Morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven [Conn.]) 1848-1894, 1892-11-28

til winter wore off into summer was iney.
liable, and by that time all the mischief
was done. simultaneously with the inVi-
tarion to DR.. Pierson TO return in the same
capacity after q summer holiday, was an
invitation given to young Thomas Spur
geon to come over from New Zealand as q
pulpit supply during the interim. Young
Spurgeon came, and the result was that
from Sabbath to Sabbath, twice q day, he
preached SO admirably as to convince q
large portion of the congregation that he
would serve them with distinguished suc.
cess as regular pastor. The signatures
of two thousand of the members were Sc
cured urging his retention in that role.
But how was DR.. Pierson to be disposed
of, and above all, how was DR.. James
Spurgeon, the uncle, to be gotten out of
the wsyi There was the rub; and Ii so
happened that Just as the sentiment in be-
half of young Thomas was solidifying it
self into the form of q popular petition,
DIR. Pierson sent word that he had accept
ed the call they had given him, and would
shortly be in their midst as their most
humble servant and preacher.
There was at first not the slightest feel
ing against the American clergyman. 1t
was not that they loved Pierson less, but
that many of them loved Tom Spurgeon
more. The church had been 'Spurgeon's
Tabernacle" all along, and now 1t looked
as though they could safely continue 1t as
"Spurgeon's Tabernacle" with a worthy
son of the great departed as its regular
preacher. Until now the people had no
idea that Thomas Spurgeon could preach
SO well. for 1t bsd been years since they
had heard him. They had supposed, too,
that he was in delicate health, for was 1t
not generally understood that he had gone
-
English weAthsri Bat here he was now,
alive and well, acting like q saint and
preaching like a seraph-so at least many
of them thnught-snd who could fail to
see the leadings of provldencs in all thisi
The young man in his thrse months of
service got firm grip on the hearts of the
people, and there can be no doubt that
only for the obligation of the church to
DIR. Pierson he would still be holding the
fort. To eoneiliate the Spurgeon element
the officisry, when forced to set, invited
young Spurgeon to return after time for
q further period ss temporary supply, and
now, as everybody knows, DIR. Pierson is
at the helm. So the matter rests, or
rather, so 1t doesn't rest, for the discor-
dsnt elements are any thing but Q1isscent,
and unless some new arrangement shall be
made before long we can only foresee in
cressiDg discomfort, and shall probably in
the end have to chronicle q disastrous
split.
General Booth remarked recently that
twenty seven years sgo there was only
one member of the Salvation army, and
that ons was himself. Since this remark
his enemies have been predicting that be-
fore long his own individual self, with a
heavy burden of debt about his neck,
will be all that Is left of this unique
body. But this, of course, is only the
wild talk of fools. Speaking generally,
those who have trusted the general with
subscriptions are satisfied with the use
he hss made of them, and still have
faith that his new departure in the So
| cisl line will yield gratifying results.
For the most part those who are coming
down upon him so heavily in his present
embsrrassments are those who have hon
ored him with their disfavor from the
first, and from all your correspondent
can find out, the public committee which
has been sitting upon his financial af-
fairs was demanded, not at ali by those
who wanted to find ont where their own
money had gone, but by those supreme
ly virtuous souls who are always go anx-
| ious, out of an oysIH1wing public spirit,
| to see what has become OF other peoples
money.
That he ia in debt the general himself
does not deny. He needs very urgently
about two hundred and fifty thousand dol
lars. He boldly Gays so, and he confesses,
moreover, that failing to get this amount
| at an early day, some of his grand enter
| prises will be crippled. But this, he as
| sures US, will not affect the army in it,
distinctively religious work. The shadow
of S,lbsrrassment rests only upon his nu
merous social schemes. aud the explsns
| ha pfx nf ha ariafc 10 that
the magnitude of the work be under tool
two years ago, and the generous response
he met at first in the form of contribu.
tons, have operated jointly to drive him
| forward in his plans little ahead of his
| supply wagon In other wordE, he has
ventured something-hss presumed a lit
tie upon the confidence and liberRlity of 9
great nation. This is what We have heard
from his own lips and surely, when it ID
remembered that the work he is trying tC
do is one which is urgently demanded il
the interests of humanity, and one which
in its effects must be credit and an un-
questionable benefit to the whole of Grea
| Britain such an excuse is a very good one
1t may reflect little upon the generals
prudence as a inancier, but it shows hin
to have one of the biggest of hearts, snC
it sheds a glory upon him which, from tn,
philanthropic point of view, Is far more
desirable than the credit he might hav,
won by counting every penny and stop
ping suddenly when the last had been paic
out.
An intimate acquaintance with soais
conditions and with public charities il
England, and particularly in London, en-
ables us TO affirm confidently that the sor
of work which General Booth has under
taken in his Farm colony and kindred en-
terprises is work which no one in Eng
land can do SO well as the head of tie Sal
vation army, and which no one heretofor
has seriously undertaken. There Is
large amount of charity in this big city, a
heaven knows there needs to be- But fo
the most part London's great charitie
reach out their helping hand only to tn
} worthy among the poor and suffering
, For the unwortby-those whose lives soci
ETY. has voted to be q hopeless wreck an
the poor wretches who have lost all hol
out of their own bosoms-there are br
: three openings in England, and those 81
} the workhouse, the gaol and the grsv'
! But this class, whom hardly any body car,
t for and who have gone so far into Ii
8 depths that they can no longer zee ii
8 least chance of any more taking care {
i themselvee-the utter dregs of England
3 population. of whom, by the way, EnI
r land has larger proportion than any oil
} | er enlightened nation on earth-ihese al
General Booths special desire and IL
g class in whose interest his new scheml
!. are being operated. Truly, like a great
one, he has come to seek aud save tn
6 which is lost, and all over this groanir
land he is showing in the most practic
o way that he knows both how to find the
f lost ones and how to start them on q ne
: career of hope and opportunity.
q BecAuse his work ia so good and b
: cause we do not think that the Englit
q nation can be so cruel to the hopeless
/ to leave them with no helper when one h
J. offered himself for such work, We cann
b help believing that General Booth wi
emerge from his present difficulties strong
f than ever, and with more popular fav,
and tighter grip than ever upon the po
d ular purse. OF this result the gener
/ himself is sublimely confident. "The nc
d people of this country" he says, 'fsre N
n going to see me go down" This Is b
Is faith, and notwithstanding pressing er
:, bsrrsssment and merciless criticism,
,s shows his faith by his works. ne
10 home for one thousand of the unemploy,
r is to be opened Immediately. The thr
T. hundred who are being raised from d
y dead at his farm colony are daily receivii
1t fresh recruits from the cutters of Londo
d His seventy two slum posts and forty-thr
u rescue homes, his fifteen prisopgate hom
10 and thirty six food and shelter depots, |
sr twenty seven labor bureaus and his TIVE