The Henson Journals

[4]

Monday, April 19th, 1909.

This was really quite a successful day. There was a very strong wind against us, and towards the close of the afternoon the sea became perceptibly rougher: but the sky was almost cloudless, and the sun shone brightly. Most of the time we spent on deck, walking and reading. I read some of a rather dull book on an interesting subject – Miller's Latins in the Levant – also skimmed through a book by Mrs Everitt Green, "The City of the Golden Gate". Also I had some not uninteresting conversation with Mr. Cholmendely, who makes up the 4th at the Captain's table: and with the Captain himself, whose views on national questions are distinctly coloured by the fact that he is the father of seven children, and grudges the income tax! After dinner I started reading a novel by Mallock, "An immortal soul".

I changed a cheque for £5 into American money.

[5]

We arrived in New York on Wednesday morning (April 21st) on a cold, grey morning with a bitter wind. I was astonished to notice the absence of sea–gulls. A single bird seemed to emphasize the fact. At Liverpool we had been surrounded with gulls: and at Queenstown they escorted us for some hundreds of miles into the Atlantic, but here there were none. The approach to the city was certainly imposing, and on a fine day would have been very beautiful. At the entrance of the harbour the great statue of Liberty holding aloft a torch made a brave show. The operation of bringing the great liner (672 feet long) into position at the quay took about 1 1/2 hours. Three tugs pushed with their bows against the vessel on one side, & two more pulled on the other. The customs were more tedious than alarming: first, our luggage was brought to the letter H.: then, we got a slip from an official certifying that it had all been collected on the place: an officer was detailed to examine it. Everything had to be opened: but nothing was rummaged. A C.P.R. agent was on the quay awaiting us: he handed us a letter from Bryce, very kindly proposing that we shd go & visit him at Washington in May. We drove to the C.P.R. office, & then on to the Murray Hill Hotel, where we decided to put up for the night. For this drive, which would have cost perhaps 3/– in England, we had to pay £1. After lunch we went out to look at the city, and leave a letter of introduction on Mr. Walsh at the British Consulate. We found the office closed, but Mr. W. had not left, & saw us for a few minutes. It was now raining [6] heavily. We got a car, & rode to Grace Church, where we called on Dr Huntingdon, a fine–looking old man, who received us kindly, & lent us an umbrella. Then we had tea in a strong–smelling German Restaurant: & so returned home.

On Thursday (April 22nd) the sun shone brightly, and the day was warm. We spent the morning in walking about the city, & returning Dr Huntingdon's umbrella.

On the whole we were favourably impressed with the appearance of New York. The streets are wide, & the sky–scrapers mostly masqued decently with suitable stone or brick façades. There are, however, some atrociously hideous erections. The 'flat–iron' is incredibly ugly. But the special interest of the place consists in the variety of ethnological types which meet the visitor's eye. Jew swarm on all sides. It is said that they form no less than one fourth of the population of New York. Slavs, Scandinavians, Germans, Irish, Italians, Negroes – all were represented in the crowded cars. The 'Uncle Sam' type was not common. After paying our account at the hotel (5 dollars for the bed–room), we went across to the Central Station, and took tickets for Newhaven. We left at 3 p.m., and arrived about 4.50 p.m: the line ran along by the sea–shore. At intervals we had very beautiful vistas of the sea, through the trees & hills. At Newhaven we were met by Mr Stokes, [7] who drove us to the house of Prof. Williston Walker (281, Edwards Street) where we were to put up for the first part of our visit to Yale. The Prof. & his wife had been required to attend some University function: so we were very kindly received by Mrs Bacon, the wife of the theological professor. Mr Stokes came in to dinner. This house is built of wood; and is both pretty & comfortable. I am told that Newhaven has about 100,000 inhabitants, of whom nearly half are papists, mostly Italians. The University has about 3000 students. Curiously enough, their number waxes in bad times commercially, and wanes in good times. The reason is said to be that in the latter there are so many more attractive openings for young men in the business world.

On Friday (April 23rd) we spent the morning in unpacking, and writing letters. Ella was taken off to lunch with some socially–reforming ladies: & I lunched with the Professor & some academics. Mr Curtis, Mr Porter, & another were of the party. At 3 p.m. I gave my first lecture to a chapel–full of students & others. The Principal of the University introduced me in a few civil sentences. Then Prof. Walker took me to tea in a club–house used by the professors: & at 5 p.m. we attended an interesting autobiographical lecture on the training of an historian by the historian Rhodes. He is an interesting individual. Too poor to start on a literary career at once, he entered into business with the fixed resolve to retire when he had made 100,000 dollars, & devote himself to history.[8] At 37 he had achieved his purpose: at 40 he began to write his history of America, which ranks as the standard work on the subject.

After dinner we were taken to a reception of the students, after which we returned home & went to bed. The weather which had been wet & cold all the day improved towards the end of the afternoon.

Saturday (April 24th) was fine but cold. After breakfast I took two photographs, we wrote letters, & then walked out to the Country Club, & lunched.

Mine host took me to dine with a club which was meeting for dinner & discussion at the house of one Dr Foster, said to be a great authority on tuberculosis.

The company consisted of about a dozen professors & other more or less distinguished men. Mr Mellor, the chairman of the local railway, gave a detailed account of the litigation which has been proceeding for some while between the State of Massachusetts & his company. It was a complicated story, in itself uninteresting enough, but as throwing light on the working of American institutions very interesting indeed. I was impressed by the frank contempt of the last which the company confessed: and saddened by the apparently secure assumption of universal corruption in municipal bodies & State legislatures which their conversation indicated.

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