evolution and ethics and other essays-第46部分

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day；　a　judicious　friend　calls　his　attention　to　them。　To　those　of　my
contemporaries　on　whom；　as　on　myself；　Carlyle's　writings　on　this　topic
made　an　ineffaceable　impression　forty　years　ago；　who　know　that；　for
all　that　time；　hundreds　of　able　and　devoted　men；　both　clerical　and
lay；　have　worked　heart　and　soul　for　the　permanent　amendment　of　the
condition　of　the　poor；　Mr。　Booth's　〃Go　to　Mudie's〃　affords　an　apt
measure　of　the　depth　of　his　preliminary　studies。　However；　I　am　bound
to　admit　that　these　earlier　labourers　in　the　field　laboured　in　such　a
different　fashion；　that　the　originality　of　the　plan　started　by　Mr。
Booth　remains　largely　unaffected。　For　them　no　drums　have　beat；　no
trombones　brayed；　no　sanctified　buffoonery；　after　the　model　of　the
oration　of　the　Friar　in　Wallenstein's　camp　dear　to　the　readers　of
Schiller；　has　tickled　the　ears　of　the　groundlings　on　their　behalf。
Sadly　behind　the　great　age　of　rowdy　self…advertisement　in　which　their
lot　has　fallen；　they　seem　not　to　have　advanced　one　whit　＇250＇　beyond
John　the　Baptist　and　the　Apostles；　1800　years　ago；　in　their　notions　of
the　way　in　which　the　metanoia；　the　change　of　mind　of　the　ill…doer；　is
to　be　brought　about。　Yet　the　new　model　was　there；　ready　for　the
imitation　of　those　ancient　savers　of　souls。　The　ranting　and　roaring
mystagogues　of　some　of　the　most　venerable　of　Greek　and　Syrian　cults
also　had　their　processions　and　banners；　their　fifes　and　cymbals　and
holy　chants；　their　hierarchy　of　officers　to　whom　the　art　of　making
collections　was　not　wholly　unknown；　and　who；　as　freely　as　their　modern
imitators；　promised　an　Elysian　future　to　contributory　converts。　The
success　of　these　antique　Salvation　armies　was　enormous。　Simon　Magus
was　quite　as　notorious　a　personage；　and　probably　had　as　strong　a
following　as　Mr。　Booth。　Yet　the　Apostles；　with　their　old…fashioned
ways；　would　not　accept　such　a　success　as　a　satisfactory　sign　of　the
Divine　sanction；　nor　depart　from　their　own　methods　of　leading　the　way
to　the　higher　life。

I　deem　it　unessential　to　verify　Mr。　Booth's　statistics。　The　exact
strength　of　the　population　of　the　realm　of　misery；　be　it　one；　two；　or
three　millions；　has　nothing　to　do　with　the　efficacy　of　any　means
proposed　for　the　highly　desirable　end　of　reducing　it　to　a　minimum。　The
sole　question　for　consideration　at　present　is　whether　the　scheme；
keeping　specially　in　view　the　spirit　in　which　it　is　to　be　worked；　is
likely　to　do　more　good　than　harm。

＇251＇　Mr。　Booth　tells　us；　with　commendable　frankness；　that　〃it　is
primarily　and　mainly　for　the　sake　of　saving　the　soul　that　I　seek　the
salvation　of　the　body〃　（p。　45）；　which　language；　being　interpreted；
means　that　the　propagation　of　the　special　Salvationist　creed　comes
first；　and　the　promotion　of　the　physical；　intellectual；　and　purely
moral　welfare　of　mankind　second　in　his　estimation。　Men　are　to　be　made
sober　and　industrious；　mainly；　that；　as　washed；　shorn；　and　docile
sheep；　they　may　be　driven　into　the　narrow　theological　fold　which　Mr。
Booth　patronizes。　If　they　refuse　to　enter；　for　all　their　moral
cleanliness；　they　will　have　to　take　their　place　among　the　goats　as
sinners；　only　less　dirty　than　the　rest。

I　have　been　in　the　habit　of　thinking　（and　I　believe　the　opinion　is
largely　shared　by　reasonable　men）　that　self…respect　and　thrift　are　the
rungs　of　the　ladder　by　which　men　may　most　surely　climb　out　of　the
slough　of　despond　of　want；　and　I　have　regarded　them　as　perhaps　the
most　eminent　of　the　practical　virtues。　That　is　not　Mr。　Booth's
opinion。　For　him　they　are　mere　varnished　sinsnothing　better　than
〃Pride　re…baptised〃　（p。　46）。　Shutting　his　eyes　to　the　necessary
consequences　of　the　struggle　for　life；　the　existence　of　which　he
accepts　as　fully　as　any　Darwinian；*　Mr。　Booth　tells　men；　whose　evil
case　is　one　of　those　consequences；　that　envy　is　a　corner…stone　of　our
＇252＇　competitive　system。　With　thrift　and　self…respect　denounced　as
sin；　with　the　suffering　of　starving　men　referred　to　the　sins　of　the
capitalist；　the　gospel　according　to　Mr。　Booth　may　save　souls；　but　it
will　hardly　save　society。

　　　　*　See　p。　100

In　estimating　the　social　and　political　influence　which　the　Salvation
Army　is　likely　to　exert；　it　is　important　to　reflect　that　the　officers
（pledged　to　blind　obedience　to　their　〃General〃）　are　not　to　confine
themselves　to　the　functions　of　mere　deacons　and　catechists　（though；
under　a　〃General〃　like　Cyril；　Alexandria　knew　to　her　cost　what　even
they　could　effect）；　they　are　to　be　〃tribunes　of　the　people；〃　who　are
to　act　as　their　gratuitous　legal　advisers；　and；　when　law　is　not
sufficiently　effective；　the　whole　force　of　the　army　is　to　obtain　what
the　said　tribunes　may　conceive　to　be　justice；　by　the　practice　of
ruthless　intimidation。　Society；　says　Mr。　Booth；　needs　〃mothering〃；　and
he　sets　forth；　with　much　complacency；　a　variety　of　〃cases；〃　by　which
we　may　estimate　the　sort　of　〃mothering〃　to　be　expected　at　his　parental
hands。　Those　who　study　the　materials　thus　set　before　them　will；　I
think；　be　driven　to　the　conclusion　that　the　〃mother〃　has　already
proved　herself　a　most　unscrupulous　meddler；　even　if　she　has　not　fallen
within　reach　of　the　arm　of　the　law。

Consider　this　〃case。〃　A；　asserting　herself　to　have　been　seduced　twice；
〃applied　to　our　people。　We　hunted　up　the　man；　followed　him　to　the
country；　＇253＇　threatened　him　with　public　exposure；　and　forced　from
him　the　payment　to　his　victim　of　＇Pounds＇　60　down；　an　allowance　of
＇Pounds＇　1　a　week；　and　an　insurance　policy　on　his　life　for　＇Pounds＇
450　in　her　favour〃　（p。　222）　。

Jedburgh　justice　this。　We　〃constitute　ourselves　prosecutor；　judge；
jury；　sheriff's　officer；　all　in　one；〃　we　〃practice　intimidation　as
deftly　as　if　we　were　a　branch　of　another　League；　and；　under　threat　of
exposure；〃　we　〃extort　a　tolerably　heavy　hush…money　in　payment　of　our
silence。　〃

Well；　really；　my　poor　moral　sense　is　unable　to　distinguish　these
remarkable　proceedings　of　the　new　popular　tribunate　from　what；　in
French；　is　called　chantage　and；　in　plain　English；　blackmailing。　And
when　we　consider　that　anybody；　for　any　reason　of　jealousy；　or　personal
spite；　or　party　hatred；　might　be　thus　〃hunted；〃　〃followed；〃
〃threatened；〃　and　financially　squeezed　or　ruined；　without　a　particle
of　legal　investigation；　at　the　will　of　a　man　whom　the　familiar　charged
with　the　inquisitorial　business　dare　not　hesitate　to　obey；　surely　it
is　not　unreasonable　to　ask　how　far　does　the　Salvation　Army；　in　its
〃tribune　of　the　people〃　aspect；　differ　from　a　Sicilian　Mafia？　I　am　no
apologist　of　men　guilty　of　the　acts　charged　against　the　person　who
yet；　I　think；　might　be　as　fairly　called　a　〃victim；〃　in　this　case；　as
his　partner　in　wrong…doing。　It　is　possible　that；　in　so　peculiar　a
case；　Solomon　himself　might　have　been　puzzled　＇254＇　to　apportion　the
relative　moral　delinquency　of　the　parties。　However　that　may　be；　the
man　was　morally　and　legally　bound　to　support　his　child；　and　any　one
would　have　been　justified　in　helping　the　woman　to　her　legal　rights；
and　the　man　to　the　legal　consequences　（in　which　exposure　is　included）
of　his　fault。

The　action　of　the　〃General〃　of　the　Salvation　Army　in　extorting　the
heavy　fine　he　chose　to　impose　as　the　price　of　his　silence；　however