Volume 1

Life and labour of the people in London. 3d series, Religious influences / by Charles Booth ; assisted by Jesse Argyle, Ernest Aves, Geo. E. Arkell, Arthur L. Baxter, George H. Duckworth.

  • Charles Booth
Date:
1902-1903
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Life and labour of the people in London. 3d series, Religious influences / by Charles Booth ; assisted by Jesse Argyle, Ernest Aves, Geo. E. Arkell, Arthur L. Baxter, George H. Duckworth. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    and led everyone in our neighbourhood. Most of the prayers offered contained nothing but the most ordinary phraseology, without merit as language, and so staled, one should think, by custom, that it is difficult to conceive of its having living meaning for anyone, and least of all for the man who uses it; but in this I may be wrong: at any rate, ‘ Amens ’ were elicited from all parts ; my neighbour whispered hers. To the rule of banality there were two exceptions in which genuine spiritual force shone out, but these only made all the rest more unsatisfactory. (5) The Mount Sion Chapel of the Strict and Particular Baptists is a little building, but large enough to look rather empty on Sunday morning with a congregation of about forty. They were lower middle-class people of all ages, listening to an elderly bearded man who looked like an apostle in an old picture. Pie wandered on through a long prayer, which was of the nature of a conversation with the Almighty, lapsing into argument addressed to the congregation, and appealing to both in turn. In the evening it was the same thing over again : again a quaint conversation with God, accompanied by asides to the congregation. [The minister of another chapel of this sect is a tall spare man of fifty or thereabout, of somewhat forbidding aspect, with bushy eyebrows and beard. His only care seems to be for those who are members of or attend his church. ‘ We have no mothers’ meetings or other agencies, no tract distri¬ bution—nothing. If the Lord wishes to save the people He will bring them in.' There are about twenty children in the Sunday school—their own children. Their pastor visits the members of the church and the congregation, and if any need relief they are looked after. * We take care of our people, better perhaps than others do of theirs.’] (6) I visited Dr. Barnardo’s Evangelical Mission, Edin¬ burgh Castle. The old public-house stands just as before, with its sign-board post in front; the sign now contains a text, or a warning against drink ; behind, occupying a considerable space, is a large detached building with a low pitched roof and a skylight. The floor is sunk, and in place of galleries the sides of the arena slope up. If it