The Henson Journals
Tue 13 July 1909
Volume 160, Pages 117 to 118
[117]
Tuesday, July 13th, 1909.
Winnipeg: I have been talking to Ernest Henson, and listening to his account of his work in Pierson, one of these prarie settlements. Here this youth – his [sic] is 22, and looks younger – is the sole representative of the Church of England. He is unordained, and extremely ignorant: but he is full of enthusiasm, and "Catholic" zeal. It appears that there are about 41 children in the district, who were all gathered into an "Union", i.e. an undenominational Sunday School. But this by no means satisfied our young Apostle. He had withdrawn the "Church" children, and organized them separately. Now there are two Sunday Schools in Pierson. 17 children muster in one place as Anglicans, the remaining 24 continue at the old "Union" school in another. And the young fool was clearly amazed that I did not congratulate him on his religious success! He assured me that the Archbishop of Rupertsland had highly approved his action. This I find no difficulty in believing.
In the afternoon we went by the electric tram to Selkirk. The weather was dark & threatening. We returned in a heavy thunderstorm.
[118]
Selkirk is a little town on the Red River, which here is a fine stream, considerably broader than at Fargo, where last we saw it. The dullness of life in these places must be very great for all who are not saints, or students, or philosophers.
In the evening Lois gave a little dinner party. Canon Murray of the Cathedral here was my vis–à–vis. He is an Irishman, a Home Ruler, with Socialistic tendencies, & ecclesiastically orthodox. On every count I have clear title to his dislike. We discussed the reasons why the well–educated young Englishman commonly fails as a colonist. The fact was assumed. I gathered that the fault was not altogether with my countryman.
Dr Jones called for me this morning, and drove me to the Parks which have been formed outside the city. They are creditable in view of the flatness of the country. He tells me that Winnipeg has a death–rate of about 14 per 1000. The drainage is effected into the river by means of a series of short main drains. This does not seem very satisfactory, especially as the river itself is a sluggish stream.