268 LETTERS TO THE "TIMES." v 



be believed, when I say that nothing but a sense 

 of the great social danger of the spread of Booth- 

 ism could induce me to revive a scandal even 

 though it is barely entitled to the benefit of the 

 Statute of Limitations. 



On the 7th of July, 1883, you, Sir, did the 

 public a great service by writing a leading article 

 on the notorious " Eagle " case, from which 1 take 

 the following extract: 



" Mr. Justice Kay refused the application, but 

 he was induced to refuse it by means which, as 

 Mr. Justice Stephen justly remarked, were highly 

 discreditable to Mr. Booth. Mr. Booth filed an 

 affidavit which appears totally to have misled Mr. 

 Justice Kay, as it would have misled any one who 

 regarded it as a frank and honest statement by a 

 professed teacher of religion." 



When I addressed my first letter to you I had 

 never so much as heard of the " Eagle " scandal. 

 But I am thankful that my perception of the 

 inevitable tendency of all religious autocracies to- 

 wards evil was clear enough to bring about a pro- 

 visional condemnation of Mr. Booth's schemes in 

 my mind. Supposing that I had decided the other 

 way, with what sort of feeling should I have faced 

 my friend, when I had to confess that the money 

 had passed into the absolute control of a person 

 about the character of whose administration this 



