ation. If any one could imagine what it has been for me to sit
at its centre almost without intermission for more than thirty-five
years, receiving continual reports of its development and progress in
one nation after another, studying from within not only its strength
and vitality, but its weaknesses and failures, and labouring to devise
remedies and preventatives, until what was a little unknown Mission in
the East End of London has become the widely, I might almost say, the
universally recognized Army of to-day, he could perhaps understand
something of my great confidence.

Curious indeed seem to be the thoughts of many people about
us!--people, I mean, who have only had a glance at one of our open-air
meetings, or have only heard some wild challenge of General Booth's
good faith, and have then more or less carefully avoided any closer
acquaintance with us. They often appear to be under the impression
that you have only to persuade a few people to march through any
crowded thoroughfare with a band, to gather a congregation, and, if
you please, to form out of it an Army, and from that again to secure a
vast revenue! I often wish that such people could know the struggles
of almost every individual, even amongst the very poorest, between the
moment of first contact with us and that of resolving to enlist in our
ranks. How few, even now, seem aware of the fact that so far from
paying or rewarding any one for joining in our efforts, all who do so
are from the first called upon daily not only to give to our funds,
but by sacrifice of time, labour, money, and often of health as well,
to constitute themselves efficient soldiers of their Corps, and assist
in providing it with every necessity.

Every one of the 3,000,000 meetings held annually, even in this
country, depends upon the voluntary giving up of the time and effort
of working-men and women who have in most cases to hurry from work to
home, and from home to meeting-place, after a hard day's labour. Much
the same may be said of the 450,000 meetings held annually on the
Continent of Europe; with this difference, that our people there have
mostly to begin work earlier in the day, and to conclude much later
than is the case here. Their evening meetings, in conformity with the
habits of the country concerned, must needs be begun, therefore,
later, and conclude much later than similar gatherings in the United
Kingdom.

A cursory glance through the seventy-four newspapers