The Henson Journals

[26]

Thursday, February 22nd, 1917.

934th day

Caröe walked with me to the station, and carried my bag. (May he be rewarded!) I travelled to Hull by the 10.29 a.m. from Durham, which arrived fairly to time at 2.2 p.m. Here I was met by Mr Micks, (who had undertaken to be my host for the night) and Mr Fred. Till. We lunched at the Hotel, and then went to the Queen's Hall, where the anniversary meeting of the Hull Mission had been arranged. The Lord Mayor of Hull presided, and there was a large assembly of people. I spoke for about half an hour, and was well listened to. Then I left the meeting with Mr Hicks in order to catch a train to the village where he lived, (W. H. Hicks Esq. J.P. Hotham House, Hotham, East Yorks). Here we were welcomed by his niece, a pleasant looking Irish lady with a pretty brogue hailing from Waterford. There came to dinner one of the Hull incumbents, a jovial–looking Irishman named Huntly. We had a good deal of talk about church matters. I was interested to notice that there is evidently a considerable suspicion of the Archbishop of York, and some alarm. The abolition of Mattins, & the substitution of "the Lord's own service" as the principal service for Sunday morning is being pressed forward under the direst encouragement of the Archbishop himself, and is much resented. I gathered that some feeling had been aroused by a project for pulling down a church in the City, and erecting another one in the suburbs. This might, of course, be a reasonable scheme, but much would turn on the spirit in which negotiations were conducted, & the measure of mutual confidence existing between the negotiating parties.

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