DARKEST ENGLAND" SCHEME. 293 



The " Times,'' January drd, 1891. 



Sir, — In my old favourite, " The Arabian 

 Nights/' the motive of the whole series of delight- 

 ful narratives is that the sultan, who refuses to at- 

 tend to reason, can be got to listen to a story. May 

 I try whether Cardinal Manning is to be reached 

 in the same way? When I was attending the 

 meeting of the British Association in Belfast near- 

 ly forty years ago, I had promised to breakfast 

 with the eminent scholar Dr. Hincks. Having 

 been up very late the previous night, I was be- 

 hind time; so, hailing an outside car, I said to 

 the driver as I jumped on, " Now drive fast, I 

 am in a hurry." Whereupon he whipped up his 

 horse and set off at a hand-gallop. Nearly jerked 

 off my seat, I shouted, " My good friend, do you 

 know where I want to go? " " No, yer honner," 

 said the driver, " but, any way, I am driving fast." 

 I have never forgotten this object lesson in the 

 dangers of ill-regulated enthusiasm. We are all 

 invited to jump on to the Salvation Army car, 

 which Mr. Booth is undoubtedly driving very fast. 

 Some of us have a firm conviction, not only that 

 he is taking a very different direction from that 

 in which we wish to go, but that, before long, car 

 and driver will come to grief. Are we to accept 



