ast deficiency in practical capacity, in shrewd
common sense and enormous knowledge of men. From one point of view it is
easy to be a saint, and it is easy to be a man of the world; the
difficulty is to combine the two qualities, the cunning of the serpent
with the innocence of the dove. There is nothing of the naive and
guileless innocence of a cloistered virtue in the book, but though the
serpent is very cunning his wiliness and craftiness coexist with a
simple enthusiasm of humanity which is very marvellous to behold. When
we read General Booth's expressions of confidence in the salvability of
mankind and note the intrepid audacity with which he sallies forth like
another David to attack the huge Goliath who threatens the hosts of our
modern Israel, and remember that he is no mere shepherd boy fresh from
the fold, but one who for forty years of his life has lived and laboured
in an atmosphere saturated with emanations from every form of human vice
and wretchedness, then we feel somewhat as did Moses when he stood
before the burning bush, "and he looked, and behold the bush burned with
fire and the bush was not consumed."

THOMAS CARLYLE REDIVIVUS.

It is impossible not to be impressed by the parallel and at the same
time by the contrast between General Booth's book and the latter day
prophecies of Mr. Carlyle. For forty years and more Mr. Carlyle
prophesied unto the men of his generation, proclaiming in accents of
deep earnestness, tinged, however, by a bitter despair, what should be
done if we were not utterly to perish. I remember the bitterness with
which he told me, while the shadows of the dark valley were gathering
round him, that when he wrote his whole soul out in "Latter Day
Pamphlets," and delivered to the public that which he believed to be
the very truth and inner secret of all things, his message was flouted,
and "it was currently reported," said he, with grim resentfulness "it
was currently reported that I had written them under the influence of
too much whiskey." Now, however, another prophet has arisen with
practically the same gospel, but with oh, how different a setting! In
Mr. Carlyle's books, his prophetic message shines out lurid as from the
background of thunder-cloud amid the gloom as of an eclipse heralded by
portents of ruin and decay. Here "In Darkest England and the Way Out"
there is a brightness and a gladness as of a May day sunrise. Infinite
hope bubbles up in every page, and in every