238 LETTERS TO THE " TIMES " v 



merit ; and the matter is of such vast pubhc 

 importance that I trust you will aid me by publish- 

 ing this letter, notwithstanding its length. 



There are one or two points upon Avhich I 

 imagine all thinking men have arrived at the 

 same convictions as those from which Mr. Booth 

 starts. It is certain that there is an immense 

 amount of remediable misery among us ; that, in 

 addition to the poverty, disease, and degradation 

 which are the consequences of causes beyond 

 human control, there is a vast, probably a very 

 much larger, quantity of misery which is the 

 result of individual ignorance, or misconduct, and 

 of faulty social arrangements. Further, I think 

 it is not to be doubted that, unless this remediable 

 misery is effectually dealt with, the hordes of vice 

 and pauperism will destroy modern civilization as 

 effectually as uncivilized tribes of another kind 

 destroyed the great social organization which 

 preceded ours. Moreover, I think all will agree 

 that no reforms and improvements will go to the 

 root of the evil unless they attack it in its 

 ultimate source — namely, the motives of the 

 individual man. Honest, industrious, and self- 

 restraining men will make a very bad social 

 organization prosper ; while vicious, idle, and 

 reckless citizens will bring to ruin the best that 

 ever was, or ever will be, invented. 



The leading propositions which are peculiar to 

 Mr. Booth I take to be these : — 



