The Henson Journals

[148]

Friday, October 25th, 1912. Washington.

I am sure no Christian would feel that a hypothetical Christianity was worth having. And the reason is plain. For the essence of personal Christianity lies in love to a personal Saviour. That such as Saviour really lives & really loves me must be more than a hypothesis if I am really to love him.

Robertson Smith l.c. p. 111

"The worst feature of public life in this country," observed our host at breakfast, "is the bribing of juries. There has grown up a regular practice of 'jury–fixing', & a class of disreputable lawyers has come into existence known as 'jury–fixers'”. I said that I despaired of ever understanding the American people, so extremely efficient in certain directions, so strangely tolerant of abuses which might well be thought intolerable, in others. "The longer you live in America," he replied, "the more will your perplexity increase." We spoke of the effect which the alien immigrants had on their own countries, when – as is the case with large numbers – they returned thither. Mr Bryce said that he knew Mr Edward A. Steiner, who has written on this subject, & held him to be a competent & trustworthy man.

[149]

His book – ('The Immigrant Tide its Ebb & Flow' – Fleming H. Revell Company, London & Edinburgh – ) gives a rose–coloured view of the returned immigrant as bringing prosperity and a higher conception of life to his ancestral village in Poland, Hungary, & Italy. I expressed some doubt as to the justice of this view, & suggested that the returned immigrant brought back notions & habits which were destructive of traditional manners & beliefs, & not valuable in themselves. Mr Bryce said that he doubted whether this would be the case with the Italians, who held themselves together under their padroni & were very little affected by the life of America.

He spoke of Australia, & discussed the possibility of adopting in England the method of compulsory arbitration, which the Australian artisans had secured for themselves. I inquired whether the men would accept decisions which were adverse to their demands. He replied that they only had experience of decisions that raised their wages, & that, when the employers found such concessions economically impracticable, they were suffered to recoup themselves by manipulations of the tariff.

Shortly after breakfast, Dr McKim called with his electric car, & carried me out to the Episcopal Cathedral. A very beautiful vaulted chapel is completed, & in use. There are designs of large compass awaiting execution, & a noble site of about 40 acres, which already contains two flourishing schools – for girls and for boys.

[150]

Dr McKim was the unsuccessful candidate for the Bishopric of Washington, & this circumstance must be borne in mind when his ecclesiastical judgments are weighed. He assured me that the Protestant Episcopal Church was weakest in the central & western states where sacerdotalist views prevailed.

I inquired whether such views were increasing within the Church: & he replied in the affirmative. He was rather surprised when I pointed to the quotation from Magna Carta – "Let the Church of England be free" – which was carved conspicuously on the large stone pulpit, which has been presented by English Churchmen to the cathedral, and observed that it was curiously misapplied, for if it were translated according to the sense, it would run "Let the clergy of England have unimpeded access to the Papal Court"!

Mr Bryce reported at breakfast the death of the Dean of Durham, Kitchin. It has been confidently assumed that this Deanery will be given to Rashdall, who certainly, if learning & industry are titles to preferment, merits it.

Reading between the lines of the following passage from Mr Steiner's book, it is not difficult to see that the facts on which he bases his optimistic opinions, may consist with other facts, which might justify the darkest indictment which the patriot, or the moralist, or the economical student of Europe might prefer against American Influence: –

[151]

'So far as my observation goes, I feel certain that emigration has been of inestimable economic & ethical value to the three great monarchies chiefly concerned, namely: Italy, Austro–Hungary & Russia. It has withdrawn inefficient labour & has returned some of it capable of more & better work: it has lifted the status of the peasantry to a degree which could not have been achieved even by a revolution: it has educated the neglected masses, lifted them to a higher standard of living & has implanted new & vital ideals.

That there are attendant evils, no one will question. There is much more discontent than there ever has been, more haste & less leisure: there is less respect for authority & for established institutions: certain social evils have been accentuated: the newly acquired wealth has proved disastrous to some, & family ties have been strained by the absence of the heads of many households.

Nevertheless, an Hungarian statesman, who had risen from the ranks, said to me: "America has been a blessing to us. Had Columbus not discovered it, all Europe wd still be in servitude, & had it not been rediscovered by our peasants, they wd not have had much chance to get their necks from under the yoke.

"America is our heaven & will yet be our salvation."

Steiner. 1.c. p. 75, 76

[152]

We travelled to Baltimore with the Ambassador, who was pledged to make a speech there, & was very interesting on the way. He said that public speaking was better in England than in the States, where lapses into bad taste were more frequent & dismaying. In his experience, he had learned that the principal point in public speaking was arrangement of material. When we arrived in Baltimore, we separated from Mr Bryce, & started to look at the town. But we have stupidly forgotten our Baedeker; we were tired or lazy, or perhaps both. The town had no very inviting aspect. So when we had seen the Washington column, & looked at a very poor collection of pictures, we got back to the station, & returned to Washington. I was interested to observe the statue of George Peabody, which looked like a replica of that in the City of London.

There dined Mr Putnam, the Librarian of the Congressional Library, with his wife, & Mr and Mrs Wilmer – all very agreeable people. We had an interesting discussion on the Press in this country. Mr Bryce said that the Press was steadily falling lower: & this opinion was endorsed by the rest of the company. We retired as soon as the other guests had departed in order to betake ourselves again to the dolorous & recurrent labours of packing our bruized and failing trunks.

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