Training of Children

William Booth's "The Training of Children" emerged from his dual concerns as founder of the Salvation Army and father of eight children, all of whom became officers in the movement he established. Writing in 1888 at the height of the Army's expansion, Booth sought to address what he saw as a crisis in Christian child-rearing among both the respectable classes and the urban poor he served. The work reflects his conviction that the future of Christian civilization depended on properly forming children's characters from their earliest years.

Booth argues that children are born with inherent tendencies toward both good and evil, requiring deliberate cultivation of virtue through consistent discipline, moral instruction, and above all, the cultivation of personal relationship with God. He emphasizes the primacy of parental example over precept, insisting that children learn righteousness more through witnessing authentic faith than through religious lectures. The book advocates for early conversion experiences while warning against forced emotionalism, and it addresses practical matters of punishment, reward, and the development of conscience. Booth particularly stresses the importance of training children for useful service to others, viewing selflessness as both the mark and means of Christian character. He connects domestic formation to social transformation, arguing that properly trained Christian children would naturally become agents of moral reform in society.

The work has remained influential among evangelical families and Christian educators who appreciate Booth's integration of theological conviction with practical wisdom gained through extensive experience with children from various social backgrounds. His emphasis on character formation over mere moral instruction anticipated later developments in Christian education theory.

Who should read this: Parents and educators in evangelical traditions seeking historically grounded approaches to Christian child-rearing will find Booth's blend of theological insight and practical experience valuable, though those uncomfortable with nineteenth-century assumptions about authority and discipline may find portions dated.