Once upon a time, aye for hundreds of years, the waters of the Cauvery were poured in one useless torrent into the sea, sweeping past great tracts of thirsty land, which craved its waters, but could not reach them.  At the present moment scarcely a drop of that river reaches the ocean.  Its course has been diverted into a thousand channels, and so fertilising are its waters that the rich alluvial deposits which they bear render the use of manure unnecessary.  And yet for centuries these possibilities were unrecognised and suffered to go to waste.

Is not this a fitting picture of the huge river of labor that winds its course through arid plains of want and poverty and starvation, which it is capable of fertilising and converting into a modern Paradise?  True that on its banks and in its immediate neighbourhood are strips of luxuriant vegetation.  But those only show up in painful relief the utter barrenness of the “region beyond.”  Why should the dwellers upon the banks be allowed to monopolise and appropriate that which they cannot even utilise, and that which is often a source of positive danger, annoyance and loss to them?  Why should not channels be devised for these human waters, by means of which they should be distributed, so as to be put to the utmost possible use?

This social problem is no doubt the “white elephant” of society.  Cannot we devise a “kheddah” for capturing the entire herd wholesale?  Perhaps after all we shall find it easier and quicker to catch and tame the herd, than to set snares and pitfalls for individual ones and twos.  Ah, you say, many have tried and failed.  That is because they have not studied the habits of the animal.  Besides it is by means of failure that the grandest successes have ultimately been achieved.  See how skilfully that “mahaut” manages his huge yet obedient servant.  And cannot we point already in our own ranks to elephants more wonderful that have been tamed and mastered by the goad of love?

It is the successes of the past that encourage General Booth to face the problem in the spirit of hopefulness that breathes through every page of “Darkest England.”  And if the genius of man has been able to tame the strongest of animals, such as elephants,—­the fiercest, such as lions,—­the swiftest, such as horses, and the dullest, such as the ass,—­why should we despair of reducing to order this chaotic mass of labor, and of turning that which at present constitutes a danger that threatens the very existence of society into a source of safety, of wealth and power?  At any rate this is the object that will be kept steadily in view by our Labor Bureau.

All persons will be able to register names at our Bureau.  If they are destitute and willing to go to our yards, they will be sent there and given work suitable to their caste, or profession.  If on the other hand they are not in need of such assistance, being supported by their friends, we shall simply register their names and do our best to find suitable work for them, though it would of course be distinctly understood by them that we undertook no responsibility in regard to this.  A small fee will be charged, in proportion to the nature of the case.  This would serve to cover the expenses of the Bureau, which would I am sure meet a long felt want.