evolution and ethics and other essays-第45章
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Mr。 Hodges； it seems to me to be simply trifling with your readers to
bring him in as an authority。 He was turned out of the army； out of
kindness taken on again； and again dismissed。 If this had happened to
one of your staff； would his opinion of the 'Times' as a newspaper be
taken for gospel？〃
But in the 〃Times〃 of December 29th Mr。 J。 S。 Trotter writes：
〃I find I was mistaken in saying； in my letter of Wednesday； to the
'Times' that Mr。 Hodges was dismissed from the service of General
Booth； and regret any inconvenience the statement may have caused to
Mr。 Hodges。〃
And on December 30th the 〃Times〃 published a letter from Mr。 Hodges in
which he says that Mr。 Trotter's statements as they regard himself
〃are the very reverse of truth。I was never turned out of the
Salvation Army。 Nor； so far as I was made acquainted with General
Booth's motives； was I taken on again out of kindness。 In order to
rejoin the Salvation Army； I resigned the position of manager in a
mill where I was in ＇278＇ receipt of a salary of ＇Pounds＇ 250 per
annum； with house…rent and one third of the profits。 Instead of this
Mr。 Booth allowed me ＇Pounds＇ 2 per week and house…rent。〃
VI
The 〃Times；〃 December 26th； 1890
Sir；I am much obliged to Mr。 J。 S。 Trotter for the letter which you
published this morning。 It furnishes evidence； which I much desired to
possess on the following points：
1。 The author of 〃The New Papacy〃 is a responsible； trustworthy
person； otherwise Mr。 Trotter would not speak of having had 〃the
pleasure of an interview〃 with him。
2。 After this responsible person had taken the trouble to write a
pamphlet of sixty…four closely printed pages； some influence was
brought to bear upon him； the effect of which was that he refused his
consent to its publication。 Mr。 Trotter's excellent information will
surely enable him to tell us what influence that was。
3。 How does Mr。 Trotter know that any passage I have quoted is an
interpolation？ Does he possess that other copy of the 〃two〃 which
alone； as he affirms； were printed？
＇279＇ 4。 If so； he will be able to say which of the passages I have
cited is genuine and which is not； and whether the tenor of the whole
uninterpolated copy differs in any important respect from that of the
copy I have quoted。
It will be interesting to hear what Mr。 J。 S。 Trotter has to say upon
these points。 But the really important thing which he has done is that
he has testified； of his own knowledge； that the anonymous author of
〃The New Papacy〃 is no mere irresponsible libeller； but a person of
whom even an ardent Salvationist has to speak with respect。
I am； Sir； your obedient servant；
T。 H。 Huxley。
＇I may add that the unfortunate Mr。 Trotter did me the further service
of eliciting the letter from Mr。 Hodges referred to on p。 277which
sufficiently establishes that gentleman's credit； and leads me to
attach full weight to his evidence about the third barrel。＇
January； 1891。
＇280＇
VII
The 〃Times；〃 December 27th； 1890
SIR；In making use of the only evidence of the actual working of Mr。
Booth's autocratic government accessible to me； I was fully aware of
the slippery nature of the ground upon which I was treading。 For； as I
pointed out in my first letter； 〃no personal habit more surely
degrades the conscience and the intellect than blind and unhesitating
obedience to unlimited authority。〃 Now we have it； on Mr。 Booth's own
showing that every officer of his has undertaken to 〃obey without
questioning or gainsaying the orders from headquarters。〃 And the
possible relations of such orders to honour and veracity are
demonstrated not only by the judicial deliverance on Mr。 Booth's
affidavit in the 〃Eagle〃 case； which I have already cited； not only by
Mr。 Bramwell Booth's admission before Mr。 Justice Lopes that he had
stated what was 〃not quite correct〃 because he had 〃promised Mr。 Stead
not to divulge〃 the facts of the case （the 〃Times；〃 November 4th；
1885）； but by the following passage in Mr。 Hodges's account of the
reasons of his withdrawal from the Salvation Army：
〃The general and Chief did not and could ＇281＇ not deny doing these
things； the only question was this； Was it right to practise this
deception？ These points of difference were fully discussed between
myself and the Chief of the Staff on my withdrawal； especially the
Leamington incident； which was the one that finally drove me to
decision。 I had come to the conclusion； from the first； that they had
acted as they supposed with a single eye to the good of God's cause；
and had persuaded myself that the things were； as against the devil；
right to be done； that as in battle one party captured and turned the
enemy's own guns upon them； so； as they were fighting against the
devil； it would be fair to use against him his weapons。 And I wrote to
this effect to the 〃General〃 （p。 63）。〃
Now； I do not wish to say anything needlessly harsh； but I ask any
prudent man these questions。 Could I； under these circumstances； trust
any uncorroborated statement emanating from headquarters； or made by
the General's order？ Had I any reason to doubt the truth of Mr。
Hodges's naive confession of the corrupting influence of Mr。 Booth's
system？ And did it not behove me to pick my way carefully through the
mass of statements before me； many of them due to people whose moral
sense might； by possibility； have been as much blunted by the army
discipline in the ＇282＇ use of the weapons of the devil as Mr。 Hodges
affirms that his was？
Therefore； in my third letter； I commenced my illustrations of the
practical working of Boothism with the evidence of Mr。 Redstone；
fortified and supplemented by that of a non…Salvationist； Dr。
Cunningham Geikie。 That testimony has not been challenged； and； until
it is； I shall assume that it cannot be。 In my fourth letter； I cited
a definite statement by Mr。 Hodges in evidence of the Jesuitical
principles of headquarters。 What sort of answer is it to tell us that
Mr。 Hodges was dismissed the army？ A child might expect that some such
red herring would be drawn across the trail； and； in anticipation of
the stale trick； I added the strong prima facie evidence of the
trustworthiness of my witness； in this particular； which is afforded
by the 〃Eagle〃 case。 It was not until I wrote my fourth letter to you；
Siruntil the exploitation of the 〃captains〃 and the Jesuitry of
headquarters could be proved up to the hiltthat I ventured to have
recourse to 〃The New Papacy。〃 So far as the pamphlet itself goes； this
is an anonymous work； and； for sufficient reasons； I did not choose to
go beyond what was to be found between its covers。 To any one
accustomed to deal with the facts of evolution； the Boothism of 〃The
New Papacy〃 was merely the natural and necessary development of the
Boothism of Mr。 Redstone's case and of the ＇283＇ 〃Eagle〃 case。
Therefore； I felt fully justified in using it； at the same time
carefully warning my readers that it must be taken with due caution。
Mr。 Trotter's useful letter admits that such a book was written by a
person with whom he had the 〃pleasure of an interview；〃 and that a
version of it （interpolated； according to his assertion） was published
against the will of the author。 Hence I am justified in believing that
there is a foundation of truth in certain statements； some of which
have long been in my possession； but which for lack of Mr。 Trotter's
valuable corroboration I have refrained from using。 The time is come
when I can set forth some of the heads of this information； with the
request that Mr。 Trotter； who knows all about the business； will be so
good as to point out any error that there may be in them。 I am bound
to suppose that his sole object； like mine； is the elucidation of the
truth； and to assume his willingness to help me therein to the best of
his ability。
1。 〃The author of 'The New Papacy' is a Mr。 Sumner； a person of
perfect respectability； and greatly esteemed in Toronto； who held a
high position in the Army。 When he left； a large public meeting；
presided over by a popular Methodis
