The morning call., 1890-11-25
SALVATION ARMY COLONIES.

The plan of General Booth of the Saliva
ton Army for the cure OF pauperism and
the diminution of vice and crime in London
is not open to the objection which Is urged
against so many philanthropic schemes, that
it is impracticable. On the contrary, it is
not only practicable, but it has been in
practice in many localities, in modified
shape, for years. 1t is an application oil the
principle that society owes lodging and food
to every one who will work.
The General proposes TO establish three
institutions, each Of which is an essential
part of his relief system The first is
number of food and shelter depots in the
city Of London. Here the pauper, the thief,
the abandoned woman. the Outcast, can OBJ
tam sleeping accommodations, a supper and
a breakfast in consideration OF doing cents
worth of work in making firewood, mats or
sacks, or in collecting east-otf clothing,
broken food or other refuse material from
dwelling houses. The second is farm col
ony in the country, to which paupers are
sent from the food depots in the city. Here
the colonists are taught to build cottages, TO
grow fruits, vegetables and flowers and to
make furniture. When the farm colony be-
comes Overcrowded it is depleted by ship
ment of its most skillful members TO farm
in South Africa. Each emigrant is settled
on piece of land, which becomes his own
in fee as soon as out of the product of his
crops he has repaid the cost of his trans
portation and his fam utensils. 1t is reek-
oned that he ought 10 be able TO do this in
about two years.
These are the outlines of scheme which
has received the approval of the Queen and
a number of leading Engishmen. Our cir
cumstances in this country are so different
from these which prevail in England that
we can hardly judge of its merits. Except
perhaps, in New York City, the pauper
class ill American cities is so small that food
depotS would be seldom required except in
exceptional seasons of hard times. But the
plan of decanting the surplus population Of
cities to farms in the country is going on all
the time. General Booths plan indeed only
differs in minor details from the methods
which have been pursued in Ireland on oc-
casions of famine. when the unions resorted
to compulsory emigration to avert general
starvation.
The flaw in the plan is that the class for
whose benefit it is adopted will probably re-
fuse to avail themselves of it, and that there
is no means of coercing them. Even in
| London persons who are willing to work
generally get work after some weary wait
| ing. Those who never get job are people
who do not want job, and who prefer to
trust to providence for food and shelter
rather than put in square DAYS work.
General Booth, in his Darkest England"
describes his scheme as "a great machine
foundationed in the lowest slums of our
| great towns and cities, drawing up into its
| embrace the depraved and destitute OF all
| classes, receiving thieves, harlots, paupers,
drupkards, prodigals all alike"
Herein the General shows himself to be
more of a philanthropist than a philo-
| sophie observer of humanity. The classes
which he proposes to "embrace will, with
| few exceptions, decline the civility. They
| had rather starve two or three days in the
week and preserve their bohemian freedom
of roaming where they please. stealing
where they can and defying all law, human
and divine, when there is no policeman in
| sight, than submit to the stern rules which
would have to be enforced in the Generals
| colonies. No one can fail TO be touched by
| the sincerity with which the General pro-
poses to "drain off the social residuum,"
but if the residuum coagulates and refuses
to be drained off what is the General going
| TO do about if