238 LETTERS TO THE ''TIMES." v 



and the matter is of such vast pubhc importance 

 that I trust you will aid me by publishing this 

 letter^ notwithstanding its length. 



There are one or two points upon which 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 hu- 

 man 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 ^vith, the hordes of vice and 

 pauperism will destroy modern civilization as ef- 

 fectually as uncivilized tribes of another kind de- 

 stroyed the great social organization which pre- 

 ceded 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 pros- 

 per; 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: — 



