The Timaru Herald. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 1890.

Timaru Herald, Volume LI, Issue 4991, 13 November 1890, Page 2

The Timaru Herald. THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 13, 1890.

Genekal Booth and hia Salvation Army have outlived the depreciation, contempt and obloquy which certain sections of society freely expressed towards them for years after the inauguration of this great modurn religious movement. The skilful organiser whoso uame is now a household word over most of the civilised world, bus recently undertaken a new crusade, and, exemplifying the old saw that "nothing succeeds like success," not a word of dissent, dißtrnst or dislike is ottered against it or him. This movement is not directed against wickedness md ungodliness, bat against tho conditions ander which these flourish most vigorously. It may be assumed that other religious workers were as fully awiire, ns a matter of kuowledgo merely, of the influence of material Biiri'oundinijs on moral health, but the Inboura of the Salvation Army, specially to save those m the lowest grade, have borno m upon their leaders with much greater force tlinn other teachers have experienced, the- hopelessness of attempts to regenerate morally those who equally require regeneration physically. Immediate nud pressing physical necessities fill a In rger space ia man's horixon than liopi-B and fears of a spiritual future; hunger, thirst, and squalor, are enough to veil the brightest heaven aud themselves constitute a miserable hell ; to preach tne Gospel to the starving is to w.iste lime and energy, to cast pearls before swine. As General Booth says: "They ore like peoplo nt the upper windows of a building on fire. You hold oat a sheet or net underneath, and call to them to leap, but they are afraid, thty have not nurve enough, and they full back into the" fire. These peoplo havo not got nerve.; they are preocenpied ; tho " man wants some dinner; the woman is thinking about her hungry children ; the man is m tbo turmoil of crime, nnd the police are after him ; and if you talk to' him about heaven and hell, ho enys : ' This is hell ; how cau I gut out of this hell ? ' He baa no thought to give to this 6ulvjeot of religion, and he goes on and perishes. Therefore, if you don't care for their bodies, and it is only their souls you aro after, I say get at their souls through . their circumstances." The means be proposes to take to " get at their souls" are snob as must command the sympathy of all who can feel for their kind m distress and misery. Already for some time past the Salvaiinn Army has hnd its Prison Gate Brigadi'B, whose dnty it ia to siiccolir, and, if possible, to reform discharged prisoners. Already they have their Magdalen Homes for tho rescue of another and still more pitiable class. These classes to paraphruse General Booth's words, avo bnt the penm on a great ocean of poverty. Some people any there nre about five millions of people m, Great Britain: who are dependent for their livelihood on the parish or oh chdrity m some, other form, and .the worst, of ' th' 6 story is that the number ia increasing. , It is this great ocean! Of wretohednesa and misery that General Booth purposes to make, an effort to drain. " I rißk myself," be Bays, " what is to be done. If we havo got any bowels of compassion we must pity these people. It is a wonder how we can sleep at nights, and know that there are scenes of misery arid wretchedness which might be compared to hell, where men ure hungry, where men are m despair, where men ars wondering how long it will take for 'the •gnajy' ing, pain at their stouiaouß , tb> end their misery, ' where men "go out m the- night and look at tho river, where men wish'tbey had 1 never . been born." The question "What, id '• to be dond r 1 " baa been, answered m a small and ye) not f.ißigfli&oanb way 'by Dr, , Barnardo whose .work 40. converting' street; ; waife into nicful mem^era of society -is- now (ilmost as well, .known ns , it has bten sticcesafuj^. ,Tho Sulyatiqnisb scho'ine, v on rj.araUe'l'' lines, 'but: .is ..vastly/ jnow auibitioub, both in> kind and m dogrcu To rescue "frow fl p(>Wft i y > '"-' find v'w-

ibildren and growing luds and lasses, id<3 a few BCore or hundreds. a year, is a' :ar simpler and smaller matter than Senerul Booth proposes to undertake. 3n the other bund a much more powerful machinery will bo brought into aperation, oud though Dr Barnardo has not naked for assistance m vain, the Salvationist leader will be able, we have no doubt, to commmand funds m proportion to the magnitude of hia efforts. Whether .these efforts result m achievement!] worthy of them remains to be seen, but at least one beneficial effect of general character they nitißt. have. They cannot fail to direct attention more and more to the springs which feed the " great ocean of misery," and the statesman may be compelled by public opinion to do what la beyond the power of the philanthropist, namely, dam up for ever many if not all of those sources of social and ' moral evil. . '