The Henson Journals

[39]

Saturday, September 7th, 1912. Montreal.

I spent the morning indoors, where (my baggage having at last arrived) I endeavoured to make some preparations for tomorrow. But I was much interrupted. First, Dr Symonds called & talked for an hour. I gave him a copy of 'Puritanism in England'. Then Mr Price called. He promised to send me the publications of the Forestry Association. Then there came in to me a copy of the 'Times' for Aug: 24th containing my article on 'Black Bartholomew': an Article on 'The Peruvian Amazon Directors & Canon Henson': & the correspondence which passed between me & those gentlemen, together with a final letter from them which presumably arrived after I had left England.

[40]

After lunch Mr Fleet carried me off to see a game of Lacrosse. It has many points of likeness to Association Football. Then we walked over the mountain & enjoyed the noble view of the City.

Parkin, the Secretary of the Rhodes Trustees, came to dinner. He had not read the Blue book. So I bestowed one on him. My whole stock seems to be exhausted viz. one to MacTier, to Fleet, to Parkin.

I observed a mixture of races as I moved about the city this afternoon, for we traversed a district swarming with Jews, we travelled in a car crowded with Italian navvies & French Canadians, & we watched a game of Lacrosse amid a number of eager Irish. Mine host called my attention to the Greek fruit sellers, who, he said, were monopolists of the trade in fruit.

The dominance of the R.C. Church is much in evidence as one's eye falls on large buildings – churches, convents, colleges, schools – in every part of the city. As all these buildings are exempt from taxation the public interest is not obscurely concerned. But, though new–comers from France are bringing in new spirit, the Church as yet holds its empire.

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