POPICS OF THE DAY.

Press, Volume XLVIL, Issue 7726, 4 December 1890, Page 4

POPICS OF THE DAY.

Am advance cejpy" "of "General" Bootn'r work, Darkeeb England, and the Way Oat," has reached these ooloniea, so that we are now ia possession of de'tailed'informatich respecting his scheme for dealing wifch the " residuum " in the large eitiea at Honae. It will, be remem,-: beted that a leading feature in his scheme fe the establishment of colonies beyond the seas, and residents in this part of the world will be particularly interested in knowing what are "the General's" intentions on this head. As far as we can gather, he does not purpose sending any people from • Eag» bauh to 2ie«ri ZalandL, The • colonies mentioned in hie work are bonth Africa, Canada and Western Auetialia---t&iQ finfo apparently, having tha preference. General Booth- condemns emigration as usaally condnoted, and insist*, that if emigration 'ia to euceeed the land mast be prepared for the people and the people prepared for the land. Bfovidea is to take estates in the colonies, by preference 1 in Sooth Africa, and have them laid out and made ready for the advent of tba colonists.' Hβ would fill a sailing ship with a colony of -mmtm had passed the probation of the farm oolony and had proved, .themselves to be capable, and .jpillinjr workars. 'This Salvation chip .would eattat £orts on. the routes and holifwuadee and. great assemblies io» the furtherance of the good cause. Tne voyage would be utilised tot winnowing oet-tbe cbaffifronv «be wheat* for subject* ing- all the- colonists to the finishing touch. of their probatbn. When they arrived at the colony fchey would at once be .taken ia charge conducted to .their new hoaiefl* rand established in their new surroundinge ia sack, coaditioae as ace calculated to keep them-ettaJght and! enable them to make e> new start ia a ■ new land. The colonists would-be*debited with the cost of their transport and the capital value expended in providing them with a house, stock, land, and food for a few months. They would repay this by an, maaxti cfcAtge or land tax, and by this means the General hopes to see the scheme made self.-suj£».. porting. After the first initial expenditure he thinks the money ( m%hfi he employedand over again without *any material shrinkage of the capital Thw sounds practical and business-like in theory, but of course everything .would depend on the

adminirtrmtfon. Stiartingraaid a vpeoial settlement is difficult enough afi any time, and must be especially co ia the case of such colonists as General Booth's. On the other hand we have to bear in mind that the organisation of the army is excellent, and that its administration i» usually very good. i

Dwawaweinthii Uwui ©e-pfcnty an aot aooueUmod to look if t«r scrap* and fragments win be interested, and pe*haps\ Amused, on leaning what General Booth proposes to do witt* the ref use of London, which |if of the leading 'departments of ilia projected scheme of operations. The « salvage "of the householders of London, iw told, witt be conveyed in barges dowfcs% Thaeet to the wharves ol«w JPanai to be utilised in a thousand different *«*» To begiawith, there are the broken victual endless atores of old crusts, which wifi tie capable of being derved up when sttuuaed and dressed aa human food. Other crust* will serve to diet the horse*, of which he will have sufficient for a cavalry regubeaf when the brigade is in full working oidet, What the hornet will not eat will bepetttd onto the innumerable dutches of ponliri with which tlie estate will be studded, muX " what the poultry will not eat will oooia to the pig as the residuary legatee, l * Tke Army piggery will be the largest ia the land, itoundthe piggery willepriag up an industrial community to feed* tt kill, to cure, and to work up the invalcftbif porker. Bacon factories, brush works, saddlery of all kiuda will have to be created and run by the Army. Old oLrtbtj form another material from, which wij} many industries. Toe deft fingers of the women will be employed in patching and repairing. A colony :of oobblwi, technically known as translators* .will b» formed for the purpose of reubtating the damaged shoe - leather of the oituefii, Cheap second-hand clothing establishments will be created in order to provide the colonists who are working fo* lodgings sad rations with the uniform proper to their colony. The old bones of London wi& lead to the establishment of button wosfci and manure works. The greadfc, f at, w$ kitchen stuff will afford the material fora soap works. The waste paper of Londos and the otherwise unusable rags will enable the; Army, to maaufacture all ita own ' paper; and at present 16 uses thirty tons a week. This is merely an inkling of what General. Booth proposes to do with his " Household B&Wag** , Brigade,* in conjunction with the Farm colony. Tbe latter is to include an industrial' v£J3sjg& and there are to be fruit farm*, oottagsi with allotments, co-operation on the hine model, snd peasant proprietorship-* on a kind of perpetual leaeipg apparently, since the foe simple it to be tested in the Army.

Thb comprehensiveness of £he eohema it really amazing. It is without doubt the largest semi-socialistic proposal whion 'K& been puc forward in modern times. Itf founder La not content with pro?|&is§ work for the workleu, but he hee auaa# roue projeots for improving the lot of tk§ struggling poor. These inolude improved lodgings, a model village in thesebarbe, th» of a cheap eeafiida watering place, whick he calls eiiapel-by-tUe-eea, and t» whioh fee, hopes to take hie .sTttt4g4&> for chilling return ticket ftym London., B» is atrongly in favor of otHising th»' p& jopecativd prinoiplft wherever possible, and hints at the establishment of a jaatriwanial bureau. Last, but sot le&at, lie -U&n of establiebing a poor man's Bank sad A ' poor man's lawyer. The forme? is tet 'St away with the necessity of tho pawn eiiog. What "the General" desires, is .todo foi the poor man what tbo&diu&rv bst&§ii do for the weil-to-do trader. Hk' pbejr man's lawyer i«, however, pfiriiSpsr; Mβ most remarkable ptodection, -Wli«* 'k nsally proposed ie» we should eaj* '* nearly as possible a family Eastern Oadi, and a benevolent. all rolled into one. This admirable peraosaga isto be a kind of father family lawyer to all the poor of tlie land. He would also underfeafej itii task of defending the defenceless who oan. make out a pnmAfum cft*s «4 • their innocence. ''

Thh whole keynote o£ Oencrftl BooM aohemeis the conviction, ! upon him by experience, thai it is no ose preaoh4giO"'etatving and deej*rate a»s« and women until their temporal waaii have been in some* meftscre J^ f "I iave had some experiejice m w* 1 subject, and have been making mm*f 1 tions with reepect to it ever einee Jae.etf I made my first attempt to whmA weft starving, hungry crowdfr—jasfc overwrgg five years ago—and i am quite mbm* that these multitudes will not fee saved .their present circumfltaßcea. Ail |» clergymen, home mteeionaries, trMt-a* tributora, eick visitore, and everyone tm who care about thte* ealvation of tbepojf may make up their mind 3aa to thfet. ( » these people are to believe ia Jeeus Chris* : bocome the servants of God, and escaf* the miseries of the wraph to come, w$ must be helpedoat of their sdclal eUw» They must be put into a position la can work and eat, and have a deem room to live and sleep in, and aed seas* , thing before them besides »lonfe'****?' monotonous, grinding round of pM «» anxioaa care, with nocbiiig at the If™** etui but the hospital or the union. IMJJ GiixlitUui. workers will join haade t» ew» this change it will be ess tbe people will rise upaad blew tke& «• be aared-i, if they will not;, the curse them and perish/*

THWaa is one thing to be said for Qenew Booth, and that ta that there aeesas & *• scarcely anything left; oufc oJ hi« «a&es# tion. "Cheap inebriate honwi/ , jeMv.'. gate missions, reeoua homos—aU Tided for. When all ie ■*& ana,"* be admits there will remain » «**■** which 1 inU ; not work on** B * **' ere forced, and who will ••«• when" they ge6 a chance, and J» mnet theretote be regarded « wprohate. These ba would treat U ts&m lttnatict, and lock them up for t^ e their lives. Bβ would never cease to »* for thekc<mver«on, bns after » «c*»» number,off conyktione,. either ftw *f honesty, vagrancy, or any other Againati «oci#ty, he «ro«14 coaSa* *«* *» Jife th«y.»«W2 forbidden to propagate »b«i» tin^ 1 T* intjmatea that when hie scheme,ie »» working order he would make penal oSlence. When rationa are : etf who'Witt work, he would pnt *J begging with a etrong hand. Aβ » &M of the echeme, the promofcer ***" in Britain he ie prepared tograpP l ? J aseured income o£ J&0.000 per Wβ* he aocomplishee only half of poae, it would probably *%Jfr, , vented money ever epant in Greae «n«—