“You will pray for me.  I would like before I die—­it has been one of the choicest wishes of my soul—­to be able to make The Salvation Army such a power for God and of such benefit to mankind that no wicked people can spoil it.

     “Salvation for ever!  Salvation—­Yellow, Red, and Blue!  I am for it,
     my darling, and so are you.

“I have heard about your Open-Air services with the greatest satisfaction, and praise God with all my heart that in the midst of the difficulties of climate and politics, etc., you have been able to go forward.

“I have the daily papers read to me, and among other things that are very mysterious and puzzling are the particulars that I gather of the dreadful heat that you have had to suffer, both as a people and as individuals.

     “You seem to have, indeed, been having lively times with the
     weather.  It must have tried you very much.

     “My telling you not to fret about me is the proper thing to do. 
     That is my business in this world very largely, and if I can only
     comfort your dear heart—­well, I shall do good work.

     “Good-bye, my darling child.  Write to me as often as you can, but
     not when overburdened.  I am with you, and for you, and in you for
     ever and ever.  Love to everybody.

     “Your affectionate father and General,

     “William Booth.”

To an Officer whom he regarded almost as a daughter, and whose hearing had been greatly affected, he wrote:—­

     My Dear C.,—­

     “Thanks for your sympathetic letter.  It is good of you to think
     about me now and then.  Specially so as you must be much and often
     exercised about your own affliction.

“Perhaps you will think that it is easier for me to accept mine than it will be for you to accept yours.  I have just been thinking that to have any difficulty in the Hearing Organ is not so serious as a difficulty with the Seeing.  You can read and write, and with a little contrivance and patience you can hear any communication that may be specially interesting and important.  It is true, you are shut out from the pleasure and profit that comes from the general conversation of a company, and from listening to Public Speakers, although a great deal that you miss is no serious loss at all!

“In my case, I can imagine I am worse off.  With me, reading is impossible, and writing is so difficult that, although I can scratch a few lines, the work soon becomes so taxing and difficult that I have to relinquish it.  So we’ll sympathise the one with the other.  We will trust in God, take courage, and look forward to brighter days.

     “Anyway, God lives, and there are a thousand things we can do for
     Him, and what we can do we will do, and we will do it with our
     might.”