ff 245; 535 photographs. Massive folio journal recording the evangelical 'Beach Missions' and indefatigable preaching to poor children of George and Montgomery Goodman who were members of the Children's Special Service Mission, later the Scripture Union. Bound in half red morocco with the backstrip leather largely absent, upper hinge slightly tender. Goodman, was has used a Partridge and Cooper ledger (label inside upper cover) about 3 inches thick with the manuscript title page: 'Illustrated Diary of Passing Events Containing 535 Illustrations' and a mixture of black ink entries and small and large original photograps taken by Montgomery who makes repeated reference to his interest in photography, as on Relief of Mafeking Day: 'Outside the Mansion House was a huge crowd many thousands strong cheering and singing patriotic songs all day - it was hopeless to attemt to use a camera in it so I got permission to stand at the window... From this elevated position I led the crowd in three cheers!'. The most striking sections of the journal concern the trips out of London undertaken by Montgomery, his well-known brother George Goodman, and family members to their beach missions, mostly along the East Anglian coast at Sheringham, Frinton-on-Sea. One such 'sand cathedral' was erected at Lowestoft in August 1898 where Goodman describes the lively activities that drew in young people: 'Bible searching competitions, and the Gospel Ship. This last was a service in which we had one object, a model of a ship from which several of us said a few words one speaking of the helm, another of the Captain the Chart the Compass the sails etc drawing lessons from each...' with more formal services by Mr Inglis Fleming. Goodman describes the experience of preaching himself at Lowestoft: 'The boys and girls listened to my address with marked attention though I did not experience great joy in speaking. I took for my subject "Three seekers..."' Every aspect of the family's evangelical work is recorded in this journal which actually begins with a 50 page account of a holiday to South American in 1897 (Buenos Aires, Rosario, up the Parana River to San Lorenzo, San Bernardino and Bonnemont recorded in photographs and text.) The first of the journal's missions was 'at Kenyon Chapel' (now Brixton Baptist Chapel) setting a pattern that follows for perhaps a hundred similar mission accounts recorded in detailed and often moving descriptions: 'George [Goodman] was holding a Mission for Children at Brixton and I went each night to assist him. The attendance was good, there was earnest attention each evening to the Gospel message... The Pastor (Rev James Douglas) was deeply in sympathy and was present nearly every evening... We had a crowded little after-meeting in the Vestry when some who had been blessed at the previous mission four years ago were present and gave short testimony. It was a good time...' Easter 1898 was spent at Bentham in Hampshire with a sequence of poems by George Goodman and images of Bentley Mill (pp 57-63). Goodman records a Westminster mission at 'Agricultural hall Mission of Rev. John MacNeil' (p66) where 'A large staff of Christian workers had been gathered from all parts of London and these, under the direction of Rev Snow of Islington were engaged in dealing with the anxious... doubters, scoffers, infidels and seeking minds... There is no doubt that the mission was greatly blessed of god...'
