The Great Acceptance: The Life Story of F. N. CharringtonThorne, Guy
History
The Great Acceptance: The Life Story of F. N. Charrington
Thorne, Guy
Charrington, Fredk. N. (Frederick Nicholas), 1850-1936; Poor -- England -- London
I can only paraphrase and hint at the nature of the burning pages
which heralded the most awful revelations of London life ever
presented to the public, revelations which ended in a revolution in
the laws affecting immorality. And I must not stay to do more than pay
a slight tribute of respect to the brave and courageous man who did so
much for womenkind.
As some of my readers may be aware, in the earlier part of this
year--1912--I had occasion in a public work of mine to pay a man whom
I never saw, but with whom I had been in intimate correspondence about
various social matters for a very considerable time, a tribute of
respect I had long wished to make. One of the last letters, upon a
subject affecting public thought, ever written by Mr. Stead was
written to me--just before he made his final voyage in the Titanic.
I am telling here, for the first time, some of the secret history of
that "Maiden Tribute" movement--for it was _to Mr. Charrington_ that
Mr. Stead came in the first instance in order to find out the truth of
what was going on in the East End. Up to that time, Mr. Charrington,
though, of course, he had been painfully aware of many of the horrors
that surrounded him, had been too occupied with his other campaigns,
and his evangelistic work, to take sword in hand, himself, against
this particular aspect of the immorality of the darkest portion of
London.
Do not misunderstand me. You have just read of what Mr. Charrington,
with the most fearless courage, did in the case of the Battle of the
Music Halls. What I mean is that he had not yet begun the
extraordinary campaign against the brothels of the East End, of which
I have to tell in this chapter.
At any rate, he was able to respond to Mr. Stead's request, and it was
he who first--if I may so use the word--"introduced" Mr. Stead to the
erst-while ruffian of whom the editor of the _Pall Mall Gazette_ goes
on to speak.
It is of some historic interest, and I wish my readers to remember
that it was Mr. Charrington who first put Mr. Stead upon the path
which had such magnificent results.
The man of whom I speak, and who told Mr. Stead of the horrors that
went on in the East End, was converted in the Great Assembly Hall by
Mr. Charrington by means of that magnetic and spiritual power which he
has on so many occasions wielded like a veritable Apostle. The fellow
was led from the dark byways of unnamable infamy and brought to Jesus.
At the present moment of which I write, he is an active worker for
Christ, and holds an official position in one of our great over-sea
colonies, to which he was shipped by Mr. Charrington.
It was owing to this conversion that when the late Mr. Stead came to
Mr. Charrington for information, the evangelist was able to put him
into communication with this man.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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