The Henson Journals

[126]

Friday, October 18th, 1912. Schenectady.

A brilliant day with a haze over the country, which gave a softness to the landscape infinitely soothing to the eye and provocative to the fancy. After breakfast our hosts walked us round the college, which is beautiful. The ancient garden in its autumnal colouring is romantic. There is an ancient Chinese idol introduced by some former President, which has become the centre of much undergraduate foolery. It is a grotesque object. The long stone seat which borders the terrace overlooking Schenectady is the cherished possession of 'the boys', & stands in literature as the symbol of the college. Dr Richmond tells me that this was the first avowedly undenominational college in America, the charter providing that there should never be a majority of any one denomination on the governing body. Then we were taken for a motor–drive into the country. Our host is a well–informed & interesting guide: & I found his daughter, Margaret, (a little humourous flapper) a charming companion.

The Mohawk valley is extremely beautiful. We returned to the house enchanted with all that we had seen. We lunched with Mrs Sage (mother of Mrs Walter Goodwin) whose motor fetched & returned us. After lunch we saw some of the treasures in the library. Her late husband was a great collector. There was a complete set of [127] editions of Izaac Walton's 'Compleat Angler' from the 1st edition in 1653 onwards. A curiosity was a cast of the clenched hand of the dying Thackeray. It is a beautiful & powerful hand attenuated no doubt by illness, & straining with the stress of suffering.

Divers Professors & their wives came to tea. I spoke with them, & then retired to my room, & prepared my notes for tonight.

After dinner we went round to a lecture room, & there, to an assembly of dons, their wives, & students, I descanted for an hour & a quarter on the Labour Question. I was careful to limit myself to the situation in Great Britain: & lightened the heavy strain of a grave subject as much as I could. The President assured me that the lecture was all that it should be, but my wife found it tedious, & the audience generally were perhaps rather bored than impressed! However I did my best.

Mine host gave me the queer personal history of the Socialist Mayor of Sehenectady, Lunn. He seems to have been a sordid & worthless Christian Minister & to have passed by successive stages of self–advertising degradation to the squalid pre–eminence in which he now stands. He & his wife are, for the time being, in gaol.

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