The Henson Journals

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Tuesday, September 24th, 1912. Minneapolis.

We travelled comfortably in our 'drawing room': leaving Fargo at 10.50 p.m., and arriving about 7.20 a.m. in Minniapolis [sic]. Here we were met at the station by our host, Mr Hovey C. Clarke, & were motored to the charming & commodious house, into which he has moved since we made acquaintance 3 years ago. Dr Freeman, the minister of St Mark's Church, is also staying here. After breakfast we were motored about the city, & were much impressed by the beauty of the suburbs. I had an interview with 2 Press Men in mine host's office, & then we lunched at his club. I addressed the students at noon.

In the afternoon we were motored round the Parks & Lakes, which make Minneapolis one of the most charming of cities: & then we went home & wrote letters.

Mine host interests me greatly. He is a typical American of the best type, & expresses himself with the utmost frankness, & extreme good sense. He was Foreman of the Grand Jury which carried through a social reformation in the city 10 years ago. The state of affairs must have been very bad if the accounts of the City which were published at the time are not grossly exaggerated. What most astonished me in Mr Clarke's account of what happened was the physical violence to which he was exposed, violence that proceeded to the length of [71] [symbol] organized attempts on his life! He had a double set of detectives, one to be bribed by the enemy, & the other under its cover to find out the facts. In the end he effected a thorough 'clean up': but since that achievement the old apathy had returned, & Minniapolis [sic] was now as bad as ever. That, he said, was the situation in American cities – steady, organized, continuing corruption mitigated by 'spurts' of reformation, when the honest citizens leaving their business & despising their comfort put hand to the distasteful & unclean machine of politics. As we drove round the city, he pointed out to us the large municipal buildings which had the rare & honourable distinction of having been built without graft.

The University of Minnisota [sic] is conducted on the co–education system, both sexes being taught together. There are more than 4000 students, & the University is said to be extremely well–endowed, possessing extensive lands which are oil–producing & contain coal deposits. The academic buildings are large, commodious, & well–planned. I tried to learn from Mrs Vincent (the President's wife) whom I met later at dinner whether any effective discipline was maintained over the students out of lecture hours: but beyond some small efforts in the direction of licensing lodgings, there appeared to be nothing. However she stoutly maintained that the system worked well.

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There was a pleasant dinner–party in the evening. I sate between mine hostess & Mrs Carpenter. The latter was an intelligent & conversational lady, evidently busy with many concerns, religious & municipal. She described the state of the poorer immigrants in the city, as very squalid: but maintained with the usual American optimism that the schools were shaping their children into excellent citizens. She said that the musical abilities of these people were astonishing. They appreciated the music of the past Masters. Indeed Minniapolis [sic] might rank as a musical centre; its orchestra was among the 7 leading orchestras of the world. After dinner we were treated to some violin music, very excellent & enjoyable.

I am assured that bad private character would paralyse the influence of any citizen: that to have been divorced would tell against business success: that the most part of prominent men in Minneapolis were connected with some church or other. The Methodists have an ill reputation in the matter of mercantile integrity. Mr Clarke offered me a striking illustration of this fact. In his own business, it was the practice to give instructions that dealings with Methodists be avoided as far as possible, & that on no account should business be transacted with the Methodist Clergy! This agrees with what I was told at Winnipeg.

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