THE NEW ZEALAND TIMES (PUBLISHED DAILY.) THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 1899. “GENERAL” BOOTH’S MISSION.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXIX, Issue 3678, 2 March 1899, Page 4

THE NEW ZEALAND TIMES (PUBLISHED DAILY.)

THURSDAY, MARCH 2, 1899. “GENERAL” BOOTH’S MISSION.

With wmcii'iis -Ihcoiiporated mu' Wj;i.lington 1 ’ INDEPENDENT; DbTABLLSIICU 1845. . -•

It has been said that the First Napoleon was oven greater as a legislator than he was as a soldier. - Certainly, the Code Napoleon is a much more worthy achievement than any of the victories with which the" name of Bonaparte associated. - Similarly, although -Mr, William Booth is now universally famed as tho founder of the Salvation Army, it is not unlikely that in future ages his achievements as “ General ” in tho fight against sin and the devil will be less esteemed than .his work: as a social reformer among the “ submerged, tenth ” of the British people. ■■ Ho by no means stands alone in bis zeal for the improvement Of the condition of the “ slum” population of English cities, and the raising of the degraded classes to a position of usefulness and self-respect, but he is far ahead of all others in his successful application of practical methods- of dealing with' these classes. Mr Booth is now on his way to this country, after a lapse of some five or six years: and remembering that on the occasion of ibis former visit some proposals were made by him for the establishment of an Over Sea Colony hero in connection with his work of reclamation, a good deal of interest will be taken in his movements by .the general public, quite apart from the local work of the religious organisation of which he is tho honoured head. Not improbably his present visit-to Australasia has, something to'do with his plan for founding settlements in this part of the .world to which tho overflow from his Home colonies might be directed. The “ Army” farms in England; are conducted Upon a principle of; which, there is an exemplification in the, Vric.torian Labour Colony at Leongatha. Tiie raw recruits drafted from Loudon slums are placed under drastic discipline

by Salvationist officers ami under effiI eierifc instructors are' trained in farm j work and iii various domestic trades and pursuits according to'their -capacity. To I say that results have been entirely satisfactory is to say wlwt a. quarter of a ’patury ago would have been regarded ts .a miracle, but-'nevertheless so much has been done by tho “ General’s ” officers bat the reports savour strongly of tho niraculous. ’ Although Australasian colonists in general have- favoured reitrictive measures in the matter of undesirable immigrants,” yet, in view ,f the larger, humanity prevailing to-day, t is probable Ihq .question of opening legotiatiojis with Air. Booth may bo cntcrVaincd by. those haying control of im.nhabited Australian territories. Tho nen whom he would send to fill our waste places, would,' at any rate, he preferable to thoso-of-’alien race and religion who have already- obtained a largo foothold in all these new lands. The people trained on tho “Army farms ,re neither criminals noy human derelicts patched up for tho occasion. Jinny jl them arc strong, lusty- follows, in whom the lovo of. toil has boon .fostered by ono of those processes. by which tho Salvation .Army has... wrought such wonders-among the idle and dissolute. Under the system established by the General,” these men ■ arc taught to realise that they may be much happier earning their living by hard and regular coil than by.precarious.“hand-to-mouth” means. ■ Of course, reclaimed; wastrels -.ire not quite tho material t hut wo should deliberately choose as thev basis ,jf population in this country, There would -doubtless bo raised a terrible ; outcry if tho Government permitted General Booth to acquire a site for an over-sea colony in,tho waste places of New Zealand. , It -would be bettor, perhaps, to bear -tho evils of a declining birth-rato and a slowly-growing population than to encourage tho immigration gf a class . deficient in physical-and .moral qualities. As usual, the devil wo know is better than the devil, wo don’t know. But at the same time, wo have almost •hiily evidence that even a. worse class of immigrants is allowed unmolested to land upon our shores.'- Wo have no wish to see a grant of land made, to! General Booth by, the Government. of Now Zealand; ’but in the interests of the-:community it would bo better to receive a dozen members from one of Uis Socialistic hives than one of those ill-conditioned .dandies of' good family who .have, been kicked out ,of decent ISnglish.- society , and shipped- out hero, as they are by . scores, with, a little money in,their pockets,and a promise if regular remittances so long as they it ay in the colony.