280 LETTERS TO THE "TIMES." v 



VII. 



The " Times" December 27th, 1890. 



SIR, In making use of the only evidence of 

 the actual working of Mr. Booth's autocratic gov- 

 ernment accessible to me, I was fully aware of 

 the slippery nature of the ground upon which I 

 was treading. For, as I pointed out in my first 

 letter, " no personal habit more surely degrades 

 the conscience and the intellect than blind and 

 unhesitating obedience to unlimited authority." 

 Now we have it, on Mr. Booth's own showing, 

 that every officer of his has undertaken to " obey 

 without questioning or gainsaying the orders from 

 headquarters." And the possible relations of such 

 orders to honour and veracity are demonstrated 

 not only by the judicial deliverance on Mr. Booth's 

 affidavit in the " Eagle " case, which I have al- 

 ready cited; not only by Mr. Bramwell Booth's 

 admission before Mr. Justice Lopes that he had 

 stated what was " not quite correct " because he 

 had " promised Mr. Stead not to divulge " the 

 facts of the case (the " Times," November 4th, 

 1885); but by the following passage in Mr. 

 Hodges's account of the reasons of his withdrawal 

 from the Salvation Army: 



"The General and Chief did not and could 



