24:2 LETTERS TO THE ''TIMES." T 



whenever it becomes too prosperous, they are sure 

 to bring about a catastrophe by their corrupt use 

 of the political and social influence which their 

 organization and their wealth secure. 



With these examples of that which may hap- 

 pen to institutions founded by noble men, with 

 high aims, in the hands of successors of a different 

 stamp, armed with despotic authority, before me, 

 common prudence surely requires that, before ad- 

 ^^sing the handing over of a large sum of money 

 to the general of a new order of mendicants, I 

 should ask what guarantee there is that, thirty 

 years hence, the ^^ General " who then autocrat- 

 ically controls the action, say, of 100,000 officers 

 pledged to blind obedience, distributed through 

 the whole length and breadth of the poorer 

 classes, and each with his finger on the trigger of 

 a mine charged with discontent and religious fa- 

 naticism; with the absolute control, say, of eight 

 or ten millions sterling of capital and as many 

 of income; with barracks in every town, with es- 

 tates scattered over the country, and with settle- 

 ments in the colonies — will exercise his enormous 

 powers, not merely honestly, but wisely? What 

 shadow of security is there that the person who 

 wields this uncontrolled authority over many 

 thousands of men shall use it solely for those 

 philanthropic and religious objects which, I do not 

 doubt, are alone in the mind of Mr. Booth? Who 

 is to say that the Salvation Army, in the year 



