The Henson Journals

[45]

Tuesday, September 10th, 1912. En route to Toronto.

We rose at 6.30 a.m.: finished our packing: & bade farewell to our friends with much regret. Mr Fleet came with us to the station. On the train were the Bishop of Ontario & Mr Hill: also the Bp. of Winchester & Miss Talbot. The Bp: of W. was friendly & conversational. I gave him a Blue–Book, which (to my surprise) he had not read.

The Bp. Of Ontario talked freely & frankly about the religious situation in Canada, & about individuals. He said that the clergy were certainly becoming much 'higher' than heretofore: that the influence of missions &c from England tended in the same direction; that the laity remained unshakeably Evangelical: that the discrepancy in religious temper & point of view had the effect of inducing the laity to become Methodists & Presbyterians. He said that the Wycliffe College students turn out well; but that the narrowness of the Trinity College men hindered their success. He seemed to have but a mean opinion of the Bp. of London: but, like all colonial bishops, he had been immensely impressed by the speech on Union with the Presbyterians which Lang made in the last Pan–Anglican Conference. He seemed to think that the movement for Union between the Presbyterians, [46] Methodists, & Congregationalists would not come to much. If it were effected, the probable result would be that a considerable section of the Presbyterian body would secede to the Anglicans.

We had a very hot journey from Montreal to Toronto, starting at 9 a.m. and arriving at 4.45 p.m. Mr Macdonald met us at the station, & we went at once to his house (105 Bedford Rd) leaving our baggage to follow us. Edith Ripley & her husband came to dinner. He is an engineer in the service of the C.P.R., & is here in control of a large work. He says that the navvies employed on his work are mostly Galician Poles, who are engaged through 'bosses' & employment bureaux. He gave an uncomfortable account of the Labour Unions, which are international, & take from the American side of the border agitators, methods and objects which are mischievous. The Macnamara revelations had at first been disbelieved by Canadian workmen, but, when the facts were made out, they were horrified & called for the death of the offenders.

The heat has suddenly become extreme. Even with an electric fan at work, our bedroom is almost unbearable.

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