, was born at Ashbourne in Derbyshire on the 17th 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 the earliest,"
says Mrs. Booth, "is that of being taken 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 underestimate the capacity of children
to retain impressions made upon them in early days."
Mrs. Mumford was a wise mother. She realised that it was
during the tender years of life that the human clay would respond
most readily to the moulding hand of the maternal potter. The
damp ard impressionable material could be shaped almost absolutely
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 influences that could be brought to bear upon it, or shiver
in pieces beneath severities which timely firmness would have rendered
unnecessary, and which were of no avail, because applied too late.
Nor was Catherine relegated to the dull monotony of a mere nursery
existence. Mrs. Mumford felt instinctively 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 weakling, incapable of
dealing with the momentous responsibilities and opportunities of life.
Just as the same bud would under one set of influences expand and

MRS. MUMFORD.
NURSERY LIFE.
fructify, while under another it would droop and die, so the same
character might be made or marred according to the treatment it
received.
1829.
11
Who can estimate how many beautiful blossoms are blighted, how
many noble natures spoiled, by being abandoned to a ceaseless associa-
tion with unsuitable 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
trivialities, 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 emphatically declared her conviction that, how-
ever 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, training, and care of the latter. Speaking on this
subject with all the advantages of her matured experience, Mrs. Booth
4
says:
"Confining children strictly to the nursery is, I 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 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 became her mother's
companion 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
contaminating 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 family, 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 brothers and sisters could quarrel, or be jealous of each other.
But what Catherine lacked in outside companionship was abundantly
compensated by the close and intimate ties which linked mother and
daughter in bonds that grew stronger year by year, and that death
12
Chap. II,
MRS. BOOTH.
itself could but for the moment sever. The sapling, which was 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 sensitive, responding like an Æolian harp
to the slightest whisperings of the Spirit.
Catherine was but four years old when Mrs. Mumford 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 troubled 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 Catherine was soon asleep.
"The longer I live," Mrs. Booth writes, "the more 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 imaginary
character, however excellent the moral intended to be drawn. She
had an intense realisation of spiritual things. Heaven seemed quite
near, instead of being, as with so many, a far-off unreality. It was a
positive joy to her that her three eldest children were there. I never
heard her thank the Lord for anything so fervently as for this,
although they were fine 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 perpetual 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. Mumford's
consideration, this did not prevent her 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 she would
not allow Catherine to study a language which she argued would open
)"}
1829.
LEARNING FRENCH.
the door to the infidel and impure novelistic literature with which she
knew it to abound, and which she regarded with peculiar horror.
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 Maréchale and spiritual Joan of Arc.
Strange, too, that the nation which had burned the ancient cham-
pioness 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,
although, as in so many remarkable instances, the manifestation
is through a woman rather than a man!
13
Referring in later years to her mother's ideas with regard to
French, Mrs. Booth remarks: "I cannot but think that on this
point my dear mother was mistaken, and that she might have allowed
me the opportunity 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 believe 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 Catherine 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 letters, 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 hearing 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 Catherine 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
14
Chap. II.
MRS. BOOTH.
cover eight times through, thus laying the foundation of that intimate
knowledge and exceptional familiarity with the divine revelation which
made so profound an impression upon all who knew her.
Thirty years later the position was reversed, and the weeping
mother sat in a densely crowded chapel, 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 accompanied her to the meeting.
To the end of life, Catherine maintained this intense 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 Catherine was not unchildlike. True, she was 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 labour for them,
that with her it almost 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 feed them, dress them, put them to
bed, and even 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
acquiring 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.
It was during Catherine's early childhood, in fact while she was but
three or four years old, that a dark cloud overshadowed the little
home. Mr. Mumford 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
A SEASON OF TRIAL.
lay preacher. He was a coach builder by profession, and as an
unpaid honorary 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 pastor.
Mr. Mumford ought,
without doubt, to have been a minister. His remarkable eloquence, '
reproduced in his daughter, his spiritual power, his popularity 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 resisted. The
beacon-light of conscience was quenched. Little by little, almost
insensibly at first, and afterwards with more rapid strides, he turned
towards 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 despair. Long into the nights she
would pray for her husband, and indeed made it the goal of her
existence to win him back to the blessed experiences of the past.
At length, after a season of sorrow which left its life-mark upon her,
prayer was in some measure answered, 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 enthusiastic 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 public meetings, she
had the exceptional happiness of leading her father back to the full
enjoyment of God's favour.
1829.
15
It was a beautiful sight, in after years, to watch the fine, venerable,
white-haired old man in his daughter's meetings, as with the humility
and simplicity 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.
I
CHAPTER III.
EARLY DAYS. 1834-1841.
THE family removed in 1834 to Boston, in Lincolnshire, Mr.
Mumford's native town. During his stay here he commenced to take
an active part in the Temperance 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 parlour debates which were to prove so valuable a training
for her future career.
She could do nothing by halves. Eagerly she devoured 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 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-
out the world. "Behold how great a matter a little fire kindleth."
Nor was Catherine's practical nature 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.
Largely, however, as her time and attention were engrossed by the
Temperance question, Catherine manifested a deep interest in other
important subjects which were discussed in the family circle.
Mr. Mumford was an active politician, and took pleasure in
explaining to his daughter the leading questions of the day. "By the

CHILD-SYMPATHY.
17
time I was twelve," she tells us, "I had my own ideas in politics and
could fight my father across the table. Among other matters discussed
was the Catholic Emancipation Bill. My father was in favour of it,
while I was very much opposed to it, arguing that the way in which
the Catholics had invariably misused political power proved that they
were unfit to be entrusted with it.
1841.
"My side was always that of the people. I desired nothing so
ardently as to see the poor and suffering made happy. Anything
that bore upon this interested me beyond measure, and I not only
wanted to know all about it, but longed to so use my knowledge that
it should be of the utmost advantage to others.
"If I were asked for the main characteristics that have helped me
through life, I should give
a high place among them
to the sense of respon-
sibility 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 re-
sponsible was no relief
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
this trait in Catherine's
character was one day
manifested. While run-
ning along the road with
hoop and stick, she saw
a drunkard being dragged to the lock-up by a constable. A jeering mob
was hooting the unfortunate culprit. His utter loneliness appealed
powerfully to her. It seemed that he had not a friend in the world.
C
VICTOR PROUT
BEFRIENDING THE DRUNKARD.
18
Chap. III.
MRS. BOOTH.
Quick as lightning Catherine sprang to his side, and marched down the
street with him, determined that he should feel that there was at
least one heart that sympathised with him, whether it might be for
his fault or his misfortune that he was suffering. The knight-errant
spirit which she 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
afterwards stood by the side of her husband and general, helping him
to face the scorn of his day and generation, until unitedly, with
character vindicated and name be-blessed, they had climbed to a
position of successful achievement unique in the history of the world.
It was Catherine's first open-air procession; indeed, may we not
legitimately call it the first ever held by the Salvation Army? But it
was destined to be multiplied a million-fold all over the world, and she
was to have the joy of sweeping the slums of every considerable 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 Christendom
to its centre, when the very harlots hushed each other in the streets,
and the rough unaccustomed 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
battles. We scarce know which touches us the more deeply, the cloudless
sunrise of the child-champion, or the glowing sunset of the soldier-saint.
One form of sensitiveness which manifested itself in Catherine's
childhood, and which caused her the keenest pain to the very end of
life, was her intense and unusual sympathy with the sufferings of the
brute creation. She could not endure to see animals ill-treated with-
out expostulating and doing her utmost to stop the cruelty. Many a
time she would run out into the 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 indignation 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 in the specula-
tions of Wesley and Butler with regard 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.
1841.
KINDNESS TO ANIMALS.
IMALS.
19
"One incident, I recollect, threw me for weeks into 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. Wherever I went the dog would follow me about
as my self-constituted protector-in fact, we were inseparable
companions. One day Waterford had accompanied me on a message
to my father's house of business. 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 rescue. My father was so vexed at the damage done 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 before
I could speak to my father, although he afterwards 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 seaside 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 argument 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."
If, in her walks or drives, Mrs. Booth happened to notice any
horses left out to graze which looked over-worked and ill-fed, she
would send round to the dealers for a bushel of corn, stowing it
away in some part of the house. Then, when evening fell, she would
sally forth with a child or servant carrying a supply of food to the
field in which the poor creatures 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
C 2
20
Chap. III.
MRS. BOOTH.
would run along the hedge whenever their benefactress 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 window, 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 must leave it,
leave it with God. I have suffered so much over what appeared to
be the needless and inexplicable 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 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, 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 horror 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.
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 persistently to the shaft, until her friends came to her
assistance. After burning words of warning, followed 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 succeeded 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 comparatively 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. Indeed, it seemed a physical impossibility, when
1841.
NO HOBBYIST.
"6
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 tens of thousands who do not go far enough, and 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 it might have been said:
"Let others look and linger,
And wait for beck and nod!
21
I ever see the finger
Of an onward-urging God!"
But perhaps we have lingered too long in describing this interesting
feature of Catherine's child-character and in tracing it onward through
lier 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 remedy 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 Catherine delighted in attending religious meetings. “Be
sure and wake me in good time," 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 Catherine should go with
her to the watch-night service. But an aunt, who held different views
on the training of children, happened to step in during the evening,
and, as Catherine 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 consoled. This was the only occasion I
can ever remember when my mother broke her promise, and the
unexpected nature of the disappointment perhaps helped to make me
feel it the more keenly."
No doubt Catherine's peculiar disposition and training enabled her to
22
MRS. BOOTH.
Chap III.
appreciate and enjoy meetings such as, to ordinary children, would
have been dull and uninteresting. By the time she was twelve it was
quite usual for her to give her mother an outline of the sermon. The
Wesleyans had several earnest preachers in Boston, and their child-
hearer had often some interesting accounts to bring home regarding
their sayings and doings. On one occasion, for instance, the speaker
laid his Bible across the door-step of the chapel, and then, turning to
address the sinners present, cried out in tones that thrilled the
audience: "Now which of you have made up your minds to walk over
that book to hell? "
Catherine and her mother were deeply attached to Methodism. 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 lives, and to devote to the
advancement of its cause their every effort. Little 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 Methodists. No higher ideal of
holiness and devotion seemed possible to her.
A subject which deeply engaged her interest and attention, and for
which amongst her many self-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 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 subscriptions
amongst her friends, often realising, to her unspeakable delight, quite
a surprising sum. It must have been difficult indeed to say no to
the ardent little enthusiast, and even those who felt but scant interest
in the foreign field would find it hard to resist 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,
1811.
THE GIRL-MISSIONARY.
23
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 her's, as joint-founder with her husband of the
largest missionary society in the world.
The dreams of the child-politician, who so early fought the battles
of the people across her family table, were to be more than realised
in the rescuing, during her lifetime, 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 civilised 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 comparatively brief duration.
Her mother preferred that her education should be pursued at home,
dreading the effects of unsuitable companionships. Still stronger were
the views and more unqualified the antipathy with which Mrs. Booth.
afterwards regarded the entire fabric of modern schooldom.
The tendency of the age to dissolve the natural ties of blood, and to
abolish parental responsibility, by 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 were dearly paid for in her opinion
by the sacrificial holocaust of innocence, virtue, and spirituality
demanded by this educational Jaganath. "Let thy gifts be to thyself
and give thy rewards to another," 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 glittering 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 in the plains of
Christendom by the nineteenth century Nebuchadnezzars of her day
had no attraction. Like the three Hebrew heroes, she stubbornly
refused 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
VIEWS ON EDUCATION.
the devil with it, you had better let me know. One language is quite
enough for him!" And when tempting offers came from rich friends.
to meet 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 pro-
fessedly 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 unredeemed human
nature are at work, and that with as great variety, subtlety, and power
as in the larger world outside. You would shrink from exposing your
child to the temptation and danger of association with unconverted
worldly men and women. Why, then, should you expose them to the
influence of children of the same character, who are not unfrequently
sent to these schools because they have become utterly vitiated and
unmanageable at home? I have listened to many a sad story of
the consequences of these school associations, and early made up
my mind to keep my children under my own influence, at least until
they attained such maturity in grace and principle as would be an
effectual safegard against ungodly companionships. To this end I
have rejected several very inviting offers in the way of educational
advantage, and every day I am increasingly 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 delegate that
responsibility to another without endangering their highest interests
for time and for eternity."
Nor can it be denied that Mrs. Booth's own successful 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 unusually fortunate
Her mother's influence combined with her natural strength of
* "Practical Religion," p. 24.
1841,
one.
25
26
Chap. IV.
MRS. BOOTH.
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 exception, nor by the fact that some few might pass through
the ordeal unscathed.
It was to be judged by its general effect on persons of ordinary
moral calibre, who were incapable of resisting the evil influences by which
they found themselves 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 truth, that God
made the family, man made the school. And just as the remedy for
the one evil is to 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. Mumford's views were by no means so decided and vehement
as were afterwards those of her daughter. Nevertheless, her leanings
were all in the same direction. Hence it was some time before she
could bring herself to send Catherine to school. It happened,
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 favourable reports. Certainly the children were of a
superior 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 attend this
school, and she continued her studies there during the next two years.
She soon established 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 causing pain made her
reluctant to go above others in class. She preferred rather to help
them to surpass herself, when her natural capacity and love of study
*
HISTORICAL STUDIES.
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 favour 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 afterwards 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 Catherine's favourite studies.
1841.
27
She experienced
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 clever?
"Were they clever? What use then had they
made of their ability?" inquired the child-philosopher. "Was it to
aggrandise themselves, or to benefit others? Were they rich? How
did they spend their money? Was it in idle pomp and self-gratifica-
tion, or in extravagance 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 conquered 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 colours. 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 Cæsar, who, though by no
means an attractive character, according to my notions, yet appeared.
desirous of benefiting 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 aggrandisement."
28
Chap. IV.
MRS. BOOTH.
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 afterwards
attributed to the senseless way in which it was taught, since to her
logical and mathematical mind figures had subsequently a considerable
attraction.
In 1843 Catherine's school-days were brought abruptly to a close,
by a severe spinal attack which compelled her to spend most of her
time in a recumbent position, but even then her active nature would
not permit her to rest, and her time was divided between sewing,
knitting, and her beloved books. No doubt there was a divine pur-
pose in this illness, for it was during the next few years of com-
parative retirement from the ordinary activities of life that she acquired
the extensive knowledge of church history and theology which proved
so useful in later years, and for the prosecution of which her
multitudinous 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 facsimile 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 lectures on theology
she specially appreciated.
"The Pilgrim's Progress,'" she tells us, "I had read with great
interest long before, but even at that time I could not help entertain-
ing a strong antipathy to the Calvinistic tendency of some of its
teachings.
"Another book which I carefully studied was Newton on Prophecy.
After noting and vainly striving to reconcile the various interpretations,
each supported by quotation of chapter and verse, I can definitely
remember deciding that, since so many learned and able people
differed regarding the matter, it would be 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 position I have ever since adhered."
It was, perhaps, a happy design of Providence that suddenly
liberated the girl-student from her scholastic cage and left her master-
Brotter Ausley
На
Le
powers
refle
it the
ch
ло
or
in
mo
He
natūral
& course,
but asso
Chaph 1st. These distinct questions conviddered ist whatten
death be that destination of living agents, if not, whether
be destruction of of
of periphoin' & souration & if not, whether it be the
Arocoatomance of those prevents reflecting
jah Waving envesergone
of things, great changer to existed in very different stater of life
to the antlogy of prature Hebt we shall
bewafter erich in a state as different from the present at
is from the form
capacities
action, derschriness, suffering or before death is a pre
conemption thith we shall retain them after death antior
inter
there be some positive reason to Himke Witch Cleathe wil
be then destruction, because there is a probability that
all things will remain as we now experience
Face
all respects except those in which we have
to think they will be altered
2 Thal
po
esse
et
10322
1st PAGE OF MSS.-ANALYSIS OF BUTLER'S ANALOGY,
WRITTEN WHEN 16 YEARS OF AGE.

مانه مه
Ouspen
porvedſ
g
کا
!
1844.
THE SCHOOL OF SUFFERING.
mind unfettered to follow 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."
29
•

CHAPTER V.
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 than ordinary capacity, was deeply attached to Catherine. They
w
n
Lif
mi siw
THE WESLEYAN CHAPEL IN BOSTON.
had known each other from childhood, and, although she was not the
most ardent of the two, she could not prevent her heart responding 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.
FROM BOSTON TO LONDON.
For some time there was a considerable controversy in her mind.
She felt she ought to break off all correspondence, 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 unequally yoked together
with unbelievers." And although, as she afterwards said, "it cost me
a considerable 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 unhappy marriage and a useless
career."
1814.
31
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 with its appearance. Girl-like, she
had been castle-building in her imagination, picturing to herself the
sort of model city that this brick and mortar colossus of the universe
must be, with palatial residences and mammoth edifices. To find it a
promiscuous 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
National 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 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 activities. By dint of dauntless faith in God and weight
of worth, unaided by wealth or influence, the girl-listener of Exeter
I all fought her way up to be one of London's most popular and
32
Chap. V.
MRS. BOOTH.
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
Mr. Mumford held on to the reins
the horse took fright and bolted.
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. Looking 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 road-
side, 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.
To those who have read thus far in Mrs. Booth's life it will probably
cause no small surprise to learn that it was not until she was sixteen
"About this
that she believed herself to have been truly converted.
time," she tells us, "I passed through a great controversy 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 obtained no satisfaction. True, my past life had
been 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 for ever flow-
These for sin could not atone.'

MR. MUMFORD.
HER CONVERSION.
33
"
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 forgiveness of my sins, receiving the witness of the
Holy Spirit that I had become a child of God and an heir of heaven.
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 regarding the matter. If in the past I had
acted up to the light I had received, it was 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 conse-
crating themselves fully to God, they dared not venture out upon the
promises and believe!
"I can never forget the agony I passed through. I used to pace
my room till two o'clock in the morning, 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 was as impossible for me to doubt as it had
before 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 certain of it. The assurances of my salvation seemed 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 even to her upon
spiritual matters. I could pray before 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
D
34
Chap. V.
MRS. BOOTH.
1
i.
vital a subject. Owing to this, thousands are kept in bondage for
years, when they might easily 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 felt as if I was
walking on air. I used to tremble, 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 Brixton, of which
her mother had for some time been 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 previously
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 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 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 disappointed 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 com-
paratively little attention or effort bestowed upon the prayer-meeting
which followed the sermon.
"At this very time," she afterwards tells us, "I can remember
leaving the chapel burdened at heart that more had not been
accomplished of a practical character. I could often see that a
powerful impression had been made upon the people, that their
consciences had been awakened and their judgment enlightened.
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
PA
THE CLASS MEETING.
summoned to help them to act upon the light, and there 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.
1845.
35
"I did so long on such occasions for some means of 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 reputation 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 greater number of
converts, whose love, sympathy, and devotion would have much more
than compensated for those they might have lost."
So deep and permanent was the impression produced upon Catherine
in regard to this matter that in later years, when she herself occupied
the pulpit, she lost no opportunity for compelling her hearers to an
immediate 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 perspiration from head to foot, she would step from the
platform, conduct her own prayer-meeting, and personally 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
some too prolix a chairman, so impatient would she be for the oppor-
tunity 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, and Catherine
had yet much to learn by personal experience. 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
excitement and exertion had made me ill, she replied 'Never mind!
you will be of use by and by, if you overcome this timidity, and
D 2
36
Chap. V.
MRS. BOOTH.
I
employ your gifts. But 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 testifying 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 supply to the
members of each society individual oversight, together with an
opportunity for mutual confession 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 member. "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 received was quite compatible with lives of
mere self-indulgence. Their testimonies were mostly of a mechanical
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 otherwise. The exhortations
of the leader were usually to the effect that they were to look
away from themselves to Christ, He being so presented in many
instances 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 the class meeting, as
originally intended by Wesley, was an excellent arrangement, but the
mere asking of empty questions as to how a person is getting on,
and the leaving them to answer by the platitudes usual on such
occasions, is to daub them with untempered mortar, and to lead them
forth in the way of hollow profession and uncertainty. Pointed
questions should be put, such as: Have you enjoyed private 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 maintained 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
1845.
“DON'T DO AS I DO."
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 Kingdom of Christ?
"Such questions pressed home with the aid of the Holy Spirit
would compel confession, and involve a repentance and re-consecration
productive of real results. But of course questions of this kind pre-
suppose that those who ask them are themselves living up to the
standard which they set before others, and this, alas, is too often not
the case!
37
""
The leader of Catherine's class was an exceptionally pious and
devoted person. She had the oversight 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
conversion. Catherine could not help feeling that these inconsistencies
paralysed the power and contradicted 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 enter-
tained throughout life a positive horror, and to find in her beloved
Methodism such symptoms of decay caused her the deepest sorrow
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 life would be
both precious and instructive, Mrs. Booth did not keep a diary.
She used afterwards 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 12th May, 1847,
to 24th March, 1848. Intended, as she tells us, for her own eye
alone, these early musings and heart-yearnings offer a valuable index
to her life and character.
The diary begins with her arrival in Brighton for a few weeks'
change and rest. In the previous autumn 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
doctor," she writes, came to see me on Tuesday last.
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 trust, if it is for my God and His glory, the
Lord will give His blessing to the means we are using."
He is a very
The seriousness and severity of her illness may, however, be judged
from another entry in which, under date 13th June, 1847, she writes:
"I went to chapel in the morning, but felt very poorly with faintness
and palpitation, so that I spent the afternoon in bed in reading and
contemplation. At evening I went again and stopped to receive the
sacrament, 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.
afterwards 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."
I
""
HER DIARY.
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."
1847.
The diary is full of intense yearnings after God and struggles to
attain perfect holiness of life.
39
“14th 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.
"I find much need of watchfulness and prayer, and have this day
taken up my cross in reproving sin. Lord, follow with the conviction
of Thy spirit all I have said."
"I entered into fresh covenant this morning with 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 infinitely 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 mother the
following letter, which throws an interesting light on the close
spiritual communion that existed between mother and daughter.
After referring to her own and Catherine's health, Mrs. Mumford
says:
"6
"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 feel as I did before. But I say to myself:
'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!'
40
Chap. VI.
MRS. BOOTH.
"I am glad you are getting on so well. Live close to Jesus and He will keep
you to the end. Oh, may He bless you with 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."
To this letter Catherine sent the following reply, 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 indulged 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 foolishly.' 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 and 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 anybody'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 possible. 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 afternoon, 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 extent of the blessed Atonement. She says I have thrown much
light upon her mind, and she desires to be led into all truth. If 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 morning, 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 treatment of Mr. Burnett. But I quite expected
it, when he gave a conscientious affidavit in Mr. Hardy's case. Well, it will all
**
EARLIEST EXTANT LETTERS.
41
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
I was
change is most agreeable to my feelings. It is like a new world to me.
heartily sick of looking at brick and mortar. Oh, I love the sublime in nature!
It absorbs my whole soul. I cannot resist it, nor do I envy those who can.
There is nothing on earth more pleasing and profitable 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 fulness of love
which destroys self and fills the soul with Heaven-born generosity!
64
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
possession of real riches. But many, alas, find it not, and return only to bewail
their misfortune. Whichever class I may be amongst, I hope I shall not have
cause to regret my visit. If I find not 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.
(0
I should like to spend another week or two here. It would be 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!
1847.
"I will write again on Monday so that you may get it before you go to the
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, expire 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."
There is a touching passage in the diary with reference to her
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
42
Chap. VI.
MRS. BOOTH.
Lord, answer prayer, and bring him back to Thyself! Never let that
tongue, which once delighted in praising Thee, and in showing others
Thy willingness to save, be engaged in uttering the lamentations of
the lost! O awful thought! Lord have mercy! Save, oh, save him
in any way Thou see'st 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 writing 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
afterwards 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 impress upon her the importance of giving her heart to God in her
youth. ut I feel myself most at liberty in writing. She promised to
write and tell me the 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 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 sick is extremely
interesting:
In the morning I
"This has been a blessed day to my soul.
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
delight 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, and so was the reward. My heart
beat violently, but I felt some liberty. Oh! how sweet is Christian
1847.
HOME, SWEET HOME.
communion! Hail, happy day, when we shall meet to part no more
around the Throne."
43
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 deprived 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 themselves in tears. Oh, how I long to
get home to my dearest mother! I feel greatly the loss of some
kindred spirit, some true bosom friend. My mind is rejoiced 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 expecting to be married next Thursday, and I was
thinking about 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! 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.
next, his intended wedding day!
when iny Lord shall come!
He is to be buried on Thursday
Oh, that I may be found watching
"}
On the 28th 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 believe 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
""
44
Chap. VI.
MRS. BOOTH.
I see this
word is truth!' Lord, answer my Redeemer's prayer.
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 communion with my God. I feel very poorly,
and excessively 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 (1848) she has the following
entry :
"I have been writing a few daily rules for the coming 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 am determined
to search the Scriptures more attentively, for in 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 under-
standing. 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:
"I have renewed my practice of abstaining from dinner 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 17th January, 1848, she writes:
"Nineteen years to-day I have lived in this world of sin and sorrow.
But oh, I have had many sweets mingled with the bitter.
much to praise my God for, more than I can conceive.
future live to praise Him, and to bring glory to His name.
I have very
May I for the
Amen."
CHAPTER VII.
THE REFORMERS.
1844-1852.
It was at this period that a great agitation arose in the Wesleyan
community, leading ultimately to the withdrawal or expulsion of about
one hundred thousand of its members. Miss Mumford became
interested in the controversy, and, since her action in regard to the
matter affected the whole of her subsequent career, it will be necessary
to explain briefly its origin and history.
The Wesleyan Methodist Society was founded by John Wesley in
1739. Five years later he held his 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 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 autocratic powers
which, during his lifetime, he had reserved in his own hands. The
democratic element had, however, after Wesley's death, gradually
gained strength, claiming for itself a voice in the Connexional
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 ministers who hoped, upon the shoulders of
the people, to climb into office and dispossess the party then in
power, it is not for us to say. It is certain, however, that it gave
rise to several agitations, in the course of which the secessions occurred
which led to the establishment of the younger branches of Methodism.
The most serious of these disputes commenced in 1844, with the
publication of an anonymous pamphlet entitled "Fly Sheets from the
Private Correspondent," purporting to be issued "by order of the
Corresponding Committee for detecting, exposing, and correcting
abuses." Wholesale charges of maladministration were levelled
against leading members of the Connexion, and sweeping reforms
were advocated by the writer, in terms which were calculated 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.
46
Chap. VII.
MRS. BOOTH.
The Annual Conference of 1847 decided that measures 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 matter could no longer be ignored, being calculated to exercise a
mischievous influence, subversive of confidence 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 required to
give a definite "Yes" or "No" answer, as to whether he had been in
any way concerned in the publication. The objection raised against
such a proceeding, as unusual, unjustifiable, and inquisitorial in its
character, was over-ruled, and a declaration, repudiating any
connection with the authorship of the pamphlets, was drawn up for
signature.
Seventy ministers refused to sign this document. Of these, how-
ever, some forty gave an implied denial. With regard to the others
it was decided that those who might be suspected should be called to
appear 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, instead of
putting an end to the controversy, only 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 first number was issued on 8th January,
1849. 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.
Certainly the acrimonious spirit in which the conflict was carried on
reflected little credit on either the one side or the other.
The "Fly
THE REFORMERS.
Sheets" were marked by a personality and animosity which it would
have been all but impossible to tolerate within the ranks of any well-
ordered organisation, and which were sadly antagonistic to the spirit
of Christianity.
On the other hand, the orthodox party would have done well to
exercise greater patience and self-control. A few timely concessions,
a resolute determination not to return railing for railing, and an exer-
cise of persistent love towards 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 convincing proof that the charges heaped upon the Conference
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 successors of
their venerable apostle. Had such a course been pursued, there is
little doubt that they would at least have happily retained within their
pale two devoted 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.
1849.
47
-
It cannot be denied, on the one hand, that the Reformers had some
reason for complaint. The conduct of the Conference had in several
instances been arbitrary and high-handed. The utmost stretch of
charity could hardly invent any justifiable motive for their sudden
banishment of the remarkable American 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 souls sought salvation, and the revival was
at its flood-tide when the Conference compelled his withdrawal,
causing widespread discontent among multitudes of the most loyal
ministers and members of the Connexion, and exposing themselves
to charges of envy and jealousy to which it was very difficult to reply.
Nevertheless, the Reformers put themselves in the wrong by
resorting to personalities and invectives which no amount of provoca-
tion could palliate or excuse. 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
48
Chap. VII.
MRS. BOOTH.
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 history that
Wesley's own government was far more 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, delegated his authority to some Joshua, or, like Elijah,
dropped his falling mantle upon some Elisha, and had 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 shepherds has, it
is true, sonie obvious advantages. But whether the counterbalancing
dangers and drawbacks are not of a still more serious character was
and must be still open to grave controversy. Miss Mumford's intense
sympathy with the people led her to regard the controversy with
more than ordinary interest. Her views of church government
subsequently underwent 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 the revival of old-time Methodism
with its deep spirituality and intense passion for souls. Hence she
hailed the Reform movement 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 reports 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 Conference. 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 resolutions.
adopted approving their attitude, and instituting a committee to further
the interests of the agitation.
66
EXPULSION FROM WESLEYANISM.
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 crossing
it were visited with the penalties of interdiction.
The outspoken manner in which Miss Mumford had expressed her
condemnation of the Conference and sympathy with the Reformers was
naturally objected to by her class-leader, who remonstrated with her on
the folly of her course, reminding her that in identifying herself with the
malcontents she would not only forfeit her position in the church she
loved, but seriously injure her worldly prospects. Such considerations,
however, carried little weight with the high-spirited girl.
The prospect was indeed a painful one. She still 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, ruat cœlum"-let justice be done, though the skies fall-was
the principle on which she acted throughout life. And on the present
occasion she could not consent to withhold her sympathy and
countenance from the cause of those who appeared to have been
wronged. Finding arguments of no avail, her class-leader reluctantly
decided to withhold Miss Mumford's ticket of membership.
It is customary in the Wesleyan body to grant to 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.
"This was one of the first great troubles of my life," says Mrs. Booth,
"and cost me the keenest anguish. I was young. I had been nursed
and 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 dissatisfied with the formality, worldliness, and
defection from what I conceived Methodism ought to be, judging 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
1850.
E
49
50
Chap. VII
MRS. BOOTH.
X
something would arise which would be better, holier, and more
thorough. Here were men who, in my simplicity, I supposed wanted
to bring back the fervour and aggressiveness of bygone days. In this
hope and in sympathy with the wrongs that I believed the Reformers
had suffered, I drifted away from the Wesleyan Church, apparently at
the sacrifice of all that was dearest to me, and of nearly every personal
friend."
It so happened that the Reformers had commenced to hold meetings
in a hall near Miss Mumford's home. 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
practical result. When the rest of the school had been dismissed she
would beg the key from the superintendent, and hold a prayer meeting
with her girls. This resulted in the conversion of several, one of
whom died triumphantly.
"I used to have some wonderful times with my class," she tells us.
"I made them pray, and I am sure that anybody coming into one of
these meetings would have seen very much what a Salvation Army
consecration meeting is now. They usually all stopped, and some-
times our prayer-meetings would last an hour and a half. Often I
went on till I lost 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.
I
"However, I was a great deal disappointed with the Reformers,
had hoped that we were upon the eve of a great spiritual revival.
Instead of this everything was conducted very much in the ordinary
style, and I soon became heartily sick of the spirit of debate and
controversy which prevailed to such a degree as to cripple the life and
power of the concern.”
-
CHAPTER VIII.
WILLIAM BOOTH. 1829-1852.
WILLIAM BOOTH was born in Nottingham on the 10th April, 1829.
His mother was of so amiable a disposition 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 fortune, 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 inherited 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 Wesleyan chapel, his attention was
arrested by the novelty and simplicity of the services. For some time
he continued to attend. The truths, tersely and powerfully expounded,
took an increasing hold of his mind, and on one memorable evening,
in a class-meeting, 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 recognised leader he soon became.
With one of these, William Sansom, he was specially intimate, and
when, a little later, this colleague ruptured a blood-vessel in a prayer-
meeting and died, Mr. Booth arranged a special funeral service, closely
resembling those subsequently held in the Salvation Army.
During these early days he was as indefatigable a 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 connection with these
meetings, and processions were led down the Goosegate and other
E 2
←
1
52
3
70 17
MRS. BOOTH.
Chap. VIII
thoroughfares, bringing to the chapel such a tatterdermalion crowd as
soon gave rise to a request from the minister that the 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 disagree-
able to the more respectable members of the congregation.
However, without allowing himself to be discouraged 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 superintendent, the Rev. Samuel Dunn, urged him to offer himself
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 promised to report in favour of
the question being delayed for twelve months, and to this Mr. Dunn
eventually agreed."
Referring to this time, Mr. Booth says: "I worshipped 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 instructions.
"I cared little then or afterwards for ecclesiastical creeds or forms.
What I wanted to see was an organisation with the salvation of the
world as its supreme 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 connected with the change. Nevertheless,
it was his first absence from home and he sorely missed his mother,
1849.
THE GENERAL'S EARLIEST LETTERS.
by whom he was idolised, and whose affection he ardently returned.
"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 uttered.
His London life was, moreover, a lonely one. He missed the asso-
ciation of the earnest young men in whose company he had laboured
since his conversion.
53
"How are you going on?" he writes in his oldest extant letter dated 30th
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
signal 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 deter-
mined to die for the truth!
"I preached on Sabbath last-a respectable but dull and lifeless congregation.
Notwithstanding I had liberty both praying and preaching, I had not the assistance
of a single 'Amen' or 'Hallelujah' the whole of the service! It is hard work
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 before 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!"
It is interesting to trace thus early what afterwards 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 characterises the
Salvation Army of later years than its "ministry of all the talents."
This has meant nothing 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 endeavoured to throw
cold water upon his vehement zeal. "Young man," said one of these
M
54
Chap. VIII
MRS. BOOTH.
critics, "there is too much of the shroud in your preaching!" Said
others, "You are not sufficiently argumentative. Your sermons do
not display sufficient marks of study!"
,
How disheartening he felt such remarks to be, we learn from some
of the letters written to his friend, John Savage.
On 30th March, 1850, he writes:
Concerning my pulpit efforts, I am more than ever discouraged. Upon
becoming acquainted with my congregations, 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 literally know
nothing."
In another letter he writes more cheerfully:
"I preached twice yesterday at Norwood-a dear people. In the morning, I
trust, 'Oh, Lord revive Thy work,' was accompanied with blessings, and in the
evening, 'Jesus weeping over Jerusalem,' though not attended with pleasurable
feelings to myself, yet I hope went home to some hearts. I saw nothing done!
"
"Afterwards I had some conversation with one of our local preachers respecting
the subject with regard to which my 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, unwashed, unsancti-
fied! 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 bathing in its life-giving streams!"
66
What are we to think of the inconceivable blindness or the
superintendent, who could cold-bloodedly tell the fiery young
evangelist, when he proposed to offer himself for the ministry, that
preachers were not wanted by the Connexion !" We cannot help
smiling 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 difficulties are so great. My ability is not equal
HIS TICKET WITHDRAWN.
And to
to the task. Preachers are not wanted. My superintendent told me so.
go to quarter-day and not succeed would break my heart. Were my talents of a
superior nature, were my attainments of a more elevated character, and my
education 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 Lambeth circuit."
1851.
55
In 1851 the Reform movement was at its height. But the
character which the agitation had assumed 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 enthusiasm 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 inevit-
able decision, and had accepted what he could neither hinder nor
approve.
1
It was inevitable, however, that he should be in some measure
concerned and interested in a movement 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, and had been for three years his own superintendent in
Nottingham, had recognised his ability, admired his zeal, and directed
his studies for the ministry. But beyond attending a few of the
meetings held in London by the Reformers, Mr. Booth held
studiously aloof from 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 divided among them was so
trifling as to afford but little scope for the intense activities and
organising genius which already fired his heart and brain. Feeling
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, requesting at the same time that his name might be retained
among the list of members.
An agitation assuming the proportions and duration of the Reform
movement could hardly fail to be marked by incidents of a regrettable
character. The entire atmosphere seemed laden with doubt and
suspicion. Innocent actions were misunderstood, and inoffensive
56
Chap. VIII.
MRS. BOOTH.
1
words misinterpreted. Nor would it be just to blame the Conference
for the over-zeal displayed by some of their well-meaning but too
hasty partisans. To uproot a field of wheat in order to extirpate
an occasional tare is a temptation to which human nature has been
ever open.
It so happened that the minister in charge of Mr. Booth's circuit
was of an uncompromising heresy-hunting disposition. It is scarcely
to be wondered at, therefore, that he viewed with suspicion the
conduct of his lay assistant. Making sure that he had discovered
once more 'the cloven hoof of the Reformers, 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 brilliant Methodist of the day.
Not a finger was lifted, not an effort made, not a protest uttered, not
a syllable of kindly counsel offered, by this strangely infatuated
shepherd of the flock, who, with an assumption of infallibility that
the Pope himself could scarcely have rivalled, wrapped himself in the
cloak of his ecclesiastical dignity, and would deign no further response
beyond a curt letter refusing to acquiesce in Mr. Booth's proposal.
No sooner, however, had the Reformers heard of this unjustifiable
expulsion than they passed a resolution cordially inviting Mr. Booth
to join their ranks. The suggestion was warmly seconded by one of
their leaders, a Mr. Rabbits, who had almost from the time of his first
arrival in London entertained a warm affection for Mr. Booth. Mr.
Rabbits was engaged in the boot and shoe trade, owning three or
four shops, which afterwards 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
religion. Himself a man of consistent Christian character, he was
not ashamed to show his colours wherever he went, and took the lead
in every good work.
When the agitation arose, Mr. Rabbits embraced very warmly the
cause of the Reformers. He had been dissatisfied for some time
with what he considered 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.
He had been present at the first sermon delivered by Mr. Booth in
the Walworth Road Wesleyan Chapel. The latter had launched out
"THE BEST SERMON YET.”
in his usual unconventional, earnest manner, strikingly in contrast
with the ordinary ministerial style. Some of those present responded
heartily, and the ordinary monotony of the service was disturbed by
quite a brisk fusillade of "Amens." Mr. Rabbits was delighted. He
met the preacher at the foot of the stairs, congratulated him warmly
on his sermon, and took him home to dinner, forming on the spot a
friendship which lasted to the end of his life.
"Why don't you become a minister?" said Mr. Rabbits, as they
walked toward his house. And on discovering that it was Mr. Booth's
most ardent desire, he promised to use his influence among the
Wesleyan ministers in London, with some of whom he was on
specially intimate terms.
Various obstacles had, however, arisen, which had prevented the
realisation of Mr. Booth's intentions, 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 frequently 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 Reformers that Mr. Booth
was planned to preach at one of their chapels known as Binfield House,
and situated in 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.
1851.
57
On the Sunday that Mr. Booth preached she was present, and
although he was a perfect stranger to her, she was very much
impressed with him at first sight. The sermon was from the text,
"This is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the World." It so
happened that during the following week Miss Mumford met Mr
Rabbits, whom she had known for some time, and was asked by him
for her opinion of the preacher. She expressed it freely, saying that
she considered it the best sermon she had yet heard in Binfield Hall.
Little did she think, however, that Mr. Rabbits, who reckoned her
one of the ablest judges of a sermon in London, would pass it on to
the preacher himself.
About a fortnight afterwards, Mr. Rabbits invited the principal
Reformers of the district to his house for afternoon tea and
2
58
Chap. VIII,
MRS. BOOTH.
conversation, hoping thus to promote a spirit of love and unity and to
advance the interests of the agitation. 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 temperance piece, which he had heard him repeat some days
previously. Knowing that there were scarcely any teetotalers 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. Rabbits
was inexorable 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 anyone present from
feeling uncomfortable. 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 recited 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,
Veiling his face 'neath its fleecy folds,
As lazily up from his lips it rolled,
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!'
1851.
THE GROGSELLER'S DREAM.
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 'Cole's'!
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 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!'
'Aha! Eehee!' 'Twas an echoed sound!
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.
59
60*
Chap. VIII.
MRS. BOOTH.
- i
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? Never fear!
You can't be spared for a long time here!
There are hearts to break, there are souls to win
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-
N
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.
The arm that shielded a wife from ill
In its drunken rage shall be raised to kill!
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, which was broken
by someone venturing an apology on behalf of moderate drinking,
perhaps as an excuse for the numerous non-abstainers present. This
afforded Miss Mumford an opportunity for replying, much to the
delight of Mr. Rabbits, 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.
61
THE TEMPERANCE QUESTION.
From subsequent conversations it can be readily imagined how
ably Miss Mumford would measure swords with her opponent.
"The Bible permits it," was commonly argued by the defenders of
the moderation 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
referred 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 connection with the other."
1851.
And then there was the argument, "But you cannot make people
sober by Act of Parliament." "I am not so sure about that," she
would reply; "by shutting 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 prevent 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 destruction
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 reply: "The more the pity, for as
the American revivalist, 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 adjourned to the hospitable
table of their host. How far the company were convinced by the
recitation and debate to which they had listened, we cannot tell, but
for that night at least the wine offered remained untasted, and water
was the favoured drink, though not more than three or four of those
present were professed teetotalers.
62
Chap. VIII.
MRS. BOOTH.
More important and lasting, however, than the result of this
discussion in its influence on the future, were the feelings of mutual
respect, sympathy, and admiration that it awakened in the hearts of
Catherine Mumford and William Booth. If Mr. Rabbits failed to
advance the programme of Reform, which had been for some time
weighing on his heart, he had unconsciously 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."
·
CHAPTER IX.
THE ENGAGEMENT.
THE 10th April, 1852, was a memorable day in 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.
He was now practically her pastor. The Reformers had accepted
him as their preacher, at the instance of Mr. Rabbits, 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"!
He had set apart the day to visit a relative, with a view to interest-
ing him in his new career, when Mr. Rabbits, 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.
Although a mutual and ardent affection sprang up, which deepened
on each succeeding interview, nevertheless no engagement was entered
into, until after the most thorough and prayerful consideration.
Indeed, 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 desire 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
64
Chap. IX.
MRS. BOOTH.
Reformers was temporary and unreliable, and each week increased his
dissatisfaction with their discipline and mode of government. They
had thrown off the yoke of what they looked upon as a tyrannical priest-
hood, 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 acknow-
ledge 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 General of the
Salvation Army. He tasted by bitter experience that a democratic
government could be as 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 ranks many of the
best and noblest spirits in Wesleyan Methodism. Nevertheless, it
will be easily understood that, amid the turmoil of the agitation, the
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
a small clique of 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 constitu-
tional opposition of a parliamentarian character. For a time they
were content to be in a minority. Ultimately they believed their
views would prevail. But the action of the Conference, in expelling
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, refusing
to receive the deputation that was sent to wait on them. The
.
1852
:
ENGAGEMENT LETTERS.
memorial was certainly read, but the answer sent denied the allega-
tions made, and rejected the prayer of the petitioners.
A large number, however, among the Reformers were opposed to
mediation, and preferred to be organised into a separate church,
whilst others desired to cast in their lot with some of the more
liberal Methodist denominations, which were waiting to receive them
with open arms.
65
With such divided counsels, the future of the Reformers could not
but be uncertain, and so far as study for the duties of a regular
ministry was concerned, 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 unsatisfactory, he
should be justified in allowing Miss Mumford to enter into any
engagement. Some of the letters that were exchanged are so
interesting, and the spirit manifested so exemplary, that we cannot
do better than refer to them. The earliest is dated 11th May, 1852,
when the question of the engagement was still undecided:
"MY DEAR FRIEND,—I have been spreading your letter before 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 yourself. 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
desire 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 heart. Don't give
way to such feelings for a moment. God loves you. He will sustain you. The
thought that I should increase your perplexity and cause you any suffering is
almost intolerable. I am tempted to wish that we had never seen each other!
Do try to forget me, as far as the remembrance would injure your usefulness or
spoil your peace. If I have no alternative but to oppose the will of God, or
trample on the desolations of my own heart, my choice is made! 'Thy will be
done!' is my constant cry. I care not for myself, but oh, if I cause you to err, 1
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 character 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
F
་
•
66
Chap. IX.
MRS. BOOTH.
}
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 mind that the step is right. I dare not enter into
so solemn an engagement until you can assure me that you feel I am in every
way suited to make you happy, and that you are satisfied that the step is not
opposed to the will of God. If you are convinced on this point, irrespective of
circumstances, let circumstances go, and let us be one, come what may; and let
us on Saturday evening, on our knees before 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.
66
'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 15th May, 1852, reason gave its
sanction, and conscience set its seal, to an engagement which was
fraught with results that eternity will alone reveal. In the dim twi-
light 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
despotism, 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.
AN ELOQUENT LETTER.
The following letter, written a few days subsequently, might almost
have been penned by a Hannah or Mary, when rejoicing over their
answered prayers, and deserves to be embalmed in memory:
1852.
“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 proportionate 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 satisfied 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, together 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.
46
If indeed we are the disciples of Christ, 'in the world we shall have tribula-
tion;' 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
discipleship; 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 pro-
ceeds 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 more than I now do, the more shall
I love you. You are always present in my thoughts.
"Believe me, dear William, as ever,
1
"Your own loving
67
“KATE.”
"
One more letter we are tempted to quote:
22ND 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 aching void.
F 2
68
Chap. IX.
MRS. BOOTH.
"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 imagine 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 sentence of death written on all our earthly enjoyments. I often
anticipate the glorious employment of investigating the mysterious 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
You
and anxiety, which, if unloved, would never exist. At least I find it so.
have caused me more real anxiety than any other earthly object ever did. Do you
ask why? I have already supplied you with an answer!"
After referring to some domestic matters she gives an interesting
glimpse behind the scenes at the conclusion of her letter:
“Don't sit up singing till twelve o'clock, after a hard day's 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 singing 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 utmost 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.
Some of Mr. Booth's responses to the foregoing letters will be read
with interest, as showing the inward aspirations of his soul:
"MY OWN DEAR KATE,-My first thoughts are with you, and my first movement
is to spell out your name and write-I scarcely know why, and, so far, I scarce
know what.
"But if I spell out one word more, and that word is 'love,' a multitude of
1852
THE PUREST BLISS.
thoughts scramble through my brain, and a multitude of feelings come over-
shadowing my heart."
69
One more short but characteristic note we must add:
"MY OWN DEAR CATHERINE needs not that I should assure her of the affection
I bear her. 'Actions speak louder than words' is an aphorism often quoted by
her, and one that William thinks is fully borne out in his brief acquaintance with
her whose eye this may meet. He, the chosen of her heart, wishes her all earth's
pure and hallowed joys, promises to increase them as far as he has power, and to
aid in the formation and development of that character which is the golden key
to unlock the gates to another brighter and happier sphere.
"WILLIAM."
Among the sacred resorts of Indian pilgrims is Allahabad, the
so-called " City of God." Here the waters 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, roll onward to the ocean.
Even such was to be the issue of the blending of these two life-
currents in a single channel, which was thenceforth to become a
source and centre of increasing 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 copiously at the fountain, I might be in danger of resting satisfied
with the streams. But I bless the Lord, He has made it impossible for me to be
made 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)."
>
i.
}
CHAPTER X.
CONGREGATIONALISM.
1852.
MISS MUMFORD viewed without dismay the doctrinal and contro-
versial labyrinths through which Mr. Booth had now to pass. The
clue once grasped, she helped him to follow the thread through all the
perplexing mazes, which seemed so hopelessly entangled. The doors
they would have entered seemed persistently blocked. Orthodox
Wesleyanism was too respectable. 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 nobody willing to follow, like the Indian
bulbul, tied by 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 question. 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 decapitating those whose gifts or graces eclipsed their
own.
A possible way of deliverance at length suggested itself to her.
There was near her home a large Congregational chapel, which
she frequently attended. Its talented pastor, the Rev. David Thomas,
was an able preacher, whose intellectual and powerful sermons 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
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 history had somewhat inclined
me."
•
DR. CAMPBELL.
71
But the effort, though spread over several months, beginning in July
and lasting till October, proved ultimately abortive. True, Mr. Booth
was most kindly received by Dr. Campbell, an influential minister of
the denomination in London, pastor of one of its principal churches,
and editor of several religious papers.
1852.
"I was not very sanguine as to the result of this visit," says Mr.
Booth. "A friend had informed me before that the doctor was a busy
man, and that his 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 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 he replied: ‘No,
you will not be troubled on that score. Go to college, study your
Bible, and then come out and preach whatever doctrine you honestly
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 this interview which followed we learn from a letter to
Dr. Campbell written a few days later:
"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 I offer for again intruding
upon your notice. Among other things, you wished me to again 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 Training
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
Missionary 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 uncer-
tainty 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
NI
i-
72
,
MRS. BOOTH.
Chap X.
with my feelings or hopes. But even this, should I see it to be the path my
Father points out, I am willing to walk therein. All I can do now is to stand
still and see the salvation of God.
I
"Perhaps the ministry is not my way. He may have another work for me to
do. My prayer, my constant prayer is, 'Teach me Thy will, and bow my own in
submission to it.' My only fear is, that I have not sufficient ability to be a
successful minister, or otherwise I would push the thing to its utmost issue.
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 Secretary to the
Home Missionary Society of the Congregational Union, which had a
Training Institution at Cotton End. Here Mr. Booth had reason to
believe 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 members of the
Union, and above all encouraged by Miss Mumford, Mr. Booth per-
severed in his efforts to enter the institution.
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 exception 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
THE REIGN OF GRACE.
73
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
nomination on such an understanding. However, he curbed his
impetuosity, and hurried home to tell Miss Mumford 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 embarked on no
important enterprise, and struck out on no new path, without
consulting her, and enjoying the full benefit of her statesmanlike and
far-reaching mental instinct.
1852.
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
did not fairly represent the feelings of the Union. There was, at
least, an important and influential section of the body who, if they did
not exactly agree with Mr. Booth's views, would at any rate leave
him free to think and act according to the dictates of his conscience.
Nevertheless, 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 considera-
tions, and to decide as he would have done had he not known her.
"Don't think," she said, "I shall be disappointed or dissatisfied if you
settle against the college. I promise you it will not cause me one
hour's uneasiness, and should it be afterwards 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 the books recom-
mended to him by the committee. 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 could
acquiesce in the doctrines which it set forth, 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
74
Chap. X.
MRS. BOOTH.
the nomination, coupled as it was with an understanding, or condition,
to which his heart would not consent.
"How can I go to an institution," he argued, "where I shall be
obliged to study such books and expected to accept such doctrines?
At present I am free. I am under no obligations to the committee.
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, leaving 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, such as the skipper and his mate had
never pictured to themselves in their wildest dreams.
God had something vastly more important in store for William
Booth and Catherine Mumford than the pastoral care of an In-
dependent church, to which they were then aspiring as the ideal of a
useful life. Nevertheless, 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 temple 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.
While this controversy was still going on undecided, Mr. Booth
received a warm invitation to assist Dr. Ferguson of Ryde, with the
ultimate possibility of succeeding him as pastor of his congregation.
The offer was, however, declined. But the following letter, written
to Miss Mumford on the 28th July, and referring to both the questions,
will be read with interest:
"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 opportunities
for mental and moral training.
THE RYDE PROPOSAL.
75
"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 reconsider my decision upon the subject,
still I must say this importunity 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
garnishing 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 expand 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 stereotyped, 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
unhappy. 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."
1852.
These negotiations appear to have fallen through simultaneously with
the arrangement to enter the Cotton End Institution, and Mr. Booth
was again left in uncertainty. Although he had given away his last
sixpence to a poor girl dying of consumption, yet the conviction that
his decision was a conscientious one, involving as it did the sacrifice
of his almost 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.
1
CHAPTER XI.
SPALDING. LONDON.
LONDON. 1852.
THE determined attitude of the Wesleyan Conference, their open
declaration of war with the malcontents, their refusal to accept the
advances made during the year by the would-be mediators, and the
evident hopelessness of any prospective reconciliation, compelled the
Reformers to look elsewhere for ministers. 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.
1
Finding themselves unable to make satisfactory progress, they
wrote to the central committee for a pastor, 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 experience gained
by fifteen months of active toil in a country district. The proportion
of the world's population which is "cribbed, cabined, confined" in
towns is, 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
slumdom 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 people 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 preparation which seemed so necessary
RECEPTION AT SPALDING.
77
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 involved 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 inactivity of the past
few months, that it certainly appeared 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 negotia-
tions being completed, he started for his new field of labour. That he
was agreeably surprised and much gratified with his reception is
evident in the following extracts from his letters to Miss Mumford:
1852.
"
Indeed, my hopes
'My reception has been beyond my highest anticipations.
have risen fifty per cent., that this circuit will be unto me all that I want or need.
"I do think that it was the hand of God that brought me here. The fields are
white unto the harvest. The friends are extremely 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 where-
ever I go I am welcomed.
faithful saying.' It went well.
Strong men were completely
In the afternoon Mr. Hardy
"On Sunday I preached at Holbeach from the
The people wept-an excellent congregation.
melted down. It was a good time to my soul.
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 doorway and told how ready Jesus was to save to the utter-
most 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 than the daguerreo-
type-namely, your image stamped upon my soul. I press the dear outline of
your features to my lips and yearn for the original to press to my heart. Heaven
smile upon thee, my dearest love."
To these letters Miss Mumford responded cordially, 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:
"It affords me great pleasure to hear the minutiae of your proceedings, and of
78
Y
MRS. BOOTH.
Chap. XI.
4
1
*
the prosperity and extension of Reform principles in the circuit. I wish. Mr.
Hubbard and his coadjutors (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 Conference.
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.
"I perceive, my love, by your remarks on the services you have held, that you
enjoy less liberty when preaching in the larger places, before the best congre-
gations, 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
inake your sermons acceptable, but when in the pulpit try to lose sight of their
worth or worthlessness, so far as composition 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
instrument 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.
"I am much encouraged by the accounts of your prospects in the circuit, and
have no fear 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 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 forbear to say a word sometimes,
even though realising 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 liked 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 realise my loneliness, now that I hear you sing
it no longer!
THE DANGER OF AMBITION.
"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 religion, 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!"
1852.
79
The social qualities of the young preacher, from 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 devoid.
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
artificial 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 parlours or the pulpit. Hence he
became a universal favourite and the object of kindly attention and
flattering appreciation from all classes alike.
In referring to this Miss Mumford writes:
"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 intercourse with God.
"
My dearest love, beware how you indulge that dangerous element of character,
ambition. Mísdirected, it will be everlasting 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 realisation of its loftiest
aspirations in the promotion of His glory, and it shall be consummated with the
richest enjoyments 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 feel 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 friendship.
How much more of a love like mine! You say 'Reprove-advise me as you think
necessary!' I have no reproofs, my dearest, but I have cautions, and I know you
will consider them."
80
Chap. XI.
MRS. BOOTH.
.:
';
Miss Mumford's anxiety in regard to the question of study is
expressed in the following passage:
"Do assure me, my own dear William, that no lack of energy or effort on your
part shall hinder the improvement of those 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 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 be droom 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 beco me 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 injudicious use
made of time and opportunity which might have been husbanded for so much
good. It is a great trial for me to go. But I don'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 mortifica-
tion of another Sunday."
Subsequently she writes more cheerfully:
"This 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 temperance question:
"I hope you don't forget," she writes, "to wage war with the drinking customs.
•
*
TEETOTALISM.
81
Be out-and-out on that subject. I am glad Mr. Shadford is a teetotaler. I hope
he is also anti-tobacco and snuff."
1852.
And when in a subsequent letter Mr. Booth mentioned that he had
been urged by some doctor to take port wine, she replies:
"I need not say how willing, nay, how anxious, I am, that you 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 experienced. 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
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 point with Mr.
Stevens [her doctor], and have, I am sure, complete 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 religious, 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
shall have a settled intelligent conviction on the subject. 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 inconsistent tale-a teetotaler in
principle, but obliged to take a little for my 'stomach's sake!' Such teetotalers
aid the progress of intemperance more than all the drunkards in the land!
And there are sadly too many of them among ministers. 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 neighbours' 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."
G
4X4
#-
ing
CHAPTER XII.
WOMAN'S RIGHTS. 1853.
THE new year found Miss Mumford diligently preparing 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 responsibility 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 opinions 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 appendagc
to her husband, a figurehead 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 counsels, 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 opinion arose soon after their engage-
ment in regard to the mental and social equality of woman as compared
with man.
Mr. Booth argued that while the former carrried the palm
in point of affection, the latter was her superior in regard to intellect.
He quoted the 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 disadvantages of
training, a lack of opportunity, rather than to any shortcomings on
the part of nature. Indeed, 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 purpose, has always
been singularly open to conviction. 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
A LETTER TO HER PASTOR.
make good use. A principle was laid down and established, 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 admirably expressed
in a letter addressed by her to her pastor, Dr. David Thomas, and the
-question is so important a one, that we cannot do better than quote
her remarks in full:
7
4853.
་་
83
"DEAR SIR,-You will doubtless be surprised at the receipt of this communi-
∙cation, and I assure you it is with great reluctance and a feeling of profound
respect that I make it. Were it not for the high estimate I entertain for both
your intellect 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 comparison with you.
But permit me to call your attention to a subject on which my heart has been
-to man.
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 intellectual and even moral inferiority
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 possess ability to do
justice to the subject, I dare take my stand on it against the world in defending
her perfect equality. And it is because I am persuaded that no honest, unpre-
judiced investigation of the sacred volume can give perpetuity to the mere
assumptions and false notions which have gained currency 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 education, 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
1
G 2
84
Chap. XII.
MRS. BOOTH.
i
T
accounted for as the difference between woman intellectually in this country and
under the degrading slavery of heathen 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 calculated
to crush and wither her aspirations after mental greatness, 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 attainments to
any practical account? And even to within a very few years, has not her
education been more calculated to render 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 unsatisfactory. Thank God,
however, we are not without numerous 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 heroines, 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
exploded and perish before the spell of her developed and cultivated 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 question. 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 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 crucifixion 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
contrary, stood a noble witness for Christ in scenes and circumstances the most
agonising to her nature, and with Paul literally counted all things (even husband
$1853.
THE DIGNITY OF WOMAN.
85
and children) but loss for his sake? And even now is she not in thousands of
instances 'dying daily'; waging a silent, unostentatious conflict with evil and
groaning under a tyranny, compared with which the flames of martyrdom
would be welcome?
""
F
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 recognises her individuality and raises her to the dignity of an independent,
moral agent
Under the Old Testament dispensation we have several instances
of Jehovah choosing woman as a vehicle of His thoughts and the direct and
-authorised exponent of His will. (Judges iv. ; II Kings xxii. 13-20; Micah vi. 4.)
And in the New Testament 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.
*
"It appears to me that a great deal of prejudice and many mistaken views on
'this subject arise from confounding woman'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 relationship, 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
-consequences 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
unregenerate.
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 realise as blissful and perfect a oneness with her husband as though it had
never been pronounced. For while the semblance of it remains, Jesus has
beautifully extracted the sting by making love the law of marriage, and by restor-
ing the institution 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 investigate it, and then ask themselves and their compeers, why
the influence of women should be so under-estimated, 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
"
1
.:
¦
(
86
Chap. XII
MRS. BOOTH.
:
the mothers of the next generation than by all 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 comparatively neglected,
and their minds indoctrined 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 genera ly would inquire whether narrow prejudice and lordly
usurpation has not something to with the circumscribed sphere of woman's
religious labours, and whether much of the non-success of the Gospel is not.
attributable 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 interests of future generations, were better understood and
practically 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 expressed are as
independent and distinct from any society or association of whatever name, as your
own on the war question. I have no sympathy with those who would alter
woman's domestic and social position from what is laid down in the Scriptures.
This, I believe, God has clearly defined, and has given the reason for His conduct
And, therefore, I 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
length, though I realise how imperfectly I have expressed myself. I hope, how-
ever, if there be anything worth your attention, you will not despise it on
account of its illogical expression. Nay, I feel sure you will not. Neither, I
trust, will you judge me harshly for withholding my name. I began this letter
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 in this letter
,
1853.
:
THE ATTITUDE OF THE PRESS.
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 are
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 woman," she
remarked one day. "Let a man make 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 !'
87
"I don't speak for myself. My personal experience, 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 the same result, should be
passed over without a word!
"I have tried to grind it into my boys that their sisters were just
as intelligent and capable as themselves. 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."
At the time, however, of which we are writing, 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 woman'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
so we find her manufacturing sermons long before she 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. Not that he was opposed to female ministry. There
had been a time when he had regarded it with prejudice, having
heard a lady preacher whose masculine and dictatorial manner had
grated upon his sense of decorum. Subsequently however, to his
arrival in London, Mr. Rabbits had persuaded him to attend a service
in which a Miss Buck had been announced to preach. The text
chosen was: "The great trumpet shall be blown, and they shall
A
K
卓
​1
+
88
MRS. BOOTH.
Chap. XII.
come which were ready to perish in the land of Assyria, and
the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the Lord
in the holy mount at Jerusalem" (Isaiah xxvii. 13), the sermon
being 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 certainly
preached more effectively than three-fourths of the men he had ever
listened to.
Unconscious, however, as was Miss Mumford of the public career
that awaited her, she nevertheless fully estimated the privileges of the
post she was about to occupy. She had long since seen the necessity
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 the world.
Diligent in their attendance at tea-parties, they were usually
conspicuous by their absence at revival meetings, except perhaps on
Sundays. 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 which so many wasted their time were utterly repugnant
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 believe 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 capacity or
inclination to converse on deep and important questions. And there-
fore, 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 mental attainments are of a superior character, we
LIGHT READING.
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 circumstances. 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 conversation, and indeed it is commonly the case that nothing
has been said which might not just as well, or better, have been left
unsaid."
1853.
89
For a minister's wife to spend her life in such emptiness seemed to
Miss Mumford very reprehensible, and so painfully conscientious was
she in regard 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 devoted
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 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 particular she had an intense hatred.
To read them seemed to her contrary to the profession of Christianity,
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 presented,
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 companionships 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 under the same
condemnation, yet no one acquainted with the subject will deny that
90
Chap. XII..
MRS. BOOTH.
J
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 similarly fictitious character, though
written with a widely different object. It is moreover equally true-
that few readers of even the least baneful class of novels ever read
them slowly and carefully enough to benefit much by the information
they may contain.”
It would be difficult to imagine Mrs. Booth occupying the sphere of
usefulness to which she ultimately attained, had her time been frittered
away in the ordinary frivolities of society, or in the 'reading of
light and sentimental literature. No amount of natural talent
would have sufficed to counteract such influences. The laws of
nature are as irrevocably fixed in regard to our minds as
in regard to our bodies. And we can no more sytematically
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 professing 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 success with which in the midst of multiplied and
ceaseless labours she has reared a large family, and have wished that,
even afar off, they could follow in her footsteps and emulate her
cxample.
To such it will be encouraging to discover, that 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 for her guidance
certain principles, which are as strictly applicable to others as to
herself, and having laid them down nothing would induce her to-
swerve from them. She did that which was good, and did it
systematically and perpetually, because it commended 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.”
.
THE TALENTS.
And
True, she had the five talents, and we may have but the one.
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 satis-
faction of being able to offer to our Master at His coming His own
with usury.
1853.
..
91
•
CHAPTER XIII.
VIEWS ON COURTSHIP AND MARRIAGE. 1853.
NATURE abounds in contrasts. Indeed this constitutes its chief
charm. Earth and sky, land and sea, mountain and valley, light and
darkness, sunshine 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.
With the most perfect creations of man's art and genius it is other-
wise. 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
imitating 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 wilderness of
bricks, of streets and pavements and ungainly chimney-pots, which
constitute a city, with the brilliant verdure and variety of a country
landscape.
And so with human beings; while the world is full of imitations,
there are but few originals. The whole tendency of modern
education is to put all humanity 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 unlimited space,
both spirituality and individuality are mercilessly lopped off. Amidst
the millions that compose mankind, how rarely do we find a genuine
unalloyed child of nature, and how refreshing is the discovery when
it is made.
Such a one was Catherine Mumford. Happily she had escaped the
ruthless shears of conventionality which so often amputate the limbs
in their anxiety to get 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
A BROKEN ENGAGEMENT.
93
same striking contrasts as in the inanimate world. There was
robustness and vigour without angularity, firm conviction without
dogmatism, intellectual power combined with feminine grace 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 Pharisees 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 opportunity for the expression of her views on the
important subject of courtship and marriage.
Among the circle of her personal friends was a lady to whom she
was very much attached, and who had been engaged for some years to
a minister. Socially 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 became a frequent visitor. Finding there was an
opportunity for bettering his worldly interests he basely broke off the
engagement, adding insult to injury by 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 referred to.
Miss Mumford was indignant at the heartless treatment of her friend.
whose sorrow she entered into as though it had been her own. Το
her the vows of betrothal were as sacred as those of marriage, espe-
cially 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.
to the episode in a letter written at the time she says:
Referring
1853.
"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-
94
Chap. XIII.
MRS. BOOTH.
#
!
be the slave of a man who has told her he did not love her! But I make every
allowance for her state of mind.
"She seems to regard me with uncommon affection, and thinks by my letters I
don't know what. Poor girl, I wish she could rise above it! As for him, he has
thrown away a loving 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 Mumford doubted that many rashly formed
engagements would better be cancelled rather than consummated in a
marriage which would 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, "that marriage is
so often a failure, when we observe the ridiculous way in which
courtship is commonly carried on? Would not any partnership
result disastrously that was entered into in so blind and senseless a
fashion?
"Perhaps the greatest evil of all is hurry. Young 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 commit themselves until they are fully
satisfied in their own minds, assured that if they have a doubt before-
hand, it generally increases afterward. I am convinced 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 definite 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.
THE ESSENTIALS FOR A HAPPY MARRIAGE.
"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 perpetual 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 dis-
parity of mind, age, temperament, training, or antecedents.
"As quite a young girl I early made up my mind to certain qualifi-
cations which I regarded as indispensable to the forming of any
engagement.
"In the first place, I was determined that his religious views must
coincide with mine. He must be a sincere Christian, not a nominal
one, or a mere church member, but truly converted to God. It is
probably not too much to say, that so far as professedly religious
people are concerned, three-fourths of the matrimonial 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?
1853.
C
¿
95
"Thousands of Christians, women especially, have proved by bitter
experience that neither money, position, nor any other worldy
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 that he should
be a man of sense. I knew that I could never respect a fool, or one
much weaker mentally than myself. Many imagine that because a
man is converted, that is all that is required. This is a great mistake.
;
96
Chap. XIII.
MRS. BOOTH.
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 and tastes, any
idea of lordship or ownership being lost in love. There can be no
doubt that Jesus Christ intended, by making love the law of marriage,
to restore women to the position God intended her to occupy, 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 must
and will be mutual yielding wherever there is 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
conscience. 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.
"For the same reason neither party should attempt to force an
alliance where there exists a physical repugnance. 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.
"Another resolution that I made was that I would never marry a
man who was not a total abstainer, and this from conviction, and not
merely in order to gratify me.
"Besides these things, which I looked upon as being 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 that he should be dark and tall, and had a
special liking for the name of 'William. Singularly enough, in
adhering to my essentials, my fancies were also gratified, 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 engaged. I have carried them out
1853.
DOMESTIC FELICITY.
97
ever since my wedding day, and the experience of all these years has
abundantly demonstrated their value.
1
"The first was, never to have any secrets from my husband in
anything that affected our mutual relationship, 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 husband 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.
"I
'My fourth rule was, in cases of difference of opinion 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 experience has abundantly proved to me the wisdom of
this course."
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 strikingly 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.
H
CHAPTER XIV.
SPALDING. 1853.
GENERAL BOOTH as the first Salvation Army Captain in charge of
his first Corps is too tempting a picture to pass by. Indeed we can
hardly do justice to the earlier days of his future lieutenant for life
without 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 authority of the
Wesleyan Conference, without having 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 superior
authority was concerned, Mr. Booth found himself practically
unfettered. From the leading members 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 gratified with his
success. Wherever he went souls were saved. Indeed, from the
first he could not tolerate a ministry destitute of results, and felt as if
something 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 with 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 historian; but a few extracts from his
earliest journal will be read with interest, and must serve as a
specimen of the rest.
THE GENERAL'S JOURNAL.
99
"3rd 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. I feel a delightful and soul-cheering victory
over what has often been of late very severe temptation.
I
Wednesday, 13th November, 1853.-Two souls weeping very bitterly.
never saw persons in deeper distress. From about eight till half-past ten they
wept incessantly on account of their sins.
(4
1853.
Sunday, 16th November.-In the morning very large congregation. Very
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!"
Mr. Booth's custom was to invite the anxious to come forward to
the communion rail, thus publicly signifying their desire to serve.
God. This custom has since been followed in the Salvation Army
with glorious results, and has no doubt brought thousands 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, 23rd November.-I started from home rather unwell. 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
morning 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.
""
(6
"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 salvation. 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, 19th December.-Received a letter from Mr. Wigglesworth, solicitor,
100
Chap. XIV.
MRS. BOOTH.
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, 20th 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.
#4
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.
44
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, attended 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 my previous visit had gone back to the
beggarly elements of the world.
"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 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 another 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 over-
whelming. The parting with this dear people was very painful. I had never
experienced anything approaching to the success with which God crowned my
labours here; I found them a poor, despised people, meeting in an old upper
|
1853.
THE METHODIST NEW CONNEXION.
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!"
101
But although his labours were attended with such multiplied success,
nevertheless both Miss Mumford 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 government 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
answered to this description. It so happened that at this very period
he became acquainted with the Methodist New Connexion, which to
his mind appeared admirably fitted to the requirements of the
Reformers, 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 urging the entire body to do the same,
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 genius of Wesley that each member of the family is almost
a fac-simile of the rest. Indeed the doctrines are indentically those
which he formulated. His rich hymnology and peculiar nomenclature
have also been preserved intact. It has only been on questions
of 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.
During the last few years there has been a strongly 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
consolidation, which would doubtless strengthen the position of
Wesleyanism and place it numerically at the head of Protestant
Christendom, although historically of so recent origin. It would
certainly be a remarkable coincidence if such a reunion were based,
as seems not improbable, on the very principles which led to the
secession of 1791. The gulf which divided the orthodox party from
102
Chap. XIV.
MRS. BOOTH.
↓
the dissentients then has since been bridged by the concession of
nearly everything which was at that time refused.
The links which bound John Wesley's followers to the Church of
England have long since been broken. At the time of which we
speak, their position 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 organisation, had even
during his lifetime given rise to burning discussions. He had,
however, set his face like a flint against all proposals for separation.
His "travelling preacher " had not been allowed to administer 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 of Preachers,
which had been bound together hitherto by his strong personality,
became divided after his death. Some were desirous of adhering
rigidly to their venerated founder's policy, while others contended for
the introduction of such alterations as might from time to time appear
advisable.
Among the most prominent of the latter party was a young preacher
named Alexander Kilham, who spoke strongly on behalf of reform,
publishing several pamphlets on the subject. The principal changes
which he advocated were, that the travelling preachers should be
authorised to administer the sacraments, and that the laity should
have equal power with the ministry in the government of the organi-
sation. 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.
For these publications Kilham was tried and expelled in 1796.
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
THE KILHAMITES.
103
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 regard to the question
of lay representation.
The first step taken towards a separation was the purchase of
Ebenezer Chapel in Leeds from the Baptists. 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 failure 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 advocated by Mr. Kilham, who became the
secretary of the organisation, while the Rev. Thorn, one of the
dissentient ministers, was elected its first president.
1853.
The principle of lay representation round which the controversy
most fiercely raged, and which became the chief plank in the platform
of the New Connexion, 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 suggestion of young Kilham been at the
outset adopted. But perhaps the Society was not then prepared for
changes of so radical a character.
Such was the origin of the organisation with which Mr. Booth pro-
posed that the Reformers should identify 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 exercised 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 members of the latter.
To amalgamate the Reformers with this church seemed to Mr. Booth
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 opposite course. To manufacture
a strong government out of elements so discordant, so heterogeneous
!
L
1
*
104
MRS. BOOTH.
Chap. XIV,
and so unadhesive would, he felt, be extremely difficult. Whereas if
the fragments were thrown into a pot which had already some cohesion
of its own, the 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 desirable.
Above all, Mr. Booth longed to put an end to the interminable
disputations and argumentations which seemed to be 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? Once decided as to the right course of action, it
only remained to setttle the modus operandi. The principal organ of
the Reformers was, as has been already mentioned, the Wesleyan
Times. The subject was accordingly 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 favourable oppor-
tunity. 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:
"That the Conference feels deeply concerned at the unhappy differences which
have so long prevailed in the Wesleyan family, and would rejoice to see the
brethren who are contending for a more liberal system of Church government,
directing their attention to some practical course, whereby they may attain that
object, and thus restore peace 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 in-
different 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 Conference would give the right hand of fellowship."*
In the following year the secretary for the Reform Committee
opened up communications with the president of the Methodist New
Connexion as to the possibility of amalgamating the two bodies. The
latter replied that they would be glad to consider any proposals for
Wesleyan Times, 30th May, 1853, P. 340.
#
་
1853.
THE PROPOSED AMALGAMATION.
105
doing so on the basis of their own constitution, 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 ultimately
to the Wesleyan Methodist Association, 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 government. Meanwhile Mr. Booth
had opened up a correspondence 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 me at the Conference from which I am
but just returned, and being now almost overwhelmed with the pressure of duties
prior to the publication of our minutes, I can command time to answer only one
portion of your letter. I think it not unlikely that a formal 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 in prosperous operation.
"Praying that the Lord may direct and prosper you, I am, dear sir,
"Yours in haste, but very respectfully,
"WILLIAM COOKE."
Having prepared the way by a careful study of the 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, without
waiting for the action of the entire body, they should themselves take
immediate measures for amalgamation. Although strongly supported
by some of the most influential persons present, the motion was lost,
and failing to carry his people with him, Mr. Booth announced to
them his resolution to go over alone.
This decision was received by his people with unfeigned 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 yielded, had not Miss Mumford
1
>
106
MRS. BOOTH.
Chap. XIV.
;
1
thrown her influence into the opposite scale. The inviting career of
a country parson, she argued, combined though it might be with the
tempting promise of domestic bliss, would not alter the fact that the
time so spent would probably be thrown away, and that he would be
compelled to do in the end what could be more easily and profitably
done now.
There was another course open to Mr. Booth, which 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 connection with some already
established organisation, 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 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 that he would
be accepted.
***
1
CHAPTER XV.
CorrespondenCE AND CONFLICTS. 1854.
THE decision to enter the New Connexion had scarcely been
arrived at, when the revivals at Swineshead Bridge and Caistor
occurred, leading to a renewal 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 consecutive 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 ingathering a
multitude of souls, and infusing a spirit of zeal and enterprise among
Christians.
Forty years have passed since first his heart was drawn towards 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 opportunity all over the world.
At the time, however, of which we write, the controversy was of a
perplexing character, as may be gathered from the following letters:
"HOLBEACH, January, 1854.
"MY DEAREST KATE,—The plot thickens, and I hesitate not to tell you that I
fear, and fear much, that I am going wrong.
46
Yesterday I received a letter asking me if I would consent to come to the
Hinde Street Circuit (London Reformers), salary £100 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 fellow think and tremble.
Here I am at present in a circuit numbering 780 members, with an increase for
the year of nearly 200. Am invited to another with near a thousand. 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
I
108
Chap. XV.
MRS. BOOTH.
店
​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 Mumford:
"MY DEAREST WILLIAM,-I have with a burdened soul committed the contents
of your letter to God, and I feel persuaded He will guide you. I will just put
down one or two considerations 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 salary as the Connexion can offer. You are
leaving because you are out of patience and sympathy with its principles and
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 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 advantages in the former or disadvantages
in the latter can possibly alter the thing.
“But mind, I 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 consci ence is no standard for
your's.
"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 soul's everlasting good. My mind is made
up to do my part towards 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 conditions weighty enough to satisfy your own
JOINS THE NEW CONNEXION.
109
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 make yourself miserable. You reasoned and
suffered just so about leaving the Conference, and yet you see it was right now. I
never suffered an hour about it, after I once decided, except in the breaking of some
tender associations. Nor do I 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.
44
"You mistake me if you think I do not estimate the trial it must be to you, and
the influences of circumstances and persons around you. But remember, dearest,
they do not alter realities, 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 under the influence of your Spalding friends.
Anyway, don't let the controversy hurt your soul. Live near to God by prayer.
Oh, I do feel the importance of 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 condescend to guide us.
“Oh, you must live close to God! If you are at a greater distance from Him
than you were, just stop the whirl of outward things, or rather leave it, and shut
yourself up with Him till all is clear and bright upwards. Do, there's a dear.
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.
1854.
'Your espoused and loving
"CATHERINE.”
It appeared, however, too late to draw back, and Mr. Booth
resolved to persist in carrying out the arrangement entered into with
Dr. Cooke.
Had anybody at this time ventured to prophesy that either
Mr. Booth or Miss Mumford would ever view with favour the military
form of government which 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
110
Chap. XV.
MRS. BOOTH.
1
chain of providences which was to compel them, almost in spite of
themselves, to a course of action leading to such momentous 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.
But wherever they might be, and with whomsoever 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 secre-
tary, 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 motives, 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 most gifted children
to find barriers interposed where they are least expected, and it may
truly be said that the course of the grandest benefactors of the human
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 straightness 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 velocity which each surmounted barrier lends to
its onflowing current, would sacrifice in a great measure its purity and
power.
Had the New Connexion proved all that was hoped for when it
received this reinforcement, and had its Conference been endowed
with sufficient foresight to anticipate coming events, there would per-
haps 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 legitimate scope. And thus the benefactors of the earth are
too often hindered, till compelled at length to manufacture for them-
selves new channels, when the old might amply have sufficed.
It may, however, well be questioned whether it would have been
possible to have manufactured an aggressive force such as the Salva-
tion Army within the borders of any existing denomination.
The
RELIGIOUS FOSSILS.
111
materials for such a movement required to be drawn from widely
different sources. The more than ninety per cent. of England's
nominally Christian, but actually heathen population, whose church
was the public-house and whose Bible was the "penny dreadful," were
to constitute the recruiting grounds for a religious crusade which was
to send forth its conquering legions to the four quarters of the globe.
Unembarrassed by traditional teachings, unspoiled by bungling manage-
ment, unshackled by governmental red tape, and destitute of religious
grave-clothes to conceal their moral nudeness, this spiritual wilderness
contained virgin soil which needed only patient toil and sturdy per-
sistence to convert it into a veritable paradise. Mr. and Mrs. Booth
were afterward to make the happy discovery that the fetid fever-breed-
ing muck-heaps that obstructed the gangway of civilisation and
threatened to overwhelm society with wholesale perdition might be
converted into fertilising material, which should yet prove a source of
wealth and happiness to its possessors, and a blessing to the world at
large.
1854.
Human creeds and religious organisations have an inveterate
tendency to fossilise the ideas and inspirations 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 language
are frequently antiquated and unnatural-interesting relics of a bygone
age, time-honoured memorials of a buried century, but powerless
to cope with the exigencies of an ever-changing world.
We say it, not in a censorious spirit, but as the simple explanation
of a strange phenomenon. The results of nearly every great religious
awakening have in time become petrified and crystalised into beautiful
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-stones which, like
funeral sentinels, take their stand upon the dust and ashes of the past.
Those who have been truly great, because they caught the
spirit of their times and combined with it the spirit of the
Divine, are transported into surroundings 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
Cæsars of the past would have been the Napoleons and Moltkes of
the present.
They would not have attempted the futile task of
112
Chap. XV.
MRS. BOOTH.
"
2.
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 recognise
and support the spirit of the age, in however strange or even uncouth
a form it might have embodied 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
have invented some
more suitable material; and instead of endeavouring to clothe
humanity with the bibs and baby-linen of its early days, they would
have devised garments more congenial 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 a new and serviceable cask, consenting
with a good grace to the transmigration of the accustomed leathern
hides into the iron hoops and wooden staves of modern progress.
Be this as it may, it was just the absence of this 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.
But the time for this had not yet come, and the earlier years of
Mr. and Mrs. Booth's lives were spent 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 encouraging. In Dr. Cooke he found an
able and appreciative 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 15th February, 1854, preaching in
Brunswick Street Chapel, when fifteen souls sought salvation. The
General naïvely 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 penitents, including one night the doctor's
daughter, formed the best apology for the non-ministerial, unartificial,
dramatic style which distinguished Mr. Booth's pulpit utterances.
"I intend proposing you at the next Conference as 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 this proposal
Mr. Booth strenuously objected, pleading his youth and inexperience
for so important and responsible a position. He consented, how-
ever, to take the position of assistant pastor, should he be desired
to do so, accepting as his leader whomever Conference 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. Rabbits, who had followed him
into the New Connexion, and who now offered to pay the salary of a
I
114
MRS. BOOTH.
Chap. XVI.
second pastor, provided that Mr. Booth was appointed to the post
To this arrangement the Conference subsequently agreed.
But during the interval an event had occurred 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 journal will be read with more than ordinary interest in the light
of subsequent history:
"Sunday, March 19th, 1854.-Left home at 10 o'clock for Watney Street. Felt
much sympathy for the poor neglected inhabitants of Wapping, and its neigh
bourhood, as I walked down the filthy streets and beheld the wretchedness and
wickedness of its people. Reached Bethesda Chapel, and found a nice little
congregation, who seemed to hear the word of the Lord gladly. At night a good
congregation. Felt much power in preaching. The people wept and listened
with much avidity. Commenced, or rather continued the meeting, 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 al
-of whom fourteen professed to find Jesus, and went home happy in His love
Many of these were very interesting cases. All engaged were much blessed.
Tired and weary, I reached home soon after II
o'clock."
In May there is another entry :
"At Watney Street I held a week's special services, preaching 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.
bless and keep them!"
God
Referring to the same meetings in one of his letters, Mr. Booth
says:
"We had indeed a glorious day yesterday. Good congregation in the morning.
In the afternoon we held a love feast. Seventeen spoke and nearly all praised
God for the day I 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. Atkinson'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 any of his
influential friends to pledge the Conference to accept Mr. Booth's
candidature, nevertheless it had been a foregone conclusion that they
UNANIMOUSLY ACCEPTED.
115
would readily 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 at all elate me!"
1854.
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
contemplate the future. However, I am. This comes to me as the answer of
too many prayers, the result of too much self-sacrifice, 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 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 to us? God
forbid that we should provoke the eyes of His holiness by our indifference and
lukewarmness and inconsistency! The Lord help me and thee to live, so that
our hearts condemn us not, for then shall we have confidence towards 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:
را
"Not to understand a treasure's worth,
Till time has stole away the slighted good,
Is cause of half the misery we feel,
And makes the world the wilderness it is."
I 2
116
MRS. BOOTH.
Chap. XVI.
1.
Previous to entering upon his London appointment, Mr. Booth paid
a short visit to Caistor, with a view to benefitting 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 could not refuse to conduct, so that at the conclu-
sion 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 previous
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. Yesterday I had heavy work. Chapel crowded. Enthusiasm 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 crushing 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 you 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 outlines. Nothing moves
people like the terrific. They must have hell-fire flashed before their faces, of
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 nearer to God, and put confidence in Him. Let us live
for Heaven!"
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 meeting. I trust that during my
117
VISIT TO BURNHAM.
1854.
visit some good has been done. Near thirty profess to have found peace, but
still the work has not been up to my expectations."
On returning to London, Mr. Booth threw himself 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
invitations 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 difficult to return a
refusal.
Miss Mumford hailed the news of each advance with joy. She had
from the first entertained an unbounded confidence in Mr. Booth's
ability, and felt 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 'joy's seraphic
fingers,' touched the tenderest chords in my 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 in any other. Bless you! Keep your spirits up and hope much for the future.
God lives 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!'"
During the autumn of 1854, Miss Mumford paid a 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 char-
acteristic summary of her impressions :
"Burnham contains
contains about seventeen or eighteen hundred inhabitants.
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
¿
7
:
1
7
118
MRS. BOOTH.
party of us went last Sunday evening, to hear one of the travelling 'angels'
belonging 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."
Chap. XVL
Perhaps one of the most valuable and clearly-marked features of
Miss Mumford's character was her 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 was equally careful to
guard against fanaticism, believing that the latter was almost as
injurious to the cause of Christ as the former, and arguing that when
the devil could not persuade people to hold back from 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 the standard of righteous-
ness. Nevertheless she held that there was a noble but misguided
minority who erred in the opposite 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 righteousness 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 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
developments were perpetually occurring which required to be handled
with combined promptness and discretion. 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 needlessly 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 conclusions with a speed and
directness which seemed nothing short of a mental miracle.
A MOONLIGHT SCENE.
In another of her letters from Burnham, there is a charming
descriptive passage:
"It is truly delightful here now at night. The lovely moon throws her silvery
beams on the bosom of a beautifully tranquil river. All around is serene and
silent. The breeze is just sufficient to fan the water into gentle ripplets. The
Doats and skiffs repose on its surface as if weary of the day's engagements.
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, point upwards. And the
most unsophisticated soul must feel the power of its testimony, 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.
1854.
"Be happy about me. God lives, and I feel safe in His hands.
live according to our professed belief, and be careful for nothing.
Good-bye, and believe me as ever, your own loving
"
119
Let us try to
Bless you!
"CATHERINE
"
CHAPTER XVII.
MRS. BOOTH'S FIRST PUBLISHED ARTICLE.
1854.
THE earliest extant publication from Miss Mumford's pen is an
article for the New Connexion Magazine 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 impossibility 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 2
literalness that she could hardly have hoped for, and with a success
that proved their value. Forty years ago she prophesied that there
were hidden Lydias in the church. 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 latter years.
The keen common sense, the lucid logic, the grasp of details, the in-
imitable command of language, the originality of ideas, and the close
personal application, are almost as plainly imprinted on this her
earliest effort as on her last. But the following lines will speak for
themselves:
"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
interested in this important subject, I venture to transmit them to
you, to be made use of or not, as your judgment 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
THE NATURAL AND SPIRITUAL WORLD
121
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
another, namely: What are the conditions indispensable to the
preservation and growth of the natural babe? And the following
immediately occurred to me: Ist. An adequate supply of congenial
aliment. 2nd. A pure and invigorating atmosphere. 3rd. A careful
cleansing away of all impurities. And 4th. Freedom from undue
restraint in the exercise of its faculties. 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.' Deprived of this, there is no chance or
life, to say nothing of growth. How important, then, that the
character of the ministry should be suited to the wants of a new-born
soul, the sincere milk of the Word,' that 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 sustaining, and in order to this
the milk must be pure, unmixed with either diluting or deleterious
doctrines. 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 blameless-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 progress will not be fulfilled.
"Then comes the second scarcely less important 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 amongst the genial influences of a
'854.
122
Chap. XVII.
MRS. BOOTH.
genuine revival, and just awakened to a sense of the importance and
reality of eternal things, be transplanted to a church in which the tide
of holy feeling has been rolled back by a flood of worldliness, formality,
and indifference, and what a shock his spiritual nature must sustain!
Nay, suppose him introduced into some class-meeting where 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 ever-
lasting complaint is 'my leanness, my leanness,' and this always 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 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 grow and thrive, and
in due time arrive at the stature of men and women in Christ Jesus.
"The third condition of physical life and health is the 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 natural and spiritual babe? Has the latter no
injuricus 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 generally too feeble and ignorant to under-
stand 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 Christ, that its life be not
sacrificed or its spiritual nature depressed?
C
"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.
TRACING THE ANALOGY.
123
"There is yet another condition in which the analogy 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 laws, 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 declension 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 every man's
energies and the exhibition of every 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 increase in wisdom and stature
and in favour with God, he must be about his Father's business.'
The capacity of every young convert, male and female, should be
ascertained, and a suitable sphere provided for its development.
6
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 disinclination among the
female members to engage in prayer, speak in love feasts and 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 Church, as if God had given any
talent to be hidden in a napkin, or as if the Church and the world
needed not the employment of all.
"Why should the swaddling-bands of blind custom, 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 disciples of the Lord Jesus? Where are the Mrs. Fletchers
and Mrs. Rogers of our churches now, with their numerous and
healthy spiritual progeny? And yet who can doubt that equal power
1854.
66
L
124
Chap. XVII
MRS. BOOTH.
:
in prayer and the germ of equal usefulness of life exist in many a
Lydia's heart, smothered and kept back though it may be. I believe
it is impossible to estimate the extent of the church's loss, where
prejudice and custom are allowed to render the outpouring of God's
Spirit upon His handmaiden's null and void. But it is a significant
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 notions on
this subject. Let the female converts be not only allowed to use their
newly awakened faculties, but positively encouraged to exercise and
improve them. Let them be taught their obligations to work them-
selves 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
sepulchre, 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 custom that when all (even fellow-disciples) forsook
Him and fled, they remained faithful.
"Oh! that the Church would excite its female members to
emulate their zeal and remove all undue restraint to its development.
Then, when every member, male or 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—-
CHAPTER XVIII.
LONDON. GUERNSEY. 1854-1855.
LONDON has always been regarded by preachers as 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 un-
gullibility—if we may coin the word-he presents the very antipodes
of the simple-minded country yokel. Indeed, 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 lowest classes are absorbed in the scramble for 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 his gaze,
into the dens and alleys where it lies seething for a time, awaiting the
ghastly day of resurrection 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 definitely 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 upon the borders
of this human pandemonium, this 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 of subsistence so scanty, that
they have but little time and opportunity to provide for the interests
T
T
126
Chap. XVIII.
MRS. BOOTH.
of their souls, so absorbed are they in caring for their bodies. Their
worse than Egyptian taskmasters bid them make bricks without straw,
and sacrifice their health and families without even the occasional
shelter of a land of Goschen, as a hard-earned recompense for their
toil. The modern Rehoboam answers the universal cry of Israel for
concessions by declaring that his little 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, or 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
impossible, must it be then to reach such with the message 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; but perhaps even
less inclination for the vital godliness which would check them in
their wild pursuit of wealth, or force upon them a life of self-control
and sacrifice. Those who are not engulfed in the absorbing 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 service of God. A press that largely banishes religion from its
columns caters for a public who largely banish God from their
thoughts and affections.
And the higher we rise in the social scale the more 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 wel
cry out-
"Water, water, everywhere,
But not a drop to drink!"
The gold that perishes can no more satisfy his immortal soul thar
could the salt waters of the ocean the ship-wrecked mariner upon his
raft. And yet there seems no limit to the cursed love of gold, the
"auri 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!
'Tis money makes the man!"
And those who are not votaries of wealth, who do not make piety
1854.
SUCCESS IN LONDON.
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!
"
127
"Quaff ye now your Lethe-draught;
Soon the charm shall break!
Death thy doomed soul shall waft
To the fiery lake!"
It may be said that the above remarks apply to 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 Connexion 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 Galilees 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 :
Some
May 28th, 1854, Sunday.-Preached in the morning at Albany Road.
ittle liberty in urging upon the people of 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 10th, 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 the most influential lay member of the
organisation in London. He writes as follows:
“My Dear Sir,—It affords me peculiar pleasure to inform you that our cause
in this place continues to prosper.
"I regard the appointment of the Rev. W. Booth to this circuít as providential...
128
Chap. XVIII
MRS. BOOTH.
}
He is a workman that needeth not to be ashamed. Many will have cause to bles:
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 ir
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 ar
evangelist; and I doubt not, if he retain his piety and dependence on the Divine
Spirit, God will abundantly crown 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 revival 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 meetings 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.”
The appeals for Mr. Booth's services from other districts in the
Connexion now so increased in number 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 these being added to the society.
Mr. Booth's next evangelistic meetings were held in Guernsey
His journal and letters contain some interesting references to them,
and the remarkable 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
both of himself and of Mrs. Booth.
"October 16th, 1854.-In compliance with an invitation from the New Connexion
Church, in Guernsey, I left town this 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 people, cold and
formal, the very opposite of what I should desire. 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 London 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.
.
1854.
THE GUERNSEY REVIVAL.
129
"In the evening I attended the prayer meeting. The night was a stormy one.
At intervals the rain descended in torrents. I expected, of course, a tolerable
attendance. I had 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 influence, which should arouse
and quicken the slumbering church. We remained and pleaded with Heaven. I
wrestled in prayer. God heard, and the results will show how gloriously he
answered 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
received 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 preaching, 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:
sermon.
MOUNT DURANT, GUERNSEY, October 17th, 1854.
"MY DEAREST AND MOST PRECIOUS LOVE,-Last night I preached my first
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.
"20th 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.
I cannot write about the natural beauties of the place. I have done nothing yet
but sigh for and seek the salvation of its inhabitants. The arrangements for the
services were miserable-not even a notice printed. And when they advertised
the anniversary sermons for to-morrow they never mentioned the preaching after-
wards. 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!
K
f
130
MRS. BOOTH.
Chap. XVIIL
"God bless you. Pray for me. Look for a fuller and completer manifestation
of the Son of God, and believe me as ever,
"Your's in betrothed and unalterable affection,
The entries in the journal continue as follows:
"I Sunday.-Rose with a delightful sense of God's vour and anticipating a
good and successful day. In the morning 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 meeting wonderful victory was our's. We
took down about twenty-six names-some most interesting and glorious cases.
Many went away under deep conviction.
"
-
"WILLIAM."
'Monday.-Good news comes in on every hand. To-night, although the
weather is most unfavourable, the congregation has been very good, and the
prayer meeting even more successful than the one last night. Many very clear
cases of conversion. About thirty-five penitents.
"Tuesday. The excitement increases. The congregation was much larger and
a great number of penitents came forward.
66
C
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 communion rail, owing to the crush. We had near sixty
penitents, many very clear cases, and I doubt not over sixty more were in deep
distress in different parts of the chapel. The parting with the people was very
affecting.
"Friday. I bade farewell to Guernsey. Many came down to the pier to wish
me good-bye, and when the packet bore me 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."
On his return from Guernsey, Mr. Booth received pressing
invitations to visit Longton and Hanley, in the Staffordshire
potteries, at that time practically the headquarters and chier
stronghold of the New Connexion. 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. W. 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 would suffer by his prolonged absence, and that these irregular
services would hinder him in preparing himself for the ordinary
pastoral duties of the future. But the President was not to be refused.
LONGTON AND HANLEY.
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 potteries.
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 the
Connexion between the sittings of the Conference. It was
decided by this committee that a substitute 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 "foot-prints on the sands of time" occasionally
move so closely together that in tracking the one we cannot but
observe the other.
1831.
131
"Sunday, January 7th, 1855.-An important day in the annals of Zion Chapel,
Longton. At night the chapel was comfortably filled, about 1,800 persons
present. After the sermon, 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.
61
Thursday, 11th.-The farewell. The chapel very full, more so than on
Sunday night. A grand and imposing spectacle. 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 days that I had stayed at Longton.
"
Sunday, January 14th.-My first Sabbath at Hanley. It has been a remark-
able day and I have preached twice in perhaps the largest chapel in the world
At night an imposing congregation.
"I had much anxiety about visiting this place before leaving 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
""
K 2
132
Chap. XVIII.
MRS. BOOTH.
I
i
have been taken down, a very large number, 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 written 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 enjoy the beauties of nature together
you must not mind a little bother.
"I long to see you. Your letters do not satisfy the yearnings 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 not only the perfection of all its powers, but the satisfaction of
its hitherto insatiable desires. I often anticipate the time 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 our loving each other too
much. How 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.
COMPARED With the principles and practice of the 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 multitudes 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.
There are certain important domestic events which, though strictly
speaking of a private character, nevertheless 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 laudable in the world
at large, how much more should this be the case with those whose
religious fellowship binds them in the closest of bonds, not only for
time, but for eternity?
There are some, no doubt, who deprecate this assembling of our-
selves together on such occasions, and who would relegate all such
demonstrations, 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 society. 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 cohesionless atoms. We cannot
throw aside these spells without the danger of producing chaos, any
"
134
Chap. XIX.
MRS. BOOTH.
บ
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 declaring war against his universal instinct, would, if successful,
inflict upon him an irreparable injury.
But these were lessons which were to be learnt in 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 16th June, 1855. And if happiness be judged, not
merely 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
interests, though necessarily consulted, are subordinated to the claims.
of God and humanity, the happiness that ensues is both perfect and
permanent.
•
And yet, while for some reasons we cannot but regret the loss of 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.
deprived them of the domestic seclusion which they 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 infinitely 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 conscious of
having accomplished but little good.
;
1854.
TALENT-HIDING.
135.
How surprising it is that such a low standard of 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 love of ease, it is entirely foreign to that spirit of
Christianity which was designed, if for anything at 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 disregarding 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 recurred in the
marriage of their children, it was no shallow thirst for show which
prompted them to pursue 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 sacrificing personal preferences for the all-
absorbing 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 public wedding
in which frivolity and extravagance
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 supplanted
the whims of private caprice and the mercenary 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 wedding is indeed
infinitely preferable. God's purposes can afford at times to be born
in obscurity. Nay, the very gloom from which they emerge may
heighten the after effect.
•
|
136
Chap. XIX.
MRS. BOOTH.
3
:
C
"'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 constituted 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 had so
diligently been preparing, was within her grasp. She realised at
once its opportunities and responsibilities, and rose to meet them with
unfailing grace, dignity and power.
There are some characters which appear to best advantage at a
distance. Courtship invests them with a false halo which enhances
for a time their superficial 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 intended 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 esteem 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, secured 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.
1
1854.
THE AUTOGRAPHS.
137
As soon as the wedding was over, Mr. and Mrs. Booth proceeded
to Ryde, in the Isle of Wight, but 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 further pause they found them-
selves launched into all the opportunity and excitement of a powerful
revival.
In describing these meetings to her mother, Mrs. 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 degree as I have never witnessed before. It would do you good to see
some of the prayer meetings-chapel crɔwded, upstairs and down. There
have been some precious cases of conversion, but not so many as William
expected."
Before leaving Guernsey, the following autographs were entered in
the album of a friend:
"Life with me," writes Mr. Booth, "has had its dark shadows and its gloomy
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
passing excitements. I have known somewhat of the quiet joys of home, the
pleasure of friendship, the thrilling delights inspired by beholding the creations
of man's genius, and the lonely 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 ascending, have made
to me music the most melting and glorious of any ever heard outside the portals
of the Temple of Heaven.
"WILLIAM BOOTH."
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
wondrous capacity for turning the duties, joys, and sorrows of domestic life to
the highest advantage, both to herself and to all those within the sphere of her
influence.
“CATHERINE Booth.
"July 20th, 1855."
138
Chap XIX
MRS. BOOTH.
Beneath this entry her eldest daughter afterward adds the following
remarks:
"Thirty years ago my beloved mother wrote in this book, years before I was
born. Words would fail to express all her example and influence have done for
her children, all of 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.
"CATHERINE BOOTH.
"June 5th, 1885."
¿
CHAPTER XX.
Revivals and CORRESPONDENCE.
1855.
THE five months of evangelistic work which preceded his marriage
had established for Mr. Booth a widespread reputation for devotion,
ability, and success, 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 have been so abundantly blessed
in the conversion of sinners, 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, 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, 160 in a fortnight, and at Gateshead, a
similar 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 rail
each night, and at Burslem we read in the New Connexion Magazine,
that on a single occasion IOI names were taken. Besides those
who actually professed 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, 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. Booth was always
a wretched sailor, and this trip was certainly one of her worst. She
had been for some time in very poor health, and it now became
140
MRS. BOOTH.
Chap. XX.
-" "
manifest that it would be impossible for her to accompany her
husband in fulfilling the appointment 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 keenly they felt the
separation may be judged from the first letters interchanged by them,
after Mr. Booth had left :
"3, CASTLE GATE, YORK, August 4th, 1855.
“MY PRECIOUS WIFE,-The first time I have written you that endearing
appellation! Bless you a thousand times! How often during my journey have 1
taken my eyes from off the book I was reading to think about you-yes, to think
tenderly about you, about our future and our home.
"Shall we not again commence a life of devotion, and by renewed consecration
begin afresh the Christian race?
"Oh, Kate! be happy. You will rejoice my soul if you send me word that your
heart is gladsome, and your spirits 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 bea
towards me.
"Your faithful and affectionate husband,
To this letter Mrs. Booth sent the following response:
"WILLIAM."
"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 before 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 philosophised 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 myself
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 restraints of reason, philosophy, or religion. The only comfort
•
1355.
THE HULL REVIVAL.
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.”
141
From York Mr. Booth proceeded to Hull, and he was joined on his
way at Selby junction by Mrs. Booth, who had now sufficiently
recovered to be able 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 impression which we
trust will not soon be effaced. Appropriate and vivid were the
illustrations, and the appeals for an immediate decision were heart-
searching. 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 commenced under a very
gracious influence. Brother Booth preached a most telling and
effective sermon. 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 number of people present we had some difficulty
in getting the prayer meeting into good working order, but by the
discreet management of our leader we succeeded. The meeting was
pervaded by a hallowed and powerful influence, and thirty-eight
persons professed to find peace with God.
"On 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 ‘anxious' meeting to a final close. I never witnessed such a
scene. Forty-eight persons gave their names in as converts
"During these memorable seasons we have entered the names of
1
1
:
142
MRS. BOOTH.
270 persons. These services have been conducted throughout with
great order and propriety, and attended by people of various
denominations. Our excellent brother Booth was carried beyond
himself, 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 :
Chap. XX
“My Own Dear Parents,—My dear husband has gore to chapel, and 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.
44
My precious husband met me at Milford, and was delighted 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 heartfelt 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!
"I have every comfort and attention, so be easy about me, and believe me as
ever and more than ever,
"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 ingatherings 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 n'orning. They had a triumphant 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 directions, 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
A VISIT TO CAISTOR.
113
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
continues all I desire.
1855.
“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 literally oppressed with kindness, I must say I would
prefer 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 advantages. My precious William is all I
desire, and without this what would the most splendid home be but a glittering
bauble. 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!
"Tell father that he must not wait for a change of circumstances before he
begins to serve God, but seek first the Kingdom of Heaven, and then the attending
promise will belong to him, and I believe God will fulfil it. I wish he could be
introduced 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 that beautiful lane
you pointed out to me. It is one of the loveliest days old earth has ever basked
in. No human being is within sight or sound. All nature seems to be exulting
in existence, 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 under heaven (except a personal
interview) could give me.
"I bless God for His goodness to you on Sunday, and hope that for once thou
vast satisfied! If so, it would have been a treat to have seen thee! I feel per-
fectly at home here, and experience just that free, sweet, wholesome kind of
atmosphere 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 gambols! 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
:
*
144
MRS. BOOTH.
Chap. XX.
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 its 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 individuals! 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."
"
7
CHAPTER XXI.
SHEFFIELD.
CHATSWORTH.
CORRESPONDENCE. 1855.
THE visit to Sheffield is so fully described in Mrs. Booth's letters to
her parents that we hail the opportunity of reporting it in her own
words. It lasted for a month, from September 23rd to October 24th,
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 considerable
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:
"6 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 overlooking 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 very large, populous, and thriving city. But of course
I have not seen much of it yet.
"They had a grand beginning yesterday at the chapel, and took
twenty names. William is posted 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 Mr. Mills yester-
day. 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 evening seven or eight ministers of different
V
L
146
Chap. XXI,
MRS. BOOTH.
•
denominations 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 have ever visited and has a very kind and sym-
pathetic lady for its mistress. 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 desideratum this is with me.
"October.-I should love to see you. I never was 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 labours.
and more a man of prayer and of one purpose.
He is becoming more
"The work progresses with mighty power. Everybody who knows
anything of this society is astonished, 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 Sunday 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. People of
all grades and opinions attend the services, 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-President, 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
1855.
THE GENERAL'S MOTHER.
kindness and attention of my beloved husband. He gets more
affectionate every day, and often tells me he never dreamed of being
half so happy. He has just been up to the 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 itself in asking, 'Whence to me this waste of
love?' Oh, for more devotedness to God! Then I should indeed be
satisfied.
147
"October.-William's mother is staying here. I must say I
anticipated seeing my new mother with 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 descriptions. I do wish she lived within visiting
distance of you. I am sure you would enjoy her society.
"I went to chapel yesterday and witnessed a scene such as I had
never beheld before. In the afternoon 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
connection 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 building.
"At night we got there at five minutes to six, and found the chapel
crowded and the vestry half full. I was just returning home when a
gentleman told me there was a seat reserved for me in Mr. Mill's 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 service, 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.
"October 22nd. We had a wonderful day at the chapel
yesterday, a tremendous crowd jammed together like sheep in a pen,
and one of the mightiest sermons at night I ever listened to, from
+
L 2
148
Chap. XXI.
MRS. BOOTH.
.."
'Will a man rob God? Yet ye have robbed Me!' The chapel
continued crowded during the prayer meeting, and before half-past
ten o'clock seventy-six names were taken. All glory to God!
"My dearest has been very prostrate to-day, but is preaching
again to-night. They had collections to defray the incidental
expenses of the services yesterday and raised £25, far beyond
anybody's expectations.
"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 petitioning for it. But I don't think it will be of any use,
as the committee have arranged for six places between now and May,
and even this leaves some of the most important and needy towns out
altogether.
"My dear William is very much harassed about having to leave a
place before his own convictions of duty favour it. It is a solemn
thing, and he feels his responsibility as he never did before. May the
Master 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 estimate. 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 surrender our whole selves to do
His will!
"October 24th.-Your very kind letter is to hand, and though I
wrote yesterday I cannot forbear sending 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 help it.
There are many circumstances and arrangements to which I am
subject which would be otherwise had I a quiet retired home of my
own. Yesterday, for instance, I had not half-an-hour at my own
disposal. So whenever 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.)
1855.
149
AN AFFECTING SCENE.
"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 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 worry! I have seen the folly of my former days of appre-
hension, 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 purposes
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 much faith
in God for the future. I am often dreadfully 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.
Everybody predicts his breaking down. Luke Tyerman told him
yesterday that neither he nor any other man could stand it long,
and I often fear. But at present God strengthens him wonder-
fully. How 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 gloriously. Though
it was a very wet night the chapel was packed in every part, and
scores went 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
F
150
Chap XXI.
MRS. BOOTH.
:
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 Conference 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 27th.
"We arrived here this morning for a few days' rest before going
on to Dewsbury. The Sheffield friends 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. The unanimous and kind solicitude
manifested were overwhelming and sufficient to have made any man
destitute of the grace of God, vain.
"I thought and talked much of you on the journey here, as I rode
over those Derbyshire hills and witnessed the wild and romantic
scenery. It is a splendid 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.
"October 28th.-This afternoon we walked through the park right
up to the Duke of Devonshire's residence. 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 residence
itself is superior to many of the royal palaces, and the scenery around
is most picturesque and sublime. This splendid spot is our's 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
1855.
CHATSWORTH.
}
151
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 profiting already from this rest and
change. I never 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 affection 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 2nd.-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 road, and from all
received a regular Derbyshire response. 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 !
6
"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.
"We walked about half a mile up the Dale, and then I rested and
got a little refreshment at a very 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 Derbyshire brogue with an old
man over his pipe and mug of ale.
"After resting about half an hour we bent our steps homewards,
1
152
Chap. XXI
MRS. BOOTH.
+
:
fall unde
*
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 friends came over
for the day. One of them, Mr. 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
gentleman named in my former letter, came to the door. They had
driven over in their phaeton to spend the day with us. So we set off
to climb some tremendous 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 imagine all round,
above and below. The old Duke ought to be a happy man, if
worldly possessions can give felicity. But alas! we know they cannot.
And, according to all accounts, he is one of those to whom they have
failed to impart it.
"The Ducal mansion is a magnificent building situated in the most
romantic portion of the Park. Sir Joseph Paxton's home is between
the Lodge and the Duke's residence. It is a fine building, quite a
gentleman'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 celebrated its
anniversary in the Crystal Palace, for the designing of which Sir
Joseph Paxton received his honours. How small a world is our's, after
all, and how strangely do its happenings overlap and interlace each
other.
1
CHAPTER XXII.
DEWSBURY. 1855.
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 recovered,
however, sufficiently to be able to attend the closing meetings of the
revival.
She ascribed her improved health to homeopathy, which she had
for some time been practising with increasing 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 the
subject, with the result that she was still further 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 curatives, 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 remedies which professed to afford permanent relief. In subse-
quent years she largely adhered to the practice 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 3rd 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 hundred probationers'
}
154
MRS. BOOTH.
Chap. XXII.
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
decision. 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. Saxton'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 12th.-William got the Wesleyan Times, 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
attendant on our mission. Some of his remarks are unquestionably just
and justifiable, when applied to some persons assuming the title of
Revivalists. I have often been distressed by the wildness and
extravagance of such, and am the last to tolerate noise without
influence, or ignorant and profane dealing with sacred subjects. Mr.
Little appears to be an opponent 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 persons 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
i
I
1855.
LIKE HEAVEN.
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:
'O happy day, that fixed my choice
On Thee, my Saviour and my God.'
"This was followed by:
155
'And above the rest this note shall sweil,
My Jesus hath done all things well!'
"It was like Heaven below, and in the prayer meeting 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 communion rail, where a certain amount of intelligence and apt-
ness 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!
"November 22nd.—I am happy to tell you that I continue 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
Saturday 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 recommendation, 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 everybody about them, that God will in mercy take
them to Heaven in infancy. But I sincerely trust I shall be able to
do better, and am learning some useful lessons from observation.
"November 23rd.-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 existence, 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
,
•
156
Chap. XXII.
MRS. BOOTH.
!
.
_'.
forth as a controversialist, or medium of attack upon the Association
and Reformers, William declined contributing to it, thinking that the
title 66
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 tendencies. How-
ever, 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 has been very successful at 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.
"My dear William is rather better, though far from well. They
had a triumphant day on Sunday, such an one as was never known in
Dewsbury before. The people flocked to the chapel in crowds,
hundreds 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 Wesleyan Chapel, lent for the occasion, a spacious
building capable of seating 2,000 people, and I have just learnt from a
man who has been to fetch him some cocoa, before the prayer-meeting,
that it is crowded. 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 after-
noon 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 splendid affair. Most of the trays will be given. They had
collections yesterday which amounted to £20-three times as much
as usual."
THE FAREWELL.
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 prayer meeting and took sixty names.
I suppose there were 2,500 people at the service."
The following resolution was passed, at the Dewsbury Leaders'
Meeting, in regard to the services, the Rev. L. Saxton being in the
chair:
1855.
157
December 6th, 1855.
Resolved, That this meeting desires to record its gratitude to the great Head of
the Church, for the large measure of success which has been realised in connection
with the special 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 increasingly 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.
Writing to her mother, Mrs. Booth says:
"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.
"As to my own feelings, I cannot describe them. My heart was
ready to burst as I listened to the solemn, 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 engagement 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.
"I often think that God is trying me by prosperity and 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 cheeks. I tremble
lest any coldness and want of spirituality should provoke the Lord to
dash the cup from my lips, even while I am exulting in its sweetness.
1
158
Chap. XXII.
MRS. BOOTH.
j
1
.
!
Oh, 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."
4
*'
༩
CHAPTER XXIII.
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 allotted 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 consider the object for
which He came. Instead of the occasion being used as an oppor-
tunity 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 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 with 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
professed followers? Surely it is a crowning masterpiece 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 !
160
Chap. XXIII.
MRS. BOOTH.
*
..
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!
Again, 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 associated? 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
Jerusalem.
To roll back this torrent of worldiness 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 public festival, to the service of
God in seeking the salvation of their fellow-men. They have entered
the field boldly, and have endeavoured to substitute the attractions 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 :
44
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 conversions were recorded during the time, and the
concluding 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 reclaimed. The work has now extended to Leeds, where
|-
1855.
THE LEEDS REVIVAL.
results 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
awakenings may be expected as rationally as the husbandman expects 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. Booth, whose element of existence is the conversion of souls and the spread
of true religion."
161
In the next monthly review the following editorial appears :
"What a debt of gratitude we owe to the God of all grace that His work amongst
us continues to revive and extend. Long have we mourned our barrenness and
depression. Now we rejoice because the fertilising showers of heavenly influence
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 out-
pourings 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 diffusion 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 the 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 autobio-
graphy without its usual drawbacks, while the racy narrative reads
as freshly as if it had been penned but yesterday:
"LEEDS, December, 1855.
"We left Dewsbury at fifty minutes past one on 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.
M
[I
"
162
Chap. XXIII.
MRS. BOOTH.
❤
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.
"I suppose we shall stay in Leeds seven or eight weeks. They
say they will go to see the Annual Committee, 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.
"I am much better in my chest, though still troubled 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
yesterday 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 intro-
duced to several very nice ladies yesterday. I received marked respect
and attention everywhere. Oh, to exert a right influence, and that
only! They got some solid fire amongst them yesterday from the
pulpit, as effective as any at Sebastopol, it strikes me. 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 exceeding great joy. I do wish you could join us here. On
Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday nights, 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 leaving 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 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 husband. He is
:
;'
1855.
DELIVERING THE TRUTH.
163
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.
(6
'Oh, I do wish my dear father could hear and see what I do some-
times. He would be encouraged to return to Him Whom he has
pierced, but Who receiveth 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 prayers shall yet be answered. Then will we sing,
'The dead's alive, the lost is found.'"
"HUNSLET, December 24th, 1855.
"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 commence--
ment, but the anniversary 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.
"Not to deliver it. I wish the word had never been coined in
connection with Christian work. Deliver' it, indeed—that is not in
the Bible. No, no; not deliver it; but drive it home-send it in—
make it felt. 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-burdened, 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
M 2
164
Chap. XXIII.
MRS. BOOTH.
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 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 William 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 countenance.
"I was at chapel three times yesterday. The work seems to have
taken a turn, and things are evidently 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 hundred 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."
66
'January 3rd, 1856.
"I am glad you thought about us on the Watch 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 circum-
stances. 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 experience at such a season, while
meditating on the past, rejoicing in the present, and anticipating the
future.
"It must have been a time of blessing to all present, and there was
a large number. My precious husband seemed richly imbued with
THE WORK ADVANCES.
the Spirit's influence, 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 snail-
paced professors I continually meet, I cannot but rejoice in the
possession of one with whom I can so fully sympathise and so
heartily co-operate.
1856.
165
"The work here is rising in importance and power every day, and
after a great deal of arguing the Committee have consented to our
remaining another week. The friends are delighted and are getting
fresh monster 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 joy to see the other night a gentleman
of intelligence and influence throw his arms around his wife's neck in
an ecstacy 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 attendant, whose
wife had 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 breakfasted there on New
Year's day, and William went to see him this morning also, in order
to get an opportunity 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 manufactured every month. We saw the entire process,
and had it explained to us."
"January, 1856.
"I have been to chapel twice to-day, to the preaching this morning,
and to the covenant service and sacrament this afternoon. So I am at
home this evening, 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
:
:
166
Chap. XXIII.
MRS. BOOTH.
+
gracious influence pervaded the congregation, 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 Hunslet 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 returned
from chapel, that it has been 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 Sunday 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 in his
element. 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, and sometimes told that I ought to be the happiest
of women. And I am happy. Nevertheless I have anxieties peculiar
to my own sphere. I see the uncertainty 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 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 pretext.
The people would pull him to pieces to visit them if he would go, but
he cannot accept one invitation 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 16th, 1856.
"The finish at Hunslet was grand! Five hundred names were
taken in all. The gentleman I mentioned in my last two (the
Councillor) was one of the last sheaves of this glorious harvest; he
gave in his name on the last night. Another gentleman of talent and
influence, a backslider, was restored on the Thursday night, making
A FEARFUL CRUSH.
167
*
glad the heart of a devoted wife, who had been praying for him for a
long, long time.
1856.
"The commencement at Ebenezer Chapel on Sunday was most
encouraging. The influence in the morning was very precious; the
people wept and responded all over. The muster of leaders in the
vestry after the preaching was better than at any previous place, and
many of them were evidently very superior men. We were quite
surprised at finding such a staff 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 society, and brother to
two of the principal families in it, as well as three or four more very
respectable and intelligent individuals. The last two evenings the
congregations have been excellent, and about forty names have been
taken.
"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.
"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. Yesterday 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
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 visited, but hitherto it has been crippled
and cursed by local disputes and dissensions."
""
'LEEDS, January 29th, 1856.
"The work continues here with more than usual 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
apprehensions were entertained of some accidents, and a gentleman
!
*
卑
​Chap XXIII.
168
MRS. BOOTH.
I
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 with as much
eagerness as strangers, though they have been hearing him now
almost eight weeks. Some of them almost idolise him, so great is
their love towards 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 sơ
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
matter 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 Hunslet to spend a week at one of the
principal friends.”
"HUNSLET, February 5th, 1856.
"Your welcome letter is to hand, and though I have but time
for a few lines I will send you one lest you should be anxious. The
finish-up at Leeds was gloriously triumphant. The tea-meeting at
Hunslet surpassed 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:
"I have just come into the room where my dear 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, increasingly precious treasure to me, despite the occasional
dressing-down that I come in for."
Mrs. Booth resumes:
"We have had a scuffle over the above, but I must let it go, for I
1836.
A CURTAIN LECTURE.
169
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 curtain
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.”
-j
*.
•
.:
3
'.
CHAPTER XXIV.
HALIFAX. MACCLESFIELD. YARMOUTH.
1856.
FROM Leeds Mr. and Mrs. Booth removed to Halifax, where the
next two months were spent. The Rev. J. Stacey, who was
superintendent of the circuit, and afterwards President of the Con-
ference, reports 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 devoted friend and brother,
Mr. Booth. I was delighted to find that the same holy power was attending his
labours there, 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 can-
not do enough in the glorious work of saving souls. What a year of toil and
glorious success has our brother passed through; and what delightful showers of
holy grace have fallen on our churches! I suppose 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 energy and power of
endurance which characterise General Booth's subsequent labours,
distinguishing him in these early days. It has been said that genius
consists in a capacity for hard work. This is indeed a 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 objects
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 subsequent success.
The skill that can subjugate and utilise the immense forces of
mankind's Niagaras, will necessarily 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
་
1856.
:.
THE BIRTH OF BRAMWELL BOƆTH.
171
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 paralyses its powers
On the other hand the society that guillotines those whose mental
and moral worth exceed its own, limits its capacity for good and
injures 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 and need to be
guarded against, but the dangers of lack-leaderism are greater still.
The tyrannies of unsanctified genius have involved the world in some
of its worst miseries, but we question whether these have not been
altogether outnumbered by the tyrannies of brainless ignorance and
its foolhardy escapades, or equally provoking inaction.
The visit to Halifax was prolonged by an interesting event, the
birth of Mr. and Mrs. Booth's eldest son William Bramwell, the
present Chief of the Staff of the Salvation Army. Writing the
next day to announce the event to Mr. and Mrs. Mumford, Mr. Booth
says:
"Sunday, March 9th, 1856.
“HALIFAX.
"MY DEAR MOTHER AND FATHER,-It is with feelings of unutterable grati-
tude 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
"Your very affectionate son,
ever,
"WILLIAM BOOTH."
A few days later we find Mrs. Booth herself sending the following
pencilled note to her "precious mother":-
"
'By a little subtlety I have succeeded in getting hold of paper and a pencil,
and now I am going to whisper a few words into your ear. Bless you! I do
indeed think much about you. I 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
És
7.
172
Chap. XXIV.
MRS. BOOTH.
1
.
A
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 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 favourable 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 presented by twenty-four young women working in a
factory with a Bible containing the following inscription:
"Presented to William Bramwell Booth by a few of his father's friends.
66
'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-meeting, which was
attended by nine hundred persons, and the friend who represented the
factory lasses said that the gift was intended "as a slight acknow-
ledgment 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 pro-
minent a part in the subsequent 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 satisfactory 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 Macclesfield 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 accompanied the effort. The permanent character of
the conversions may be judged from the impressive service held at
this very time in Sheffield when 180 new probationers were received
into the church as the first fruits of the revival there.
1.

W. BRAMWELL BOOTH.
+
1856.
Į
SUDDEN CONVERSION.
Some may, however, be tempted to doubt the genuineness of such
sudden "conversions." Speaking on this subject in after years, and
expressing her matured convictions in regard to it, Mrs. Booth
remarks:
173
"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 employment 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.
"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 accepted 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 per-
manent. But this is a mistake. The permanence of a conversion is not deter-
mined 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 comes 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 goodness and
God, or an undisturbed sleep 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
+4
#
174
Chap. XXIV.
MRS. BOOTH.
:
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 the founders of which believed in
and defended the doctrine, their very successes being based upon its truth. And
yet we find their followers and professed disciples cavilling and objecting!'
Referring to the Macclesfield meetings in later years, Mrs. Booth
"9
says:
"I was still very weak, and unable therefore to attend many ser-
vices, 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 seeking
mercy. One striking feature of this revival consisted 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 at Macclesfield, his father
performing the ceremony. There were about thirty babies baptised
at the same time. Not wishing the ceremony to interfere with the
revival services, we had them all postponed to one day, making it the
occasion of a special demonstration and an appeal to parents to conse-
crate their children to the service of God.
"I had from the first infinite yearnings over Bramwell. I held him
up to God as soon as I had strength 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 beginning that he was 'a proper
child.' At an early 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 present, and the friends tried to persuade
him to take more, but he would not disobey me. This characteristic
grew with him through life. I could always trust his word. I cannot
1856.
7.
THE CHESTER CONFERENCE.
175
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 as 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 Macclesfield 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 resolved that he con-
tinue to labour in the capacity of an evangelist for the next year, with
suitable intervals of rest. May our brother be more than ever
successful in the great and glorious work in which he is engaged."
Mr. Booth's next appointment was Yarmouth. Here the cause
was very low, and the counter-attractions of the seaside caused the
struggle to be a peculiarly 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:
·
He
"Your little darling is well and growing like a willow. It is really astonishing
how he comes on. We have bought him a doll, which pleases him vastly.
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 comparison 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 other difficulties. Nevertheless the congre-
gations 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 sacrifice involved-yea, a thousand times over!"
This conviction deepened as years went by. "How shall you feel,"
said Mrs. Booth in addressing one of her audiences long afterwards,
"how shall you feel when you gather the spiritual family which God
:
V
*
I
*
As a ď
¿

176
Chap. XXIV.
MRS. BOOTH.
¡
1
:
!
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 God only knew;
'Children begotten in bonds,' as Paul says-chains-children born in
the midst of the hurricane of spiritual conflict, travail, 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 feel 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 conflict 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.”
M
CHAPTER XXV.
SHEFFIELD.
1856.
FROM Yarmouth Mr. and Mrs. Booth proceeded to Sheffield. The
New Connexion had established two circuits in this city, the Northern
and the Southern. The latter had already been visited during the
previous year, and the marvellous results accomplished had made the
Northern Circuit equally anxious to receive 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 it be so is difficult to explain, but there can be
no doubt that certain towns, districts, and, indeed, countries are
peculiar for their receptivity of Gospel truth, while others are pre-
cisely the opposite. London, it will be acknowledged, has a special.
reputation for being a hard and barren soil. Sheffield, on the
contrary, has responded with remarkable readiness to the call of the
revivalist. Towards the end of the previous century it was the scene
of the successful 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 awaken-
ings, 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 doubtless handed
down from generation to generation, accustoming the popular
mind to the existence of such 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 commences to spring up and bear fruit, some thirty, some
sixty, some a hundred-fold.
No doubt other causes contribute to this result. There are national,
N
"}
}
1
178
Chap. XXV.
MRS. BOOTH.
:
tribal, and local peculiarities of disposition which are just as distinct as
those of individuals. We talk familiarly of English John Bullism,
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 substitute
for affection, either from an individual or national point of view. Hence
some of the finest specimens and most influental 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
bc recognition. Who can calculate the mischief that arises from the
almost total eclipse of this luminary from our modern sky? Society,
in our days, with all its educational and scientific paraphernalia, is
tending 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
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 restoral of heart-pulsation to the
nation, the family and the individual.
How sickening is the spectacle of a man without a heart! What a
danger is he to the community at 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 only fit for women and fools! He
is capable of any crime--which he can practice 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 starving poor. He is a
standing menace to society. And yet he is the intellectual hero of
the day, the model after which childhood is fashioned, till the family,
school, community, and nation is converted into a patent heart-
crushing, head-developing machine, which manufactures humanity
into a hideous caricature of what it ought to be. Such is the
"
1858.
179
HEAD VERSUS HEART.
tendency of the age. We ridicule the Chinese taste which cramps
the feet of its womanhood into narrow and unnatural moulds, and yet
we allow ourselves to be dominated by a craze that cramps our very
vital powers and destroys the tenderest and most beautiful side of our
nature!
Upon this subject Mrs. Booth remarks:
"All the mischief comes from upsetting God's 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 destiny of man? I say that the highest type of a man is that
in which the purified and ennobled soul rules through an enlightened
intelligence, making every faculty of the being subservient to the
highest purpose--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."
While Sheffield certainly was not lacking in intellectual 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 previous 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 646 names were taken.
Describing the meetings to her mother Mrs. Booth writes:
"My precious husband is tugging at it, full of anxiety and greatly
exercised as to the success of the effort. Many things have transpired
to discourage him. Nevertheless God honours him in the conversion
of souls day by day. The work is rising gloriously, 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 nonappreciation 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 numbers who
3
:
•
N 2
180
Chap. XXV.
MRS. BOOTH.
"
,
་
turned to the Lord when we were in Sheffield before, standing fast and
adorning their profession, some of them giving promise of great use-
fulness. All glory to God.
"6
Monday afternoon. They had a glorious time at the chapel last
night, forty-nine cases, many of them men, and stout-hearted sinners
"15th September.
"William is working hard and with wonderful results. The
chapel was crowded out all day on Sunday, and sixty-three cases at
night, a large proportion 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 down after we are gone, so that so far as our
community is concerned, it is 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
earnest, consistent, soul-saving men! But alas! alas! such is indeed
difficult to find."
This letter contains the earliest reference to what was ultimately
one of the chief reasons for the creation of the Salvation Army. The
question has often been asked, why it does not confine itself to evan-
gelistic effort in connection with the churches, handing over its converts
to be cared for by the ordinary pastoral agencies? It is everywhere
acknowledged that the Salvation Army is peculiarly adapted to the
task of awakening and converting sinners, but it is supposed that the
churches are better qualified for building 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 converts can
hardly be expected to successfully train the converts made by others.
The fact that it cannot convert, if such be the case, is surely proof
presumptive that it is incapable of 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 offsprings by special ties of affection. It possesses an authority
peculiarly its own, and which is perhaps incapable of being delegated
to another. Is it, then, too much to say that the mother organisation
must, if able, suckle her own converts?
It was because the New Connexion and other churches, to whom
Mr. and Mrs. Booth for some years to come entrusted the care of their
A GLORIOUS WORK.
converts, fell so far short of their ideal in this respect, that they were
ultimately led to consider whether they could not improve upon the
existing methods in regard to the training as well as the gaining of
converts. But it was not till a subsequent period that the possibility
or advisability of such a course dawned upon them.
Meanwhile the work in Sheffield went forward 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 congrega-
tion, a melting sermon, and a glorious 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 every-
body how he holds out. It is without doubt a glorious work. Let this
comfort us in the sacrifices we are called upon to make. Yes we, for
you share in them. It would 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 Kingdom 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."
1836.
181
" October 10th.
"Our farewell tea-meeting went off gloriously. Upwards of twelve
hundred sat down for tea, and scores were sent away with money in
their hands, because they had not tickets and the friends were afraid
there would not be room for them. It is calculated that there was
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 never in such an one as that. I never saw an assembly
so completely enthralled and enchanted as this one was while my
beloved was speaking. He spoke for near two hours, never for one
S
1
182
Chap. XXV
MRS. BOOTH.
}
!
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 containing
an account of the meeting. It was a triumphant 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 circumstances.
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 gratitude and to perpetuate the
memory of his visit, the Sheffield friends had decided on presenting
Mr. Booth with a large lithographic portrait of himself. The proposal
was in accordance with the common 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 27th.
"I know you will be anxious to hear all about the presentation
meeting, so I seize a very brief and uncertain 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 particular charm when speaking. It lives and dies with the
occasion.
"The portrait gives universal satisfaction. The meeting was in a
perfect tumult of applause when it 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.
·
THE EVIL OF TESTIMONIALS.
He said he had made a great effort to be present, but he was deter-
mined to testify his friendship for Mr. and Mrs. Booth. It was a
noble and generous recognition of the good accomplished in the town
by the services. The President 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:
1856.
183
"Presented to the Rev'd William Booth, whilst labouring as an Evangelist in
the Methodist New Connexion, by his friends in Sheffield, in affectionate appre-
ciation 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, President 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 affection 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 acknow-
ledged 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 Sheffield 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 applause.”
And yet, singular as it may seem, the most interesting aspect of
this presentation was that it afterwards led to the entire suppression
of the system of testimonials in the organization of the Salvation
Army. Mr. and Mrs. Booth were always sensitive to a fault lest any
personal gratification should prove an unintentional 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
4
i
→
11
ام
184
Chap. XXV.
MRS. BOOTH.
:
:
Conference to place the extinguishers 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 system which Mr.
and Mrs. Booth afterwards more fully realised. The public presenta-
tion of personal testimonials were 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 difficult would it be to settle
who should be the recipients, without giving rise to endless heart-
burnings and dissatisfaction, which would go far to neutralise any
good that might have been accomplished. The ordinary 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 pleasing the people than
doing them good. For these and similar reasons such presentations
have been forbidden, and the Salvation Army officer has learned to
glory in what might at first sight appear to be an irksome and
unnecessary restriction.
!
ጌ
CHAPTER XXVI.
BIRMINGHAM. NOTTINGHAM. CHESTER.
1836-1857.
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 report 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 onward like a stream, and we were obliged
to lock the chapel gates, leaving hundreds outside. It was truly delightful to see
the huge mass of people rise to sing. The preacher was again 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 a deep excitement, but it was holy, pure,
such as I hope often to see."
Regarding the subject of religious excitement here referred to,
Mrs. Booth made the following observations at the close of her
prolonged ministry, with its multitudinous opportunities for obser-
vation:
"It has always been a cause of amazement to me how it is that intelligent
people can fail to perceive the connection between feeling and demonstration.
How utterly unphilosophical is the prevailing notion that persons can be deeply
moved on religious subjects, any more than on worldly ones, without manifesting
I
186
Chap. XXVI.
MRS. BOOTH.
¦
I
their emotions! This insane idea has dore 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 fai
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 illustrated 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 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 nothing of it since leaving for London in 1849.
He observed in his journal:
"Sunday, November 30th, 1856.-My native town. Concerning this place I
must confess I have entertained some fears. Being so well known and remem-
bering 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 contracted 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 future. Oh, that preachers and people may permanently secure the harvest
and go on to still greater and more glorious triumphs.”
When it is remembered that Mr. Booth was only twenty-seven
at the time of his visit, and that he had been but two and a half years
1856
THE NOTTINGHAM REVIVAL,
in the New Connexion ministry, the result of these meetings will
appear the more remarkable.
Mrs. Booth sends the following account to her parents :
187
"December 15th, 1856.
"The work here exceeds anything I have yet witnessed. Yesterday the chapel,
which is a very large one, seating upwards 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 five 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 Sunday evening, so that hundreds had to go away. Mr. Booth is
certainly an extraordinary 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 sinners tremble, and caused many to exclaim,
'What must I do to be saved?'
"The general results of the services are these. The chapel is filled. Every
sitting is let, and many persons have applied 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
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 opposition 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 labours,
183
Chap. XXVI
MRS. BOOTH.
+
+
and was in a large measure the cause of his being ultimately compelled
to leave the Connexion.
..
66
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 10th, 1857.-We came on to London for our rest.
Sunday, January 11th.-Heard Mr. Spurgeon, and was much pleased and
profited-a truly simple, earnest, and faithful sermon. I doubt not he is doing a
very great work."
Leaving Mrs. Booth and the baby with her parents in London,
Mr. Booth proceeded to Chester, where he 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 newspaper
came out with an attack on the revival, and this for the
moment checked the progress of the work.
It was a new and
therefore painful experience to the young preacher, whose sensitive
nature tempted him to shrink from the encounter. A kindly
Providence, however, prevented his foreseeing the inky oceans of
misrepresentation and calumny through which his bark was yet to sail,
or perhaps the prospects would have utterly discouraged his heart.
But keenly as he felt the slanders and deeply as he regretted their
influence in preventing penitents from coming forward with their
usual readiness at his meetings, he fought his way resolutely through
and achieved a complete success, which was only rendered 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 four hundred names were taken during the five weeks of his
stay.
•
The newspaper opposition produced another effect, which was
altogether unexpected by its author, in attracting to the chapel
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 godless, mocking crowd of young
men. He was taken 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
"JAGGED DAGGERS."
closely as I can. But some of them are very impudent. May the Lord undertake
for us!"
1357.
189
Writing a few days later he adds :
"We had one of the most painful disappointments yesterday 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 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, inimitable fashion with
the consciences of the Christo-heathen 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. Unfortu-
nately her replies to him are missing, or they would undoubtedly have
supplied an important link in the historical chain, showing how she
seconded and encouraged him in his new and perplexing position.
"We had a tremendous struggle at the chapel," Mr. Booth writes on February
18th. "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-meeting, 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 the sermon, but during the appeal
'What must I do to be damned?' I don't remember ever having more. In fact
Mr. Round said this morning that he never felt so much under any appeal before
in his life, and that he could have knelt 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."
+
I
190
MRS. BOOTH.
Chap. XXVI.
:
It was a significant moment, when William Booth and the rough
churchless elements of England's population first found themselves
face to face in close encounter! He did not remain long on the defen
sive, 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 encounter 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 resistless blows at
their hearts and consciences, and coming off conqueror on many a
hard-fought field.
Thus Mr. Booth caught the eye and ear of the masses, just as
previously he had riveted the attention 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 convic-
tions, and who is not afraid to beard them boldly in their dens of sin,
misery, and desperation.
But the opposition manifested by a certain ministerial clique, who
viewed with jealousy the rising popularity and success of the young
minister, was 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:
"Our secretary was through here this morning," writes Mr. Booth. "He did
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 calculations. 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!"
There is an interesting reference in these letters to Mr. Booth's first
meeting with the well-known evangelist, Mr. Reginald Radcliffe:
"13th February.
"Mr. Radcliffe, a solicitor from Liverpool, was here last night. He is a rather
1857.
1
***.
.
MR. REGINALD RADCLIFFE.
191
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 he can obtain an
opening. He especially attends races, executions, and such like large gatherings
of people. For instance, the other day a man was hanged at Chester. Mr.
Radcliffe came over two or three days before the day fixed, drew up a plan of the
different routes by which people would approach 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 besides himself.
"It appears that he had heard about me at Macclesfield and Nottingham,
and last Sunday he sent one of his preachers to see me with an invitation to
Liverpool. He proposes taking for me a large theatre, capable of holding between
two and 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
character."
Mr. Radcliffe has since proved a long and consistent friend of the
Salvation Army, frequently attending its meetings and inviting its
leaders to his own. Of late years his special interest has been con-
centrated upon the foreign mission field, on behalf of which he has
laboured indefatigably, urging Christians to give 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, "than I am with
the poor country folk. They come four, five, six, seven, eight, and nine miles
night after night, and many of them have found the Lord. Thank God, the
common people 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 invariable 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 in Christ. Now, accompanied by his wife,
who has also given her heart to God during these services, he regularly attends
the meetings, clothed and in his right mind."
•
4
192
Chap. XXVI.
MRS. BOOTH.
2
1
But we turn from the account of the Chester meetings to some
personal and domestic passages contained 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. Ú Kate, our's is a solemn and important vocation, the
training of that boy!
"So you had to whip him to otain the mastery, and now he is king, seeing that
you are ill! I often think about him and imagine I see him lifting up his little arms
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.
to me.
"
May God bless you with every earthly and heavenly blessing and shelter you
under 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 distant."
In a later letter he writes:
"I am glad little 'Sunshine' is better. I am 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 important to be in a measure prepared for
such an emergency."
There are some flippant allusions to Homœopathy. 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 Homœopathic 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 Homœo-
pathy' with its infinite quantity of infinitestimal doses, in whatever society I may
be where the question 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,
.
•
THE SOULS THAT DWELL IN BOOKS.
193
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 estimation. 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!"
1857.
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 realise as much domestic and conjugal felicity. And yet there are
many things in me that want mending. God help me!
"I care less for so-called society day by day. For instance in this house there
is not a congenial soul, except those disembodied ones that dwell in books! I
feel more than ever 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.
"I reciprocate your desires most ardently for an interview. 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
certainly grows with absence. I am sure my affection has increased 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!"
O
X
.
>
CHAPTER XXVII.
BRISTOL. TRURO. ST. AGNES.
1857.
As soon as the Chester meetings were brought to a conclusion Mr.
Booth took train for London, where he rejoined Mrs. Booth and
started with her for Bristol. The comparative dependence of a
preacher upon his building here forced itself painfully upon his
attention, 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 listeners. In the present case the architect had paid
more attention to the outside appearance of the chapel than to the
comfort of the worshippers. The building had obtained so evil a
reputation for draughtiness that it was difficult to secure an audience.
Mrs. Booth mentions in her letters that each time her husband we
to the meeting he seemed to take a fresh cold. The present incumbent
was one of the cold perfunctory 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.
J
Under these circumstances it was not to be wondered at that Mr.
Booth, during his short stay of three 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 kingdom so
capable of being powerfully stirred as Bristol. Here, as in Sheffield,
there was a deep undercurrent of religious sentiment that only
needed to be successfully tapped by the Divine Hand to send forth an
ample stream of living water. But though the source was not far
from the surface, its discovery was for a season delayed, and despite
the fact that considerable good was accomplished, it was with feelings
of no little disappointment that Mr. Booth concluded his meetings
and started off with Mrs. Booth for his next appointment.
And yet it was a useful experience, proving as it did 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
circumstances. There are two opposite, but common errors in regard
."
1857.
HINDRANCES TO SUCCESS.
195
to successful work. The one supposes that no matter what measures
may be taken and efforts put forth, a revival is a special interposition
of Providence, which can no more he commanded than a shower of
rain. The other takes it for granted that it can be brought about
without labouring for the fulfilment of the necessary conditions.
Both conclusions are equally 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 individuals 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 evangelists is to establish a 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 paralyse 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
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 then 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 little
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, I can 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
0 2
196
Chap. XXVII.
MRS. BOOTH.
"
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 toil, and I shall be amply repaid. Bristol has been a heavy drag
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!"
What a mysterious phenomenon is the "liberty" here referred to,
the spiritual afflatus, the undefinable 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.
In this respect the preacher has special privileges and advantages
over the politician, the actor or the demagogue. He is able to play
upon a higher set of motives. The appeals of the public orator are
usually directed to some natural instinct which, when examined,
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 political platform.
Defend your own interests, take care of your own rights, is the lan-
guage of the world.
Powerful appeals can doubtless be based upon such 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 religious reformer
avails himself of it. But he has something more. Even in this
particular respect he 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-appointed watchman of the soul.
J
1857.
197
"LIBERTY.”
Over the actor, he possesses the unspeakable advantage of reality,
and of dealing with an immediate 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, 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 whirlwind. This at least
is what Mrs. Booth here refers to by the expression "liberty." This
is the high ideal 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 it may be unaccountably
missing. But the utter or continued absence of this element, where
such is the case, shows that something must be radically wrong, and
until it be gained or recovered, as the case may 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 power that con-
stituted the special potency in Mrs. Booth's own subsequent ministry.
By the time she had finished her address she was usually bathed in
perspiration with the intensity of her exertion. Her theme and her
audience would make her oblivious to time and every other considera-
tion, and amid the deathlike silence the musical cadences of the voice
seemed to make every heart in the vast throng vibrate, while she
reasoned with them of "righteousness, temperance, 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 people were
saturated with Methodistic teaching. Chapels were to be seen every-
where, 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 popula-
tion. But people or no people, there stood the chapel, and it was
usually a Wesleyan one. Not only so, but the congregations were
there, crowding 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.
1
198
Chap. XXVII.
MRS. BOOTH.
·
C
.
"
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 listen, 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 persua-
sions. Pure children of emotion, when once 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 not persuade
them to get saved. For one thing they 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 accustomed to act. The
appeals to their judgment, their reason, and their conscience were
not sufficient to induce them to come forward. They did not see
the value of action upon principle rather than
than on motion.
However, at length the break came. It was the Friday following
the Sabbath on which the General commenced his meetings in the
town. It was a Good Friday, 10th April, the anniversary of our
engagement."
Mr. Booth describes the meeting in a letter written the next day to
Mr. and Mrs. Mumford:
66
"We had a very glorious stir last night-such a meeting for
excitement and thrilling interest as I never before witnessed. The
people had been restraining 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 happy, 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 promising young
men, several of whom afterward became ministers, one of them
occupying a very prominent position. From this time the work went
forward in a most encouraging manner.
"William finished up at Truro,
from St. Agnes on the 8th May.
triumphantly," writes Mrs. Booth
"Crowds were unable to get in,
་
199
and above thirty names were taken. Among them was one very
respectable man, who had cautioned his wife a week before against
He
going out to the communion rail and making a fool of herself.
now went up himself and got gloriously saved. He had been a vile
blasphemer. Many are under deep impressions who will not yield
to the communion rail. We never were in a place where the
opposition 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.
1857.
"GOING OFF.”
"We left Truro on Tuesday, coming half-way by train, and the
remainder in a cart of the ancient stamp, enough to shake one to
pieces. I feel the effects of it yet. The place is a desolate, and yet.
not an uninteresting, 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 a 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."
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 we would doubtless have
reaped a rich harvest, but for a mistake which he made and which he
afterwards very much regretted. We had heard a great deal about
But at
the way in which the Cornish people jumped and danced.
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 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 controlled
them with a firm hand.
"He was not a little shocked, therefore, one night, when the feeling
:
,
200
Chap. XXVII.
MRS. BOOTH.
ปี
...
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 measured 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 contrary 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, feeling the responsibility of the meeting
to be resting 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 work dragged
heavily, and, although there was an encouraging spurt at the end, yet
the General came away realising that he had made a mistake, and
determining 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
began.' 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 ashamed who knows it.
When
1.
*
}
F
1857..
STAFFORD.
201
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 increasing difficulty of these frequent
changes, and the distance between some of the appointments, gave
rise to a proposal for little Willie to be sent for a time to his grand-
mother. Mrs. Booth speaks of the plan in a characteristic letter, from
which we take the following:
"May 15th, 1857.
"William intends going to meet the Annual Committee before
entering on any more labour, having had his mind much pained and
unsettled by information 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 presence, 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 inevitably 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 reso-
lutely as to subdue it. And then my child would be ruined, for he
must be taught implicit, uncompromising obedience."
Thus we see how early Mrs. Booth commenced the training of her
family, and how resolutely she put 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
kindhearted and well-meaning grandmother would have inflicted
irreparable injury upon the character of the one who was to play so
important 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
affectionate training so necessary for their future welfare.
י
1
1
¿
1
1
•
:
**
CHAPTER XXVIII.
THE CONFERENCE OF 1857.
WHILE Mr. and Mrs. Booth were at Stafford 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 fifteen 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 his accus-
tomed look, when a startled cry attracted his 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 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
suspense. The Conference were sitting in Nottingham, and the next
morning brought them the following 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 proposed that I
should be added to the Annnal 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 cail me before them, although I requested it.
“The principal speakers against you are Crofts and P. J. Wright. I tried hard
;
1857.
SENT TO A CIRCUIT.
to be the last speaker, but P. J. evidently held back, and therefore I was obliged
to speak. I replied to every charge that had been contained in all the previous
arguments, and am told I made a capital speech. However, 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 dissatisfaction, and I should not be surprised
if it has to be revised.
203
"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.”
One of the leading officials of the Nottingham Circuit 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 remain-
ing 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 opposition 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 conduct 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 sincere 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 opposition. 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 conveying the intelligence of the
recent decision. To this Mr. Booth replied as follows:
"June, 1857.
"TO THE SECRETARY OF THE NEW CONNEXION CONFERENCE, Nottingham.
“MY DEAR SIR,-Yours containing the decision of the Conference 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 com-
plaint, 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
"
204
Chap. XXVIII.
MRS. BOOTH.
3
2.
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 Con-
ference, 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 mission altogether,
or is it the manner in which I have discharged 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-defence. Surely
in the New Connexion Conference flying reports are not permitted to find
utterance, and speeches unfavourably 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, utterances, and actions, 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 Con-
nexion, 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; I 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 exceptions, 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 of my mission, and method
of discharging it, that the Conference should be five hours debating the propriety
of its continuance. You say in yours that the value of my special labours has
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, acknow-
ledged 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:
"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 sending 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 conclusion. On Saturday, after 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
4
1857.
CONSIGNED TO A CIRCUIT.
205
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 ingratitude 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 subject of our thoughts,
and the cause of the anxiety we have experienced 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.
46
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 especially 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 toward 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 reiterated in Open Conference, and this without any formal charges
having been brought or any inquiry as to their truthfulness instituted, I regard as-
little better than an old priestly persecution 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 discussion has proved to be neither few nor feeble, will spread their
own report of the matter, and pehaps 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:
"Doubtless you will feel anxious to hear further particulars after yesterday's
budget. This morning's post brought us several letters from Conference, causing
us considerable excitement 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 dissatisfaction have been raised as to the
manner in which our mission has been put down, and the way in which the votes
were taken. There is to be an attempt this morning at a compromise; 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.
It appears that one of his opponents mooted the travelling expenses as an
•
4
:
Chap. XXVIII.
206
MRS. BOOTH.
I
I
:
!
:
argument against him, and made some false statements which Mr. Bates has
compelled him to retract. 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.
"Willlam has asked for Derby as an appointment. To this his opponents are
not likely to agree, for though it is one 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 anxious. 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 confidence in my husband's devotion and capacity for
something greater yet, and I have confidence in God's over-ruling Providence.
Pray for us that we may not err, but be guided into His perfect will."
"June 10th.
"Your's came to hand this morning. Thanks for all your sympathy and
counsel. It is very seasonable. William has just returned from Nottingham.
The arrangement that we 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."
man.
Among the additional reasons urged for this decision besides those
which have been already noticed, one was that Mr. Booth was gaining
too great an influence in the Connexion for so young and untried a
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
combined in holding out the most absolute certainty of his being
Mrs.
recalled to the evangelistic sphere at the conclusion of the year.
Booth, however, doubted the sincerity of the promise.
"I felt in my soul," she tells us, referring to the matter at a much
later period, "that it was the spirit 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
1857.
A LICENSE TO HAWK SALVATION.
207
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.
"That morning as I lay in bed, for I was too ill to 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 recall him to
the work at the end of the year. He replied to my arguments that
he loved the Connexion, 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 completely regain the confidence of his ministerial
brethren 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."
Among his numerous friends were not wanting those who had
less respect for authority than Mr. Booth, and who had urged him to
break loose from the Connexion, rather than submit to their decision.
From one such he received the following letter:
"I feel much concerned on your account, for it is not possible for you to be so
useful to the cause of Christ in your present sphere as when you were an
evangelist. But honestly I see no other way of deliverance for you except to
throw yourself 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 consented 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.
66
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 licence to hawk salvation
from the great Magistrate above, and absolutely refuse to have any other master.
A
1
10
2
208
Chap. XVIII.
MRS. BOOTH.
1
"O Brother Booth, if I could preach and floor the sinners 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, considering 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 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 your's 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
connection 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 descended 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 laboured 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 try his hand at anything better. But the necessity of
organised and united effort, as distinguished from the minister-do-
everything 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 constant 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 command
he had gathered behind the communion rails to form a praying band,
or to deal with the penitents, 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 and tail, centre
A
1
1857.
A WESLEY AND A WHITFIELD.
and circumference, alpha and omega, beginning and end, was foreign
to him. 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 jealous 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. She had
weighed up the Conference and had found it wanting. Her inclination
would have led her rather 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 Whitfield than an organising
Wesley. It was a happy design of Providence which bound the Wesley
and the Whitfield 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.
209
P
...
1
=
!
15
ショ
​#
*
3
A
*
•
3
CHAPTER XXIX.
BRIGHOUSE. 1857-1858.
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 any-
thing in the appointment itself calculated to compensate for the
disappointment. The superintendent was a sombre, funereal 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.
For Mrs. Booth the situation was peculiarly painful. She had not
in Brighouse a single lady friend with whom she could have sympa-
thetic communion. Moreover, 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.
"William preached here twice yesterday and led a love-feast. Good congrega-
tions, and all seemed very well satisfied except himself. There were three souls
at night. Of course he cannot help making comparisons between this and his
former sphere of usefulness, and though this is unqestionably 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 perhaps, more
than anything, to brighten the dull 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
3
ï
1857.
THE EMBRYONIC GERM.
fully appreciate. It was indeed as a Gilead-balm 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.
"
·
211
The history of the Salvation Army has been largely the history of
its founders and of their family. It presents the altogether unique
spectacle of a great religious organisation that has attained to world-
wide proportions, of which the embryonic germ was contained 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 wished, at
first, that they had been less numerous; but when they came to take
their places in helping him to bear the burden and heat of the day, he
was 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
nucleus, round which Mr. and Mrs. Booth have been able to gather
their recruits. Inspired from infancy with the passion for souls
which animated their parents, 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 objections to what is at once the strength
and the 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 Abraham 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 parents regarding the training of their children, and
the rewards that should accompany obedience. Their
66 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
P 2
212
Chap. XXIX.
MRS. BOOTH.
L
i
*
**
remarkable instances of a heredity of holiness running through many
generations and extending 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 to point the finger of
scorn. But because they have 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 and oft-
repeated declaration of Mrs. Booth, who used to pray in the very
presence of her children that she might rather have to lay them in
an early grave than 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 could drive home her appeals to others by pointing to 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 he could draw
more music out of one string than others could out of five. But the
monotony 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 alto-
gether 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
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:
404
'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

5dr Dosh
Anes
BALLINGTON BOOTH.
"GIFTS ARE NOT GRACES."
213
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."
1857.
In spite 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 talents. 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. 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 afternoon 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 afternoon. 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
.
4
214
Chap. XXIX.
MRS. BOOTH.
""
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 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 freedom as I went on. I
feel a good deal exhausted, but otherwise 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 pleasing 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 special services on Monday night. They are the most impregnable
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 services.
"Since then for three nights I have been preaching in a small village about two
miles from here. We have had good congregations 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 generation as an
evangelist. I wish I was independent of all conclaves, councils, synods, and
conferences. I would then evangelise after my own heart's plan and to my heart's
content."
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
overcome her constitutional timidity. While in Brighouse, 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. Mumford 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
1
1857.
LECTURING ON TEMPERANCE.
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 evangelistic 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
requires much study, but I don't think lecturing on temperance would need
much."
215
#4
'23rd 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, William says, is the most
intelligent gentleman in our congregation. 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 expect 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 succeed 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-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 suddenly 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 our-
selves, have delicate children. I sometimes think it is a kind of reward to William
for his honourable fidelity to me, notwithstanding my delicate health and his many
temptations 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 conduct 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
!
B
#
!
I
.
..
2
དྷྭ་
216
MRS. BOOTH.
Chap. XXIX.
curse of no stricken heart rests on our lot, or on our childen, but in peace and
domestic happiness we 'live and love together.' Praise God from whom all
blessings flow!
"Willie gets every day more lovable and engaging and affectionate. He
manifests some very pleasing traits of character. 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 contrary he laughs and
dances when we caress baby, and when it cries he is quite distressed. I
have used him to bring me the 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.
THE Commencement of the new year was darkened 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 enter-
tained serious thoughts of placing herself under galvanic treatment,
from which she had formerly received great benefit.
"I have only been to chapel twice during the last 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 becrippled 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.
"William was talking the other day about the different bodies we
shall have after the resurrection. I replied that I hoped so, or 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, especially when you have so
many calls on your attention. 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 enough! The cup which my Father hath
given me shall I not drink it? Especially seeing it is so much better
than I have merited."
In February, however, Mrs. Booth had sufficiently recovered to
accompany her husband to Sheffield, where it had been arranged for
the baby to be baptised by Mr. Caughey, who happened to be visiting
England at the time. The early and solemn dedication 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
יי
·
F
218
Chap. XXX.
MRS. BOOTH.
¡
•
holiness, sacrifice, and warfare, was adhered 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 sanctification of
all present.
Mrs. Booth describes the visit to Sheffield and her impressions of
the famous evangelist in the following letter:
"SHEFFIELD, February.
"There was a very large meeting on Tuesday night. Upwards of twelve
hundred sat down to tea. We were at the same table with Mr. Caughey, and
William had some conversation with him. On Wednesday we dined with him at

**********
THE REV. JAmes Caughey.
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 baptised our dear
Ballington in the presence of a few friends. It was a very solemn and interesting
ceremony. He asked for him the most precious of all blessings, and dedicated
him to God most fervently, afterward placing his hand on his head and blessing
him in the name of the Lord. He wrote me an inscription for my Bible, and took
leave of us most affectionately, expressing the deepest interest in our future, and
a desire to know the proceedings of the next Conference in William's case. I
}
1857.
JAMES CAUGHEY.
cannot describe-I must leave you to imagine, the effect of all this on my mind.
After almost adoring his very name for ten years past to be thus privileged was
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.
"I heard him preach once and give a short speech, and notwithstanding all my
prepossessions, this did not in the least discourage me as to William's future
career. I believe him to be adapted for quite as much usefulness. Caughey
retains all his former power and influence, and signs and wonders follow his
ministrations. The people try to touch the very hem of his garment. He is free
to visit any denomination where there is an open door, and is not handcuffed or
shackled by Conferences or Annual Committees.
"I believe our path will be made plain if we are willing to follow the light. I
think we are.
God forbid that I should stand in the way of such a work. I had
better have a millstone hanged about my neck and be cast into the sea. No, I
will, if needs be, trust in God alone for my daily bread, rather than hold my dear
husband back from the work his heart is set on, and in which he has been so
gloriously useful. Why should he be fettered and chained down by envy and
jealousy when he might be preaching to crowds every night? But God will under-
take for him and put him in his right place.
"You smile at my enthusiasm and say to yourself 'Silly Kate!' Well, I have
prophesied correctly in several instances about his future, and we shall see if I
am not right this time also."
219
It was only natural that Mr. Booth should consult Mr. Caughey in
regard 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 circuit. He
counselled Mr. Booth to wait patiently until he had been ordained and
received into full connexion 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 England 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 widespread usefulness.
Thirty years later, as General of the Salvation 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
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 the fellow-labourer to whose life his own had served 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
į
:
"
220
MRS. BOOTH.
whom in Sheffield he had dedicated to God had grown to manhood,
and, in company with a devoted and talented life-partner, had taken
his place at the head of a widespread and powerful organisation in the
United States.
Chap. XXX.
There was little else of an exceptional character 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 views on the question are of more than
passing interest. 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 influence of
the system. I never met with such a 'pounds, shillings, 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
people, 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 or
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
factories. What pitiable wives and mothers they will make! Mothers! Alas, I
should say bearers of children, for we have lamentable evidence that in every
thing 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 house-
hold 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 engrossed the attention of Mr. and Mrs. Booth.
They approached some of their ministerial opponents, but found them
no more willing to agree to the evangelistic 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
!
***
1857.
221
THE GENERAL IS ORDAINED.
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 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 as 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
evangelistic 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 predict 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.
The
gone through a circuit with all its usual routine will not appease it.
opposition party will, however, have to make it manifest what manner of spirit
We are
they are of, for the question this time will be thoroughly thrashed out.
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 Halifax,
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
during another year. Mr. and Mrs. Booth, however, declined the
offer, believing that, whether they returned to the evangelistic
work or not, a change of appointment would be beneficial.
The Conference met in May at Hull. Mr. Booth 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 formidable
ceremony. The President for the year, and the ex-Presidents of
former years, stood upon the platform for the purpose of "laying
hands" on the candidates, who were previously called upon to give
an account of their conversion, and of their reasons for seeking
ordination.
Mr. Booth had stipulated with some of those in whose piety and
devotion he thoroughly believed, that he should be near them and
reap whatever advantage might accrue from their faith and prayers,
222
MRS. BOOTH.
Chap. XXX.
!
7
while there were others whom he studiously avoided, feeling that if
the laying on of hands involved the impartation of the character and
spirit they possessed, he would rather dispense with it!
The question of his re-appointment to evangelistic 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 received his ordination describes the
situation :
"29th May, 1858.
"I have just been to Hull to receive the rite of ordination. I understand
that my reception into full connexion was most cordial and thoroughly
unanimous. The service was an interesting 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 praying
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 deportment during the year
I cannot understand this, because I am conscious that I have not served the
Connexion to anything 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 of the most
rabid opponents of the evangelistic work at the previous Conference,
came forward and suggested 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 influence 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
•
1857.
APPOINTED TO GATESHEAD.
numbered about one hundred and twenty. Still, these were diffi-
culties which did not daunt Mr. Booth. The people were anxious to
have him, and this in itself promised well for their hearty co-opera-
tion 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, therefore, that the town and neighbourhood afforded so
large a scope for his labours, Mr. Booth consented to the
appointment.
223
To this arrangement Mrs. Booth reluctantly agreed. She could
not but feel the injustice of the action of the Conference, nor fail to
doubt the future fulfilment of their present pledge. Nevertheless,
having disinterestedly 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 appointment would prove to be among the
"all things" that "work together for good."
1
1
-
·
.
:
I
J
23+
!
•·
ܢ ܪ̈ܝ
CHAPTER XXXI.
GATESHEAD, THE CONVERTING SHOP. 1858.
THE change from Brighouse to Gateshead was like a transfer from
the North Pole to the Equator. Although 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 minister who
had previously been most useful. From being an earnest and success-
ful preacher, he had so completely backslidden as to become an
infidel lecturer, 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 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 unknown, 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 these the appointment of Mr. Booth was hailed
with unfeigned delight.
66 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 gratified,
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 desire. The leading men say they have got the best appoint-
ment in the Connexion. I wish you could have heard Mr. Firbank's
speech, the gentleman who went to Conference as their delegate.
told us afterward some of the remarks made to him by several of the
He
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
THE CONVERTING SHOP.
225
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.
66
Well, the people here seem unanimous in their satisfaction 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 uphill coming back."
The bright anticipations with which the people met their new pastor
were more than realised. The congregations began rapidly to increase.
At the very first Sunday-night meeting six persons professed sal-
vation, and the occasion was made the more interesting by what
was then an unheard-of novelty-the minister's wife leading off in
prayer at the conclusion of the sermon!
1858.
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 sobriquet 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 commonplace 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 reverence 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 meeting a "free-and-easy," and, in short, to adopt the every-
day language of the poor.
It was worth noting, however, that nearly every such expression
had been coined by the people themselves, often by the unconverted
roughs who form the bulk of our open-air congregations. They have
Q
226
Chap. XXXI.
MRS. BOOTH.
:
:
..
**
*
suited the popular taste, and thus have spread from one place to
another, in exactly the same manner as the early Christians were
derisively nicknamed in Antioch, or the Quakers, Methodists and
Teetotalers 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, the Hindoos reckon that
he belongs to the Ratchagar 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,
Primroses, and similar vulgarities.
There can be little doubt that the adoption of a stilted, unnatural,
high-flown, 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 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 understand its
terms.
A deep principle underlies this fact. To become 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, language 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 finds ready for its use
expressions full of force, meaning and vitality, any more than we
should prefer a trip across the Atlantic in the facsimile of Christopher
Columbus's galley, rather than in a modern steamer? It is true there
are those who regret the exchange from the spotless decks and snowy
canvas of the former to the coal-dust, noise, and machinery of the
latter. 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
recreation 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, and so few make the

MRS. BOOTH-CLIBBORN.
身
​:
1858.
...
*.
THE BIRTH OF LA MARÉCHALE.
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 popularly christened the "Converting
Shop."
227
The first year spent by Mr. and Mrs. Booth in Gateshead was
signalled by the birth of their eldest daughter, Catherine, now Mrs.
Booth-Clibborn, better known to the public as the "Maréchale."
This interesting event took place on the 18th September, 1858.
Baby is a little beauty," reports Mr. Booth to Mr. and Mrs. Mum-
ford, “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 honour upon you."
The vote of thanks asked for by Mr. Booth was to come from
quarters of which he had then not the slightest suspicion. The baby
girl that Mrs. Booth clasped with such fondness to her heart, telling
her mother that she loved her better than the rest, because 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 her's.
Writing to her mother, Mrs. Booth says:
As to the baby, I suppose you will think me like all mothers when I say she
is a little beauty! Her hair is exactly the colour 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."
""
A series of revival services were inaugurated, commencing on Whit-
Monday with an entire day of fasting and 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 commence-
ment of Mr. Booth's ministry, Sunday has been practically spent as
an "all day." The possibility of extending 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.
¡
It was followed by ten weeks of special services, the whole town
being previously canvassed with bills which were distributed from
house to house, Mrs. Booth herself undertaking one district which
Q 2
1:
A
228
P.
MRS. BOOTH.
Chap. XXXI
contained about a hundred and fifty houses. As a result of this effort
more than three hundred persons professed to be converted, many of
whom were young men, who not only became useful members of the
church, but afterwards rose to positions of distinction as mayors,
aldermen, magistrates, and ministers.
At the commencement of the revival Mr. Booth made out a long
list of names of those whose salvation he was specially solicitous,
and it was with great joy that he found at the conclusion of the
meetings that nearly all of them had been converted. In one case
there was a family of sixteen members, all of whom had professed to
find peace, and there were 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
conversion with one solitary exception. 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 night in the
Wesleyan Chapel. The whole town is moved. His name is a regular topic of
conversation in the large iron 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 all 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 'chairing'
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 satisfactory. Nearly all
are adults, and many are intelligent, educated, and respectable. Some single-
instances would satisfy many a preacher of the jog-trot sort for a whole year's
labour. The congregations, too, have kept up amazingly. In fact they have
continued improving, vast numbers of strangers coming every night."
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 recognition 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 counsels respecting their
..
'
1858.
OPEN-AIR PARADES.
229
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 William 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 procession 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 defeating the would-be disturbers with
their own weapons.
The spiritual revival was accompanied by an encouraging improve-
ment in the financial position of the circuit. Not only were the old
debts wiped off, but the funds became sufficient to support three,
instead of two ministers, and to meet with ease all the current
liabilities. It would have been possible at the previous Conference
for Mr. Booth to have secured his appointment to a circuit the
financial prosperity 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 interests 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 principle he has been
able to demonstrate over and over again during his subsequent career.
With one of the means for recruiting the circuit funds both Mr. and
Mrs. Booth had reason to be dissatisfied. They had looked upon
bazaars as a part and parcel of the church routine, and had hitherto
countenanced them without experiencing any conscientious qualms.
With the general principle of offering gifts in kind for the advance-
ment 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 description of what had
occurred:
"I have had a very harassing weck, though I have not been much
230
Chap. XXXI.-
MRS. BOOTH.
I
1.
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 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 very successful,
having realised £232; but it has been a dissipating, godless affair,
and has exerted a very evil influence on our people. There has been
a deal of lotterying, which is little better than gambling, and the
foolery and the display in dress have 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:
"I said to a lady a little while ago, who was working an elaborate
piece of embroidery for a bazaar, '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 making 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
religious purposes by semi-worldly concerts, entertainments, 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 occurred which,
but for the Divine interposition, might have brought Mrs. Booth's
career to an untimely conclusion. She thus describes the incident in
a letter to her parents :
Sunday evening.
"I have not been out to-day, in consequence of feeling 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 conveyance 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 not have the same
conveyance for return, but only a gig belonging 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 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 Willie 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. Indeed 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 greatest 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
!
=
232
Chap. XXXIL
MRS. BOOTH.
ľ
worse.
again, but, bless the Lord, we are all alive and the children are not a bit the
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.
46
'They borrowed a phaeton to bring us home, not a very comfortable ride, I can
assure you, after such a fright. However, 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
endeared him to me. How strange that after all our journeyings 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."
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 grand-children.) "I am certain you are injuring yourself 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 hand-
some. What will you say when I tell you that the beautiful 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 inconsistency 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 grateful for all you have
RENOUNCING THE WORLD.
233
done for them. Only I want you to modify 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 misunderstand either what I say or the
motive which prompts me to say it.”
*1858.
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 plain-
ness for 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 character,
and that they should not only be separate, but appear so. Otherwise what benefit
would their separation confer upon the others?
66
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
belonged 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 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 separate from the
world in our hearts without being different 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.'
• "
The following is another example of the nursery lessons impressed
upon her children's minds :
1
234
Chap. XXXII.
MRS. BOOTH.
.
"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, 'Give it to the
poor boy, mama.' I felt very grateful for the generous impulse manifested.
Oh, for wisdom to train it aright, and it the handmaid of principle, for the
generosity 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 meanness-
which are too often instilled into 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 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.
"You will be very much pleased with Willie," she 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?'
"He is a very good boy in chapel, and likes to go! They are all
fine, healthy, lovable children, and as sharp as needles, and amidst all
the toil and anxiety they occasion I am cheered and sustained by the
sympathy and love of their father. William was never 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,
oh my soul, and forget not all his benefits!'"
But deeply as Mrs. Booth was attached to her family, and ably
as she fulfilled the duties of a mother, many circumstances combined
L
1859.
VISITING THE DRUNKARDS.
about this period to direct her energies into a more public sphere.
Mr. Booth had long been convinced that she 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!"
235
But although for some time longer Mrs. Booth still found it
impossible to overcome her timidity in this direction, another path of
usefulness opened out before 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, thickly populated
street on my way to chapel, anticipating an evening's amusement for
myself, and hoping to see some anxious ones brought into the
kingdom, 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 acting 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, 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 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
1
"".
:
-236
Chap. XXXII
MRS. BOOTH.
܃
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 promises 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 Master's feet were behind me; nay,
before me, smoothing 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 promised 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, I was thinking
where I should go next, when I observed a woman standing on an
adjoining doorstep, with a jug in her hand. My Divine teacher said,
'Speak to that woman.' Satan suggested, 'Perhaps she is intoxi-
cated;' but after a momentary struggle, I introduced 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 stop with him to
keep him from the public-house, and I have just been fetching him
some drink.' I expressed my sorrow for her, and asked if I might
come in and see her husband. 'No,' said she, '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 followed her up the
stairs.
>
"I felt strong now in the Lord, and in the power of His might, and
as safe as a babe in the arms of its mother. I realised that I was in
the path of obedience, 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.
"..
A SAD TALE.
237
"The woman led me to a small room on the first floor, where I
found a fine, intelligent man, about forty, sitting almost double in a
chair, with a jug by 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 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 interests of his wife and
children, until he was thoroughly aroused from the stupor in which I
found him.
"
1859.
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 sin. 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 heaven; that she had a son, then about
eighteen, who, she feared, was going into a consumption; that her
husband was a clever workman, and could earn three 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
temperance pledge book, which he agreed to sign.
2
"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 service, 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 similarly lost and fallen. From that time I commenced
a systematic course of house-to-house visitation, devoting two evenings -
per week to the work. The Lord so blessed my efforts that in a few
weeks I succeeded in getting ten drunkards to abandon their soul--
•
"
"
1
·238
Chap. XXXII.
MRS. BOOTH.
ļ
A
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 describes 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
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 always knew.
After getting hold of eight or ten in this way, and persuading them
to sign the pledge, I use 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 furniture and nothing to sit
down upon.
•
"I remember in one case finding a poor woman 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
lard. 'I fancied a bit o' bootter (butter),' the woman 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 creature, 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 babies I washed
in a broken pie-dish, the nearest approach 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.
"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
K
to
DRUNKARDS RECLAIMED.
239
night air I caught colds which finally resulted in a severe illness. But
my whole soul was in it, and I became deeply attached 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."
1859.
3
I
4
+
1
B
I
•
CHAPTER
XXXIII.
MRS. BOOTH'S FIRST PAMPHLET.
1859.
THE Conference of 1859 was held in Manchester, and Mr. Booth,
being now a superintendent minister, was entitled to attend. At the
quarterly meeting of 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 evangelistic work. Writing to her
mother, Mrs. Booth says:
"I have fully and formally consented to let William go forth as an evangelist,
on condition that he concentrates his 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 Conference. If they decline to employ him as before in the capacity 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, 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
lifting the condition of the circuit, and effectually closing the mouths
of those whose principal objection to revival work had been that the
results were evanescent.
It was with feelings of considerable curiosity and interest that Mr.
Booth attended the ensuing Conference. It proved, however, to be a
melancholy disappointment, and he was glad to reach home again.
To one of his practical nature the debates and resolutions appeared
desultory and unsatisfactory:
'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. Whittaker against it. I shall
not trouble myself on the controversy. The feeling runs high.
“Later.—Foreign mission just carried all but unanimously.”
A TEMPERANCE RESOLUTION.
241
The monotony of the debates was, however, partially enlivened by
the occurrence of an incident in which Mr. Booth took a more active
part:
1859.
"I had been selected by the Conference," he writes, "to form one of a com-
mittee to receive a deputation from the United Kingdom Alliance, whose object
is to secure by legislation the opportunity for the people to decide whether or no
they will have a public-house in their vicinity. The deputation 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
beyond the utterance of a few vapid 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 complicity 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 of them holding offices of con-
siderable 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 opposition. 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 contaminated
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 overwhelming majority. I believe this was the
only resolution that I ever sought to impose upon the Conference."
Nevertheless, it was a useful experience. As conferences 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 parliament of officers
elected by the soldiery, and held upon the battlefield! Its argumen-
tations 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 régime,
R
"
242
Chap. XXXIII.
MRS. BOOTH.
".
1.
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 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.
Disobedience was to be branded as mutiny and its faintest 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.
Mr. Booth left the Conference with a dim feeling of 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.
But this only added to the satisfaction with which he turned once
more to the activities of the battlefield. The Gateshead prospects
were indeed encouraging. During the past year the membership of
Bethesda Chapel had increased from thirty-nine to three hundred,
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.
But the coming year was to prove a historical turning-point, con-
cerning the importance of which Mr. and Mrs. Booth had themselves
no conception. It was a singular Providence which at length impelled
Mrs. 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
undertake, the taunts and denunciations of opposition were to be largely
instrumental in forcing upon her.
It was in December, 1859, that Mrs. Booth's attention was drawn
to a pamphlet written by a neighbouring minister, the Rev. Arthur
Augustus Rees, in which the right of woman to preach was violently
attacked on Scriptural grounds. The occasion for this onslaught was
PAMPHLET ON FEMALE MINISTRY.
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
attraction lay in her simplicity, and in the striking illustrations with
which her addresses were interspersed. Aiming directly at the hearts
of her hearers, and relying 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 friends and
supporters "do not," writes Mrs. Booth to her mother, "deal with
the question at all to my satisfaction. They make so many uncalled-
for admissions, 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 torm of an address to his congregation, and
repeated a second time, by request, to a crowded chapel, and then
published! Would you believe that a congregation, half composed of
ladies, could sit and hear such self-depreciatory rubbish? They really
don't deserve to be taken up cudgels for !
"Mr. Rees was once a Church clergyman, and is now an Indepen-
dent minister with a congregation of upwards of a thousand people.
I hear he talks of publishing 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 is always pestering me to begin giving
lectures, and certainly this would be a good subject to start with. I
am determined that he shall not go unanswered."
In referring again to Mr. Rees' pamphlet Mrs. Booth subsequently
writes to her mother:
1859.
243
"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,
G
;
...
R 2
244
Chap XXXIII.
MRS. BOOTH.
1:|: ཁ ག ང བ ས མར ང་ |
.
2
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, and there is
consequently the more speculation and 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 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 copying for me,
and transposing two or three sentences. 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 feeling. In fact I don't believe I could
have done another stroke."
It has been the misfortune of religion that its exponents have so
frequently endeavoured to accomplish 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 religion, requires a double-motive force. A church with one
wing folded cannot fly; with one foot paralysed, 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
advance. We plead for more labourers in the world's great harvest,
but they must be men! If the Holy Ghost send troops of inspired
women, the fields of 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
►
1
WOMAN'S RIGHT TO PREACH.
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 preposterous 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 Scrip-
ture. 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 suffice to show
how erroneous has been the ordinary accepted view in regard to female
ministry:
1859.
245
'Whether the Church will allow women to speak in her assemblies can only
be a 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
solitary 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 her-
self 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, Phillip's four daughters, and many other women actually did preach
and speak in the primitive churches. If this had not been the case, there would
have been less freedom under the new than under the old dispensation, a greater
paucity of gifts and agencies under the Spirit than under the law, fewer
labourers when more work 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
مبر
I
246
MRS. BOOTH.
Chap. XXXIII.
$
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 or 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 Marys 'All hail!' And they came and held Him by the
feet and worshipped Him. Then said 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.
66
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 intended 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 reason 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 passages 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 people. 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 latter dispensation. What a remarkable
device 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 interests 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."
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
f
18.9.
WAS MAN IMMACULATE?
would fail and even sin. Was man alone immaculate? But they
refused to accept a one-sided and maimed humanity, or to acknow
ledge that such a miniştry 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."
247
•
:
1
ļ
!
r
८
CHAPTER XXXIV.
GATESHEAD. 1860.
't
CONFLICT is a necessary medium for producing conviction and
arriving at the truth. There has never yet been a cause, however
excellent, which has succeeded in converting men to its way of
thinking without 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 with-
out disturbing the present. Established 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 post-
poned 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 preponderat-
ing good more than compensates for the occasional loss. This is fully
recognised in the social and political world. A perpetual battle rages
between society's rights and wrongs, or more often still between
conflicting rights, between lesser rights which have usurped an undue
prominence, and the greater ones which have been thrust momentarily
into the background. The editorial 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 inevitable in the
religious sphere. There are those who recognise the necessity for
conflict in the former who are opposed to it in the latter. They would
}
1860.
THE CONTROVERSY.
249
They cry
They cry "peace, peace!"
no patience with those who
rather acquiesce in evil than disturb it.
when there is no peace, and they have
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 rather to usurp all the governing and
talking to themselves, 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 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 privilege 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 controverted passages.
"For my own part I desire above all things a thorough, honest, impartial
investigation of the Scriptures on the subject, and that by those properly qualified
for the work. I am deeply convinced that when this is secured the present
prevailing 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 prophecy 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
"Yours in the love and fellowship of Jesus,
"Catherine Booth."
▼
250
Chap. XXXIV.
MRS. BOOTH.
!
1
•
!
ཟླ་
!
:
To this letter Mr. Stacey sent the following reply:
"MY DEAR MRS. BOOTH,-I thank you cordially for the pamphlet on female
teaching just received. I will take the very first opportunity of reading it.
"You will possibly suspect that my judgment lies counter to the exercise of
ministerial functions by women, though certainly not in the general sense to
'female teaching.' This judgment is not, I think, one of prejudice, but of intelli-
gent 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 teach-
ing? 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 examination 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 accurate and searching scholar, his reputation does not and cannot 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.
44 Very truly yours,
"J. STACEY."
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 to offer a
word of explanation, and to assure you that I had not the slightest intention of
alluding to yourself in the reference 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 con-
spicuous 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.
STILL UNCONVINCED.
251
"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 disciples of our Lord.
For it is a significant fact that it is not the formal worldly-minded professors who
experience these urgings of the Spirit to open their lips for Christ, but generally
those who are most eminent for piety and unreserved consecration 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
passages in Paul's writings.
"You say, my dear sir, that you do not object to female 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 whatever. 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. Suppose commentators were to deal with some parts of the Epistle of
James as they do with these two passages, what would become 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 imposed on them by good but mistaken men, who thought they were
doing God's service!
1850.
"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 handmaidens 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 such length when I
commenced. But my heart is full of feeling on this subject-not on my own
account, God knows, but because it does appear to me to be very intimately con-
nected with the progress and triumphs 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 himself as still
unconvinced. At the same time he appreciated fully the ability
manifested by Mrs. Booth in dealing with the subject, concluding his
letter by saying:
To me
"I trust I need not say how much I esteem your sympathies and aims.
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 supported Mrs. Booth's
252
Chap. XXXIV.
MRS. BOOTH.
I.
+'
→
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
demonstration the truth for which she had contended. Mrs. Booth's
convictions were of too robust a character to give way before the oppo-
sition that her pamphlet aroused. In after years, when she had reached
the zenith of her success, there were few who did not admit 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 that 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 useful one.
Certainly there would be very little talking done.
To Mrs. Booth it would have given but little satisfaction 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 argument 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."
j
1
CHAPTER XXXV.
1860. MRS. BOOTH COMMENCES PREACHING.
GATESHEAD. 1860.
It was Sunday morning, the 8th January, 1860. Mr. Booth had
been announced to take the service at Bethesda Chapel. But the
expectant congregation were disappointed when, after a whispered
conversation, 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 Moss Booth was
born within a few days of the publication of her mother's stirring
pamphlet, and she was still an infant in her arms when the public
ministry commenced which was to open the doors 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 consecrate herself to the ministry which
she had so powerfully defended on behalf of others. She applied
her pamphlet to herself. She had always been fully convinced that
it was lawful for a women 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 altogether 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 reflection which is often impossible in the busy
routine of every-day life. She was forced to face the natural con-
sequences of her own teachings, and to realise that what was
permissible became a duty where the necessary qualifications were
possessed.
Referring to her experience in a public meeting twenty years after-
wards, Mrs. Booth said:
66
Perhaps some of you would hardly credit that I was one of the
+
#2
+
1
254
MRS. BOOTH.
Chap. XXXV.
?
"
1
most timid and bashful disciples the Lord Jesus ever saved.
But
for four or five months before I commenced speaking, the con-
troversy had been signally roused in my soul, and I passed through
some severe heart-searchings. During a season of sickness 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 me with those urgings of
the Spirit which I used to 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 afterwards I went to the chapel of which my
husband was a minister (Bethesda), 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 present, including a number of preachers and outside friends.
"I was, as usual, in the minister's pew, with my eldest boy, then
four years old. I felt much depressed 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 said in
believe Thou wouldst, but I cannot do it!'
my heart: 'Yes, Lord, I
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 bedroom visitation when I had promised the Lord that I would
obey Him at all costs. And then the voice seemed to ask me if this
was consistent with that promise. I almost jumped up and said,

MRS. BOOTH-TUCKER.
THE FIRST PUBLIC ADDRESS.
255
'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 husband was just going to conclude.
He thought something 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.'
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, 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.
1860.
"Now I might have 'talked good' to them till now. That honest
-confession did what twenty years of preaching could not have accom-
plished.
"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

256
MRS. BOOTH.
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
scarcely had resumed her seat, when,
true to his nature, Mr. Booth pounced
upon her to preach at night. She
could not refuse. The people were
LINKAGERA
AND WILL
Chap. XXXV.
BETHESDA CHAPEL, GATESHEAD-ON-TYNE,
In which was delivered Mrs. Booth's first public address.
delighted.
They overwhelmed her with congratulations. Her
servant, who was at the meeting, went home and danced round 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 consternation at having to speak again
CROWDED TO THE WINDOW-SILLS.
257
that night. What could she say? It would be useless for her to
repeat what she had said in the morning. And yet there was no time
for preparation. She cast herself upon her 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 preceding
one.
1860.
The chapel presented a never-to-be-forgotten scene 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 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 poured in
thickly from all directions in greater number than could possibly
be accepted. Among other places a call was received from Newcastle,
and an interesting 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 for the addresses
delivered in the chapel on Sunday last, which we have no doubt will be produc-
tive 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.
"6th June, 1860.”
"W. H. RENWICK,
"Society Steward.
In a letter dated 23rd July, Mrs. Booth sends her parents an
interesting account of her labours at this time:
"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,
S
258
Chap. XXXV.
MRS. BOOTH.
+
and I know I spoke with freedom and power. The people listened like statues,
and were frequently very much moved. I daresay 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, oh my soul, and all that is within
me bless His Holy Name!
""
They talk of William and myself conducting revival services 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 use 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 fortnight.”
Meanwhile the annual Conference had come and gone. Mr. Booth
had not attended it, having consented to stay in Gateshead another year.
There seemed, therefore, no particular object to be gained in going.
He believed, moreover, that he 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
Conference appeared satisfied.
The heavy strain of his circuit duties had told severely for some
time past upon Mr. Booth, and led in September to a complete break-
down and an enforced rest. Having been strongly recommended to
try the hydropathic treatment, Mr. Booth went to Mr. Smedley's
establishment at Matlock, while Mrs. Booth remained 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 appointments 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 somewhat crestfallen at the
1
1860.
ACTING AS MINISTER.
259
result, but returned soon afterwards with renewed supplications that
Mrs. Booth would at least undertake the Sabbath night meetings,
these being the most important. After considerable pressure she
consented to this arrangement, and during the next nine weeks con-
ducted 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 description of the position
of affairs during this period:
"24th September, 1860.
"I had a very good day yesterday at Sheriff Hill. A most precious time in the
morning. Spoke an hour and ten minutes 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 conviction, 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 according 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.
"I get plenty of invitations now, far more than I can comply 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
having my husband's clothes on! They would require to be considerably
shortened before such a phenomenon could occur, would they not? Well, not-
withstanding 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!"
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
during 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,
S 2
E
**
260
MRS. BOOTH.
Chap. XXXV.
and a deep solemnity seemed to rest on every countenance. I am conscious 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. Messrs. Firbank,
Thompson, and Crow were talking in the vestry afterwards, and they said we
ought to commence special services 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 badly interferes with the quiet necessary for prepara-
tion, but I must try to possess my soul in patience, and to do all, in the kitchen as
well as in the pulpit, 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
cannot 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 afternoon of the
28th. Well, on Saturday another gentleman waited on me, and begged me to recon-
sider my decision. He evidently came determined to make me yield. He was
most doggedly obtuse to all my reasons and persevering in his entreaties. 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 'Superintendent.' 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."
2.
One of the most interesting features of the Gateshead work was the
unanimity which prevailed within the borders of the Society. "This
was the more remarkable," says one of its oldest officials, "as the
circuit 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 manage. But under Mr. Booth's leader-
ship everything went on smoothly. He never permitted symptoms of
=*
ADMINISTRATIVE ABILITY.
disagreement or coldness time to grow.
If he thought anything
had been said calculated to give rise to a misunderstanding, or
unnecessarily to wound anyone's feelings, he would not allow twenty-
four hours to pass without setting the matter straight by a personal
interview."
1860.
261
It is not always that the gift of eloquence is combined with adminis-
trative ability. Indeed, men of action are proverbially taciturn, while
the capacity for saying a thing well is as frequently linked with a
singular 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
exemplification of the "iron hand in a velvet glove," which is truly
said to be the most valuable qualification of a wise ruler. A bad rider
will spoil the best horse. At one time the reins will lie loose upon its
neck, so that except 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 alter-
nately 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 parallel
has held good in the case of human governments. They are a
necessity in some shape or form-perhaps in every shape a necessary
evil of our humanity. 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
individual powers would render possible. The divided house must
fall, if not into perdition, at least into comparative obscurity. Men
are like sheep. The vast majority are made and meant to follow.
The rare minority are fitted to lead. A happy union of the two is
what is required. The unfortunate experiences of misgoverment 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
262
Chap. XXXV.
MRS. BOOTH.
·
3
VT THE
POSTE
one, a government 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 cleverness, 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 regard to ability and piety-impartially adminis-
tered, and based on the confidence of its rank and file. Ability has
been duly recognised without being improperly 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 becomes
more or less of a mixed muddledom.
CHAPTER XXXVI.
GATESHEAD. 1860-1861.
THE illness and prolonged absence of Mr. Booth from the Gates-
head Circuit had not only the effect of compelling Mrs. Booth to
undertake the responsibilities from which she would otherwise have
drawn back, but gave rise to a correspondence which contains an
unusually full description of the incidents occurring at the time.
Her intense anxiety regarding the nervous prostration and complete
breakdown which had necessitated Mr. Booth's departure may be
gathered from the following letter:
"September 13th, 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 nothing 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 some more.
I might
arrange some lectures and charge so much for entrance. With such an object in
view I could undertake 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 sickness? '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 rest,
J
亨
​264
Chap. XXXVI.
MRS. BOOTH.
£
F
!
change, and medical treatment had produced, with God's blessing, a
satisfactory improvement in her husband's health.
To add to her anxieties, however, her children sickened
simultaneously with whooping cough. The following 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 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 directions 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 fancies for Christ's sake! Bless you! I am sure your
kindness is fully appreciated and highly prized!"
It is not unfrequently a characteristic of the largest minds that they
possess a capacity for descending to the veriest trifles, passing from
one to the other without apparent effort, and finding 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 greatness is never
greater than when dealing with the littleness of the hour, at one
moment sweeping the universe 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 spell-bound audience, presents a happy
contrast, in which each portion of the double picture lends added
41
4.
1839.
265
NEWSPAPER NOTICES.
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.
"I hear it has got into the Court Journal, and several other
papers," she writes to her parents, "that I am to take William's
appointments. The paragraph is headed 'A Minister's Wife Supply-
ing 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.
"I had a splendid congregation on Sunday night, and took the
pulpit, very much against my own desire, 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 never need 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 universal satisfaction.
"I am published for anniversary sermons at Felling 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.
"The preparation is the great difficulty. I am subject to such
constant interruption and noise that I am often almost bewildered.
But the Lord has wonderfully 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 so far as I could judge to everybody else. It was
266
Chap. XXXVI.
MRS. BOOTH.
1
.
*
1
1
}
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.
66
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 arrangement, 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 talk while a few friends were praying after tea, that she
would quite upset me at night. However, I committed 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, 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 deliver 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 unwilling 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 winning 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 or read to anybody."
A few days afterwards 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 pleasure
to myself, and if I may judge with blessing to the people else. We had an
excellent day altogether. Good congregations 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 health's sake. But
WE LACKED A GENERAL.
267
it is so difficult in dealing with a subject to leave unsaid what you think may be
useful to the people.
1860.
"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 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 back-
slider. 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 had had several cases, I have no doubt.
"At the quarterly meeting I am told very kind recognition was made of my
labours, and a resolution of thanks and sympathy unanimously passed. It was
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!
"Do not forget to pray for me. I am the subject of much temptation and
conflict. But God knows my heart. He sees I only want to do His will.
66
Oh, how thankful I am that you are beiter! It seems to make all my other
anxieties light and easy. Even my own health appears a trifle compared with
yours, and I feel that infinitely easier could I meet death myself, than suffer 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 know I love Him. I know I
am striving after a full 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!”
Mr. Booth returned from his furlough with health 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 manifes-
tation of their confidence and affection, and was especially gratified
by their assurance concerning the progress of the work during his
2
2
+
268
Chap. XXXVI.
MRS. BOOTH.
..
I
ř
}.
S
absence, a resolution having been unanimously passed expressive of
their satisfaction with the able and devoted manner in which Mrs.
Booth had superintended the affairs of the circuit.
Writing to her parents upon New Year's Day, Mrs. Booth gives the
following description of the Christmas:
"We have had a very good tea-meeting on 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 distinguished 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 church is not
its architecture, etc., but the living embodiment 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 resolution that some
blanks be left on the next 'plan' for Sunday nights at Bethesda, and that I be
requested to supply them. But I cannot give the time to preparation 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 remember our tem-
poralities a little more than they do!"
It is only due to the circuit officials to say that they made up some-
what for their previous forgetfulness by offering a little monetary
assistance to Mr. and Mrs. Booth before they went away. And, no
doubt, had they been aware of the financial straits which made 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 be wasted over house-
hold details which might have been so profitably devoted to the
salvation of souls.
A more thrifty housewife than Mrs. Booth it would have been diffi-
cult to find. She could not endure extravagance. 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 gave utterance—that her

1
1830.
STANDING BEFORE PRINCES.
children were destined to "stand before princes," and she was resolved
that 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 them 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.
:
269
1
2
ï
I
I
24.
RITAN
CHAPTER XXXVII.
HOLINESS TEACHINGS. 1861.
Of the doctrines advocated by John Wesley, next to the necessity
of conversion, there was none on 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 only could the
sins of the past be pardoned, and the sinner restored to the family of
God, but that the heart could be purified by the same power from the
evil tendencies and tempers, which would otherwise prove too strong
for it and render it the helpless prey of every passing temptation. If,
he argued, the citadel 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 attention of the victim of such passion
would necessarily be occupied in combating those inward enemies,
and there would be little opportunity, inclination, and capacity for
serving their Master by carrying the war into the heart of the enemy's
country. If, on the contrary, these inward forms of evil were removed,
every energy could then be devoted to the salvation of a perishing
world.
The very object of the atonement appeared to him to be the conquest
and removals of these indwelling evils. The very name Jesus signi-
fied 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.
1
1861.
SEEKING A CLEAN HEART.
271
How they came to do so is touchingly 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 sufficiently 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 intend to struggle
after it. In the meantime we have commenced already to bring it specially before
our dear people."
February 4th, 1861.
"I spoke a fortnight since at Bethesda on Holiness, and a precious 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 grey-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
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 useful, to the glory, not of myself, the most unworthy
of all who e'er His grace received, but of His great and boundless 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. The Lord has been
dealing very graciously with him for some time past. His soul has been growing
in grace, and its outward 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 circumstances 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 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 know it was. And on the day I referred to in my last letter to
you, I determined to bring it to a point before 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. It seemed
far worse than death. Since that hour, however, 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 revived William's yearn-
ings towards the evangelistic work, 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 consequences with the Lord.
He says that we shall not lack any good
thing if we do His will, and if He put us to the test we are going to trust Him
with each other, life, health, salary and all.
272
Chap. XXXVII.
MRS. BOOTH.
:
·
I
!
·
产
​"Will you not pray that He may reveal unto us His will so clearly that we
cannot err? Oh, for faith in the simple Word! The curse of this age especially
is unbelief, frittering the real 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 subject.
"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 determined 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 backward, how blinded, 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. Oh, unbelief! truly it binds the hands of
Omnipotence itself! 'He could not do many mighty works because of their
unbelief.' May the Lord increase our faith!”
"11th February, 1861.
"Your very kind letter came duly to hand. We are very much obliged for the
readiness with which you promised 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
price'—'the white stone, which no man knoweth, save he that receiveth it.' I
perceived that I had been in some degree of error with reference to the nature,
or rather the attainment, 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, dwelling 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 trying to believe for it. On
Thursday afternoon at tea-time I was wellnigh discouraged, and felt my old
visitant irritability, and the devil told me I should never get it, and so I might as
well give it up at once. However, I know 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
F
1861.
"NOW ARE YE CLEAN.”
273
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 holiness. But I
staggered at the promise through unbelief, and therefore failed to enter in. The
second passage consisted of those thrice-blessed words, 'Of IIim are ye in Christ
Jesus, who is made unto us wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemp-
tion.' 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!' 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 I 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 unmo-
lested 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 myself 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 believe 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 has 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 peculiarly aggravated
sins, and I have admitted it all. But then I have said, the Lord has not made
my sanctification to depend in any measure on my own worthiness or unworthi-
ness, 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? Whoso-
ever 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
T
I
274
Chap. XXXVII.
MRS. BOOTH.
Zion. In the glorious possibility of pardon, it was to be "estab-
lished," 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,
binding 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."
64
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 concentrate 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, and 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 professing
Christians do is to resist and reject this doctrine of Holiness 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 being holy showed that they knew nothing of
themselves and nothing of Jesus Christ. I said, 'Oh, my God! it has come to
something if Holiness and Jesus Christ are at the antipodes of each other. I
thought He was the centre and fountain of Holiness. I thought it was in Him
alone we could get any Holiness, and through Him only that Holiness could be
wrought in us.' But this poor man thought otherwise.
"We are told over and over again that God wants His people to be pure, and
THAT PURITY IN THEIR HEARTS IS THE 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
THE CONDITIONS OF HOLINESS.
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 Godward and manward. It contemplates me as
well as it contemplates 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 transformed 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 their condition, 'Be not conformed
to this world;' they will not forego their conformity even to the extent of a
dir.ner-party. A great many that I know will not forego their conformity to the
shape of their head-dress. They won't forego their conformity to the extent of
giving up visiting and receiving visits from the ungodly, worldly, hollow, and
superficial 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 quâ non is their own comfort,
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.',
46
1861.
275
Finally, to obtain this blessed experience, there is the great desideratum—
faith. You can't know it by understanding. 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 sanctifica-
tion 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 arguments, 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."
T 2
:
1
CHAPTER XXXVIII.
"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 cham-
pions 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 arrives when, with-
out 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 resurrection glory. If good desires would save
mankind, it would surely have been delivered long ago.
long ago. The
difference between idle wishes and the deliberate heart - choice of
the world's true benefactor is, that the latter consents to pay the
price which some one has to pay. The Cross is the divinely appointed
shibboleth for the detection of the hypocrite. No insincere and
selfish heart can "frame to pronounce" the word. The Ephraimite
is betrayed by his lisp, and fails in his attempt to cross the ford.
It was an epoch such as this in the history of Mr. and Mrs. Booth.
Hitherto, they had bowed their necks to the Connexional yoke in the
belief that the promises of a return to their evangelistic sphere would
ultimately and unanimously be afforded them. Four years had they
waited, but only to be disappointed. That they could be useful in a cir-
cuit they had abundantly proved; but that they could accomplish still
greater results in the coveted position, where they had previously been
blessed in so remarkable a manner, was equally clear. The question
now presented itself forcibly to their consciences, as to whether they
were justified 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
LETTER TO THE COMMITTEE.
that Conference 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 reminded them that his constitution was not of the strongest.
Added to these difficulties there was a warm personal attachment to
the large circle of Connexionai 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 considerations, however,
appeared to lessen the responsibility of their present position. And
they resolved with the most perfect unanimity that if the Conference
once 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 a letter to the President, formally broaching the subject and
offering themselves for reappointment to the evangelistic sphere.
From this letter we quote the following paragraphs:
1861.
277
"I am clearly convinced of the Scriptural character of the office of evange-
list. This, I think, I have heard you maintain, nor do I know that any deny it.
"Other churches are successfully availing themselves of this kind of
agency, amongst which are the Wesleyans, Presbyterians, Methodist Free
Churches, Independents, and Baptists.
"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 admission 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 interests, 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 before, 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 Conference, 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 obtained by the
places where I labour giving so much per week for my services as before. This,
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.
D
278
Chap. XXXVIII.
MRS. BOOTH.
F
:
•
"4. Every church where I laboured successfully to be requested to make an
offering towards a fund to enable me to labour in poor churches. Towards this
fund I think I know some of my 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 appear 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 were 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 entirely to the Lord, as I have not the slightest idea of any
guarantee whatever, save that of Him who has said, 'Every one that has
forsaken houses, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children,
or lands, for My name's sake, shall receive a 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 my
health will stand the one as well as the other, with seasonable 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 interests of the Connexion.
I wish to labour with the fullest approbation 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 15th instant, on my way
to Birmingham, in order to consult you on the question, which, to give you
opportunity for consideration, I have at this length laid before you. Should you
in the meantime 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
*
!
•
PREPARED FOR THE WORST.
279
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 discussion. 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 vigorous an opposition as ever.
1361.
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 successful in carrying
their point, they would have the intense satisfaction of retaining their
position in the Connexion, and at the same time of obeying the
dictates of conscience. If, on the other hand, the Conference 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 letter to the
President, and that you forwarded it to Dr. Cooke. Send us word what you
thought of it. I don't see how they 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 committee. 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 tokens of Divine
approval. A series of revival services, held in the beginning of the
year at Bethesda Chapel, had resulted in two hundred persons
professing conversion. The quarterly returns showed an increase of
more than three hundred members to the circuit during the three
years of their appointment. The annual District meeting held in
Durham, previous to the meeting of the Conference, had been.
memorialised 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:
1. Affirming the Scriptural character of such an agency and the
desirability of its employment by the Connexion.
•
"
1
1
280
Chap. XXXVIII.
MRS. BOOTH.
K
}
2. Recommending Conference to set Mr. Booth apart for the work;
and
1
3. Recommending his appointment to the Durham district as his
first sphere of labour.
One of the most influential lay members of the Conference 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 evangelistic work. Indeed, both he and other wealthy
friends made it no secret that if it were the question of
were the question of expense which
had caused hesitation as to the appointment, 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 during this brief interval. This
seemed to be in an especial 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 graphically described by Mrs. Booth
herself in the following letter to her parents :
'HARTLEPOOL, Easter Monday, 1861.
"We came here on Thursday afternoon for the Easter Anniversary meetings.
I preached on Good Friday morning to a full chapel, William on Sunday morning,
and I again in the afternoon to a chapel packed, aisles and pulpit stairs, while
many turned away unable to get in. This morning William returned to Gates-
head to attend our tea-meeting at Bethesda. I am staying here to preach again
to-night, and shall return all well to-morrow. There were many under conviction.
last evening, whom I hope to see converted to-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 1,000 in it yesterday afternoon.
"And now how are you getting on? I am very glad to hear my dear father is
so useful in the temperance line. I intend 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.
1
"I hope, however, my dear father will not stop at teetotalism. Why can you
not speak a word for Jesus? (Shortly previous to this, while on a visit to Mrs.
1
1
།
་
?
1
1861.
REVIVAL AT HARTLEPOOL.
281
Booth, Mr. Mumford had given his heart freshly to God.) Does not 'love so
amazing, so divine' as He has shown to you demand the consecration 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 do something for the
Lord, and be instrumental in winning a few poor souls to Jesus? It is workers
that are so wofully 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:
"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 con-
found the mighty.'
•
•
"I preached again on the Wednesday and Friday evenings, and also gave two
addresses on holiness, and the Lord was very gracious with me.
Above 100
names were taken during the week, and besides these I should think we have had
half the members up to seek a clear sense
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 outside 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
:
282
MRS. BOOTH.
Chap. XXXVIII.
÷
I
them, and the people of God are awfully ignorant of the right way to lead penitents
to Christ. The Lord have mercy on a half-asleep Church! Oh, if I had time tc
particularise some of the precious cases we have had I could fill sheets! But I
have not. Our Christ can do wonderful things, and that by the feeblest instruments.
"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 respectable people and also some of the greatest
reprobates in the town, and yet during the whole service I saw but one
irreverent 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
before put their heads inside a place of worship. I give an address 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.
46
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 wisdom 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 untó eternal life.
#1
Church at large
What can we dc
Oh, I cannot tell you how I feel in view of the state of the
It is a dead weight on the heels of any truly earnest minister.
to wake it up, and keep it awake? We can only pray to the Lord of the harvest.
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:
1861.
THE CHAPEL WEDGED.
"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 controversy, 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,
however, for a report to be sent to either the papers or the Magazine. I fear
the Spirit is often grieved by glorying in instrumentalities, and so far as I am
concerned, I do it only unto the Lord, and my record is on high."
283
Referring to the same meetings, Mr. Booth writes:
"I just send a line to say how we are. Catherine came home on Tuesday after-
noon. It has been a very glorious work, one hundred and eighty from the world,
besides near a hundred for justification and holiness from the different 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 Winlaton 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 Hartlepool,
which she describes in the following letter:
"We had a splendid day, chapel wedged at night and numbers 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 occa-
sion. I heard a great deal of gracious and heart-cheering intelligence with
reference to those brought in during 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 invitations. I expect to be at Salem, New-
castle, twice next Sunday. 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
1
•
بنر
-...
1
སྒྲ།
284
MRS. BOOTH.
my voice beyond its ordinary compass. It is the prayer-meeting work that
exhausts me the most.
Chap. XXXVIII.
On Sunday the Lord was very graciously with me. I never felt more liberty
and influence than I did at night. It 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 lessons. They all
come on charmingly. Baby gets a real pet-such a mama's girl as none of them
have been."
To an unprejudiced mind it would have appeared that the glorious
results attending the Hartlepool revival, together with the remarkable
successes achieved by Mr. Booth, would have sufficed to have con-
vinced 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 neighbouring 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 own incapacity.
But there were those who did not wish to be convinced, and who were
only increasingly alarmed that four years of suppression had not suc-
ceeded in extinguishing the fiery zeal of the evangelist. 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.
were
THE memorable Conference, on the decisions of which
suspended events of far-reaching importance, was held in Liverpool
in 1861. Mr. and Mrs. 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 trying 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 implicitly 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 conscience's 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:
now.
"The time for the consideration of our case is now drawing near. We anticipate
some very sharp fighting. Several of 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 proposal. Mr. W. Rabbits
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
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 ulti-
mate usefulness is concerned. I believe the Lord intends him to do a great
work, and He is able to sustain him in it.
!
!
1
286
Chap. XXXIX.
MRS. BOOTH.
7.
→
=
66
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 illusions 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 weakness and failure, for indicating the measures which
would be likely to arouse the Church, for calling each other to repentance 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
estimation. Hours were wasted in discussing trifling details, in exchanging
empty compliments, in speechifying, in proposing alternate resolutions and
amendments, and in the disposal of the driest and dullest of business routine.
From beginning to end there was nothing to inflame the zeal, or deepen the
devotion, or heighten the aspirations of the members."
Nevertheless, the study was doubtless to Mr. and Mrs. Booth an
interesting, and, in view of the future, a profitable one. It has com-
monly 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.
1861.
:
.
BIBLIOCRACY.
287
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
papers. She is allowed to serve, but is not permitted to command.
The Tennysons and the Dorés 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 altogether
undue importance to the acquirement of linguistic and clerical attain-
ments, which no more qualify men for the command of their fellows
than would the knowledge of cookery or the plough.
True, the New Connexion was considerably in advance 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 good deal of the business," continues Mrs. Booth, "was of a personal char-
acter. The first lively passage of arms which took place was concerning the editor-
ship of the Magazine. For many years our old friend, Dr. Cooke, had conducted it,
nis appointment having been renewed by each succeeding 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 Conference. No sooner had
he taken his seat than some one rose and charged him with 'morbid sentimen-
talism,' 'clinging to office,' and a number of severe, unkind, and unwarrantable
accusations, which did not, however, elicit a single response from the audience.
Our friend, Mr. Rabbits, 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 editorship as before.
"At length our case came on for consideration. As we had anticipated, the
proposal for our restoration to the 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 invent some fresh pretexts
for their action, inasmuch as we had completely cut the ground from beneath
their former abjections. 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
hesitating manner in which some spoke, who had in private assured us most
emphatically of their sympathy and support. I believe that cowardice in 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 appointment was brought
forward for discussion and was successively adjourned, the debate occasioning
4
370
F
4
.
288
Chap.XXXIX.
MRS. BOOTH.
1
4.
..
considerable excitement throughout. Every imaginable and unimaginable
objection was resorted to by the opposition, which was headed, as before, 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. J. Stokoe presenting to
the Conference the resolutions passed by the recent meetings 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 Deed Poll of the Connexion. The result of the Durham resolu-
tions 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.
It seems somewhat surprising that Mr. Wright had not made
this remarkable discovery six years previously, when Mr. Booth was
formally appointed by the Conference for this species of work, nor
during the discussion 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 controversy at a much earlier date.
However, Mr. Wright's contention, although supported by a solicitor,
did not remain unchallenged.
Mr. Oldham asked if the Poll Deed prevented circuits from
employing extra agency for revival and other religious work. If so,
he thought the sooner it was thrown aside the better.
Dr. Cooke also differed from Mr. Wright, pointing out that the
Poll Deed did not prohibit any new agency. They had often
instituted such. The Canadian 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 Durham Circuit was not contrary to
the Poll Deed. This was warmly seconded by Mr. Rabbits, who
dwelt upon the free policy of the New Connexion, and expressed 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
1861.
MRS. BOOTH PROTESTS.
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.
It remained to decide whether the Conference, having affirmed its
power to create the agency, would proceed to act on it as desired. A
long and vehement discussion ensued. The opponents of the
measure argued that it was an insult to the pastor to introduce any
outside agency, as if he were not himself sufficient to fulfil the duties
of the post.
Some of the speakers objected altogether to revival
work, and seized the opportunity for denouncing it. One of them,
Mr. McCurdy, 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 admission met
with hearty applause. But the speaker added that he was neverthe-
less 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 he had
addressed to the Annual Committee in the 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 professed to
be on their side, proposed a compromise. His amendment was to
the effect that Mr. Booth 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 elsewhere. The
impracticability of such a course Mr. and Mrs. Booth had already
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 double work. Mr. Booth, therefore, refused
pointblank to accept the compromise, but before time could be given
to his sympathisers to recover from their surprise, the amendment was
put to the vote and carried 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 righteous-
289
Typ
1
.
↓
.
V

CHAUCK
THE RESIGNATION.
1861.
"ORDER! ORDER!"
291
ness. But for his suggested compromise, she believed that they would
have carried the day with a triumphant majority. He had deserted
them in the very hour of victory, carrying with him a number of those
who had already yoted in favour of the appointment. But she would
be no party, even by her silence, to the compromise. It was one
of those supreme moments when rules and regulations are forgotten,
and the heart out of its own fulness acts upon the promptings and
inspiration of the hour.
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 gallery. 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 animated countenance. Her
"Never!" seemed to penetrate 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. Heedless 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 regarding
His work.
Thus, amid a deluge of heartbreaks and disappointments, the
horizon overcast with gloomy clouds, amid a storm of sorrow, the
Salvation Army ark was launched. It was long before it rested on
its Ararat, and longer still before its uncovered roof displayed the
verdant fields and luxuriant pastures of prosperity. But the moment.
had at length arrived when the moorings that had hitherto anchored
it to the traditions of the past were cut loose. The unfriendly hand
of jealousy was unconsciously to perform for them the greatest
service of their lives, and the monsoon blasts that threatened to
overwhelm them with calamity were to waft them to the shores of a
better land. They would have been satisfied to live for ever in their
New Connexion Goshen, but Providence had prepared for them a
BAT
W
V 2
292
Chap. XXXIX.
MRS. BOOTH.
wider sphere than the modest one for which they had asked. One
door had closed behind them, it is true, but a thousand more had
opened in its place, and countless hearts were to respond in happy
gratitude for the courage and self-sacrifice of that all-important hour
which made Mr. and Mrs. Booth and their family the common
property of the world, and the nations of the earth in a singular sense
their inheritance.
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 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 persistence in their
present course, and urged them to accept the decision of the Con-
ference, 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 apparent compromise
was, as a matter of fact, no compromise 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 utmost. 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
in offering to resign their salary, and to depend solely upon God for
their support, but they could not accept a double responsibility which
they would be unable to fulfil.
It was now Saturday. The Conference was to hold 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. They had been
announced to conduct meetings in Chester, and they accordingly
went. The chapel was crowded, and in spite of the melancholy
4:
ŵ
294
Chap XL.
MRS. BOOTH.
1
feelings which oppressed their hearts, their visit was attended with
success and souls were saved.
On the Monday morning they returned to Liverpool, when Mr.
Booth attended the sitting of the Conference. He was received with
marked kindness. Nevertheless, there appeared to be no disposition
to reconsider the decision or to suggest any other solution of the
difficulty, and there was no little rejoicing on the part of the New-
castle 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, 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 services, 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, concluding by inviting him to take the
platform and signify his feelings to the Conference.
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 interests. He had won thousands.
of souls within its borders. But he was now asked to carry out an
arrangement which was at once a physical impossibility, and which
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 Connexion, 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 sooner
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
1
A PUZZLING DILEMMA.
295
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 matters 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 accepting invitations from other
circuits and churches which he knew to be desirous of obtaining his
services.
1861.
Mrs. Booth was strongly in favour 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, accepting 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 the 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 meantime, during this period of suspense, Mrs. Booth writes
to her parents:
"Your very kind letter came duly to hand. We should have answered it
sooner, but have had neither heart nor opportunity. 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 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.
and almost bewildered with fatigue and anxiety.
The fact is I am but poorly,
We don't know what to do.
:
296
Chap. XL.
MRS. BOOTH.
;
¿
And yet God knows we only seek to do the right. If I thought it was right to
stop here in the ordinary work I would gladly consent.
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, preaching to twenty, thirty, and forty people, when, with the same
amount of cost to himself, he might be preaching to thousands, 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
sacrifice, should be the first in making it! But when I made the surrender, I did
it whole-heartedly, and even 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 William any invitations at present. The time is unfavourable. 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
whirlwind, and He rides upon the storm! I will try to possess my soul in
patience and to wait on Him.
"The children do not like the change at all. Poor little Katie cried bitterly the
first night when we undressed her 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 sincerely 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 perhaps 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 winter, as one of
the leading families was going to the seaside! So poor, convicted sinners at
Alnwick must wait their convenience! 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 accomplishment of our desires, if I can only see justifiable reasons. But
I have no hope that God will ever assure us that we shall lose nothing in seeking
to do His will. I don't think this is God's plan. I think He sets before us our
**
1861.
A LEAP IN THE DARK.
duty, and then demands its performance, expecting us to leave the consequences
with Him.
..
297
"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 professing
people are generally as anxious to see their way as worldlings are, but they thus
dishonour God and greatly injure themselves.
"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 evidence 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, however, 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:
Pray for him.
Pray for him.
"My dearest is starting for London.
He is much harassed.
But I have promised him to keep a brave heart. At times it appears to me that
God may have something very glorious in store for us, and when He has tried
us, He will bring us forth as gold. It will not be the first time I have taken a
leap in the dark, humanly speaking, for conscience sake!
"Of course, there are some who would brand us as fanatics 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."
1

298
Chap XL-
MRS. BOOTH.
?
i
*ZVE
↓
?
F
•
It was only for a time, however, that they were the losers, and even
then it was more in appearance than in reality. The clouds of mis-
fortune, which hid for a moment from view the stars that lighted
their firmament, 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, however
painful to themselves, must in some way result in the accomplishment
of God's highest purposes.
.
CHAPTER XLI.
THE RESIGNATION. 1861.
MR. BOOTH had started for London. We can picture 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 revolved.
William Booth was never content with doing good, 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 bygone 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 letters, reporting to Mrs. Booth the result of the
varying 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 agreeable gentleman, and welcomed me cordially,
giving me all the information and counsel he could. He starts for America on
I
J
300
MRS. BOOTH.
1
Chap. XLI.
Monday in the Great Eastern. His success has been very considerable in Scot-
land, and they have acted most generously 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, meeting 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 contrast 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 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!'
46
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 that 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 guarantee, but for a sphere.
“I said to Mr. Pearse, in the best way I could, that all I desired at the present
was a sphere to 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
THE GARRICK THEATRE.
301
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 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. How-
ever, I saw the doctor with him, and promised to conduct a service, for which they
were to engage a hall, somewhere in the West End. I 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 working-man'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 sup-
port, 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 trouble 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!"
1861.
Writing on the following Monday, he gives an interesting 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 Garrick Theatre. We
arrived there at half-past three, and found about forty 'workers,' who were receiv-
ing an address. Then prayer was offered for God's blessing on the work, and
afterwards 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
preached; had a little liberty in talking to the people. I found 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
concerned, 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."
For various reasons, however, Mr. Booth was unwilling to attach
himself to these undenominational missions, one of the uppermost
2
1
19
:302
Chap. XLI.
MRS. BOOTH.
!
!
!
.
•
being the lingering hope that it might yet be possible to retain his
position in the New Connexion. To the very last he fought against
separation, and would fain have stayed with the people whom he had
made his own, and 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 goodwill and affection. There
was nothing, at any rate, to prevent his numerous Connexional friends
from applying for his services, and the idea of going to labour among
those who more or less held views with which he did not sympathise,
was repugnant to his mind and seemed unfeasible.
It was with such thoughts and feelings that he 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 pro-
ceeded to fulfil the engagement.
They had scarcely reached Nottingham, however, when they
received from Dr. Crofts a letter expressing 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 arrange-
ment. And they had been willing to await the decision of another
Conference. But they could not consent to sacrifice their convictions
of duty, and Mr. Booth accordingly addressed the following letter to
the President:
"TO THE REV. H. O. CROFTS, D.D.,
"President of the Methodist New Connexion,
"12, BUXTON Street, Newcastle-on-Tyne,
"July 18th, 1861.
"MY DEAR SIR,-Yours of the 16th 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 respecting the arrange-
ment, 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 RESIGNATION LETTER.
303
"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 remind you, however, that there is considerable difference between the
opinion of an individual and the resolutions of the regularly constituted meetings
of the circuit.
1861.
"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 connection with the Conference 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 connection. 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 resignation
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 Confer-
ence, 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
conducting special services, or preaching to the outlying crowds of our population
in theatres, halls, or the open air.
44
Looking at the past, God is my witness how earnestly and disinterestedly I
have endeavoured to serve the Connexion, and knowing that the future will most
convincingly and emphatically eithir vindicate or condemu my present action, I
am content to await its verdict. In the meantime,
"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:
2
*
www.
-:
:
Chap. XLI.
304
MRS. BOOTH.
¦
|
·
+
:
i.
:
1
"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 President'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 evidently produced a great impression on the audience.
Much to our surprise Mr. Clifton, one of the ministers who occupied 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 to 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, 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
honour, the honour 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 broken. 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
The
sky and hides for the moment the triumphs that are at hand.
The bow has been
chord has been struck and it vibrates for long.
stretched and it quivers as it returns. The earthly casket trembles in
every fibre beneath the stupendous effort of the soul.
4
1
1861.
THE PILLAR OF FIRE.
305
It was in the throes of such an experience that Mrs. Booth left
Nottingham. And, in facing the consequences 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 consolation,
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 meantime Mr. Booth had returned to Newcastle, whence it
had been decided, for economy's sake, he should remove the children
to London by sea. Their faithful servant, Mary Kirton, had,declared
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 nature
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 innumerable 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 themselves 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 forward march.
Xx
¡
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 appointed to
the position of evangelists they would be enabled to infuse new life
and vigour into the Connexion. In this they were disappointed.
And now the bolder idea had been conceived of attempting
to do for the churches in general what they 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 where some struggling cause would not gladly
welcome their assistance, and once having obtained a footing, they
believed that the work would of its own weight secure an entrance
elsewhere. However great in some instances might be the secret
antagonism of 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 experience 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 forward with
their 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.
1
THE CORNISH CALL.
307
and Mrs. Booth had advanced a step beyond this. They yearned even
more over the godless crowds who attended no place of worship, and
who made no profession 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.
1861.
And yet one of the Conference speakers had unconsciously struck
fire, when, in opposing the appointment, 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 building on other men's foundations.
Of course the words were completely misapplied. It might fairly have
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 prophetic of the course that was afterwards to be followed
out with such success. The challenge then thrown down was to be
taken up in a literal sense and applied 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 household word through the ages of
futurity.
Mr. and Mrs. Booth had not long to wait for an opening that
appeared of a hopeful and satisfactory 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, residing 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 to hold revival services in his circuit.
From a 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
X 2
308
Chap. XLII.
MRS. BOOTII.
C
could be guaranteed in the way of remuneration, but that they could
count upon a hearty welcome.
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 on my horizon, and appeared to prelude the opening of a way by
which we could travel together, 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 with a port,
at which some little coasting trade was carried on, and a large foundry
employing six or seven 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 congregation 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.
}
"WORSE THAN NOTHING.”
309
"The plan laid down for our labours, which was more or less
followed throughout our Cornish campaign, 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 meetings, visited the sick, and conducted other accessory
gatherings. The Saturdays were devoted to rest and to preparation
for the Sabbath.
1861.
"Our first meetings at Hayle were held on Sunday, August 11th.
I must confess we had looked forward to them with considerable
anxiety, so much appeared 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 gentleman said that he hoped I should in the afternoon service
give them something of a cheering character, as what they had heard
in the morning had completely capsized them. To this our hostess
added, 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.'
66
"In the afternoon the place was jammed, and the 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 especial 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.
"There was, however, no immediate break. As in the case of our
previous Cornish experience, the people listened with the utmost
earnestness, and assented to the truth, but they would not respond to
our invitations to come forward to the communion rail.
66
'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."
+
44
310
Chap. XLII.
MRS. BOOTH.
+
¦
These early meetings are described by Mrs. Booth in the following
letter to her mother:
"The work has commenced in earnest. We have had three very good nights
William preached Monday and Tuesday, 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 con-
viction, and I doubt not we shall have a glorious work. Don't be over-anxious
abcut 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 well 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 just
before he goes to bed at night, so that it may affect his heart the more.
him!"
Bless
The following was the letter referred to, the first apparently that
her son received from his mother. It well exemplifies the trouble
taken, and the tact manifested by Mrs. Booth in the training of her
children:
"HAYLE, August 15th, 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.
"I have been thinking a great deal about you, my dear boy, and about
Ballington, Katy, 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 you. If you are, I know 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, such nice fields.
+
1851
"LETTERS TO HER SON.”
311
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 without touching things and troubling people, then you shall
always come with me when I go with papa.
"And oh, won't that be nice, when I can have my little Willie 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 1 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.'
"
I want to tell you, too, about a children's meeting which we 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. 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
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
us.
to us.
"6
'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
•
I
•
312
Chap. XLII
MRS. BOOTH.
i
that be nice! You can show them to Ballington, Katy, 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 just three years
to-day since the Lord sent her to us, a dear 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 girl. I hope, too, that you do not quarrel
with Ballington now about the play-things. 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.
"I wonder how the 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 understand 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:
"I am glad to hear that Willie does not feel happy unless he knows his spelling,
but I would not have the book made a 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.
"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."
Meanwhile the services were carried on with encouraging success.
Indeed, as if to reassure Mr. and Mrs. Booth in regard to the painful
step they had recently taken, the result surpassed any of their
previous 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 2nd, Mrs. Booth says
"They are most impatient for us to go to St. Ives, but we think of staying here
I
PHILOSOPHICAL NOISE.
313
another week. The work gets better and better. The whole place is roused.
On Sunday 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, especially myself. I shall not do so
much again. The prayer-meeting was very heavy. I was drenched in perspira-
tion. But it is wonderful how God brings me through."
1861.
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 afternoon. 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 conversions.
The work is altogether a very remarkable one. I wish you could come and see it.
"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 mercy, 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 Wesleyan 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 eongregation 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 philosophical and scriptural than the other."
314
Chap. XLII.
MRS. BOOTH.
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 somewhat discouraging
influence upon the people. "I have come here," he said, "to help
you to bring your friends and neighbours to God. If I am to be of
any extensive and abiding service in this direction, you must accept
When I say
me as a leader and must follow out my directions.
'Sing!' we must sing, and when I say 'Pray!' we must pray. And
Should any one
when I speak, you must as far as possible listen.
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 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 preaching. 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, and the
arrangement entered into that night was faithfully adhered to, and
consequently it was seldom that the meetings went beyond control
afterwards.
4.
Many interesting and extraordinary cases of conversion continued
to take place. One of them was of a peculiar character, similar to
some of those remarkable manifestations recorded in connection with
the Irish revival of 1859, and occurring occasionally in connection
with the subsequent meetings of the Salvation Army.
A young
woman went off into a kind of trance, which lasted for about an hour,
and while her friends watched her she appeared to be conversing
with some beings whom they could not behold. Her face at times
beamed with heavenly smiles, indicating that she was the subject of
very choice emotions, and then she appeared to be speaking to some
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 she inquired, but without obtaining
any satisfactory reply. She then asked how long they would remain
with her, and the reply appeared to be "ten minutes," for she repeated
SIGNS AND WONDERS.
315
the words, whereupon one of those present 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.
It was a strange phenomenon, having no apparent connection
with the spiritual work that was then being carried on. But there
can be little doubt that such special manifestations are permitted
in connection with powerful revivals, as part of the "signs and
wonders" with which God has promised to accompany the out-
pourings 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 be a mistake to seek for such manifestations, or to
measure spiritual results by the frequency of their occurrence, never-
theless 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, or the
"ministering spirits" who are "sent forth to minister for them who
shall be heirs of salvation,” but 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 Hayle
revival. Each succeeding meeting appeared to surpass in power and
results all that had gone before. The whole neighbourhood was
moved. Salvation 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 the 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 conduct meetings, and assuring them of the heartiest co-operation.
They were hailed on all hands as messengers from heaven, and their
name with thousands became a household word. Indeed, the love of
the people was very remarkable. Thirty years have elapsed, and
1861.
•
316
Chap XLII.
MRS. BOOTH.
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 farewell festival.
Near Hayle there is a large common called The Towans, on the cliff
over-hanging the sea. Here it was arranged to hold a monster picnic
for one thousand people, this being reckoned to be a large number for
so small a town. It was calculated, 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 adjourned to the large
Wesleyan Chapel, which was crowded out, and congratulatory
addresses were delivered 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 schoolroom as well
as the chapel for the anxious penitents, a large number of whom
were men.
A
•
CHAPTER XLIII.
THE CORNISII CAMPAIGN. 1861-1862.
FROM Hayle Mr. and Mrs. Booth proceeded to St. Ives, a thriving
little town with a population of 7,000, 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 occupation is a somewhat precarious one. Some-
times a few miles up the channel, sometimes a few miles down, they
constitute a tantalising spectacle for the fishermen, who line the cliffs
or lounge about the shore with their nets piled up in their boats,
ready for action. 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 had been
commenced the arrival of a shoal was signalled, 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 Mediterranean,
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.
As in the case of Hayle, so at St. Ives the invitation to visit the town
came from the New Connexion congregation, 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
persons 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-abstainers, and some of whom were personally connected
:
"
318
Chap. XLIII.
MRS. BOOTH.
with the traffic. To put an end to the disputes which ensued, the
Wesleyan Conference passed a general order prohibiting temperance
meetings from being 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
law should rather have
been passed making total abstinence a compulsory 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
themselves adopted
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.
It is sadly to be deplored that the progress of temperance 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 teetotalism 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 doing so it has doubtless led the way to a much-needed reform
in which, sooner 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
ני
--
MRS. BOOTH ON TEETOTALISM.
319
far as the temperance 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 publican! The Meroz of to-day refuses to
come to the help of the Lord against the mighty; Reuben abides
among the sheepfolds and listens in cold neutrality to the bleatings of
the flocks; Gilead seeks safety beyond the Jordan of indifference;
Dan is a mere spectator 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!
1861.
In speaking on this subject in one of her public addresses, Mrs.
Booth eloquently pleads:
46
By your peace of conscience on a dying bed, by the 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 rob man of his reason, woman of her
virtue, and children of 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.
"Christians of England, the time is come when to remain 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 betrayed it. Arise and fight this foe; you will come off
more than conqueror, for your God will fight for you."
❤
It
At St. Ives Mr. and Mrs. Booth were joined by the children.
was the longest absence from them which Mrs. Booth had hitherto
experienced. Nor would she subsequently consent to any arrange-
ment which involved a lengthened separation during their childhood.
Indeed, nothing could induce her to neglect their highest interests,
and however loud might be the call for her services elsewhere, she
would undertake nothing that clashed with the claims of her husband
and children. Considering her delicate health, it was the more
remarkable that public work of so onerous a character was made to
harmonise with the continued pressure of domestic duties.
How many are there who, while caring for the vineyards of others,
have neglected their own, and have lived to reap the bitter conse-
quences!
The more talented the children the more disastrous will
usually be the results. Misapplied genius seems an even stronger
¿
4
320
Chap. XLIII.
MRS. BOOTH.
power for evil than well-directed ability is for good. The devas-
tating flood appears to have a greater capacity for doing harm, and
that in an incredibly short space of time, than the fertilising streams
which roll peacefully 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. Ives when they
received the following invitation to 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 husband have taken
will result in your both having a much 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 narrow 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 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.
66
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.
66
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 had found ourselves again
in the midst of our blissful toil of gathering sheaves for the Heavenly 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 conse-
crated Cross, as a co-labourer with your excellent husband.
"Doubtless the time hasteneth when truth, in relation to the gift of prophecy
as entrusted to the daughters of the Lord Almighty, must triumph.
Then,
LETTER FROM MRS. PALMER.
321
perhaps, those who have endured 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 working
classes. He has lately lost his only child, and has recently expended the £10,000
which would have been her fortune in 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 evening we continued our labours, and the work has increased in
interest, till now the number of the subjects of the work is over three hundred.
The ground, as you will observe, 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.
1861.
"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 the Cornish
revival at its flood-tide, and with invitations 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 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 attending 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 God and
the interests of their immortal souls were pressed upon their attention.
The services commenced on the 30th September and closed on the
18th January following. During this time no less than 1,028 persons
professed conversion, besides many children. Their ages were as
follows:
Y
"
322
Chap. XLIII.
MRS. BOOTH.
h
·
285 were above 14 and under 20
370
20
204
76
"}
"
""
""
?
""
"
30
40
50
60
70
"
"}
""
52
24
17
The converts included twenty-eight captains of vessels, two members
of the Corporation, and three mine agents.
Writing to Mrs. Mumford from St. Ives, Mrs. Booth says:
""
30
40
50
60
70
"
"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 pleased, and I trust profited. I have held morning meet-
ings 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 grati-
tude when I read it! Bless the Lord, oh my soul! How wonderful is His mercy
and how marvellous are His works!
"The revival here is rolling on with much power. The chapel 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. I have finished
the emendations for the new edition, but William has to complete the copying for
There will be considerably more matter than before, and I think it is much
improved.
me.
"With all these things to do, together with morning meetings one day, chil-
dren'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 them 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
..
1862.
1
THE DESERTED PUBLIC-HOUSE.
323
denominations, and of no denomination at all, are exceedingly anxious to
keep us."
Many striking cases of conversion occurred, and 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 night was indirectly instru-
mental 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 amazement 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 companions, the
sailor started off for the chapel, was convinced of sin and cried out in
the middle of the meeting, "Preacher, is there mercy for such a wretch
as 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. He 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 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 too
glad to come and point him to the Lamb of God. After a long
1
Y 2
!!
Chap. XLIII,
324
MRS. BOOTH.
I
struggle, which lasted until five in the 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 influence of these
meetings, people will fall down 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 listened. Many of these cases were
no less satisfactory and permanent than those of a quieter character.
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 rescuing
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 accomplished
during the excitement of the 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 doubtless held fast their hope
to the end, and have finished their earthly course triumphantly. The
very existence of the Salvation Army is an unanswerable refutation
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.
**
C
CHAPTER
XLIV.
THE CORNISH CAMPAIGN. 1862.
ST. JUST stood next upon the programme, and here the revival is
graphically described and the use of the 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 beyond
Penzance and five from Land's End. The population 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 Christians, Methodist Free Church, and
New Connexion chapels, with an aggregate membership of about
1,700 persons.
"Of one of the Episcopal churches, that at Pendeen, the celebrated
Rev. Robert Aitken is minister. 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 usefulnes who were converted through his instrumentality.
After travelling for many years and leading thousands to the Cross,
he returned to the Church, settled in Pendeen, 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, considering
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
followers 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
|
1
1
#
:
326
MRS. BOOTH.
during one of the meetings held by the latter that a remarkable
incident occurred. A country squire of the name of Eustick drove a
pack of hounds among the congregation and caused them to disperse.
This mode of annoyance had been repeatedly practised. On this
occasion 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 solemnity,
'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.
Chap. XLIV.
"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 anything like the
crowd. Some time before the service hundreds were coming away,
every available space within the chapel being literally choked with
people. The meeting was a powerful one, and five souls responded
to the invitation to come out and proclaim themselves on the Lord's
side. On the following night the work continued in a very hopeful
manner, save that our method of inviting sinners to come forward to
the communion rail met with considerable opposition. 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 this, or to any
other method of approaching the Saviour; that in the abstract God
was 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 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 convenience,
1
THE PENITENT FORM.
327
affording opportunity to administer counsel to anxious inquirers. 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, while at the same time the public service can
proceed, helped rather than hindered by the presence, prayers, and
salvation of the penitents.
1862.
"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-
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
impossible.
Then, again, I regard it as a valuable help to decision. With how
many is there wanting but one step, and that the all-important one of
decision! 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 distinctness
they hear the blessed Master whispering, 'Follow Me.' But they
hesitate. The difficulties which a religious life present are magnified.
They know not exactly what to do next. Satan suggests the
propriety of doing something in the future, and by the time that
future is transformed into the present the force of the impression
has abated, and the usual tenor of a godless life has been all but
resumed.
11
What is wanted in these moments of impression is for the soul,
while still under their influence, to take some definite step which shall
for ever decide the question, and pledge him to a course, regarding
the propriety of which he has long been satisfied, and which he feels
to be alike dictated by God and conscience. Herein lies one
important advantage presented by this mode of labour. The words
are frequently upon my lips at such times, 'Do right! Do something!
$
**
J
328
Chap. XLIV.
MRS. BOOTH.
Do it now! You have thought and reasoned and intended for years.
Act now. Decide by saying from your inmost soul—
'I do accept His offers now,
From every sin depart!
Perform my oft-repeated vow,
And render Him my heart.'
"In the third place I find this method very useful as a test of
submission. The complete submission of 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 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 sin 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 go out bearing
the Cross and telling men that he takes that hitherto despised Christ
as his everlasting portion, 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 common than deception on this subject. When under
the influence of the arguments and persuasions of Christian truth
many imagine that they 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 complete submission without which salvation
is an impossibility.
"In most cases the last battle prior to emancipation from hell's
thraldom is fought over the question, '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
FILLED WITH GLORY.
329
persuade 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 their hearts have 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.
1862.
"But to return from this diversion to that portion of my narrative
which gave rise to it. I was describing the struggle which took place
at the commencement of the work. For myself I had no doubt as to
the ultimate result. But some began to fear that 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 were opened and a
shower of blessed influence descended upon us. The effect was
electrical. It was sudden and overpowering. The sinners could
restrain 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 directions to hear that the revival had begun
in real earnest.
66
'On the following Sunday, as I walked to the chapel, I was met by
a young woman, who, with uplifted 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 thanks-
giving and to taste and see for themselves 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 expect that when aroused to a sense of guilt and danger
men shall be in earnest in seeking deliverance, and 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 peril, so the
gladness and thanksgiving shall be in like proportion to the deliver-
ance.
"We found a large congregation assembled in the chapel and souls
already at the communion rail groaning to be delivered. When about
half-way through our discourse, some simple remarks we made touched
330
Chap. XLIV.
MRS. BOOTH.
་
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 sung
'Praise God for what He's done for me,'
thinking it might calm the excitement and hush the glorious tumult
and so give the opportunity to conclude 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!
"At night we had a gale of saving grace. About II o'clock the
forms in the centre of the chapel, as well as the communion rails,
were filled with penitents. The meeting did not finally close until
three o'clock 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.
66
'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 already been turned back by the moderate use
of 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 elapsed since I last
wrote to you. When the mind is absorbed in a congenial occupation,
time flies quickly. And what employment so agreeable, so fasci-
nating as that in which, by the good providence of God, we find our-
selves 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 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
•
I
*
1862.
THE SOUL SAVING BUSINESS.
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 rapidly 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 transferred to the
Methodist Free Church, and this led to a temporary check in the
progress of the work. The 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 of the secrets of the success of our work. During
the first 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.
331
"And 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 diffident 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 their own account, and had
thus failed to catch the spirit and 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.
"On the following day four men left their work in the 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
sympathetic congregation, with extended arms telling the people that
they had found Jesus, to the unutterable joy of their hearts.
"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 before them, and the people yielded to their faith and
prayers in all directions.
"The last three days have been days of uninterrupted triumph. By
I
L.
332
Chap. XLIV.
MRS. BOOTH.
A
nine o'clock in the morning 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 an hour later the people assemble for the night
service. Last night the chapel and school-room were full, although
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 mean that nearly
every individual in the neighbourhood is more or less interested in
the subject of religion. Little else is talked about, and in many
instances 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 their own salvation or with that of others to do
much work. Many of the agents of the mines had expressed their
willingness to allow the men to leave their work, only too glad that
they should be converted. Whether saved or not themselves, they
knew that Christianity will bring about a reformation of character only
too desirable in many instances.
"The Inspector of Police says that last Saturday night was the
best night he has had since he came into the place, the Saturday night
prior to the commencement of the work having been the worst.
Indeed, some of the vilest characters in the town are being saved.
One poor fellow, who has been in the hands of the police times
without number, cried out in the school-room on Wednesday after-
noon, 'He has saved me, the very worst of sinners. In that corner
I found the blessing. I shall never forget that corner.' 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.
"Conviction is spreading in every direction, and it 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 to three of
them, the entire customers of them all 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.
1
RELIGIOUS EXCITEMENT.
333
"You will gather from this that we are in the midst of a real
religious excitement. But you will not, like some good people here,
be alarmed at it. As for ourselves, we rejoice concerning it exceed-
ingly. 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 possible to successfully arrest
their attention."
1862.
4.
-
i
1
A
!
CHAPTER XLV.
THE CORNISH CAMPAIGN.
In the marvellous meetings of the St. Just campaign, Mrs. Booth
played a very prominent part. Her Sunday afternooon meetings
were seasons of exceptional 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 walking all night in order to get to their daily work by
Monday morning.
It was in this town that Mrs. Booth held her first meeting for women
only. These services subsequently 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 discourses.
In dealing with the question of fashion she has said:
"Do not consider fashion when you are settling how you ought to order
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 tell us that gaudy,
flashy dressing leads as many young girls to destruction as drink, it behoves every
true woman to settle 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! What beautifu
forms, and beautiful minds, and beautiful intellects are prostrated and ruined a
the shrine of the god of fashion! May God deliver us from this idol!"
-▸
CHILDREN VERSUS POODLES.
335
In advocating the adoption of poor and neglected children by those
who were in a position to do so, Mrs. Booth remarks:
1862.
"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 the love 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 sense of timidity
and weakness, and to embark forthwith in a life of consecrated service,
she says:
"Weakness, my dear sister! We are of little use in any department of the
vineyard until we have been made to realise our own weakness. The weaker we
feel ourselves to be, the better. It is not a question of our strength, but of our
faith. 'Why look ye so earnestly on us (said Peter to those who marvelled at the
iniracle 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 voice, if He blesses,
then it shall be blessed. The 'Does you love God?' of a little child, accompanied
by the 'demonstration 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 Wes-
leyan Chapel was crowded with women. It was calculated that some
2,500 were present.
Mr. Alfred Chenhalls, then popularly known in the 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
.
336
Chap. XLV.
MRS. BOOTH.
:
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 over.
My wife met me, saying 'Oh, Alfred, we have had a time! There
never was such a sight seen in St. Just before. 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 consecrate them-
selves 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 service which produced such
*******
*

Th
REV. ROBERT AITKEN.
:
-
wonderful results. Many of those who had up to this time resisted
Mr. Booth's powerful appeals were brought in on this occasion.
"We were very much affected by Mrs. Booth's domestic graces as
well as by her public gifts. I remember 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:
"Since I wrote to you last, one of the first-fruits of the revival has
been gathered by the loving hand of our holy Father and safely lodged
AMONG THE WESLEYANS.
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 together, I asked him whether he were converted,
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, while he sat at the tea-table, he
suddenly expired without speaking a word. As they carried him to
his grave, followed by a long train of mourning friends chanting the
solemn death-song, I thanked God that he was safely landed, and
exulted in the thought that the revival was already reported before the
Throne.
1862.
337
"A day or two previously a very different incident took place. A
Christian brother exhorted an unconverted 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 uncon-
verted.
"On Sabbath, February 23rd, we transferred our meetings from the
Bible Christian to the Wesleyan 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 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 sanguine expectations.
Night after night numbers sought the Saviour. This continued for a
month, and then the power appeared in a large measure to leave
us, and the work dragged heavily. I have often noticed these pauses
in the onward flow of revival influences and prosperity. There is
Z
·
+
338
Chap. XLV.
MRS. BOOTH.
+
doubtless a tendency in success to lead to glory unduly in the
labourers. 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 before 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.
"On Sunday, March 16th, we met together in the morning,
conscious of these truths. Introductory to the discourse, I remarked
that everybody was asking, 'What about the revival?' Our own
hearts had asked that question a hundred times. Many present had
asked it. During the last six weeks some seven hundred 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 impressions; but, alas!
the power to secure their submission was wanting. It appeared to
slip away on the previous 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 who would make
the entire consecration of all to Jesus and take Him as a complete
Saviour to come forward. Many of the principal Christians led the
way, and within a few minutes more than a hundred persons were
bowed in tears and prayer, waiting for the baptism of the Holy Ghost.
And the Holy Spirit descended, cleansing the polluted, and signifying
the acceptance of the many whole-hearted sacrifices here laid on the
altar.
It was
"Never shall I forget that scene. All who witnessed it were
well-nigh overwhelmed with a sense of the Divine presence.
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
recollections of St. Just for many years to come.
"The work now assumed more formidable proportions. It widened
1862.
SUSPENDING DRILL.
339
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 that the drill of
the rifle corps had been suspended, and that business generally was at
a standstill in consequence 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 told him that all the adult population were gone to a distant
chapel to a revival service, leaving him as the sole guard and pro-
tector of their children and property, so that he was going from house to
house looking after all. I was also informed three weeks ago that at
Truthwells, a village 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 possible 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:
(4
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 my mouth open.
"When I came down from the platform Mr. Hobson received 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 how 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 inquiries of the Superintendent there as to
whether I might go into their chapel at the wish of their people, that it was con-
trary to their rules and usages! Rules and usages can be wonderfully sur-
mounted 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 at the people, which was partially impossible in the small chapels,
.
•
►
•
Z 2
340
Chap. XLV.
MRS. BOOTH.
*
besides almost killing him with the heat and crush. You see the Wesleyans have
nearly all the large chapels."
At the conclusion of the services in the Wesleyan Chapel the
meetings were continued at Buryan and Pendeen, in the immediate
neighbourhood of St. Just, and afterwards transferred to Lelant, an
attractive 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 erection in
various ways.
Of late, however, the angel visits to Lelant had been "few and
far between." There were strong hearts lying by the road-side 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 worldy and sinful surroundings,
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 Lelant was in such
close proximity to the scenes of 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 sincerely 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 abiding fruits of
previous efforts.
LELANT.
341
The meetings commenced on Sunday, May 18th. 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 following 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 numbers coming forward, thirty of whom professed
to find peace.
Mr. Booth's journal contains the following particulars concerning
some of the incidents :
1862.
"Sunday, 1st June. A powerful day. In the morning I spoke about 'leaving
the principles of the doctrine,' and pressing forward to perfection. In the after-
noon 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 people, whether by a good
sermon or by a bad one, or without any sermon at all. After preaching a short
time the influence increased and the power of God came down on the people, and
there was such shouting and weeping that I was compelled to break off and invite
the wounded to come forward. Many 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 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.
(6
Monday, June 2nd. I walked part of the way to St. Ives with Mr. Roberts.
On my way back I was overtaken by some sailors, who accosted me very heartily.
I recognised 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.
46
'My friend at once began to give me scraps of his experience 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 invited on board a ship
to hold a prayer-meeting. The cabin 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 there the previous week-end, had smashed her crockery and clock,
and finished up by breaking her head with the poker. 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
t
•
i
•
312
Chap. XLV.
MRS. BOOTH.
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 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 testimonies from the
newly saved. After some others had spoken, my friend, the sailor, rose and
said:
"For many years I was sailing under black colours. 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 Gospel 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 impetuous and
resistless stream, when checked for a time in one direction, only
gathering redoubled force for another 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 is 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 undiminished
volume its fertilising waters over the most arid and needy deserts of
the world.
CHAPTER XLVI.
1
THE THREE CONFERENCES.
It has already been remarked that the Annual Committee of the
New Connexion had no authority to 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 resignation should
be accepted. The Rev. P. J. Wright, as might be expected, seconded
the motion.
1862.
Hereupon Mr. Turnbull, of Gateshead, asked that the acceptance
of the resignation by Conference should 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 determination to guard that
assembly against 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 religion.
In replying to this Mr. Wright denied that anything he had said
could be construed as being intended to cast any imputation upon.
Mr. Booth.
Mr. Docton, of St. Ives, spoke in glowing terms of the wonderful
revival carried on by Mr. and Mrs. Booth in Cornwall. And after
some further debate, in which the irrepressible Mr. Wright and others
took part, Dr. Croft's motion was carried by 56 votes against 15.
And thus without a "thank you" for the faithful 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 Mr. and Mrs. Booth to the Connexion. Nor did they
lift a finger to secure their return. Indeed, they rather discouraged
their many friends from making any effort on their behalf, feeling that
the sphere of 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,
5
-
344
MRS. BOOTH.
Chap. XLVI.
:
when in later years Dr. Cooke, for whom they had previously enter-
tained so high an esteem, expressed his regret in regard to the past,
and his desire to find a bridge by which they might again return to
the fold of the Connexion.
In one respect, however, Mr. Booth's example was especially note-
worthy. Whatever might be his feelings of dissatisfaction in regard
to any existing denomination, he resolutely from the first set his face
against a policy of disruption.
He had persistently clung to the hope of an ultimate reconciliation
with the New Connexion, and this in spite of innumerable discourage-
ments. It had mattered little that the olive branch which he had
so repeatedly held out to the Conference, had been disregarded. 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.
噜
​True, chances had lain within his reach for convulsing the denomina-
tion with a schism which would have stripped it of many of its most
spiritual members and supporters, and for this there was ample
precedent. He might have imitated the example of the founder of
the denomination, Alexander Kilham, who had organised a secession.
from the Wesleyan ranks, and had principally directed his efforts
toward recuiting 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 an inveterate
objection. He had no desire to build up his own work upon the
ruins of another. Hence he studiously avoided accepting invitations
to circuits where his influence was the greatest or any other
arrangements which would be likely to damage the Connexional cause.
Beyond the publication of his two letters to the Conference-the one
addressed to Mr. Stacey, asking for his restoration to the evangelistic
sphere, and the other tendering his resignation to Dr. Crofts-he took
no steps even towards the vindication of his personal character,
preferring to leave their own interests in the hands of Him whose
interests first they sought.
This was a source of no little gratification to Mr. Booth, when, in
later years, the movement which he 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
TWICE REJECTED.
345
dissatisfaction and division within the ranks of the Salvation Army of
to-day have been the natural result, 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 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 satis-
faction 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.
1862.
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, greatly exhausted by their
continued labours, and arranged to take a short rest before commencing
any fresh meetings. Leaving the children under the care of their
trusted nurse, Mary, they accordingly went to London.
Meanwhile the annual Conference of the Wesleyans was held in Cam-
borne, 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 requesting that Dr.
and Mrs. Palmer should also be excluded.
How any who had the cause of Christ at heart could make such a
demand, is only less extraordinary than the complacency with which
Conference granted their request, especially in face of the remarkable
additions to their numbers which these revivals 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
346
Chap. XLVI.
MRS. BOOTH.
the slightest acknowledgment of the valuable co-operation of Mr. and
Mrs. Booth, the President of the Conference referred to their labours
with equal contempt and ill-taste, as "the perambulations of the male
and female!" At this distance of time such language appears indeed
utterly incomprehensible, 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 mis-
directed zeal of their minister. But for this it might well be said
that the Conference 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 admission at the parental door, not like the prodigal of
old in rags and tatters, but rather like Abraham's servant 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 century himself appeared upon the scenes, whether
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 conceivable. 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:
"You will have heard of the resolution of the Wesleyan 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
Watchman. A more pitiful apology for passing such a law could not have been
conceived. The people have no right to demand 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."
It was in the same year that the Primitive Methodists passed a
resolution, "Strongly urging all their station authorities to avoid
the employment of revivalists, so-called," thus confirming the
2
..
1862.
FROM 1862 TO 1891.
347
accuracy of the supposition that there existed at this time an almost
universal ministerial combination for the suppression 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.
Writing twenty-nine years later from Australia, after a reception
for which the history of the Colonies could furnish no parallel, at the
head of an organisation which had taken its place beside the oldest
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 contrast 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. Yesterday's meetings
were held in the Centennial Hall, seating three thousand five hundred people. It
is the most magnificent 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, although 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 thousands 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. We had sixty souls out for
mercy, besides some for a clean heart.
"At 9.15, while we were singing the Doxology, others came 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."
1
Chap. XLVI.
348
MRS. BOOTH.
I
ས
To those who have watched the workings of the designs of Provi-
vidence, in the case of those who are prepared to follow its leadings,
nothing is more interesting than to observe the obvious finger-marks
of a Divine Intelligence, asserting itself in the very disappointments
which appear at the time to frustrate our best-laid schemes. Ulti-
mately it becomes manifest 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, thus compelling us to realise that
*
"There's a Divinity Who shapes our ends,
Rough-hew them how we will."
M
"
CHAPTER XLVII.
GOOD-BYE TO CORNWALL.
1862.
7
It was towards the end of July, while the Wesleyan Conference
was sitting at Camborne, that Mr. and Mrs. Booth returned from
London to Cornwall, rejoining their children at Penzance, where they
remained during the next two months. They had looked forward to
a great work in this town, having been warmly invited by a number
of the leading Wesleyans, 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 therefore 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 materially 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 people for us to
labour here. Mary cannot go into a shop, or 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 meantime, 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 interval,
while we are arranging for larger meetings here and elsewhere.
“I do not know what doubts and fears William had been expressing to you.
that called forth your encouraging remarks. But I do not participate in them in.
the least, and have no fear about the future, if only his health holds out."
The meetings here alluded to in Mousehole were succeeded by a
series held in a small chapel at Penzance. Many sought salvation in
both places. Nevertheless, the
Nevertheless, the character of the buildings and
20
350
Chap. XLVII.
MRS. BOOTH.
circumstances combined to make this period a somewhat
other
trying one.
But just as the dark and discouraging days in Brighouse had been
brightened for Mr. and Mrs. Booth by the advent of their son Balling-
ton, 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 con-
tinental infidelity; her fourth was to voice the thrilling claims of
heathen lands. And now a fifth and fitting keystone was added to
the rising arch, in the unconscious infant who was to be in a special
sense the sweet psalmist and musician of the modern Salvation Army
Israel, making palace and garret ring alike with sacred song, so
simple that the merest child could understand, 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 has ever been
to direct their exercise toward the purposes 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 inspire 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 child dead,
rather than it should grow up to dishonour God and hinder the
advancement of his kingdom. "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 scullery-maids than that we
should grow up wicked. 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."
i

HERBERT H. BOOTH.
•
1.
1862.
HOME INFLUENCES.
351
Referring to her children in some letters written at this period, Mrs.
Booth says:
"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 believe 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!
when me die!'
Me go to Heaven
But I can never let
"I am much obliged for your proposal about the children.
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 indispensable 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 population of about 10,000, was now the scene of an awakening,
-the influence of which extended through all the surrounding country-
side. 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 Methodist chapel. This
was a much larger building than those in Penzance and Mousehole,
and would accommodate considerably upwards of one thousand
persons.
So great was the number of the penitents that Mr. Booth had the
usual communion rails extended across the entire breadth of the
..
"
1
352
Chap. XLVII.
MRS. BOOTH.
chapel, besides erecting barriers to keep off the crowds of onlookers,
who pressed so closely to the front that it was found almost 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 of success with which
these preachers set to work almost 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
anticipates the blessing, and which cries in the midst of the most
adverse circumstances, "It shall be done!"
The following paragraphs are selected from an interesting pamphlet
in which Mr. Booth describes the Redruth revival:
"The labourers are receiving considerable accessions to their number.
The sisters especially are coming up to the help of the Lord and some
very valuable assistance do they render. From what I can gather the
door for female effort has been comparatively closed in this church
for some time past. If there has not been the positive prohibition,
the opportunity and invitation have been wanting; and except there
be, not only the opportunity, but the repeated and urgent invitation,
this valuable accessory to church prosperity will be lost.
"The new converts, taught from the beginning their obligation to
labour for souls, themselves constitute a band of zealous workers.
Their old companions 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.
"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 mightier influences were withheld.
We therefore invited all who were thoroughly with us in the move-
ment and who were willing to do their utmost to increase its power
and success, to meet us on the above-named night. Many came.
Different denominations were represented. Several valuable sugges-
tions were offered, and three distinct resolutions made by all present.
We determined:
A NEW IMPETUS.
"1. To fully consecrate ourselves to God and his work.
"2. To spend some portion of time daily in prayer for richer out-
pourings of the Holy Ghost; and
1862.
353
"3. To put forth some personal effort every day to bring sinners to
Christ.
"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 almost 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 meeting. 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, 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 purifying, vivify-
ing, 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 neighbourhood, and I
AA
354
Chap. XLVII.
MRS. BOOTH.
L.
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.
66
'In answer to your request for information concerning the con-
tinuance in grace of those who have professed conversion during our
first services in this county, I am able to give you the following
information. As the result of the ten months' labour, which, com-
mencing at Hayle, was continued at St. Ives, St. Just, and Lelant,
about 3,500 persons professed conversion. 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 seasons of excep-
tional blessing, many coming a considerable distance on purpose to be
present. The addresses 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 convincing. Many hearts were pierced
and many freshly consecrated themselves to the Lord. At night the
chapel was too full for any comfortable speaking or hearing. Never-
theless, 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 about a thousand have been
saved in the chapel during the services."
In describing the meetings to her mother, Mrs. Booth says:
"The Lord gives us many cordials by the way. We constantly see His
glorious arm made bare, and we know that we are instrumental in gladdening
the hearts and homes of hundreds 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 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
?
1863.
CAMBORNE..
i
;
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 seven thousand persons had
professed conversion. Not only had the majority of these joined the
religious bodies of their respective towns, but a considerable number
had developed into active workers, and not a few became preachers of
the Gospel.
355
AA 2
+
CHAPTER XLVIII.
CARDIFF. 1863.
FOR some time past the question had considerably exercised Mr.
and Mrs. Booth as to what should be their next destination. They
had invitations in Cornwall 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 desire in the hearts
of others to share in the blessing of their ministry. At length, how-
ever, 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 centre.
It was during the second week in February, 1863, 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
refusing 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
buildings. True, they continued for some years to labour in the
chapels of various denominations. 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 unembarrassed 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, towards 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 sustained a series of important and effective
meetings.
MEETINGS IN A CIRCUS.
Soon after their arrival Mrs. Booth writes to her parents :
1863.
357
"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 astonished 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 undenominationally 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 peculiar 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 regret. 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 perplexity, 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 Conferences 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 without 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.
1
"I hope to live to see a real revival paper. I wish I were clever enough to edit
}
C
¡
E
{
358
MRS. BOOTH.
it. I believe there is a good opening for a striking, out-and-out, unsectarian
periodical, full of rousing truth and revival intelligence.
"I have not patience to read a lot of the twaddle about missions in China and
Australia. As I said in a meeting at Camborne, 'What! Is that Christianity
which pays missionaries, fits 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 a saint in
Heaven? If so, where is the consistency in spending hundreds of pounds to
convert half-a-dozen Chinamen, and opposing agencies which God is owning in
reaching the thousands 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 sectarianism, 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!
Chap. XLVIII.
"In my best and most serious moments, my heart aches and 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, February 23rd, 1863.
44
I know you will be anxious to have news of yesterday, and so snatch a
moment to report progress. The circus answers much better than we expected.
William had a good attendance 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 there were a good many people sitting round.
The ring in front of us was filled with seats. Then commences a gallery in the
amphitheatre style, rising from the floor to the ceiling. This, when full, forms a
most imposing scene. The side galleries 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 ee.ns 'to indicate a great work."
1863.
1
THE SOURCE OF DOUBTS.
359
"CARDIFF.
"The congregations keep up well, considering the character of the building. I
am to have a chapel for Wednesday mornings. 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:
"I have thought a great deal about your last letter. I am convinced from
constant intercourse with Christians in a doubting state that it generally arises
from unwillingness to obey the 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 controversy 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 the 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
life for my sake shall find it.'
"You will excuse my plainness. You ask my counsel, and in 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 presence than to enjoy all things without
Him!"
Writing to her mother, Mrs. Booth says:
"April 1st, Cardiff.
"William has gone to Pontypridd, and I have a letter from him which is very
satisfactory. We have an invitation from the Free Methodists to go to Newport.
7.
360
Chap. XLVIII.
MRS. BOOTH.
:
|_
"I think the way seems open, and I would rather labour with Methodists. I
have such an aversion to Calvinism, much as I admire many who profess it.
Nevertheless, it is quite different when other denominations 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 convince him of it. Altogether it has
been an anxious and trying time.
"I have myself usually spoken with much liberty. My congregations in the
afternoon have been largely composed of chapel and church-going people. I
generally have unbroken 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 anywhere as here. Everybody treats me with the
greatest consideration 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 expected 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 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
1
i
18€3.
MR. JOHN CORY.
361
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

MR. JOHN CORY, OF Cardiff.
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.
362
Chap. XLVIIL
MRS. BOOTH.
Mr. Richard Cory, being a Baptist, differed in some lesser doctrinal
questions from Mr. and Mrs. Booth, 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 theoretical distinctions which
might otherwise have stood in the way.
Mr. John Cory, on the other hand, was a matter-of-fact, hard-headed,
clear-sighted man of business. Just as in the case of his business relation-
ships 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 of an adverse character, Mr. Cory has
always taken a broad, statesmanlike view of the subject, and without
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 minor
details, he has persistently estimated the value of the tree by its
fruits. While God blessed the labourers with such manifest out-
pourings of His Holy Spirit, Mr. Cory felt that he was more than
justified in holding out the right hand of fellowship. How many
have pursued an opposite and mistaken course in allowing them-
selves 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.
Mr. Cory also pursued the straightforward course 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 alteram
partem," the even-handedness, 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
exaggerations had to run the gauntlet of an open court, 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 suqported.
!
7
CHAPTER XLIX.
THE PROVINCES. 1863.
THE high standard of accomplishment set before himself by Mr.
Booth rendered the comparative reverses with which he occasionally
met the more trying 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 excuse for
failure. Nothing satisfied him but at least an equal measure of result
to that which he had elsewhere 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 denominations
could not fail to affect in a considerable 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 soon after their arrival by a serious
attack of influenza, 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 not think we should
have come had we known that we should have been thrown on to so small and
unsuitable a chapel. 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.
1
61
"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
**
364
Chap. XLIX.
MRS. BOOTH.
1
:
2
}
says nothing. And yet I like the man and esteem him far more highly than many
of his class. If it were not for eternity 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 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
ensuing pages.
Mrs. Billups was one of those self-depreciatory but truly noble-

Mrs. Billups, of Cardiff
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 and moral horizon that was unbounded by the narrow-
mindedness of mere self-interest, she was at the same time both
intellectual and spiritual.
It requires a heart to appreciate a heart, and a mind to appreciate a
mind. Mrs. Billups was endowed with 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
MR. & MRS. BILLUPS.
365
the same time the intense hunger of her soul for God and her
boundless admiration for piety and heroism made her an eager
disciple of her friend and counsellor. She did not, it is true, possess
the colossal 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 different a cast and calibre.
1863.
Mr. Billups, a contractor by profession, was not only warmly
attached to his amiable and talented wife, but held her in the highest
veneration. Himself the essence of good-nature, and an optimist of
the most pronounced type, he presented the very antithesis to Mrs.

...::
MR. BILLUPS, OF CARDIFF.
****
* WERE IN THE
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 Mr. and Mrs.
Booth alike in the dark seasons of perplexity and poverty, and in the
heyday 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-remembered oasis in what happened to be somewhat of a desert
experience. Cut off from their old associates by the recent decrees
of the three Conferences, they had not yet rallied the band of
1
"
1
366
Chap. XLIX.
MRS. BOOTH.
sympathisers who were to help them in their future plans. "Our
experience at this time," says General Booth, "was that of the old
clergyman, who said that the church would not contain his acquaint-
ances, 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 render 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 welcomed 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.
I
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 independent of that and
every other Church. Their previous and subsequent history was,
however, not a little remarkable, and is worthy of notice, as some-
what foreshadowing 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
steeped in sin and wretchedness. A Mr. Dupe, a plain, earnest
man, who was saved under Mr. Caughey 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 disturb-
ances. One night they dressed up one of their number to represent
the 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
attraction and warning in the meetings for some time after.
61
1863.
PUGILISTS AND THAT ILK.
"A larger room was taken, and then a still larger 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.
"6
Sunday, May 31st.-The first day's services have filled, us with
hope. Although the congregation in 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 con-
secration of themselves to the service of Jesus. And at night I had
hardly given the invitation when sinners responded from all parts of the
chapel. Seventeen names were recorded as receiving the blessing of
pardon.
367
:
"Saturday, June 6th.-During the week the congregations have
been small, but still the converting work has gone on. Fifty persons
have professed salvation. 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.
"Sabbath, June 7th.-The morning congregation was a very con-
siderable 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-racer and gambler. One was
a prize-fighter. Another 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 pleadings, and to hear them speak of the power of
Christ to save to the uttermost all who came to God by Him. About
twenty professed to find Jesus at the close of the meeting.
"Thursday, June 11th.-Elizabeth, a servant whom 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
believing like a little child. The girl we had in Cardiff and the one
at Newport have also been saved.
•
I
#
*3
36S
Chap. XLIX.
MRS. BOOTH.
"Sunday, June 14th.-Last night we held an open-air service on
what is called the Bridge. It is a large space in the centre of the
town at the foot of the market street, having a clock, a drinking
fountain, and two cannons taken at the Crimea in the centre. Under-
neath a small stream of water flows, in consequence 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 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 previous
Sabbaths. There was a good influence in the morning, and a power-
ful 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, 17th June.-At night a very useful 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 the people.
After some
remonstrance he desisted and took his departure. For a while my
spirits were much depressed. I was relying entirely on the inspira-
tion 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 followed 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, and we marched off arm-in-arm with a great crowd to the
chapel. In the meeting which followed about twenty came forward,
some of them straight from the coalpit and workshop.
"
Sunday, June 21st.-Much better attendance. Mrs. Booth had a
1863.
A HINDOO FOR THE HINDOOS.
grand service in the afternoon. At night between twenty and thirty
professed to find mercy. The chapel was about full, but we were
disappointed that there was no greater rush.
"Monday. We had again a season of great power on the Bridge
and in the streets. After leaving the stand 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 still there. She
had been holding a children's service, at which some sixty or seventy
little ones had come forward inquiring 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 truly delightful cases.
369
"One man who has been a drunkard and was converted a few
nights previously, and has since attended the meetings looking as
happy and interested as any of us, was sitting to-night on a front pew
and anxiously watching a friend of his who had come out to rail. At
length he left his seat, knelt down by his companion, threw his arms
round him and began 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
Africans, and so a working-man for working-men. A man will be most
likely to benefit his own class.
"When we first came here we were obliged to get the paperhangers
and others into our house to help make it habitable.
At family prayers
one morning we had called all together into the kitchen, the only avail-
able 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 afterwards 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 to me that a
day's open-air services would be useful in arousing the town and in
bringing under the Gospel a great number whom we cannot reach
even by the extraordinary means we are at present employing.
BB
370
Chap XLIX.
MRS. BOOTH.
L
1
27
Accordingly we laid our plans and issued a large poster, of which the
following is a copy :-
"MR. & 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. White-
house, and other ministers of the neighbourhood, and also by converted
pugilists, horse-racers, poachers, and others from Birmingham,
Liverpool, and Nottingham.
"Mrs. Booth will preach at Whittemere Street Chapel in the evening
at six o'clock
"❝Services to commence at nine a.m.'
"The dawning of this Sabbath was anxiously anticipated, and very
early many eyes peered forth to discern the character of the weather,
and were gladdened at the probability of a fine day. By nine 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 proceeded we made the streets echo with heart-stirring
songs.
Here and there we paused for prayer, or a word of exhorta-
tion, and very often for the announcement of the coming services.
The people ran in crowds. Preachers and praying men from
surrounding 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.
"The field, which had been kindly lent for the occasion was ad-
mirably suited for our purpose, having in it several natural eminences,
at the base of which we placed our waggons, and with the people lining
the sides of the green hills in front and on either side, the gathering
presented quite a picturesque appearance. The morning services were
excellent, the attendance equalling our most sanguine expectations.
The afternoon excelled anything of the kind ever witnessed before in
the neighbourhood. It was calculated that there were nearly five
thousand people on the ground, three-fourths of whom were working-
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.'
men.
"One of them had been a prize-fighter, a drunkard, and a gambler,
having tramped all over the country. His wife and child had been in
I
1863.
.
THE HALLELUJAH BAND.
371
the union. So desperate 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 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 gambler, and a
drunkard. To use his own words 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.
It
"These were some of the speakers. Others spoke with equally
blessed influence. At different periods the speakers left the waggons,
large circles were formed on the grass and all united in prayer.
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 in the field.
"In the evening my dear wife spoke to a great crowd in the chapel,
while I held a meeting in the field close by. We united for the prayer-
meeting, when about forty persons sought salvation."
This day was remarkable for more reasons than one. Not only did
the revival go forward with a fresh impetus, some thirty souls pro-
fessing to be converted 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. They announced them-
selves as "The Hallelujah Band," engaged theatres, music-halls, drill-
halls, circuses, sheds, warehouses, chapels, or whatever else might
be available, and held meetings which 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 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
*
!
BB 2
372
Chap. XLIX.
MRS. BOOTH.
.:
1
9
■.
I
5
E
no central and recognised authority, each man did what seemed good
in his own eyes.
Divisions and rivalries were the natural conse-
quence. In their train followed detraction and slander. Then
mercenary motives crept in. Money was given at the meetings with
a generous hand, and the application of it became a cause of con-
tention. Several of the most prominent workers backslid, the
meetings dwindled, the bands became a mere shadow of what they
had been, and, with the exception of a few isolated instances, the
whole movement passed from public view almost as suddenly as it had
appeared.
Mr. Booth watched this movement from the first 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 bearings 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.
In his pugilist preachers and horse-racing leaders was early recog-
nised 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.
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. It was arm-in-arm, as their brother-sinner saved
by grace, that he was to lead the socialistic, democratic, turbid,
restless masses of humanity back to order, back to religion, and back
to God. The pulpit, even when it was a chair, or a waggon, seemed
too far off to enable Mr. and Mrs. Booth to reach the multitudes whom
they sought to save. Mrs. Booth, with her weeping servant on her
breast, the General arm-in-arm with his white-slopped navvy, had
unconsciously taken a fresh and important step in advance toward
the accomplishment of their great life-task,
...
"
.
•
:
*.
!
CHAPTER L.
THE PROVINCES. 1863-1864.
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 alterations 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, however, 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 indomitable spirit
ever carrying him to the utmost limit of his strength.
Perhaps the most cheering, and not the least important 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 offer of salvation or not. I shall never
forget the feeling that thrilled through my soul when my darling
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."
¡
.
•
.
•
!
י
+
1
374
Chap. L.
MRS. BOOTH.
܀
UT
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 responsi-
bility 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 wickedness, 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
prove by an after-life of devotion and sacrifice the sincerity of their
vows and the reality of the change.
"A great deal has devolved on me during this last fortnight. I have con-
ducted the service every night since William 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 first time since his
accident. His ankle is wonderful, considering what a serious sprain it was.
You would have been frightened had you seen it. The leg was black and blue
almost from the knee to the toes, and the joint was very much swollen. We
have given Mr. Smedley's hydropathic treatment 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 uncommon thing
for persons with no worse strains to be completely laid up for six or eight
weeks. Nevertheless, the confinement and pain have made him very poorly."
""
After continuing the services for eight weeks, Mr. and Mrs. Booth
bade farewell to Walsall. Powerful and successful as had been the
revival, and numerous 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 Establish-
ment, Matlock Bank. The opportunity for further studying the
THE LYE.
375
hydropathic treatment was taken advantage of by Mrs. Booth, who
became a thorough convert to the system, practising and advocating
it to the end of her life.
1863.
On the present occasion, but for this timely rest, a general break-
down in Mr. Booth's health would have been inevitable.
He was
suffering from a severely 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 difficult, under any circumstances, to persuade
him to rest. His active mind has ever revelled in employment, 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 more than usual satisfaction that he hailed the
opportunity of returning to his beloved work.
The next meetings were held at the New Connexion Chapel in
Moseley Street, Birmingham. More than a hundred and fifty souls
were ingathered as a result of this effort, and at the farewell meeting the
following resolution was passed with great cordiality and unanimity :
"This society desires to express its gratitude to the Almighty for the success
which has attended the labours of the Rev. William and Mrs. Booth, while con-
ducting 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.”
Without removing his family from Birmingham Mr. Booth spent
the next five weeks in carrying on work at Old Hill in connection
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 in the following meetings.
at a small place called Hasbury, Mrs. Booth's ill-health permitted her
to take but little part. She was enabled, however, in December, to
offer material assistance in the revival then in progress at the Lye.
Of these meetings she gives an 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 forwards to the Lye as occasion might
require:
"Birmingham, Dec. 8, 1863.
"I have returned this afternoon from the Lye. I was too much exhausted after
my service yesterday (Monday) morning to return that day. We had a wonderful
Į
↑
*
7
4
376
Chap. L
MRS. BOOTH.
#
.
►
time, chapel nearly full, and ten cases for pardon, sixty or seventy for full conse-
cration. 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 opposition at Brierley Hill, so that door is shut.
"It does seem so incomprehensible when William has consecrated life and all
to the work of saving men that we should be opposed and thwarted by those who
ought to be the 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 received 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 blessing of many who
were ready to perish come upon us. There is some precious fruit at the Lye
yonder, some glorious trophies 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 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 the first part of the
direction I have no fear about the second. But oh, I continually come short! I
want Madame Guyon'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
another 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,
t is a perfect mystery to me how he stands it night after night, first the long
sermon, and then the tiring and protracted prayer-meeting. It is killing work
although an indefinitely 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 interval of twenty-seven years:
│
1864.
A CRITIC DISARMED.
"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 volunteers, 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.
377
"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, inquiring 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 convicted
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.
46
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 delivery was often
wonderfully impassioned, eloquent, and fervid. 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 operations.
After some powerful services had been carried on in the Lady Lane
and Meadow Lane chapels, Mr. Booth struck out once more on
unsectarian lines, conducting 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 evangelistic 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, Stalybridge, and
Sheffield, besides paying a flying visit to Gateshead, where he
378
Chap. L
MRS. BOOTH.
+
received an open-armed welcome from the members of his old
congregation.
On May 4th their sixth child, Marian, was born. 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 seeing her invalid daughter, together with the rest of her family,
give her heart to God at an early age, besides 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.
It was about this time that an interesting letter was received from
the Rev. James Caughey, the evangelist, to whom reference has already
more than once been made :
'LONDON, June 20th, 1864.
"MY 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 Sabbath. A grand work of God here. I
rejoice in your success. Onward! Great battles to be fought yet before the
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.”
"
It was,
Five weeks after the birth of Marian, Mrs. Booth resumed her
public labours, and it was decided as an experiment that, instead
of assisting Mr. Booth as hitherto in his campaigns, she should strike
out independently, 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.
moreover, a severe trial to face a life which would involve constant
separation. 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 conducted revival
services which were evidently of a 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

MARIAN BOOTH.
1864.
WE CAN'T GET AT THE MASSES.
meetings some five hundred adults and many children professed con-
version. At one of these places in the course of six days over one
hundred adults and two hundred children came forward to the com-
munion rail!
379
The scarcity of material concerning this period lends added interest
to the following letter from Mrs. Booth:
"MY BELOVED MOTHER,-I have had a very good week. The chapel, which
seats about eight hundred, was nearly full every night, and twenty or thirty came
forward in each 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.
Nevertheless, it was a good service, and I am believing for a break-down to-night.
Oh, for more Divine unction! They say the Pudsey sinners will 'bide some
bringing down.' Well, the Lord can do it. 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. Almost 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 governess, whom we have just engaged for the children, promises well in
many ways. She is very superior in appearance and manners, and can teach
thoroughly the rudiments of French, Latin, and music, as well as English. Willie
took his first Latin lesson last Thursday. She thinks him very quick at compre-
hending, 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.
"William is concluding at Bury on Thursday.
There is a 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!
"Well, we must labour and wait a little longer, it may be that the clouds will
break and surround us with sunshine. Anyway, God lives above the clouds and
he will direct our path. If the present effort disappoints us I shall be quite tired
of 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
!
380
Chap. L.
MRS. BOOTH.
E
.
i
excitement. The Lord directs 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 I 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 any place I was ever in. I
dreamed twice that I was going to speak in David Thomas's 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."
ť
.....
CHAPTER LI
LONDON. 1865.
.
SINCE resigning their ministerial position in the Methodist New-
Connexion, Mr. and Mrs. Booth had marked out for themselves the
task of helping to revive the Christian church in general from the
state of torpidity, inactivity, and worldly conformity into which it
seemed to have lapsed. Through the instrumentality 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 expectation with
unwavering tenacity. True, they had met with a succession of
ministerial rebuffs and disappointments. 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. Neverthe-
less, they had refused to despair, believing that the miracles of grace
which the Holy 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 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 conventionalities. 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 possible 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
382
MRS. BOOTH.
Chap. LI.
I
*
!
J
few might give him credit, his capacity to meet the requirements of
London intellect. He was reluctant to leave the Ur of the Chaldees
in which he had been reared, and to exchange 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
conclusion 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 invitation came from the superintendent of the Southwark
Circuit of Free Church Methodists, and where Mr. Booth, as a local
preacher, had several times conducted services some twelve years
previously. "Rotherhithe is a good chapel," he writes to Mrs. Booth.
"When I knew them they were the warmest-hearted people in
London. I was once a great favourite with them and saw much good
-done."
Mrs. Booth commenced her meetings on the 26th February, and
continued them till the 19th 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 realised that her words applied to myself and 1 resolved to redeem
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 chapel on purpose to ridicule the services.
But she was seized with such an agonising realisation 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 début finally settled
:
1865.
MR. R. C. MORGAN.
383
the question of her future home. A suitable house having been en-
gaged 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.
The question of female ministry excited, as might be expected,
some controversy among Christian circles in the metropolis. But the
objections quickly 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 Londoners 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 publishers
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. 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, 1 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 answer to this letter has not been preserved, but the subse-
quent 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 death. There were conflicts
of opinion from time to time. Mr. Morgan had not been trained in
the Methodistic 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
the Plymouth Brethrenism, with which Mrs. Booth, on the contrary,
had no affinity. Indeed, at a first glance, it might seem strange that
any sort of alliance should have been possible between characters so
opposite. And it was only by agreeing on some points to differ that
they were able on others to agree.
•
3
1
384
Chap. LI.
MRS. BOOTH.
་
Not that Mr. Morgan represented the extreme section of the
Brethren. With these he had perhaps even less in common than
with some of the doctrines and methods of Salvationism. His
religious creed was, however, broad enough to include those who,
while differing from him in details, shared with him in believing
the fundamental doctrines of Christianity, and, above all, in the
necessity for a change of heart, followed and proved by a life of
consecration to God's service. Indeed, if he had an ambition in life,
it was to unite under the spacious shadow of his journalistic
umbrella all denominations of Christians, without regard to the feuds

MR. R. C. MORGAN, OF The Christian
and differences which render the Protestant camp like the belligerent
hosts of a nation in a state of civil war.
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 say, 'We will dwell in the house of the
Lord for ever,' and altogether—body, soul, and spirit. May the Lord enable us
to serve Him without fear in righteousness and holiness all our remaining days.
Amen.
"
จู๋"
1865.
GOD'S UTTERMOST.
385
"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 appre-
ciate 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 labour 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.
Indeed, 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?
"
out.
2. I think, if you carefully consider that our views are substantially one with
Upham, Wesley, Fletcher, Finney, and the holiness people of America, you will
see that you over-estimate 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
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 everybody 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
indwelling Christ to understand and justify the outside expression 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).
4
44
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-circumventing, dishonouring works—man, the heart of man, the coveted 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 circumcised
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
CC
;
1
;
"
386
Chap. LI.
MRS. BOOTII.
I
;
•
•
}
H
2
?
1
·
-·|
=
he 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, requiring 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 (1 John, 16, 17).
"Paul has given us no more of his experience than any other apostle, and there
was not a word about failure and defeat from beginning to end, and if he had not the
consciousness that he was a fully sanctified man, his own conscience testifying
that he lied not, he must have been most grievously 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 through faith
in Jesus, and there is not one confession of sin, failure or defeat, but a continuous
strain of victory and triumph, till the closing note of 'I have fought a good fight,'
etc. Oh, to triumph so when all my warfare is 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
interesting description of the preacher:
"In dress nothing could be neater. A plain black straw 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 powers of argument are
of a superior character. Her delivery is calm, precise, and clear without the least
approach to formality 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 audience. She chose
for her text, 'Not every one that saith unto Me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the
Kingdom of Heaven.'
61
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
1865.
RESCUE WORK.
words, and her perpetual labours in the cause to which she appears so warmly
attached."
387
Mrs. Booth's sympathies were specially called out at this time in
connection with the Midnight Movement for reaching fallen women.
On two separate occasions she was invited to attend midnight
meetings at which some two or three hundred of these unfortunates
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, evangelical, impressive,
and delivered in a most earnest, sympathetic 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 particular 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 instrumental 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 condition, but her indignation
knew no bounds that public opinion should wink at such cruel slavery,
while professing to be shocked at the scarcely more inhuman 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 successful effort of the
Salvation Army, which has reformed and restored to lives of virtue
and happiness thousands of these prisoners of despair.
•
#
6
CC 2
ZADL
A
CHAPTER LII.
FOUNDATION OF THE SALVATION ARMY.
1865.
"BEHOLD how great a matter a little fire kindleth." 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.
Here is a handful of trembling disciples in an upper 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 Sunday, 2nd July, 1865, William Booth
held his first East End services in a large marquee.
It was an appropriate spot for the commencement of his work in more
ways than one.
The quiet precincts of the disused graveyard were a
fitting type of the moral valley of dry bones in the midst of which the
Spirit of the Lord had set down this modern Ezekiel. The resurrection
of the one seemed as hopelessly impossible, or at least as distant, as
that of the other. But if neither the Jewish prophet nor his Quaker
antitype of two hundred years ago could take their 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 Hebrew
seer be more appropriately applied than 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
"
---
1865.
THE QUAKER BURIAL-GROUND.
389
of the world preferred to give birth to his designs of mercy amid the
rough, manger-like surroundings of this East End Bethlehem, rather
than in the wealthy and refined West End Jerusalem that 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 position, so
miserable that they possessed no make-believe enjoyments to take the
place of those He offered them.
If Sodom and Gomorrah compared unfavourably with the cities that
rejected the message of the Prophet of Galilee, what can be said or
thought of the modern Bethsaidas and Chorazins that constitute our
Christendom? Even those who believe most firmly in the gradual
self-redemption of the human race can scarcely blink the fact that the
major portion of it, in spite of the utmost efforts of civilisation and
education, is in a sorry plight.
The increased knowledge of what is good appears only to accentuate
the increased practice of what is evil. The very brilliance 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:
"The moral degradation and spiritual destitution of the teeming population of
the East of London are subjects with which the Christians of the metropolis are
perfectly conversant. 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. Conse-
quently, tens of thousands 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.
"I have been engaged in an effort in this direction during the last six weeks.
Invited by Messrs. Stabb and Chase, I held a week's services in a large tent
erected in the Quakers' burying-ground, Thomas Street, Whitechapel, and so
2

HAURKI
864
THE BIRTHPLACE OF THE SALVATION ARMY.
The General addressing a Meeting at the Tent in the Quaker Burial-ground,
•
1865.
EAST-END PRODIGALS.
391
evident was the Divine approval that the services have been continued 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
services each day. We have also held two very successful tea-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 fourteen 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 degradation 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 sinner 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 continued affection, and urging upon
him his immediate return home. 'Yes,' he said with emphasis, 'that was a
good parable. I am a prodigal. It was 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 debauchery
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 Sunday.' 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 merchant; 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.
"Two men, each about fifty years of age, came one evening to Jesus together;
they both entered into the rest of believing like little children and went down to
their houses justified. One confesses to have been more or less the object of the
striving of the Spirit all his life; he now prays in our meetings with much
sweetness, attends every night, and is very useful. The other, who has been
much afflicted for some time, said he thought the Lord had healed him, body and
soul, too.
"'I want prayer,' said a sister who helps in the Lord's work, 'for a man who
has been one of the bitterest infidels in Bethnal Green. He has been coming to
hear you in the Mile End Road; he was there all through the meeting to-night.
I know he is troubled, we have talked to him, and I want you to pray earnestly
for him.'
·
!
¿
:
!
¡
392
:
**
MRS. BOOTH.
Chap. LIL
"The same evening a letter was put into my hand, in which the writer
describes herself as one of the vilest and worst of sinners, having been living in
the depths of sin and wickedness. Oh, how glad would I be if I could make
myself known to you, to thank you for coming here to preach! But this I cannot
do.'
"The writer then goes on to say that she has been living by dishonest
practices, but has now resolved to abandon them, saying further, 'It is
this that I want to know, whether this will shut me out of Heaven. I
cannot make the things good, for I am very poor; but oh, I feel I would, if
I could, restore double what I have taken from each one! Oh, sir, do stand up
to-night and say whether it will keep me out of Heaven, for it greatly troubles
my mind.'
“The following night a little boy put a second letter into my hand, in which
the same person, still withholding her name, says: 'I write these few lines to
tell you I feel that which was on my mind is all removed. I felt last night while
sitting in the tent that I could see clearly that the blood of Jesus does cleanse
from every sin that we have committed. And now I beg you to ask the Lord to
open a way for me to earn an honest living, for I have not a friend to help me;
but I am determined, though I am in want, never more to go in the way of sin.
I do thank you for what you said last night, that it was not what we had been
that would shut us out of Heaven, but that it was because we would not come to
Jesus.'
"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 appeals, for I confess to having 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 different 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 adjacent sympathetic churches, or ourselves
nursing and training them to active labour.
"In order to carry on this work we intend to establish a 'Christian Revival
Association,' in which we think a hundred persons will enrol 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 engaged 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 organised
L
THE PEARLY GATES.
393
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."
1865.
The above appeal was warmly seconded by the editor in the follow-
ing terms:
"The condition of the East of London is more appalling than that of any other
spot of the same extent under Heaven. 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."
Among the vagabonds and outcasts who swarm the purlieus of
East London, General Booth had found at length the very lowest
level of the social strata, and had unconsciously driven his pick-axe
into the granite block which was to form the basis of the Salvation
Army New Jerusalem. In those subterranean caverns he discovered
the "all manner of precious stones" with which the foundations
were to be "garnished," 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."
From his boyhood days in Nottingham, when he 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 when he found that this was impracticable, he descended
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 any-
thing in the shape of cant or put-on, the refreshing simplicity and total
1
یر
394
Chap. LII.
MRS. BOOTH.
..
4.
B
AC
freedom from religious veneer, and the arm-linking equality with
which they were treated, made them accept this apostle of the working
man, 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 peculiar 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 again in
fertilising showers, so through life Mr. and Mrs. Booth have turned
only to the rich that they might induce them to help the poor..
In this Mrs. Booth proved a valuable coadjutor to her husband.
Her ministry was peculiarly acceptable 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 for the godless masses. The
magnetic influence which she exercised was the more remarkable,
inasmuch as her denunciations of society sins were often scathing in
the extreme. "I used to tremble sometimes 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 expostu-
late, as we went home together, 'I think, mamma, 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 without the sulphur. I
guessed that you were 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
?.
*
1865.
FOX-HUNTING AND WAR.
395*
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 :
i.
"Let me take you to another scene. Here is his Grace the Duke of Rackrent,
and the Right Honourable Woman Seducer 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 animal 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 disappointment if by any means it should escape or
be killed within such a 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 government and com-
munity is to train thousands of men, not to fight with their fists only, in the way
of inflicting a few passing sores, but with weapons capable, it may be, of killing
human 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 benevolence hostile nations, has nothing to say. All the
devilish animosity, hard-hearted cruelty, and harrowing consequences of modern
warfare are not only sanctioned, but held up as an indispensable necessity of
civilised life; and in times of war patronised 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.'
1
"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 majority of professing Christians, as a creature from whom
they would rather keep at a distance.
1
I
¦
396
Chap. LII.
MRS. BOOTH.
!
A
"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 churchwardens or deacons to
ask how Mr. Moneymaker gets the golden sovereigns or crisp notes which look
so well in the collection. 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 thousands of poor women, both in this and
other civilised countries. He may keep scores of employés 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 modern 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.
"So the wholesale and successful thief is glossed over and called by all manner
It is
of respectable names by the representatives of a bastard Christianity.
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 children crying for bread,
and makes a bungling attempt at getting 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 suggest a mission to them, and even set
about it in a helpless, patronising 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 pre-
ferred 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 attracted in the first
instance by Mrs. Booth's services, and, having once secured their
sympathy, she ceaselessly laboured to maintain their confidence in
嚎
​1
1865.
3
KITCHEN COUNCILS.
397
the cause.
With persistent courage and amazing skill she rallied
them, when some more than usually venomous attack had scattered
panic in their ranks, or when some new advance had shocked their
conservatism. She would reason and explain and encourage and
rebuke with a tenderness that conquered the most obstinate heart,
and yet with a faithfulness and pungency that admitted of no excuse
for retreat. The rapidity of the Army's forward march has exposed it
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 impossible
had it not been for the tact and strategy with which Mrs. Booth has
brought up the rear.
Time after time have her persistence, her logic, and her personal
influence restored confidence to wavering friends, and closed the
mouths or extorted the admiration of the most prejudiced enemies.
Her arguments 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 some new development of the work. Or he
would take the 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 sympathetic 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.
";
5
}
***
CHAPTER LIII.
MR. MORLEY AND THE EAST LONDON MISSION. 1865-1866.
Ar the conclusion of the meetings in Bermondsey Mrs. Booth
removed to Deptford, where the chapel soon became so crowded that
the public hall was engaged for Sundays. It was with unfeigned
regret that she brought these services to a close early in May, but the
strain of constant travelling to and from Hammersmith for ten con-
secutive weeks had told severely on her delicate frame.
Although the journey was not a long one it was exceedingly trying,
for, while she arranged to remain at Deptford from Saturday to
Monday, the week-day travelling added considerably to the exertion.
First there was 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 services the return home was still
more wearying.
But an opportunity was not long in offering itself 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 preclude the possibility of describing in detail the
interesting series of meetings which were carried on by her in turn at
the Polytechnic, the Kensington Assembly Rooms, and the Myddelton
Hall and Priory in Islington. At each centre an impression was made
which has continued to appear and reappear down to the present day.
"I have but a dim recollection of these meetings," said Mrs. Booth
during her last illness. "I never attempted, 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 writing. But I know I felt the
responsibility of this opportunity very strongly. It was expected that
a number of very respectable people, so-called, would attend the
1
}
LORD THIS AND LADY THE OTHER.
399
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 society and consequently possessed of less intelligence and culture.
"I believe I was somewhat influenced by such feelings when I was
about to commence. But the solemn sense of my responsibility to
God, and my determination to faithfully deliver His message seemed
to absorb 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 enabled to forget it all.
"They would come to me in the ante-room and say that Lord This
and Lady The Other were in the audience, 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 countenances, I realised that they
above all others needed the plainest utterances of truth, and this has
inspired me with confidence.
"Seldom have I held a meeting in which some souls have not
decided to submit to God and to seek His 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 per-
suade 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
experience 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 Horns Assembly
Rooms, Kennington, and in the following 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 absorbing
the time and attention of Mr. Booth, and to which he had now dis-
tinctly committed himself.
The tent in the burial-ground had been blown down in a gale, and
was too rotten to be repaired. The uncertain climate of England, so
say the Americans, 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 becomes impossible in winter.
However, a dancing-saloon had been discovered, and in this the
Sunday services were continued, while the week-night meetings
1865.
1
3
:
■
400
Chap. LIII-
MRS. BOOTH.
were mostly in the open air, lasting sometimes till ten o'clock, or even
later.
"I remember well," says Mrs. Booth, "when the General decided
finally to give up the evangelistic life and to devote himself to the
salvation of the East-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 whispered to me, 'This means
another new departure-another start in life.'
"The question of our support constituted a serious 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
impossible 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 collection in such a locality.
"Nevertheless, I did not answer discouragingly. After a momen-
tary 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 remotest idea of the marvellous
work which has since sprung into existence."
It was a noble answer that Mrs. Booth gave at this critical juncture
to her husband. She little dreamed of the important issues that were
at stake. Scarcely had the resolution been formed, when an encou-
raging incident occurred which strongly confirmed the conviction that
the newly chosen pathway had the Divine approbation. A letter was
received from Mr. Samuel Morley, expressing his warm interest in
the effort, 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. The Christian
philanthropist added another to the list of generous deeds which will
cause his memory to be held in affectionate veneration by thousands.
i
MR. SAMUEL MORLEY, M.P.
There was one chord in his heart which ever responded to the slightest
touch. Mr. Morley was a veritable Job in his compassion for the
hopeless, the helpless, and the destitute. "When the ear heard him,
it blessed him; and when the eye saw him, it gave witness to him;
because he delivered the poor that cried, and the fatherless and those
who had none to help them. The blessing of him that was to perish
came upon him and he caused the widow's heart to sing for joy. He
was eyes to the blind and feet to the lame. He was, indeed, a father
to the poor, and the cause which he knew not, he searched out." (Job
xxix. 11-16.)
1865.
2:27zni
کر کے
401

MR. SAMUEL MORLEY, M.P.
It was this searching out faculty that helped to make Mr. Morley so
superior to the majority of philanthropists. Doubtless he met with a
certain proportion of failures and disappointments, but this did not
produce upon him the chilling and heart-hardening effect which is too
often the case.
He received Mr. Booth with the utmost cordiality. It was a historical
event, reminding one of Stanley finding Livingstone in the heart of
Africa. The explorer of Darkest England's Submerged Tenth had
not quite so far to go, it is true. There was no need for it. A
DD
L
I
402
Chap. LIII.
MRS. BOOTH.
+
-:
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 boisterous drunkards; the processions
down the Whitechapel 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 circumstances, the number of his family,
and the arrangements 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.
In the years that followed Mr. Morley proved himself a generous
and substantial friend, describing himself, at a Salvation Army
meeting over which he presided, as a "sleeping partner" in the
concern.
The following letter, though written at a later date, may here be
quoted, as showing the earnest interest felt by him in the Mission:
"Rev. W. Booth."
"HOUSE OF COMMONS, 20th 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
suitable 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,
"S. MORLEY.
1365.
403
In 1872, on receiving the news of a serious breakdown in Mr.
Booth's health, Mr. Morley sent him the following sympathetic letter:
"16th 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 Mr. Smedley, whom I have known many years. I shall be very glad
to hear that you are gaining strength.
Commending you to the care of our gracious and loving Father,
"Rev. W. Booth."
:
(6
A SLEEPING PARTNER.
"I am, yours very truly,
"S. MORLEY.
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 agitation,
and Mr. Morley's sympathies had been deeply stirred. Mrs. Booth
called upon him and he promised a donation of £1,000, asking her
whether she thought the amount was sufficient. She replied with .
characteristic courage, that while she was deeply sensible 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.
The assistance of Mr. Morley at this early juncture of the East End
work was the more welcome owing to the peculiar difficulties which
Mr. Booth encountered at the outset. The Christian helpers who
had at first gathered round him had almost all forsaken him and fled.
Their reasons for doing so were various. Some of them objected
to his holiness teaching. Others considered 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 the General in regard to the
rough horseplay which had so often to be encountered.
To others the conduct of the prayer-meeting gave offence. They
did not like the penitent-form. They were accustomed to speak to
DD 2
w
+
7
L
4
!
Tom
404
MRS. BOOTH.
Chap. LIII
the people in their seats, or to invite them into what was termed the
"enquiry 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 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 3rd, the meetings were commenced in the
dancing saloon. "The people danced 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 photographer, 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 upstairs
on their Sabbath-breaking business.
"We had wonderful meetings in that room, and in connection with.
it I put in many a hard Sunday's work, regularly giving three and
sometimes four open-air addresses, leading three processions and
conducting 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.
"For week-nights we secured an old wool warehouse in one of the
lowest parts of Bethnal Green. Unfortunately the windows opened
on to the street. When crowded, which was ordinarily the case, it
became oppressively hot, especially in summer. If we opened the
windows the boys threw stones and mud and fireworks 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
1866
.
"COME ALONG ORAM.”
405
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."
One of the earliest officers in the Salvation Army gives an interesting
account of the first of these meetings 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 them people sing in the open
air, and their words, the looks of pity they cast on the sinners, their prayers,
their speeches to the people, 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 themselves, 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, without mincing language or using any doubtful expressions; and
yet all through it there was not one tone of harshness or severity; 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 constraint of Christ's own love; a coming out,
not with blankets or loaves or silver and gold, which these poor creatures had
not to offer, but a coming out with the very same overflowing compassion for the
wandering sheep which filled the heart of 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-bye, 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 got saved there,"
'
❤
4
8
•
406
Chap. LIII.
MRS. BOOTH.
•
2
was the summing-up of my informant, the daughter of a worthy
couple, who have both since passed into the skies.
66
My mother," she adds, "had been converted years before, but was a back-
slider 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 December 2nd, 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 bedroom, 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"

S
EVALINE CORY BOOTH.
¿
CHAPTER LIV.
THE EAST LONDON MISSION. 1866.
CHRISTMAS DAY, 1865, brought a new and welcome reinforcement
to the East End Mission, and an appropriate token of the Divine
favour, in the birth of Mr. 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 Providence in what
might otherwise be passed over as the merest accident. Boin on
Christmas Day, and born in the self-same year in which the East
End Mission was commenced, of all Mr. and Mrs. Booth's children
none have 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 volunteer 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 disturbers. 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 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-oftener,
indeed, than amid the luscious ease in which the daughters of Zion
too often seek and find him not. How strange that Christian critics
fail to see that the spirit of Calvary is as necessary now as it 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 the
bosoms of those who conceal their timidity behind their disapproval,
and salve the lashings of their conscience by their untimely reproofs.
"The day has gone," remarked the General, in one of his
humorous home-thrusts, when replying on one occasion to the objec-
tions of some who repeated the old complaint concerning those who
t
"
408
MRS. BOOTH.
Chap. LIV.
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!"
It is fashionable with the same breath to admire Daniel in the
lion's 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 a
Mosaic dispensation, 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 follow in his train and he wears the uniform
that marks him as a soldier of the Queen! If this be not straining 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 isolated 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 definite decision.
During this year Mrs. Booth was completely prostrated 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

1866.
MR. HENRY REED.
409
were struck with the advertisement 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 Christian
philanthropist, Mr. Henry Reed. Happening to know Mr. Haslam,
for whom they entertained a sincere regard, and being desirous to
make the acquaintance 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
MR. HENRY REED, OF TASMANIA.
usual easy, illustrative, and pointed manner to an attentive and
interested audience. Mr. Reed followed with a few 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 produce an impression
which could not easily be forgotten. His remarks were simple and
yet effective.
After the concluding prayer Mr. Haslam stepped forward and
410
Chap. LIV.
MRS. BOOTH.
..
introduced Mr. and Mrs. Booth to Mr. and Mrs. 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 present. 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.
Doncaster was Mr. Reed's birthplace. But when 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 himself the beautiful mansion of
Dunorlan.
The hall in which Mrs. Booth was to speak had been spec aily
erected by him for the convenience of his tenantry and neighbours.
Mr. Reed had his own ideas as to the management of the services,
and before the meeting commenced he called Mrs, Booth aside and
gave her his instructions. "We shall commence at three o'clock,"
he said, "and everything must be over by four punctually. Conse-
quently your serinon 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 I am once 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 sooner commenced
speaking than the power of God descended, and there were few dry
eyes in the audience. 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 venerable 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 invita-
tion for penitents to come forward.
stood in the aisle and encouraged the
them and saying, "Come yer ways!
Many responded. Mr. Reed
people, placing his hand upon
Come yer ways!"—a homely
5
"NEVER MIND THE TIME.”
Yorkshire expression which he made use of when he was particularly
warmed up.
Mrs. Booth returned to the house and retired at once to her room
thoroughly exhausted, Mr. Reed bringing her some tea and treating-
her with the most fatherly consideration. He expressed his un-
bounded delight at the remarkable service which had just been held,
and became a hard and fast friend from that time forward.
1868.
411
After her return from Tunbridge Wells Mrs. Booth's health was
considerably improved, but subsequently the disease seemed to fasten
itself upon her with renewed virulence, till she was reduced to a
shadow. It was in a remarkable way, in answer to 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 eyes fell upon a drawer, full of
unsorted letters and pamphlets. Whilst putting these in order she
noticed a paper advocating strongly a certain preparation of charcoal
for the malady 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 resolved 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 exposed at times to temporary relapses,
it never returned again in its original force. The same remedy was
afterwards recommended by her to similar sufferers, 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 completely 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 melancholy
uniform of the messenger. We may be tempted even to close our
:
L
412
Chap. LIV.
MRS. BOOTH.
;
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, hesitating 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 physical
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 service 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 to it, utterly prostrated by the
effort. Again and again she would be compelled, even while the
meeting was in progress, to place the hymn-book in another'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.
It was a life-long martyrdom, none the less heroic because self-
inflicted and avoidable There was no need for an inquisitor to stand
with rack and faggot in one hand, and recantation paper in the other.
Her weak body was its own inquisitor, but, overpowered, 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.
"6
"What I suffered from the building of that church," 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
1866.
HER HOME AT HACKNEY.
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 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
ALLAMUNDAY D
RUTH J
PUTADOR
.គមន
413

MRS. BOOTH'S HOME, CAMbridge Lodge VILLAS, HACKNEY.
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 house-
hold cares.
It was suited to our requirements. And it was evident
that unless quiet could be secured for me I should 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
TW
PON
2.

414
MRS. BOOTH.
Chap. LIV.
children grew up, and became in turn the heads of various enterprises,
they necessarily brought home 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 correspondence and
secretaries.
"Of course when we established a regular headquarters, the
M6634
MUTES
MRS. BOOTH'S HOME, No. 3, GORE ROAD.
greater part of the business was transacted 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 home bundles of their papers and sit up
over them till the small hours of the morning.
"The fact, too, that we have been always accustomed to discuss
"YOU KNOW!”
415
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
being transacted at home. All this would have been impossible and
the cause would have suffered materially, had we refused to yield
to the exigencies of the hour, and confined ourselves to smaller
quarters.
"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.
1866.
"Well, in the matter of our home we were influenced by circum-
stances 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 retired 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 bed-room, 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 bring his manu-
scripts 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
leant a keener edge! We knew! If ever an earthly home could be a
Bethel, a house of God and a gate of heaven, her's 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. Would God there were thousands more such in England
and throughout the world!
:
1
CHAPTER LV.
MARGATE. 1867.
ment.
THOUGH Still in some measure suffering from the effects of her
prolonged illness, Mrs. Booth commenced 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 appoint-
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 dis-
appointed. One special feature of this series lay 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 accomplished 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 from the first a special affinity of spirit. Mrs.
Newenham 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 description, 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":
"15th March, 1871.
My dear Mrs. Booth once said to me, 'If you get the blessing of a clean.
heart I shall begin to hope.'
44
Then, my dearest sister, begin to hope now, while your eye rests on the
paper. For I have got a beautiful, clean, soft heart!
A MUSICAL DAUGHTER.
417
"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!
1867.
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 to a conclusion
a deputation of gentlemen waited on Mrs. Booth, offering to build her
a church similar to Mr. Spurgeon's Tabernacle. This proposal was
declined, Mrs. Booth believing that she could best expend her time
and strength in visiting the various important centres, from which the
calls were becoming more and more numerous. The wisdom of this
decision has since been fully demonstrated, since it is easy to recog-
nise that in view of the subsequent exigencies of the then Christian
Mission, she could not have exercised the same widespread influence
had her attention been confined to a single locality. Perhaps, how-
ever, it was the uncertainty of her health more than anything else
that precluded her at the time from falling in with this suggestion.
On the 28th April of this year was born Mrs. Booth's eighth and
youngest child, Lucy Milward. With the exception of Marian she
was the most delicate 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 father'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
suffering 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."
How often has the most soul-affecting melody borrowed 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 tender
EE
2
•
M
:
3
418
Chap. LV.
MRS. BOOTH.
!
harmonies so captivating to the human ear, and which doubtless
find their echo in the Divine heart!
"'Tis said that when the nightingale
Would sing its sweetest lay,
It's 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 resolved 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 expense of securing a house
seemed to preclude the idea of bringing the children to Margate. But
once having made up her mind to a course she was not easily baffled.
So, setting the children to pray about the matter, she proceeded to
make further inquiries.
She had noticed a house to let which appeared to 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 obtain a lease on very reasonable

S
338
10006686660
LUCY M. BOOTH.
MARGATE FIRST-FRUITS.
+
terms, and a few days later, to her intense satisfaction, the children
marched 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 then and in later
years. Amongst others was a Mr. 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.
1867.
419
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,
gay, fashionable worldling, a brilliant
musician, and with a strong ambition in the direction of education.
Perhaps a little wearied of the routine of home life, and having
formed a strong personal affection for Mrs. 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 the 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 was clearly marked. She at once
gave up her finery, 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 General 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.
;
1
·
EE 2
·
"
>
420
MRS. BOOTH.
The Margate meetings were in some respects, however, of a trying
character. At the beginning Mrs. 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 anybody
"The more respectable the audience," says Mrs.
Booth in later years, "the greater was my difficulty. It was almost
impossible to get anybody to step beyond the limits of the stereotyped
conventionalities! If I had only been able to command half a dozen
reliable people, such as I could have anywhere now, I could have done
almost anything!"
to commence.
Chap. LV.
Nevertheless, judged by any standard, either past 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.
The only symptom of opposition proceeded from 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.
Amongst those who attended these meetings was 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 acquainted. He offered
to undertake the entire responsibility of reporting and publishing the
sermons, giving 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 being so fickle she could.
not recall to mind the next 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 superseded by the inspiration of the
hour.
Her plan of preparation for her public services consisted in drawing
WITH JESUS IN THE MUD.
421
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 satisfaction 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
nursing 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 prophetess,
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 difficult to
take offence.
1867.
The following choice extract from one of her powerful addresses to
professing Christians beautifully illustrates this characteristic:
"A false love shrinks from opposition. It cannot bear persecution. 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 vociferous
in her support and devotion; but when her garments 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 some 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, crying, '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
..
..
422
Chap. LV.
MRS. BOOTH.
1
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."

BEAMTEREXAJANDILANT
EYRE ARMS ASSEMBLY HALL, ST. JOHN'S WOOD.
:
..
CHAPTER LVI.
BEHIND THE PIGEON-SHOP. 1866-1868.
FROM the story of Mrs. Booth's immediate labours we turn again to
the contemporary history of the Christian Mission, with which from
the first her life was necessarily and increasingly entwined. Here
the spiritual and financial horizon was far from encouraging. There
have always been peculiar difficulties associated with a work of this
kind, and probably 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 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 uniformed Salvationists to help with song and testimony; no
brass band with its enlivening music to drown the jeering of the mob,
or soothe them into friendliness. Nevertheless, the General perse-
vered, inventing plan upon plan to hold and interest the turbulent
crowds, organising agency after agency, and adding building upon
building to his list. The halls, it is true, were of a rough-and-ready
sort, as the following description given by Mr. Booth at the time will
show:
"One of our first halls was an old chapel, called Holywell Mount.
A fine place it seemed, after the wretched holes and corners to which
we had been accustomed. Still it never answered our purposes,
perhaps just because it had been a chapel.
"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
2
Парамет
F
'
424
•
क
MRS. BOOTH.
Chap. LVI.
ejected, the room next us being occupied by a sparring club, and our
exercises disturbing theirs. They were old tenants, and their work
being more in sympathy with the publican proprietor, there was
nothing for us but to go.
>
"From the beginning we were always picking up 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 invite us to the
quarter where they lived. In this way we went to Old Ford, to a
carpenter's shop; to Poplar, 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.
"Then we took a covered skittle-alley in Whitechapel, 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 pins
usually stood, and on it, or in front of it, I have seen as many as
twenty people kneeling at once, and weeping as they sought
salvation."
One of the most interesting of these spots, however, in which the
Salvation Army held its first hand-to-hand encounters with the
powers of darkness-its Thermopyla-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 published many years ago, and
well worthy of a resurrection now:
"Scarcely behind the pigeon-shop, though, for the 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 different.
The pigeon-shop filled with pet birds and animals of all descriptions,
and always as full of the peculiar stench which such places alone pro-
duce, was as dirty and disagreeable a spot as one could well imagine,
although the people who kept it were so much in their element
that they lived, ate, drank, smoked, and slept in the self-same
apartment wherein they carried on their business, Sundays and
weekdays alike. And this was not in some far-off island, or even
in a dark unseen nook of some ancient borough. It was—one almost
fears to name the name, lest all the halo of surprise should at once
1
1868.
A LONDON BIRD-MARKET.
depart-it was in Sclater Street, just one minute's walk from Shore-
ditch, London.
"But if you were not inclined for birds or white mice, and passed
by these attractions, you could certainly, at the time when our story
begins, May, 1868, have found something far more wondrous at the
end of the little passage and across the yard, where a large 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 ceiling 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 the 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.
"The following sketch of the neighbourhood, which appeared in a
London daily paper, very accurately describes the scene presented
in those days:
425
"The chief attraction of the Hare Street Sunday market lies in the song-birds,
and herein is one of the most inexplicable mysteries that mark human nature.
What natural affinity can be traced between the innocent little caroller of the
leafy woods and the alley-bred, heavy-jowled biped, swearing hideous oaths in
support of his assertion that there is nothing in the world he has so much admira-
tion for? Setting aside his 'fancy' for song-birds, if young Muggins chose
conscientiously to reply to the question, What is the summit—the extreme 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 impossible 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 observe the manner in which Muggins
removes his dirty short pipe from his dirtier mouth to chirrup fondly to the little
bird 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 mingling with it their
7
426
Chap. LVI.
MRS. BOOTH.
1
1
*
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 battlingfinch?
Who wants a finch wot'll "peg" or sing ag’in anything as ever piped atween wood
and wire?' Rare qualities 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-handkerchief. 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-doo'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 advantage 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 several in attendance, only interfering
when words ran dangerously high or the mob thickened inconveniently at one
spot."
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
EARLY CONVERTS.
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.
1868.
427
"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 cursing and swearing, sometimes in the middle of the night.
64
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 doctors. When I got better people thought
I would alter my life and become a steady man, but no, I was as bad as ever.
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, nor make me leave off swearing and cursing.
I was, in general, 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 happiness till
my dear husband was converted."
Such people, turned from darkness to light, formed 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. Mrs. Price
says:
"We only lived a few doors off and the people knew us and we used to catch
it hot. The men would sit all along the pavement in front of the place with their
pots of beer.
"I remember when I got my first shawl after my conversion-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 con-
verted, for it was no use. We couldn't put up with their ways any longer, and
they could not put up with ours. It was a hard trial to leave my father's house,
but I felt it was the Lord's way, and I was determined to follow Him."
A band of such people is not easily daunted. They used to go out
into the open air every night, and although, whilst they stood and
spoke, the power of God laid hold on those who heard them, so that
i
"'
428
Chap. LVI.
MRS. BOOTH.
"
*
,
+
+
they were rarely disturbed whilst standing, yet the hullabaloo 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.
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, however,
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.
He said repeatedly that he was "trusting in 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."
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
buying sweetmeats, and was then on her way to "The Well and
Bucket," her favourite public-house, calculating on what she called “
pleasant evening" with her companions. But the words of one
of the speakers arrested her attention. "If," said he, “you are
going on any excursion or journey, you take care to prepare yourself
for it."
a
?.
1868.
CARRY BERRY.
"Ah," thought Carry, "that's true; I am 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 soon 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.
429
But she was not converted that night, although so strongly affected
that she afterwards came night after night. 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 been a rough
one so far. Her own account of it was this:
"I was born in the East of London and have lived in the 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 always earn plenty of money to
spend in pleasure and drink. 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."
Not long after her father's death a neighbour saw her drinking and
dancing with the undertaker who had 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.
"But when I got into the pigeon-shop hall," she says, "the Word of God
seemed to go right through me. I have heard some say they were awakened
under this text, and some under that; but I know nothing of that, only that I was
overcome 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
i ew song.
•
430
Chap. LVI.
MRS. BOOTH.
¿
¦
"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 me, 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 com-
panions, after years have passed away, still following Jesus, and
labouring for the good of others.
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 procession 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 sister to her, and, leaning on her neck, almost
immediately 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
powerfully stirred by Mrs. Booth's St. John's Wood meetings, had
*T.
1868.
THE EFFINGHAM THEATRE.
.
431
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, who had at this very time received from a charitable
gentleman, Mr. Bewley, of Dublin, a sum of £5,000 for the express
purpose of ameliorating the spiritual condition of the London poor.
Mr. Booth had already invited the Society to investigate his work, but
hitherto 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. It was one of
the lowest resorts in all London, and very dirty, but none the less
popular with the class whom the Mission sought to reach. So
successful was this venture that the Evangelisation Society continued
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 Headquarters of the
Salvation Army was established. A low beerhouse, the Eastern Star,
notorious for immorality and other vices, had been burned down and
afterwards rebuilt. Mr. Booth bought the lease and fitted it up.
the front room was the first book store, at the back a good hall, with
rooms for the 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 appro-
ì
priate. Like its original forerunner, it shone for a time over the cradle.
い
​of a great future, and then made way for brighter luminaries to take
its place.
7
i
į
CHAPTER LVII.
PLYMOUTH BRETHRENISM.
SOME of Mrs. Booth's earliest and keenest shafts were directed
against the errors of Plymouth Brethrenism, 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 consequences 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:
?
I. The abrogation of the Law by the Gospel.
2. The existence of a dual nature in the converted.
3. The imputation of Christ's righteousness to those who are really
not righteous.
4. Only-believism.
5. The second Advent of Christ.
On the first four of these points Mrs. Booth distinctly joined issue
with the Brethren, denouncing the doctrines in question as mischievous,
dangerous, and totally unscriptural. On the fifth point she declined
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.
In regard to the other points, however, she looked upon them as so
intimately connected with vital godliness that she believed them to be
worthy of the most careful consideration and refutation.
The Brethren argued in the first place that the Christian was
released from the law by the Gospel, basing the proposition upon the
text, "Ye are not under 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 Divine law of righteousness. She denied in toto
A DOCTRINAL HODGE-PODGE.
433
""
that the latter had been, or could be, abrogated by the Gospel. Not
only had we the distinct assurance of Christ that He came not to
destroy the law and the prophets, 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.
1868.
Still more emphatically did Mrs. Booth denounce 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 what becomes of
this '
old, wicked, black soul' of man at death? If it is immortal, it
cannot die. If it forever remains unclean, it cannot enter heaven. If
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!
"If the old soul cannot be washed in the blood of Christ, which
soul is it that is so washed? For the saints love to sing 'unto Him
who hath washed us from our sins in His own blood.' A new soul,
created 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
unregenerated soul cannot be washed or redeemed, why does God
promise and profess over and over again to renew it, and wherein is
the glory of redemption? We are taught that it was greater to
redeem than to create. 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,
“L. H. B. seems marvellously to confound things that differ, giving
us a perfect hodge-podge of doctrine. 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 distinguished from faith and regeneration, and is
F F
*****
434
Chap. LVII.
MRS. BOOTH.
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 as the Divine, order of salvation,
and who has authority to transpose that order, any more than to
alter the terms?
"Paul understood this order, and preached, first to the Jews and
then to the Gentiles, 'that they should repent and turn to God, and
do works meet for repentance.' 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 themselves 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 regenèrate
Paul, Lydia, and the Philippian jailer, and the Pentecostal converts?
L. H. B. confounds regeneration both with repentance and complete
santification. Christ carefully distinguishes the three in the 18th
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 about by appeals to
human passions. No, but appeals 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 2 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 with working for
salvation, in saying that he who has received eternal life does not
agonise 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 salvation, for this the Apostle has already, so that he
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."
The error in regard to the doctrine of the dual natures has arisen
doubtless from a misapprehension 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
THE GOSPEL OF DESPAIR.
Sin is not a
obedience to or transgression of the moral law.
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.
And herein lies the deadly danger of the doctrine. 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; therefore 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 con-
stitutional, 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 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 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 impossible for us to be holy-so say the apostles of this strange
gospel which is no gospel, this gospel of misery, 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.
"}
1863.
435
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
I
↓
FF 2
436
Chap. LVIF
MRS. BOOTH.
!
7
124
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 protection 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 state of their hearts, or however they may in their 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 justifi-
cation, but that He has placed His obedience in the stead of, or as a
substitution for, the sinner's own obedience or sanctification; 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 Christ of God never undertook to perform any 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 opera-
tion 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.
"The idea of a substitutionary Christ, accepted as an outward
covering or refuge, instead of the power of 'an endless life,' is a cheat
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 only of a broken law, but of a Saviour denied
and abjured. Let me ask you, my hearers, what sort of a 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 also called forth
ONLY BELIEVISM.
437
strenuous protest from Mrs. Booth. The practice of picking out
some text, such as I John v. 10-14, 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 sepa-
rate two things which God had 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 with conversion was calculated to ensure the shipwreck 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, profligate young man who, if you could take him aside
and talk fairly to him, would not tell you that he believed that
chastity was the best for a man, and yet you have only to look at
him to see that he is a sepulchre 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 difference? It
seems to me I am the better of the two.'
or grand a man's beliefs, 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.
Exactly; for, however true
1868.
"Further, any theory which leads men to suppose that they are
safe without being actually saved is the most dreadful of all.
"Such a theory adds an intellectual opiate to the deceit of the heart,
and prevents the truth from troubling 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
438
Chap. LVIL
MRS. BOOTH.
į
:
4
4"
chance. The understanding 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 man is either saved or not; the fact is independent 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 he is under the dominion of sin, what an awful theory
is that which makes him believe he is saved! Could the devil have
invented a more damning theory than that? And yet, alas! alas! he
allures millions to destruction through it, who otherwise would take
alarm and begin to seek salvation. He says to all the qualms of
conscience and pangs of remorse, 'You are all right; you believe
this or the other, your faith is orthodox, you are safe,' frequently
quoting separated or mutilated texts to back up his lying insinuations,
such as, By faith ye are saved;' 'He that believeth shall be saved;
'You are complete in Him,' etc.
6
"This latter phrase has come to express, in numbers 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,
inward 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 anything, except,
perhaps, a whispered 'I believe ;' 'complete' 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 sinful, 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."
•
*
:
4.
CHAPTER LVIII.
THE PROGRESS OF THE MISSION. 1868.
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 country,
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
expense, seems equally undeniable.
Take the present instance. A hall had been built for the benefit of
the godless non-church-going inhabitants 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 dwindled,
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. Booth was asked to
come. She complied. There was an encouraging revival of the interest,
and souls were saved. And then the work declined again. 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 evangelists sent. There could not
be two masters, and Mr. Booth therefore retired, with the consequent
result that, instead of the cause being linked to an organisation 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 failures, if only
:
L
I
440
Chap. LVIII.
MRS. BOOTH.
as a warning to those who may be 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 disadvantages. 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 common sense consists
in their separation of themselves 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 importance of organisation that he only left the church with
the utmost reluctance when they had themselves driven him forth.
And even then he sought to reunite himself to some existing organisa-
tion, "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 possibility of such a course.
Entirely different is the case of an isolated mission hall, such as we
are now describing, which is neither what botanists would describe
as an endogen, an exogen, or an acrogen; neither growing internally
by additions to its membership, nor externally by casting out fresh
colonies, nor upwards by increasing in spirituality. 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 perennial pines and evergreens which
dare the winter frosts and snows.
But another cause of failure is to be found in the fact that a rich
man is at its head. This in itself is 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
pander to the wishes and favour of the patron rather than seek disin-
terestedly the good and progress of the work.
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
T
MINIATURE MISSIONS.
441
power and parts, and consequently popular, he will not, as a rule, be
willing to be effaced, and trouble will probably arise.
Nor is it possible to enforce necessary discipline. The indepen-
dent 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.
the man who disconnects his work from others must not be surprised
if his followers disconnect themselves from him. His isolation reacts
upon himself.
And
1868.
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
result? 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. All sow their diverse seeds in the same
field, and 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-ideadness
which can alone insure happy, hearty, and successful co-operation.
19
In a word, there is neither continuity of effort nor continuity of
lt
doctrine, and to anticipate anything but failure is sheer fatalism.
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 scabbard for which it was never made, and the
;
í
:
442
¡
MRS. BOOTH.
Chap. LVIII.
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 battle lost, and the soldier blames-every-
body except himself.
In 1868 the Mission's first formal balance-sheet was published,
covering the twenty-one months from the 1st January, 1867, to 30th
September, 1868. It was duly audited by a leading firm of account-
ants, Messrs. J. Beddow and 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 affairs of the
Mission were submitted to the oversight of a council of gentlemen
who met together from time to time, received Mr.
Mr. Booth's
reports, examined the financial position, and appointed their own
auditors.
•
:
The following is a list of the gentlemen who composed the
council:
Samuel Morley, Esq., M.P.
Captain Fishbourne, R.N., C.B.
George Pease, Esq., Stock Exchange.
Rev. J. H. Wilson, Secretary of the Home Missionary Society.
Rev. W. Tyler, Minister of New Town Chapel.
Rev. Robert Ashton, Secretary of the Congregational Union.
Messrs. Morgan and Chase.
Captain W. E. Smith, Secretary of Evangelisation Society.
Mr. Gawin Kirkham, Secretary of Open-Air Mission.
COMMITTEE,
Nathaniel James Powell.
Charles Owen.
John Alfred Merrington.
John Eason.
REFEREES.
C. S. Mitchell.
George Hamilton.
John Lee Dale.
Edmund Ives.
W. H. Crispin.
Treasurer: Nathaniel James Powell.
Hon. Sec: Chas. Owen.
Mr. Booth worked in perfect harmony with this council for some
years, and when, finally, the work had 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
THE ARMY BALANCE-SHEETS.
443
have endorsed what has since been the means of blessing to so many
thousands.
It is not, however, to be supposed that when the financial
oversight of the committee ceased the accounts 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 Headquarters 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
entrusted.
1868.
And yet the following letter to a newspaper from the present
auditors speaks for itself:
"THE SALVATION ARMY BALANCE-SHEET AND ACCOUNTS.
"Dear Sir,—Our attention having been directed to your issue of the 1st 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 subjective rather than objective. We should be in error were we to accuse
your critic 'Scrutator' of a knowledge of book-keeping, 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 certificate.
"Yours faithfully,
"KNOX, BURBRIDGE, CROPPER & Co.,
“Chartered Accountants and Auditors to the Salvation Army,
16 Finsbury Circus, London.
"January 8th, 1891."
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 Preaching 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.
.
1
.".
2
1
2
444
2
MRS. BOOTH.
!
Eastern Alhambra, St. Anne's Place, Limehouse.
Preaching Room, Sclater Street, Spitalfields.
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.
BELIEVERS' Meetings.
TEMPERANce Meetings.
"In these stations," says the report, "we have accommodation for
8,000 persons, every seat free; 140 services, out-doors and in, are
held weekly, at which the Gospel is preached to over fourteen thousand
people." There is also an imposing array of the "means employed"
by the Mission, a number of which foreshadowed the great social
scheme of recent days, and doubtless served in some measure to
prepare the way:
Chap. LVIII.
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, tracts, and soul-saving literature.
MOTHERS' MEETINGS.
BIBLE CLASSES.
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 London is appalling.
In other parts of the metropolis, and of the 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 population 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.
1868.
THE EAST LONDON EVANGELIST.
445
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 backsliding 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 inquirers 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
Gospel 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 offerings of the Lord's,
people. Over fifty pounds are required 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):
"We recently spent a Sunday with Mr. Booth in his work, and 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 unfortunate, the depraved, the feeble ones outrun in the race of life-
gravitate thither, and jostle one another in the daily struggle for bread. Thousands
are starving from day to day, 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 operations 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 upon 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, 1868, in the
publication of the first number of the Mission's magazine. Hitherto
Mr. Booth had been content with reporting progress in the columns of
various 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 allowed
to usurp much space. Besides, there was no opportunity for
·
له
}
5
:
י
ཟ་
i
.....
446
MRS. BOOTH.
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 prophecy? But the trim little East London Evangelist
survived all criticisms, and went forth on its errand of mercy with
Chap. LVIII.
success.
The publication of the magazine afforded Mrs. Booth the fulfilment
of the wish she had expressed some years previously, of being able to
edit a paper 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 Evangelist.
One is tempted to regret that the day ever came when they were able
to turn over the task to others!
Mrs. Booth's first article was on "Prevailing Prayer." This was
succeeded by another on "Compel 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 :
"This is the work that most needs doing of any work in the vineyard. There
are teeming thousands who never cross the threshold of church, chapel, or
mission-hall, to whom all connected 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 accents through
their tongues, sympathising with their sorrows, bearing their burdens, reproving
their sius, instructing their ignorance, inspiring their hope, and wooing them to
the fountain opened for sin and uncleauness. Dear reader, here is a sphere for
you! You have long wished to do something for your 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
down of strongholds. You will find your way to many a heart long since
WAR CRY
AND OFFICIAL GAZETTE
OF THE SALVATION ARMY.
REGISTERED for
No. 1. 272, WHITECHAPEL Road.
THE


BOSTON.
Prosecution and Acquittal
of Captain Taylor.
-
M
ALVAT
LONDON, SATURDAY, DECEMBER 27. 1879.
Latest Advances.
THE BLACK COUNTRY.
WEDNESBURY.
BY THE GENKRAR,
to us.
mada bare „His arm and sared the people.publican! Boston has not come to that yet.
"THE WAR CRY."
Ama not merely from the load of condemna. Let Boston drink, and dance, and dog, while,
Try a weekly War Cry? Because the ton mas Ho saved, but from the love of the tho preciopportunity lasts, for the dar
Jalvation Army means more war. To those world and the things of the world, so that may come when the Bench of Boston will
{Promig ✅ Great Success.)
who understand us, to old readers of The by thousands to-day we march on to die and make no Order, even to oblige a publican's
* one of the geatle
Only from so glorious a past mother-in-law, whom,
Tus Black Country, that is the densely popu
Salvationist, this explanation will suffice for conquer.
to be true to all that we have said and could we bring forth so loud a War Cry men on the bench has bean attending."
Well, the Order was issued, and, egute of letad iron and bond-dist#988-immediately roundI WANT to say something this morning that
written witherto, is to say and writa, as well but only as a lucu of the glory that shail
[ be do we recall the glories that have been. the Order, Captain Sirent and held Birmingham, has long been coreted ground hall help you in the personal conficts of
me to do ten thousand times more-
Our operations hitherto have not your daily experience, and in the great war-
Remember Calvary ! Comrades, remember servico just if he had been an Apostle
et And way more war? Because the cry of
devilries around you,
dogasered millions rises up louder and that agony of love to you till your hearts Bat when it came to punishing him for his been very spirited, and, perhaps, for that fare you are waging with the principles and
akkilar to heaven, crying to our inmost souls, beat, and your braius thrub to do more for disobedience, “the Magistrates, after care reub, Dot Tery successful. Neither Wol. Principalities and
YLES irrestiaiblo violence, to arise and fight Him who has called you to glory, and to fully weighing the evidence, have come to Terhampton, which we had to abandon through access which I believe you all bonestly and
Delo furiously than ever for the salvation of virtue. Remember that cruel hour of hellish this conclusion: that in this particular difficulties insuperable at the time, nor mostly desire.
Dudley, where we still continue tho fight,
our fellows from the forces of evil which hate till every Abre of your nature burns for instance, as you have stated, there was no
befouled, battle. Remember how your King trod His preaching, and you were there for a very have produced results to boast orer. Still
are dragging them drunken,
degraded, wretched, down to an eternity of way, our way, through that dark night, ever short time for the purpose of giving out a were not doubtful of ultimate victory,
Because Jeaus our King, the dyingan full of tendercat love, ap of furious resolu hymn, and were about to retire when the and the attack on West Bromwich has en-
Jeans of Calvary, still looks weeping untion, till with closed eyes, that can only constable spoke to you; the case is dismissed. Couraged us to persevere. Our full convic
doomed cities, and multitudes wandering look to Uim, and with trusting, fearless But for the favere we cannot allow an tion is that we shall gather tens of thousands
for Jesus out of this dark stronghold of the
devil.
without a shepherd, and bega ne to lay down hearts, you so the fory path that leads to obstruction to take place either in the Market
07 lives for them as Ho laid down His life triumph and eternal thrones. Aha, we shall Place or elsewhere.
for u Beonase, following in His footsteps, conquer To that end let The War Cry go
despined, troubled, persecuted, opposed. ws everywhero! Quick!
have by His continual help tasted victory,
seca crowds of captiven set at liberty, and
because we still hear that great voice high
above all tho n ise of many waters bidding
us go on to overcome the world.
woe.
The following is. Captain Catar's
account of the attack on WEDESTBURY,
town near West Bromwich is
And firstly let me say—to you who,are
soldiers in the Salvation Army-you are sm
barked in this war to you it is the greas
question of life, the responsibility for succum
or failure is upon you. However interested
the civilian may be in any conflict that happens
to be going on, either at home or abroad, he
feels that the great responsibility of it is
POR the houlders of the soldiers. It fe
they who have to run the risks and gain the
Victories, and wear the medals, and it is they
who have to bear the odium of defeat; just
so here, you are the soldiers of salvation,
and the responsibilities of the war are
upon your beads.
Left home for Wednesbury with more determination
the ever that we would fight until we conquered, and
although there were any things against us, we realized
the God of Jacob to be our refuge, and, praíso Him. He
has been our strength/
announcements,
看房 ​For whatever you call
1
·
was alarmed in streets. About waited
although the candles didn't give muền light, the Na of
not walked.
him that boldoth back his sword."
a
a
beard.
•
**
+
Anners cóme out
Fourth
Not such
I talk of the do do it?"
Now, we have the greatest pleasure
supporting the decision of the Boston
Magistratés. Let Captain Taylor baware
never to preach again, either outdoors or in
We only wish all our officers simply to pray,
and sing, and make announcements. Only
First Sunday.-Therefore, with long neglects
Now there is in English law a curious
let the praying, and singing, and making chapel, broken windows, damp walls, no cas, and diety
We
floor, on Sunday, the 10th, we opened fire; my wife and Action by which no man who once becomes
War! Yes, we x'll have more war.
will seize on the daʼn of the daughter of
be loud enough, and long enough, to prevent going round with the Rand's borns in the open air-
We was with us We beard the question, a clergyman can ever cease to be one. If he
people who go to public houses from hearing is this The Salvation Army?" I replied, l'es and goes into the greengrocery line he is still
o people; and cleaving to pieces with the
It does each other speak in the house; and let the we have come to fight until we conquer. Everybody reverand; if he goes to prison' be is stili's
word of truth the wretched victims of Boston is a pretty quiet town.
unbelier, of drink, of lust, of unfaithful not like to be disturbed. Especially some announcements be such as, ander the mighty where came in sight,
clergyman; if he goes to the gallows he us
ministry, we will send their quivering parts of it. Captain Taylor has disturbed it all, power of God, will be a nuiamce to every- Afternoon, the chapel half full; night, packed And still a clergyman; and, I suppose, nay, I am
dripping with a soul's blood into every [They wish him and his corps far enough body who wants to contique in sin:
corner of the world with the cry of "Woe to from Cheney Street, where our barracks It may be posible, according to the lottor Righteousness was there, and many dark souls ran out, sure, he will go up to the judgment bar to be
But one young woman found pardon dealt with in the light of all the solemn
stand; and ho went far enough, even into of some bye-law, to obstruct a market place; Many wept.
Upon every hill top, and from every high the Market Place, where, generally speaking, though anything more outrageously contrary which one of the children of God lest taranda best of all, Now, although you may by cowardice, or
During the week the proe was it up with lamps,ponsibilities implied in such a position.
tower, shall gleam the blazing signal of war, people tolerate even herds of cattle. But to say child's knowledge of facts can scarcely the Great L plighter has been with us, and har bese unfaithfulness, or disobedience, on other in-
until the cry of salvation and destruction, it seems that even in the Market Place of be concaired of. It may be possible still whting up the dark places, of which there are many le famous action, be deemed unworthy of your.
for the downfall of Satan's Lingdom and for Boston The Salvation Ariny is intolerable. to find magistrates who will try to
the reign of David's Son, shall echo and re- so happens that the Boston Market such byo laws against urat the request of drove or carpet wees; open-air services were good, but Army-covered with disgrace and infamy-
Three souls during the first week; it was a trial, and position, and drummed out of God Almighty's
cobo wherever the English tongue is Place is commanded, shall we say, by an publicans. Bossible to find could not get the people to come as we would like. still the memory of your position, and the
|- `Besond" Samay.—God blessed us. Two souls
Angel: not, to be sure, the sort of engel population of Englishmen who will allow
Several convicted pregly that they found so rest responsibilitieą of what you might barp
No more entreaud; no more t; no that rejoices over que repeating sinner, butch prosecutions long to prevail against us till they came to Jesox One a hackslider fitting says, accomplishtyl in it, wiil elesve to, you, a
mare “masterly inactivity” netestrand zuin the sort of Angel that is supported by two bisvaly oddure and urately "advance. now him and his wife both rejoicing fa sibs pardetted grow upon you, and brunt you, and hagrow
God will have all men to repent." Ho-will sinners who have not repeated. Now the To many a good open-aur stand there is only Five souls during the week.
Third Sunday-Went gut into the open ais with you for ever more. How important then for
bare like own people to repent and do their landlord of the Augel has a mother-in-law, one road, which has through the prison cell. about ten; glories fire; there souls gaved; wcaping you to be faithful.
first works. He will have them abandon sud, according to his evidence on cath, this The Salvation Army is marching along.|| all over the place: The Devil rages.
The most solemn vows ever uttered by any
for ever all friendship with the world, and mother-in-law lives in the Angel, and has We trust Captain Taylor will manage, as her public solone us and cereal for me to gray of the inhabitants of God's universe have been
are crying out. Hallelujah. One sent me
all parley with evil hearts. Let all that been very ill. Under these circumstances it bays, to avoid obstruction "as much as with him, and I believe he is saved! He owns a public on your lips; you have boasted of what you
name the name of Chrisrdepart from iniquity. would appear, upon the same evidence, that possible." We know he will use the 61st in house close by. Eight souls during the week.
will be, and what you will do, with boastings
No more unbelict; no more pride; no more the noise of The Salvation Army produced such a way as to be a nuisance to every companies inside. Marched through the town at night, so loud that God and augel, ond devils have
worldly pleasure or world dress or show, no such an effect upon her, that her affectionats publican in Boston. Nay, rather may the one hundred followed us; glorious time: twelve souls heard them, and I don't condemn you for so
more coretheness of self-seeking. No son-in-law, and his family "could scarcely Lotif so bless their efforts that the 81et may dance singers, drunkards, backsliders, and all sorts); doing. Some people are dreadfully afraid of
more driuking or smoking or scif indal-keep her in bed." Who could wonder that have the joy of leading the landlord of the them we glo oot do it, if we did it would fail. We are any boasting in religion, but I say if your
gence of any kiad. No more sin! Bought under such distressing circumstances "all Angel, with his mother-in-law, and many the tune, and God fills us with His Spirit, and Jesds bonusting be the outcome of trus bearts, if it
with blood, Israel is to be cleansed with that the neighbours round the Angel should another to glory; for we wish no publican Chris #pphen the Blood, which we fire at sin. May the
blood, and to be kept separate and unspotted bave "been to the landlord to get him "to any worse fate than to go into that kingdom Lord lead as on to greater victories. Forty souls since be the outleaping of an holy firo which must
have an outlet or consume the very bunes, if
from the world. Then, and then only, will get a petition up," even although not one of from which so many of its own children shall both suffering from severe colds, but feeling more than it is in the Lord, then the louder the better;
ever that God is not only warming the people, but housetop fashion if you will. Go and toll
God restore to Israel that kingdom that them might be enterprising enough to get be shut out.
setting them in a blate. Yours in The Salvation Army Goliath that, you are going to cut off his lead
supremacy „oser, all which shall never again up such a petition themselves? Well, the
pasa nway. we will wo miny be "the cir-petition was got up; but someone had the
and to give bi carcase to feed the birda of
cumcision, which worship God. in the Spirit, curiosity to go round the Market Place and
the air and beasts of the earth, and come
and trust in Jesus Christ, and have no con- enquire what the wishes of the residents
what may you are going to shout victory ovar
fidence in the flesh.”
there were, with this result: 12 were in
Blaina. South Wales, him. That is if you feel true, and are going
Then on to victory? Let every faint heart favour of the services being continued; 7 up
VERY sorry we have no further means of des- to keep on feeling true; but if not, then so
be strong. No more hanging back to let would not say a word against them; and *He to be at work as well as us."
others fight, No more keeping religion to only 8 considered them a nuisance. No so he ought, if he is able--and I hope he ever will cribing the glorious victory hore but by re- much the greater the pity and the infamy,
yourself, or doing good in a quiet way, while wonder then that upon the unfortunate band that with all his might. Wo answer the producing the following grand specimen and the sorrow for God and men, and abore
the moke of tormented millions rises blacker landlord of the Augul fell the burden of hurrying aqrom the railway station at Preston, I
all for your own poor self; but oh, we cannot
inquiry in coming from the Blackburn Council, while | cases.
(1.) I thank God that the Salvation Army ever go back, we cannot shunt, we must not, will
and blacker up from the eternal pit of woe, getting up a petition and a prosecution, slipped, and took some three inches of skin off my came to Blains, if it was only for the sake of not, dare not, fear No! we must go on, on,
and the wail of anguish bursts from dying But, strange to relate, this affectionate leg, and not feeling free to rest upon it immedi. saving my never-dying soul. I have bean a back on, till the last great crash shall end the
lips, from dying souls on every side, and the son-in-law, not only allowed persons to ately afterwards, a rather rarious wound was the lider for over twenty years: I thank God it is not war. (Roars of Amen:)
dance of it and tenth goes madly on over drink and smoke on his premises whilst his in my room; but then, thank God, have been been vary merciful to me.
result; compolling me so spend the last fortnight sộ to-day. I have been an awful sinner; God has
Although God 'has Ware met this morning, to get a baptism
the very corps of the mutilated alain. To mother-in-law was very ill, bat he actually enabled to redoom some of the time, and do a taken my sight, I am a true child of God. My of fire to fit us for all this, to qualify us
every lip the trumpet, and from every heart has singing and dancing" there! Now little which I trust, with God's blessing, will help family are all members of churches this many for the accomplishment of the great business
the life and death ery of warning and hope! really, this was rather inconsiderate of him. onward the great fight
I often used to wish for the chapel to fall before us. We have a great work to do,
Above all the diu of the world's rattle, above But the gentle, kitten-like tone and de- hindered me writing to my friends, whose copre, so to day. I cannot thank God enough for what and a powerful foe to overcome. This one
erary storm of bitter enmity to Christ, above meanour of all who came under the influence spondence I should personally have replied to; and He has done for me. May God keep me faithful has tried his hand at it, and that one.
the roar of every tempest of you that bursts of the Angel, with the exception of the also I will take this opportunity of saying that my to the end, for Christ's sake.
Aye, many a one, and all say with one accord,
upon a sin-bound world let the King's name mother-in-law who could scarcely be kept friends far and near, must now and for érez ab- (2.) I thank God because he spared me till this the cuemy is too strong for us; tho work
be beard, loud and clear, till not by tens or in bed, may be judged of from the fact that solve me from the pleasant eaty of what is known morning to come to a fricaris bouse; there I found
thousands merely, but by millions, those who when The Salvation Army were holding to write, or get witten, auch letters as are actually has spared pause if He had cap me on hell that not only dificult, but impossible,
se friendly correspondence. I only undertake the grace of God. Ihave need to thank God that He canot be done. All are unanimous as to
hava þated and refused Him fall weeping at sorvico outside, the laudlord says,
14 we necessary to the well-being and progress' of "The would. Lave been my doɑm. (This man come and it is this impossible work wo bare
Ha feet, to take up the easy roko, and then could scarcely hear each other speak in my War. As the conflict thickens ander fuld woeping like a child, and crying ont "Lord be to do.
to rise and swell the lines of victory. Salva house." To such gentle customers, who could claims upon my time and energies are very great, merciful to me, a hell-deserving simmer." Thi
and time and energies must be economused to the would have done your heart goed).
But the things my comrades, which are
tion, always, everywhero!
be surprised that our singing, or praying, ot
(4.) I thank God this day because He has spared impossible with men are possible with God.
Our eyes have seen iis salvation. The or whatever you call it, is a nuismce. Hallelujah! God has mercifully healed my leg, me to come to another open-air meeting. I thank It is as easy for a rich man to go to heaven
very salvation that glaudens our hearts has Whether it was the struggles of the mother-or nearly so, and I am looking forward to a won. God, also, because the Devil as lost his prey of as a poor man if he is willing to come down
come wherever we have fought. To the in-law, or the protesta of his customers, derfal 1880. We must have more signs and won- me and my husband; though we have many temp and consecrate his all to God. The
tations to put up with: 1.vent a day or two ago binderance lies in his not being willing t
thief, and the ruffian, to the drunkard, and whose foices he could scarcely hear, that dam than evor Amen. It shall be so.
to a certain publio house for some barm, but the
the harlot, to the proud Pharisee, and the most moved the landlord we are not told;
tid
despairing villain, bas come the new soul-but, at any rate, be induced his landlord to
life of a rigon Baviour. We have met the appeal to the Bench, and the Bench ordered SEIZE NORTH WALES!
we first came Praise the Lord. Pray for us.
We are
·
on to victory. earnestly
CAPT CATER and HIS WIFE.
| 31 Chapel Areet, Holyhead Road, Wednesbury.
Let me bore explain also think this accident, hâs | them while they were inside."; But it is not
"
landlady said she would not sell any barm to any lay his baggage saide. Come down
one belonging to The Salvation Ariny. Sho walk in the footsteps of Christ. In reality,
not know what they wanted here! They had done
§ lot of harm in other places, and she didn's care
how soon they were gone away from here with that
uožo i She wished they had never come her
But, shank God, we mean to stick to the Army
long as Goỡ gives us breath.
lay all on the altar. Herein is the whole
question of doing the impossibilities.
The Genera!,
Adlon as be left the prison gates, and given The Salvation Army to cease firing in the
"another chance." such as he never Market Place. But The Salvation Army di̟d
Leamt of. We have set upon the desperado not cease firing, and Captain Taylor was
Head-quarters to Railton,
as he stood, glass in hand, amongst his summoned for causing an obstruction. This I authorise you to raise a special force for
#pala, and turned him into a prophet of brought up sus Mr. Hirst, a Methodist the salvation of Wales, to be called "The
the Most High. We have put to flight the Free Church minister, to stand by Captain Mountsipeers," upon the terms you propose,
armies of the aliens, hororing over the Taylor, and he too was summoned.
the dying bed of those whose whole life has When the cases were heard there was a
boen slavery to sin, and the angels hare most interesting discussion amongst the
come to carry the rescued home. We hare magistrates as to the way in which the Order
conquered.
to stop preaching in the Market Place had
Not only in that dark East End where been "issed. Only think, what would for marclung orders. Hope soun for 200
Arst we book our stand against the hosts of besome of our country and of all our mothers names from which select sufficient to sweep
stil, nor in one or two special localities only, in-law, if there should ever come a time the Principality. Shall hold £rst review of
bils' wherever we have gone, through the when Benches of Magistrates would not volunteers, Bothnal Green, Saturday, after-
length and breadth of the land, the Lord has | grant any Osder that may bwe mesired by a poon, 10th January, 1950, 3 o'ciąck."
I went to a big fellow in our Warehouse
at Blackburn one evening who was looking
at the penitent form with such anguish
(3) I thank God to-day to know that I am a
depicted in his face as i ball not soon for.
drunkard by grace. I to The Salvation
dans, and int shamed to sun dia! I was not geh, and yet refusing to go down there and
to commence by scising the counties of Flint ashamed when I was drinking down ain like hare salvation. I pressed him as to the reason
and Denbigh as soon as possible. Go ahead![thirsty ozen drinking down water. I remember for keeping back whilst, evidently, ao
The Lord help you!
when I used to spend very nearly all my hard depply wrought upon. At longth he said; or
earnings at the "Rolling Mür 'public house; and
pehom i had spent all I had, they used torváll mo
Thanks Hare ready 20 volunteers enger out dying. I was a good day's work when they
stopped the tap op nie! But I thank God that the
top of Salvation is not stopped for poor drunk
Railton to General.
ather bissed through his teeth, with in-
describable bitterness, "If I go there they
'will call me a Shaker." That he should inco
that, to lum the lowest depth of the igusines
in the mill on the morrow morning, soomed ko
IM, there and then, impossible; but whose
garp in and went down, ha not only louna
". ·
me.
May God save the drunkards of this place.
CAPTAIN HANNAH GELFFITHS,
Sichowy, near Trođegur.
The General's Accident.
Warns in the General? What is he doing ?
That's right. A very proper inquiry. Look him
TRANSMISSION ABROAD.
Price One Halfpenny.
Katalaamaa
The Baptism of Fire.
The substance of An Address at the Darlington
Council.


THE WAR CRY.
abandoned by hope, and given up to despair; 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."
1868.
447
Next year the East London Evangelist was re-christened as the
Christian Mission Magazine; in 1879 it was converted into the
Salvationist, 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 subsequent publication of various monthly
magazines, the most important of these being All the World, the
international organ of the foreign work of the Salvation Army; the
Deliverer, representing especially the progress of the rescue work;
Full Salvation (Australia), especially advocating the doctrine of
holiness; the Conqueror, the American equivalent of All the World;
and the Musical Salvationist, furnishing the Army with a limitless
supply of new songs and tunes. (See Appendix.)
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 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 trust another (the spiritual,
the social, the criminal, the missionary, the musical organs having
each their separate and appropriate sphere); tney 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. "How beautiful upon the moun-
tains" of sin and in the valleys of sorrow are these white-winged
messengers of peace! Unappreciated, it may be, even disliked 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,"
I
448
Chap. LVIII.
MRS. BOOTH.
:
A
[ro
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."
449
•
1
CHAPTER LIX.
CORRESPONDENCE. 1868.
MRS. BOOTH's private correspondence, being written concurrently
with passing events, provides a valuable index to her opinions and
feelings. Her regular 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 arrangements 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 home? Happy the parents who
in their old age can 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 children and friends, which increase in number and
importance 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 had a strong
conviction was that of vaccination. In writing to her friend, Mrs.
Billups, with reference to a child who was about to be vaccinated, she
said:
"I send by this post a pamphlet on vaccination. Do read it, if only for the
exhibition it gives of the prejudice of the 'profession.' It seems as though all
advance in the right treatment 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 per-
GG
!
.2
:.
J
:
✓
i.
"
1
י.
450
MRS. BOOTH.
Chap. LIX.
sonally. But these were the direct effects. It is the indirect I dread most. The
latent seeds of all manner of diseases are doubtless 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."
We find the following commentary on an undated 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 harlots—awful! Oh, that God would pour
out the spirit of wisdom 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!"
"My dear child," she says, writing to one of her daughters with
regard to the same question, "the art 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 "dividing" 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 comfort-
ing 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 re-
morseless in shattering the false hopes of the self-deceived:
"MY DEAREST FRIEND,—I do indeed sympathise with you, and I think I can
divine 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 mistakes and failures He delights to
A
2-20
Ꭿ
1868.
NATIONAL DECLINE.
·
451
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 sin and yet make their boast in Him. I fear
there are sadly too many 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 dishonours 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 nowhere 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 of the illness and depression in the midst of which
she frequently toiled is contained in the following letter:
"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 a 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 long time 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
GG 2
452
Chap. LIX.
MRS. BOOTH.
:
F
:
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, under,
under; and for this very reason I shrink from coming to you or going anywhere.
I don't want to burden others.
Let us fight
But one must
"My dearest says, 'Never mind all these rubs and storms.
through all, in order to save the world.' To this I say 'Amen!'
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 mistake! 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 benevolence 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 each
other without fear of causing offence? I assume that 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 sentiments 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 would like it. Pray
take the same licence with me, and don't burn your letters."
On the last day of 1868 a somewhat singular incident 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 unexpected since there had arisen some coolness
between them during the past few months. But with an imperfect
knowledge of each other, both possessed an iron will. Mr. Reed had
unbounded confidence in his own judgment. He had laboured
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.
A DAZZLING offer.
Mr. Booth, on the other hand, looked back upon a long experience
in which he had carefully studied 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 concerned he would not yield an inch to please
anybody. "The Booths will be difficult to hold," was Mr. Reed's
dictum, soon after he formed their acquaintance, "but they are worth
the trouble." And he thought so to the end.
Mr. Reed received him with great cordiality. He had for some
little time now been thoroughly acquainted with the working of the
Mission, and had manifested great interest in Mr. Booth's efforts to
secure 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 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 seating accommodation for 2,000 persons, and every
possible 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 dumbfounded. 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 few people could at times be more sanguine
than himself!
1868.
453
With the rapid grasp of a nature-created general 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 conducted in a manner of which he disapproved,
...
J
**
454
Chap. LIX.
MRS. BOOTH.
.
1
he should reserve to himself the right to resume possession of the
building.
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 his 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.
Mr. Booth returned to London and recounted all that had occurred
to Mrs. Booth, who, while deeply sympathising with the disappoint-
ment, thoroughly approved of his action, exclaiming with characteristic
warmth, "With a great price obtained we this freedom, and we will
not sell it—not for £20,000!"
The next day the following letter was received from Mr. Reed :-
'DUNORLAN, TUNBRIDGE WELLS, 1st January, 1869.
"MY DEAR BROTHER,-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 together 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 as Mr. and Mrs.
Booth were changing homes and 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 surprised, telling him
of the progress of the work. He expressed his pleasure and interest
"P4
1869.
455
A DAY AT DUNORLAN.
in all he heard, and soon afterwards invited the seventy principal
workers of 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. Mrs. Booth thus des cribes 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. This feeling was shared by Mr. and Mrs. Reed,
and by several Wesleyan 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 terminated at the foot of a considerable
descent by a fountain, beyond which the ground again rises, and is shaded by
trees and arbours, winding walks among shrubs and flowers, with a delicious
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 work. Fred kind, very. Heart not well
at all (he was suffering from a weak heart). All are very kind indeed to me.
The 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 'truthfulness."
•
P
.
456
Chap. LIX
MRS. BOOTH.
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 18.-Very full of glory.
and letting to-morrow alone. Talked to
We shall have a glorious day to-morrow.
"Monday, July 19.-Very happy in Jesus. Glory! All seemed to enjoy them
selves very much."
Trusting Jesus for present moment,
very much and he seemed affected
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-night. I am quite
disappointed with myself. I feel quite despairing with respect to future health.
It seems as if my Heavenly 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 little 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 cannot help thinking about it.
And I can tell you that it often makes ine 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 blessed, loving Saviour, who died for me. Oh, I do love Him, and
do 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 for-
ever, and I hope it will teach me a lesson to make the best of every moment.
A
"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 has
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
magazine 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 papa 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."
*
1869.
A VISION OF THE FUTURE.
The Dunorlan festival was especially interesting as foreshadowing
anniversary celebrations which subsequently took place at the Crystal
Palace. Within the brief interval of twenty-two years the 1,420
excursionists 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 bonnetted 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. Seeing is believing, to the vast majority.
But dare we learn from the past to lift the veil of time and glance down
the vista of the future? Why not? Is it too much to prophesy that
the Dunorlan and Crystal Palace scenes will be repeated on a vastly
larger scale, 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!
**
END OF VOL. I.
457
*

K

FIRE
OOD
18
ARMYI
Σ THE
C.
I
..
Publications of The Salvation Army.
BY MRS. BOOTH.
I
PRACTICAL RELIGION.
Papers on Training of Children;""Worldly Amusements;
Worldly Amusements;" "Woman's Right
to Preach;" "The Uses of Trial," etc. Price 1s.; cloth, 1s. 6d.; bevelled boards,
red edges, 28.; gilt edges, 2s. 6d. Several of the above Addresses are also published
separately. Price 1d. each, or 6s. 6d. per 100, post free.
AGGRESSIVE
CHRISTIANITY.
Containing, amongst others, Addresses on "Witnessing for Christ;""Conditions
of Successful Labor for Seuls;" Being Filled with the Spirit," etc.
Price 1s.;
cloth boards, 1s. 6d. ; bevelled boards, red edges, 2s.; gilt edges, 2s. 6d.
66
GODLINESS:
Being a Report of several Addresses at St. James's Hall, London. Price 18.;
cloth, 18. 6d.; bevelled boards, red edges, 2s.; gilt edges, 2s. 6d.
LIFE AND
DEATH.
Containing a series of Addresses, mainly to the Unconverted. Price 1s.; cloth,
1s. 6d.; bevelled boards, red edges, 2s.; gilt edges, 2s. 6d.
POPULAR
CHRISTIANITY:
66
Being a series of Lectures delivered in Prince's Hall, Piccadilly, on the following
subjects: "The Christs of the Nineteenth Century Compared with the Christ of
God;" "A Mock Salvation and a Real Deliverance from Sin;" "Sham Compassion
and the Dying Love of Christ; " Popular Christianity: Its Cowardly Service
versus the Real Warfare;" "The Sham Judgment in Contrast with the Great
White Throne;" "Notes of Three Addresses on Household Gods;" "The Salva-
tion Army Following Christ." 198 pages, paper covers, 1s.; cloth, bevelled boards,
red edges, 2s.
The above series, comprising five volumes of Mrs. Booth's Works, can be had uniform
in type, size, and binding, and forming a handsome presentation set of volumes. Price
enclosed in a neat case, cloth, red edges, 10s. 6d.
ADDRESSES TO
BUSINESS
MEN.
Subjects: The Salvation Army: Its relation to the State, to the Churches, to
Business Principles; its Future; Answers to the Main Points of Criticism on the
so-called Secret Book. Price, cloth and gold, 18.; paper, 6d.
HOLINESS:
Being an Address delivered in St. James's Hall, Piccadilly, London. Price 1d.;
68. 6d. per 100, post free.
I
2
Publications of The
of The Salvation Army.
BY THE GENERAL.
IN DARKEST
ENGLAND AND THE WAY OUT.
Deals with the Great Social Questions of our times and the basis of our present
Social Reform work. Cloth boards, 3s. 6d.
THE GENERAL'S
LETTERS:
Being a reprint of the General's Weekly Letters in the "War Cry," together
with Life-like Portrait of the Writer. Paper, 1s.'; extra cloth boards, 2s.
TRAINING OF CHILDREN;
Or, How to Make the Children into Saints and Soldiers of Jesus Christ. Price,
limp cloth, 1s. 6d. ; cloth boards, red edges, 2s. 6d.
SALVATION
SOLDIERY:
A series of Addresses and Papers descriptive of the Characteristics of God's best
Soldiers. With eight Illustrations. Price 1s.; cloth boards, 1s. 6d. ; cloth, extra
gilt, 2s. 6d.
HOLY LIVING;
Or, What The Salvation Army Teaches about Sanctification. Price 1d.
BY COMMISSIONER RAILTON.
HEATHEN ENGLAND AND THE SALVATION ARMY.
(Fifth Edition.) This book contains full descriptions from life of the utterly
godless condition of millions of the inhabitants of the British Islands, of the
origin and history of The Salvation Army and its General, together with hun-
dreds of examples of the value and success of the various operations which it
carries on. Paper covers, 1s.; cloth boards, 1s. 6d.
TWENTY-ONE YEARS' SALVATION ARMY.
Filled with thrilling incidents of the War, and giving what has been so long
desired by many friends-a Sketch of The Salvation Army work from its com-
mencement. Paper, 1s.; cloth boards, 1s. 6d.
CAPTAIN TED:
Being the Story of the Holy Life and Victorious Career of Captain Edward
Irons, of The Salvation Army, drowned at Portsmouth, 1879. Paper covers
6d.; cloth boards, 1s.
SALVATION
NAVVY:
Being an account of the Life, Death, and Victories of Captain John Allen, of
The Salvation Army. Paper 1s.; cloth, 18. 6d.
1
с короткий
Publications of The Salvation Army.
THE "WAR CRY."
The Official Gazette of The Salvation Army, consists of sixteen pages, sixty-
four columns, with illustrations, and contains the latest intelligence of the
progress of Salvation Army work in ALL PARTS OF THE WORLD. Every
Saturday. Price ld.; post free, Is.. 8d. per quarter; 3s. 3d. per half year; 6s. 6d.
per annum.
#
THE "YOUNG SOLDIER."
The Salvation Army Children's "War Cry." Sixteen pages. Largely illustrated.
Price ¿d., or post free to any address, 1s. 1d. per quarter; 4s. 4d. per annum.
“ALL THE WORLD.”
A Monthly Magazine devoted to the record of Salvation Army work in all lands.
Price 6d.; 8s. per annum, post free.
THE “DELIVERER."
3.
A Monthly Record of the Social Work of The Salvation Army. Price 1d.;
1s. 6d. per annum, post free.
MISCELLANEOUS BOOKS.
THE SALVATION SOLDIERS'
GUIDE:
Being a Bible Chapter for the Morning and Evening of Every Day in the year,
with Fragments for Mid-day Reading. This book contains almost all those por-
tions of Scripture which would be read as lessons in a public service. The four
Gospels are harmonised, the historical books of the Old Testament condensed,
and the genealogies, the Levitical law, and the portions of prophecy referring to
particular heathen nations are omitted, so as to bring the book down to pocket
size, in a type easily readable in the open-air. 570 pages. Price, limp cloth, 6d. ;
red cloth, red edges, 1s.; superior red leather, gilt edges, gilt lettering, 2s.; red
French Morocco, circuit edges, gilt, 2s. 6d.
TEN YEARS' SALVATION WAR.
By Commissioner Booth-Clibborn. Being an account of the work in France and
Switzerland.
JUNGLE TROPHIES.
By Major Eshwar Das. Being an account of the work of The Salvation Army in
Gujarati, India.
QUESTION OF QUESTIONS.
By Caractacus. Paper, 1s.; cloth, 1s. 6d.
LIFE OF J. NELSON.
Limp cloth, 8d.
SCRIPTURAL WAY OF HOLINESS.
A Stirring Narrative.
Paper 1s.
WHAT DOTH HINDER?
By Elizabeth Swift Brengle. Being a series of character sketches from life,
illustrating the different hindrances met with in the highway of Holiness, and
showing how they may be overcome by the power of God. Paper, 6d. ; cloth, 1s.
DRUM TAPS:
Being a series of Sketches illustrative of the Army's peculiar operations for the
Rescue of the "Lapsed Masses." By E. S. B. Illustrated. Paper, 1s.; cloth,
18. 6d.; gilt edges, 2s. 6d.
HOUSE-TOP SAINTS:
Being a collection of most interesting incidents in connection with Salvation work.
Price, paper, 6d. ; cloth, 1s.
•
↓
:
肇
​4
میر
+
Publications of The Salvation Army.
BENEATH TWO FLAGS.
By Mrs. Commander Ballington-Booth. Being an account of the work of The
Salvation Army in America and other countries.
FROM OCEAN TO OCEAN.
By Commander Ballington-Booth. Being an account of the work of The Salvation
Army in America.
THE NEW YORK INFERNO.
A Story of the New York Slums.
SEPTIC AND ANTISEPTIC CHRISTIANITY.
Two pamphlets by Mrs. Commander Ballington-Booth, specially written for the
medical profession.
LIFE OF CHAS. G. FINNEY,
The American Revivalist. A New and Revised Edition. Price 1s. ; cloth boards, 2s.
HOLINESS READINGS.
By the General, Mrs. Booth, the Chief-of-Staff, Miss Booth, and others. Being
extracts from the "Salvationist" and the "War Cry." 200 pages. Price, paper, 1s.;
cloth, 1s. 6d. Strongly recommended.
DOCTRINES OF THE SALVATION ARMY.
6d., post free.
ALL ABOUT THE SALVATION ARMY.
Price 1d.; or 6s. 6d. per 100, post free.
LIFE LINKS
in the Warfare of Commissioner and Mrs. Booth-Tucker. Price 6d.; post free, 7d.
SALVATION ARMY MUSIC.
For Soul-saving Services, Open-Air Meetings, and the Home Circle.
2s. 6d. ; cloth boards, red edges, 3s. 6d.
THE NEW MUSIC BOOK:
Being Volume II. of Salvation Army Music.
1s. 6d.
Cloth limp,
Price, limp cloth, 1s.; cloth boards,
SALVATION ARMY BRASS BAND MUSIC BOOKS,
for the various instruments composing a Full Brass Band, and containing eighty-
eight of the most popular tunes in general use, both for indoor meetings and open-air
work. Printed on extra thick paper, and strongly bound. Price 9d. each part.
THE "MUSICAL SALVATIONIST."
Price 3d. monthly; post free, 34d. ; 3s. 6d. per annum. Under this title are issued,
monthly, the newest Songs, gathered from all parts of the world. Each issue
contains Eight pages of Music, with a beautifully-designed Cover, and the form is
such as to allow of the Numbers being bound in Yearly Volumes.
Volumes I., II.,
III., IV., and V. are now ready. Price 2s. 6d. each Volume.
The foregoing may be obtained by order of SIMPKIN, MARSHALL, HAMILTON, KENT &
Co., LTD.; JOHN SNOW & Co., 2, Ivy Lane, Paternoster Row, E.C.; any Bookseller,
Railway Bookstall, or Newsagent. Also of the Officers of the various Salvation Army
Corps, or direct from the Publishing Department, 98, 100 & 102, Clerkenwell Road,
London, E.C.
¿
•
I
…『
APP
THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
GRADUATE LIBRARY
2161975
APR 3 0184
APR 24 1954
C
DATE DUE

4

I
BEBEKLENEN *
UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN
3 9015 00535 0742
DO NOT REMOVE
OR
MUTILATE CARD

LITE