New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1890-11-22
IN DARKEST ENGLAND.
COUNT RUSiFORD THE REAL AUTHOR OF
GENERAL BOOTHS SCHEME.


moral and material rescue of the 100000 paupers
of Great Britain The fundamental idea OF the
authors project is that in order to save the sous
of Sthe\ outcasts Of civilization as ne Calls
them. it is indispensable that sympathy should
be shown with regard to their bodily needs. IL
is but lost time, ne declares to preach the 1ospei
TO the shelterless and to the hungry unless II Is
possible to attend to their material wants ten
eraln Booth. however, can scarcely he regarded
az the originator Of this theory, inasmuch as IT
was first put forth by St. Cyril Of Alexandra,
who asserted that the most effective way 10
undermine paganism and spread Christianity was
to begin by making life endurable for the suffer-
inr masses who were left to live and die like
the beasts that perish by the governing classes
At the Roman Empire Nor can General Booth
be considered as possessing any claim to the
authorship of the project that he puts forward
for the solution of the great social problem which
no has taken in hand. For the merit of the dis
coyery belongs to an American. q graduate OF
Harvard who Just 100 years ago invented the
scheme now proposed by the chief Of the Saliva
tios Army. and put 1t into practice in Bavaria
with such success that beggary and mendacity
were forever abolished in the land. The Harvard
graduate In question was no other than Benjamin
Rumford. better known as Count Rumfor'l, who'
having entered the Bavarian service at the CLOSE
of the War of independence, became the Governor
of Munich and the Ceneralissimo OF the Army
With the exception of the portion devoted 70
emigration, every one of the features OF the pau
set forth in Darkest England" was originated
and successfully applied century ago hy the
Concord lad whose name figures so elorlousy III
the annals Of science and philanthropy.
General" Booth lays down at the start the
ideal at which society should aim, and entities
. Col,
argues has work found for it with shelter ana
food sufficient to enable it to get through us
daily task Moreover, when it falls down.
whether by its own fault or by that OF Others IL
is helped up again-all questions as to VINO was
rcsponsibe for its fall being deferred until al'er
it has been set ON its feet again. ueheiai
Booth follows Carlyle in urging that society
should do fer Its fellow-men at least as much as IL
does for the cab horses. Having thus s'ateo MS
ideal. General" Booth proceeds to describe tle
means by which he proposes to attain IL. Inc
scheme have to offer, he declares, CONSISTS U.
the formation Of all these paupers ana outcas's
civilization into self-helping and sen-suS'ainine
communities each being a kind OF cooperative
society or patriarchal family governed ana us
c;nlined ON the principles which have already
proved so effective in the Salvation Army. lhese
communities we will call, for want of better
t2) the Farm Colony, t3) the Oversee Colony.
nv tho CITY Colony is meant the establishment In
the very centre of the ocean of misery OF num-
her of institutions to act harbors of refuge Tor
all and any who have been shpwrecked IN lie,
character or circumstances. These haroors VIII
Gather up the poor destitute creatures, supply
their immediate pressing necessities, furnish
Temporary employment, inspire them with nope
for the future and begin at once course Oh
regeneration by moral and religious influences
The CITY colony would be food and shelter
depot-a place where all would be recelved' anu
where all would have to work for their ratlons
and for their beds. 1t would be labor registry
and there would be workshops and yards In con-
nection with it. Outside work would INCLUDE the
carving of sandwich or advertisement boards, the
collection of refuse from house to house Dy the
household salvage corps, and so on. III ai'er
period at the city colony man became REFORMED
character he might find work in another dirccuon
Or If he was thought fit subject, he coulo oe
passed to the second rung of the ladder-the farm
colopy-of which General Booth writes:
"This would consist Of settlement OF the col
onists on an estate in the provinces in the culture
Of which they would find employment and obtain
sunnort As the race from the country to the
civ has been the cause of much Of the distress we
have to battle with, we propose to find substan-
tial part of our remedy by transferring these same
peope back to the country, that is, back again 10
the Garden Here the process OF reformation OF
character would be carried forward by the same
industrial. moral and religious methods as have
already been begun in the city, especially lnclud
ing those forms of labor and that knowlcdge OF
agriculture which, should the colonist not OBTAIN
employment in this country, will qualify him Tor
uursuiug his fortunes under more favorable cir
cumstances in some other land.
General Booths idea is to obtain possession OF
zoo or 900 acres of land at reasonable distance
from London, and within the Thames estuary, but
secluded as much as possible from towns and VII
lagos The farm colony would grow up very
much as o community rises in the Far wesley
the exertions of the colonists themselves. They
would make their own bricks, with which they
would build their own houses With implements
,upplied to them they would till the land and
raise vegetables, fruit and cereals. 1t would he
necessary to have certain petty officers for the
direction of the colony and these would draw a
light salary. An industrial village or groups OF
villages would spring up in connection with the
farm COLONY The refuse Of London collected by
the city colony would he dealt with here. Other
agricultural holdings would be obtained in the
neighborhood, and when any members of the colony
reganed their legs sufficiently to be capable OF
individual effort they would be placed in CO.
operative farm. On the other hand, when in
habitants of the farm colony had acquired some
knowledge Of agriculture and imbibed country
ways, they would be dispatched to the Over-the
Sea colony, which is the highest rung of the lad
der. With regard to this last colony Genera
Booth remarks:
ALI who have given attention to the subject
are agreed that in our colonies, in South Africa
Canada, Western Australia, and elsewhere there
are millions of of usefui iand to be obtained
for the asking capable of supporting our surplus
population in health and comfort were it thou
sand times greater than 1T is. We propose u
secure o tract of land in one Of these countries
prepare it for settlement establish In it authority
govern it by equitable laws, assist it in times o
necessity, settling it gradually with prepared
people, and secure home for these destitut
multitudes.
With regard to the Household Salvage Corps
tbove mentioned in connection with the city colony