Produced by Mark C. Orton, Julia Neufeld and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images generously made available by The Internet Archive) Transcriber's note: Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_). Small capital text has been replaced with all capitals. THE GREAT ACCEPTANCE [Illustration: (Hand written--Yours faithfully Fredk. N. Charrington) _From a pencil drawing by Edward Clifford_] [_Frontispiece_] THE GREAT ACCEPTANCE THE LIFE STORY OF F. N. CHARRINGTON BY GUY THORNE AUTHOR OF "WHEN IT WAS DARK," "THE DRUNKARD," ETC. _WITH THIRTEEN ILLUSTRATIONS_ SIXTH EDITION HODDER AND STOUGHTON LONDON NEW YORK TORONTO _Printed in 1913_ DEDICATION TO THE POOR OF THE EAST END AMONG WHOM MR. CHARRINGTON HAS LABOURED SO LONG _Then shall the righteous man stand in great boldness before the face of such as have afflicted him, and made no account of his labours._ _When they see it, they shall be troubled with terrible fear, and shall be amazed at the strangeness of his salvation, so far beyond all that they looked for._ _And they repenting and groaning for anguish of spirit shall say within themselves, This was he whom we had sometimes in derision, and a proverb of reproach:_ _We fools counted his life madness, and his end to be without honour:_ _How is he numbered among the children of God, and his lot is among the saints!_--Wisdom of Solomon. CONTENTS CHAPTER I PAGE THE GREAT ACCEPTANCE 1 CHAPTER II BEGINNINGS 32 CHAPTER III MORE BEGINNINGS 49 CHAPTER IV DAVID AND JONATHAN 83 CHAPTER V THE BATTLE OF THE MUSIC HALLS 104 CHAPTER VI THE FIGHT ON THE LONDON COUNTY COUNCIL 135 CHAPTER VII THE FIGHT FOR THE PURITY OF THE EAST END 153 CHAPTER VIII FRUITION! 168 CHAPTER IX THE APOSTLE OF TEMPERANCE 210 CHAPTER X LORD OF THE MANOR OF OSEA 239 ILLUSTRATIONS _To face page_ FREDK. N. CHARRINGTON _Frontispiece_ THE BREWERY 10 A VERY EARLY FAMILY GROUP 22 LOOKING OUT UPON LIFE 38 DAVID AND JONATHAN 90 CHARRINGTON'S MORAL MICROSCOPE 118 FREDERICK CHARRINGTON IN 1912 138 MR. CHARRINGTON APPARENTLY SNUFFED OUT 142 THE GREAT ASSEMBLY HALL 196 A CARTOON WHICH APPEARED IN _FUN_ DURING THE PEOPLE'S PALACE AGITATION 219