rganisation which he so triumphantly
established, it is certain that he belonged to the company of saints,
and that during the eighty-three years of a strenuous life, he devoted
himself, so far as in him lay, to the solemn duty of saving men's souls
and extending the Divine Kingdom on earth. That success attended his
efforts is, from this point of view, not of so much consequence as that
the success was deserved by the patient, devout, and self-sacrificing
zeal of the Founder of The Salvation Army. Long ago William Booth
prevailed against the easy scepticism of those who found fault with his
aims, and the sincere dislike of humble and reverent men, who doubted
whether the cause of religion could be advanced by such riotous methods.
Not only was The General of The Salvation Army a saint and a mystic, who
lived in this world and yet was not of this world, but he also was
possessed of much practical ability and common sense, without which the
great work of his life could never have been accomplished. We need only
refer to that remarkable book which he published in 1890, _In Darkest
England, and the Way Out_, in which will be found proposals to remedy
the crying evils of pauperism and vice by such eminently wise expedients
as Farm Colonies, Oversea Colonies, and Rescue Homes for Fallen Women;
to say nothing of picturesque but also practical devices, such as the
Prison-Gate Brigade, the Poor Man's Bank, the Poor Man's Lawyer, and
Whitechapel-by-the-Sea. How is it possible to ridicule the objects or
character of a man who has proved himself so earnest a worker for God?
As a matter of fact, William Booth was nothing less than a genius, and
towards the end of the nineteenth century the world at large gave very
generous recognition, not only to the spirit and temper, but to the
results of an extraordinarily effective, and, indeed, epoch-making
Movement. At the instance of King Edward VII The General was officially
invited to be present at the Coronation ceremony in 1902. Nothing could
have marked more significantly than this single fact the completeness of
the change of public feeling; and when, in 1905, William Booth went on a
progress through England, he was welcomed in state by the Mayors and
Corporations of many towns.

"Is it better to live in this world with no religion at all or with a
narrow and violent form of religious belief? People will judge the
deceased teacher and chief, in respect of his theological and
propagand