184 DISTINGUISHED CHURCHMEN
first trained. Eventually it was deemed wise to shift from Oxford to London, and soon these premises, 128 and 130 Edgware Road, were bought on a thirty-eight years lease to serve the double purpose of headquarters and training home. The present Archbishop of Canterbury dedicated the chapel."
" But now please give me some facts about the social side of your work ? "
The Leader of the Church Army was ready with the information. "In 1888, owing to the large increase of vagrants, criminals and inebriates in London and throughout the provinces, the social efforts of the Society were set on foot by the insti tution of several Labour Homes. This system spread rapidly throughout the country, and has demonstrated to the nation and to the Church how to avoid indiscriminate charity by providing a thoroughly sound system, on philanthropic, labour and Church lines for re-instating carefully selected individuals. The social side of the work commenced in a curious way. At one of our meetings in Mary- lebone about eleven years ago a poor tramp put in an appearance, showing no visible means for pulling himself together. So we rigged up a bed on the platform of the mission room. That one tramp appeared to be impressed with the service, and seeing the possibilities we extended this branch of the work. Very soon officials of the Salvation Army came to see how we were managing and pro-
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