The Henson Journals

[73]

Wednesday, September 25th, 1912. Minneapolis.

A wet chilly day, depressing & disappointing. After breakfast I wrote to the Dean.

We went into the city, where I changed my Canadian money, & drew a further £25. on my letter of credit. Then Mr Clark took me to various of his friends, with whom I had in every case some brief conversation. All, with varying degrees of emphasis, assured me that the moral level of American commercial & social life had risen, albeit admitting that the fact was not reflected in politics. My host is enthusiastically loyal to his city, & omits no effort to ensure that I shall form a high estimate of its merits. He himself is an interesting study, a curious blend of the generous & the shrewd, the unselfish & the ambitious. He told me that he had 'loaned' 30,000 dollars to poor students, who had repaid at least 90% of the money: & he added that he found this an effective means of extending his personal interest in the State. He kept in contact with his clients, & availed himself of their natural desire to serve the interest of their benefactor. He gave us a great surprize, when he shewed us the picture gallery of a lumber–millionaire, Mr Thomas B. Walker. It is an amazing collection which would attract notice in London or Paris. I observed with a melancholy wonder the spoils of English Houses. There was much valuable loot from China, & Egypt.

[74]

We lunched at the Club. Here I met MrHewitt, the architect of St Mark's Church, a very handsome & effective Gothic structure, enriched with much excellent wood carving, which we were shown by the Rector (Freeman). I was taken to the Office of 'The Bellman', & shown over it. Here I had some interesting conversation with the Editor, Mr Edgar, an extremely intelligent man. We wound up by paying a brief visit to the President–Emeritus of the University, Dr Northrup, a noble–looking old man. He described his first public dinner in Minneapolis, 28 years ago, when nearly everybody including the speakers was drunk: & pointed out the great improvement in the matter of temperance. Mine host told me that he had begun business with a capital of 1500 dollars of his own & 5000 of his partners: & that last year they turned over 12,000,000 dollars. Now at the age of 53 he has withdrawn from active business. He is evidently much regarded in the city, & finds much enjoyment in the consequence which attaches to himself.

I preached in S. Mark's Church on the Social duty of the Christian. There was a considerable congregation; & the choir (men, women, & boys) sang very well. Reporters hovered about me molestingly, & took away my MSS. I was too tired to find any pleasure in preaching: & I had had no time to make myself really master of the old sermon I delivered!!

[75]

Mr Freeman speaks much of the late Bishop of Salisbury (Wordsworth) who came to Minneapolis to investigate the condition of the Swedes who to the number of more than 500,000 inhabit the State of Minnesota. The Bishop stayed several days in Mr Freeman's house, & made himself very agreeable. He refused the use of a motor, & walked everywhere with a note–book, which he produced in the course of conversation, in order to record anything which interested him, & especially the names & addresses of the persons with whom, or respecting whom he conversed. In Minneapolis he unearthed an old German, in very humble circumstances, who was engaged in translating the voluminous works of Luther, & who (in the Bishop's judgement) was the most learned authority on Luther's life.

Freeman himself is an unusual type of cleric. He was engaged in work on the Railway until he was past 25 years old. Then at the direct suggestion, & in deference to the personal insistence of Bishop Potter, he decided to seek Ordination. The Bishop himself supervised his training for the Ministry, particularly insisting that he should have no Seminary residence. The reason he assigned was that such training would almost certainly destroy the very qualities for which his Ordination was desirable! Freeman is 46 years old, & exhibits a type of Churchman, unusual in America, & unknown out of it. On one occasion, he (with Bp. Potter's approval) addressed the Jews in N.Y. in their synagogue, & was elected on the spot hon. Assistant Rabbi, pledged to preach twice a year! He is in some respects like our Christian Socialists.

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