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rity, who demands that the tendency of law shall be to make it easy to do right, and not afford facilities to do wrong. Some passages of " In Darkest England and the Way Out " are certainly capable of being misconstrued. But on looking at the book and its scheme as a whole, the Christian heart is drawn into lively sympathy with it, without being committed to every detail. If all that is anticipated be not realized by this gigantic scheme, the attempt to carry it out cannot; do otherwise than prove a source of great and eternal good to multitudes, as the labourers carry on their work in depen* dence upon God.
The London " Speaker " testifies to the capacity of Gen. Booth for winning ike masses.
Seeing from what the Salvation Army has grown, and to what it has grown, we are extremely reluctant to denounce any scheme seriously and carefully elaborated by its leader, as beirg ci too big to be practicable." We must remember who will be the " one head and centre " of the scheme. There are many weak points in General Booth : he is only human. But he is an earnest man ; he has proved his talent for organisation ; he has proved his capacity for winning the sympathies of the masses. We would say nothing against gentleness, and quiet, and culture. We hope to attain them in the end. In is a pretty work to prune the vine, a beautiful thing to let in the sunlight on the fruit, and to watch the perfection of bloom, and shape, and color ; but first of all something has to be done at the roots, something at which we may hold our noses, but which is for all that requisite.
It remains to be seen, first, whether the people concerned would accept the scheme ; secondly, whether discipline could be maintained ; thirdly, whether money can be raised. As to the first two questions, experience in some degree answers. The people do come to the Salvation Army's establishments, ar-d they do behave well in the Shelters and the Workshops. Those who best know the poorer working classes of the country, will be the least likely to despair on these points. A group of poorer English men and women are easily led by a leader who instils regularity and order, and of whose hearty goodwill to them they are assured. Organisation is in the English blood ; and the rougher East End crowd has orderly elements ready-to respond at once to the word of command from men und women whom they know and trust. Only the crowd must be sober; and that which its leader preaches must be hope. As to the money, some portion has come in already ; and if this is used, as it will be, in making a visible beginning, there will be plenty of people troubled in their consciences who will be ready to give more. Let us give General Booth money, and five years for his experiment. At the end of that time it will be clear enough whether or no the best thing which we can provide for the unemployed is a lethal chamber.
The Boole has an unprecedented sale.
Up to the middle of January the book had reached a total circulation of 200,000 copies, beside running through two separate editions in America" Ifc is now beiog translated into Japanese, French, Swedish and other languages.
The Book of the year.
I do not think I say too much when I say it will not be the attitude ten per cent, after they have read from cover to cover the most remarkable volume that has been issued from the press this year.