The Henson Journals

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Monday, November 11th, 1912.

I conducted Service at Appleton Chapel, speaking to the lads about 'the fatal force & importance of words’. There was a succession of students to see me, so that I could do no work of my own. Prof. Moore sent over a considerable bundle of letters which had arrived from England. It consisted entirely of Congratulations on my appointment to Durham. I returned to 122 Constitutional Avenue, & bade farewell to Mrs Lawrance. Then we lunched with Prof: & Mrs Scofield. Talking after lunch, the Professor stated his belief that the German Emperor is a student of Machiavelli: & said that this view had been confirmed by the fact that a copy of Machiavelli's books was included in the Emperor's travelling books. This had been certified by somebody who had observed the volume in the Emperor's room. All this has a curious aspect.

We motored to Mason Street, Cambridge, to stay for the rest of our time in this place with Prof: & Mrs Max Kellner. I gave the 4th of my lectures at the Andover Seminary. As I was walking to the place a student introduced himself as Garfield, the son of the President of Williams College.

Finally I went to a church in Brookline, & gave an address on 'The Relation of Church & State in England’ to above 100 men of a superior type.

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This was a very singular function. The pastor of the church, Dr Vernon, was evidently a man of markedly 'progressive’ type, though he had voted for Wilson. He was, however, a Princeton man, & college loyalty may have determined his vote. I was put up to speak on a subject about which nobody knew anything, or cared to know anything. I started my speech with nothing more than their natural curiosity to secure attention. However when I proceeded to expound the mysteries of Anglican finance, their commercial instincts began to rally to me: & they grew quite interested. I invited them to ask questions, which several of them did; & this distinctly enlivened the proceedings, so that when finally I took my departure they assured me with every appearance of sincerity that they had greatly enjoyed the evening: I took the opportunity of exalting the virtue of endowments as securing the independence of religious teachers; as I described the humiliating position of the Voluntaryist parson, dependent for the means to live on the goodwill of the very people it may be his duty to rebuke, I thought Dr Vernon looked mighty sheepish. Some of the younger men who talked with me after the formal speech was ended gave me a good impression. There is fine material in this country, but all most miserably mishandled and wasted.

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