The Henson Journals

[168]

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Thursday, October 31st, 1912. New York.

Our souls go too much out of self

Into ways dark dim,

Tis rather God who seeks for us

Than we who seek for him.

God is not even so far off

As even to be near:

He is within, our spirit is

The home He holds most dear.

So all the while I thought myself

Lonely, forlorn, weary,

Missing my joy, I walked the earth

Myself God's sanctuary.

Faber

I wrote to Dr McKim thanking him for his Reinecker lectures.

The lads employed are mainly Papist if I may judge from their reverential attitude towards me. They call me 'Father' evidently infer from my black coat that I am a 'priest'. Presumably they are newcomers in the land. After a few years they retain no reverence for anything or anybody.

[169] [symbol]

Roosevelt Taft were both in the city last night. The first addressed a great public meeting, which cheered for 41 minutes without ceasing when he appeared.

Mrs Fisher (née Justine Mann) called for us about 10 a.m., took charge of us. After making some small purchases, we went to the Central Park, looked at the beasts which are there exposed to view. A bison of grand proportions moved my admiration. The carnivora were also unusually fine. We lunched at a quiet little restaurant, were joined there by a journalist named Ireland, an Englishman by birth but resident in this city. He arranged to have a formal interview with me tomorrow morning. Then we went to the fine new Public Library, and were particularly interested in the arrangement for providing the blind with literature which they can read: and in the children's room. Here we met Miss Moore (?) who presides over this section of the work. She was insistent on the good effect of this provision for the children. She said it helped to unify the discordant immigrants, taught them to value public property. She had recently returned from England, was very contemptuous of our public library arrangements. Next we went to 'Peg Woffington's Café', had excellent tea toast for a total expenditure, including a tip of 25 cents, of one dollar a half.

[170] [symbol]

I wrote to President Francis Brown proposing to divide my two lectures thus, 1. The Religious Situation in England in 1660. 2. The Act of Uniformity its consequences.

Dean Grosvenor called. I told him of my acceptance of the Deanery of Durham, he expressed himself with great kindness. He said that in Durham he had formed the impression that the great Cathedral had no concern with the grimy ill–ordered looking town which clusters about the foot of the hill on which it stands. I could not honestly offer him any prospect of doing anything effectual, for I am not a "Christian Socialist", extremely sceptical of clerical essays in social improvement. It almost always begins with the tall–talk of prophetic commission, , speedily ends in the squalidest most intemperate partisanship.

We dined in the Hotel, and afterwards sat in the writing room, wrote letters. I wrote to Raleigh, and Radcliffe.

This day three weeks – as our plans now stand – we are to go on board the White Star liner 'Baltic' sailing from New York to Liverpool. Those three weeks are filled with engagements which are exacting, and entertainments which are exhausting. It is an ill preparation for the motions commotions of the wintry Atlantic!

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