Page:Famous Living Americans, with Portraits.djvu/75

56 realization of how hard and long the battle would be. Almost single-handed she was championing the cause of those who were considered by the world, in its ignorance and blindness, as hopeless and worthless. The discouragements came, but not in such a way as to hide the wonderful successes, and as man after man proved himself worthy of the trust reposed in him and put his shoulder to the wheel in the fight to make easier the path of the discharged prisoner, Mrs. Booth's task became less difficult. Slowly it dawned upon those who had doubted that the men themselves were proving that Mrs. Booth's arguments were upon a firm common sense basis. Through the homes which the organization established hundreds of men were returning to fill positions of trust and confidence in the business world, assume the responsibilities of home life, and faithfully fulfil their duty to loved ones. Every added day of experience only offered its quota of new proof that the prisoner can be reformed, and skepticism was changed to belief, and warnings to commendation. In the meantime the men themselves had come to realize Mrs. Booth's interest in them and appreciate her devotion to their cause. Some grateful and inspired "boy" had called her the "Little Mother," and by this name she is now known throughout the prisons of the land.

Not long after the establishment of the prison work there came from England the sad news of the death of Mrs. Booth's father. In the last years of his life he had taken a particular interest in his daughter's efforts for the prisoner and it was a great grief to his youngest child that she had not been able to visit him at the old home in England. In his will he left a certain amount to each of his daughters and by this inheritance Mrs. Booth was made freer to carry on her work and to devote her entire time and thought to it without taking any compensation in return.

When the work was well established and she could find a little spare time Mrs. Booth became interested in writing. Her book entitled, After Prison, What? is considered one of the best on this phase of our social life. She did not confine her ability with the pen, however, to this line of work. Her