The Henson Journals

[36]

Friday, September 6th, 1912. En route for Montreal.

A brilliant day, its charm lessened by a too violent wind. Our first concern after breakfast was to get some money. I changed a cheque for £25. only receiving 121.25 instead of the 125. which I had rashly expected. The streets were gay with bunting in honour of MrBorden, the Dominion Premier, whose return from England is announced to take place today.We sate out on the Terrace (Dufferin Terrace) & admired the magnificent prospect. Surely there can be nothing finer in the world. Miss Macnaughten, the Novelist, who had been one of our companions on the 'Empress of Ireland', appeared in the Hôtel. She has been staying with the Macphersons. The Toronto 'Globe' has a paragraph saying that the Unionist members now on tour in Canada are disappointed at the small notice given to their sayings & doings; and that they are organizing specially in Montreal some improvement in this matter. Considering that F. E. Smith is among the peripatetic orators there might well seem some truth in the statement. The Quebec paper announces that a 'famous bishop', E. S. Talbot of Winchester, is to arrive tomorrow, & that he will preach in the English Cathedral tomorrow. His son, the Mirfield Father, is coming with the Bishop. I make no [37] doubt that the Sacerdotalist faction, which has carried all before it in the home church, now aspires to capture the Colonials. They have the men, the enthusiasm, and the prestige of position. It is odd that the Bishop and I should happen to be together in Canada. I shall be preaching in a Presbyterian Church in Montreal when his Lordship preaches in the Anglican Cathedral in Quebec.

N.B. My hotel bill for the 24 hours amounted to 12.60: of this 3 dollars was for the drive yesterday. The Fare from Metis to Quebec was 12.20 for both of us. That from Quebec to Montreal was 1.50 for the seats in the parlour car: 9 dollars for the railway tickets.

We reached Montreal about 6.30 p.m.: and drove to 33 Ontario Avenue – the driver exhibiting much uncertainty as to the route – where we were welcomed by Mr Fleet & Janie, who had left our baggage behind her yesterday! Dr Dickie, the minister for whom I am to preach on Sunday, called to see me. We had some conversation. He said that the union of the Presbyterians, Methodists, & Congregationalists was advancing hopefully: but that dislike of the Methodists as commercially untrustworthy was the chief obstacle among the Presbyterians. He offered [38] as an explanation of this commercial untrustworthiness (which he did not dispute) the fact that, while Presbyterians commonly represented a Christian tradition, being indeed the possessors of an hereditary Christianity, the Methodists (to their credit) were mostly recruited from persons, who had no such tradition of rectitude. I think there is some truth in this, but not the whole truth. Something must be allowed for the anti–nomian tendency of emotional Christianity. I inquired whether there was any difficulty in obtaining suitable candidates for the ministry. He replied that there was: & he attributed the fact to the lowered status of the clergy, to their small stipends, & the attraction of other careers. The minimum stipend of the Presbyterian Ministers is 900 dollars & a house: out of this they have to keep in the West one or even two horses. He said that there were many cases of ministers abandoning their charges, & 'going into real estate', or journalism. We spoke of the political condition of the country. He said there was a strong & growing movement for reducing all taxation to a single tax on land: that this system obtained in Vancouver & other places; & was being adopted generally in the west. This circumstance will hardly please the Unionist [39] members from England, who will recognize in it a family likeness to the Budgets of Lloyd–George.

On Dr Dickie's departure a reviewer of the Montreal Witness came to see me: & we talked for half an hour about the Putumayo Atrocities. He said that the paper had received a cable from England saying that there was a prospect of my being prosecuted by the English directors.

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Issues and controversies: Putumayo; recognition of/reunion with non-episcopal churches