At a special meeting of the Court of Common Council
on Thursday, General Booth was presented with the freedom of the City of London. A large contingent of the Salvation Army escorted their leader from the office in Queen Victoria Street to the Guildhall. In returning thanks for the honour, General Booth claimed it as a recognition of the philanthropic work of the Army, which had made itself the friend of the homeless and friendless. Forty years ago, when the work was begun humbly in the East End, the wildest dreamer would scarcely have prophesied that the much-abused worker would live to be thus honoured by the capital of the Empire. It is a testimony to the practical beneficence of the Army's religion. However widely we may differ from its methods, we can learn from its fruits the reality of its inspiration. It has long outlived its famous description as " corybantic Christianity,"—a phrase which would have killed any less vital propaganda.
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