The Henson Journals

[158]

Thursday, February 10th, 1921.

After finishing my letters with Clayton, I devoted myself to preparing notes for the Hartlepool address. This proved a more difficult task than I had expected, & its difficulty is not lessened by my ignorance as to the nature of the audience, whom I shall address. William drove me to Seaton Carew, where we were put up by Colonel Thomlinson. His house faces the sea, & has been constructed on the stock of an older building, which has been enlarged and adapted out of its identity. It is plentifully adorned with panelling, some of which is old, & is furnished comfortably, and in excellent taste. The Colonel has a fondness for figures of the Buddha, of which he has collected a large number. These of various types & sizes are everywhere prominent, & have an odd, almost bizarre, effect. We dined at the Grand Hotel with the mixed company, half employers, half Trade Union Officials, which is commonly gathered for these lectures. There were about 30 persons at dinner. The Lecture followed in the Theatre of the Technical College. An audience of about 120 men (as I judge), which with the diners on the platform made up some 150 – all Trade Union Officials save for the employers who had been at dinner. My subject was "A Cross Bench View of the Industrial Situation". After a few genial but rather incoherent words from Mr Atkins (National Union of Railway men) who acted as chairman, I spoke for half an hour. Then followed questions, which I answered, and votes of thanks. All was over by 9.30 p.m.

[159]

Colonel Thomlinson shewed me some beautiful missals, which he had collected, partly from the collection of Yates Thompson. I was much interested in these precious specimens of medieval art, & still more by their presence in the home of a busy man, immersed in commercial affairs. Buddhas, missals, books on birds, & Swedish romances represented his hobbies. That he is a man concerned with other matters than his own amusement, even on so comparatively exalted a plane, is proved by his anxious interest in efforts to reconcile employers and workmen, & by his munificent contribution of poundsign5000. to the Fund for improving clerical incomes in this diocese. He is not very cheerful about the future, and seems of a melancholy disposition, though evidently sweet–tempered. On the whole I found him an enigmatic & loveable person. Very creditable to his charity was his refusal to take the worst view of the Archdeacon's case. He expressed a hope that he would succeed in reestablishing his character in the Appeal court. I applauded his charity, but I could not honestly encourage his hope. But it is reported that Bevan & some of the London clergy are raising funds to assist the prosecution of the appeal, and some of the Liverpool people are doing the same. All this reflects credit on human nature, and makes me feel heartily ashamed of myself for not being able to share the confidence which it implies. But I cannot exorcize from my mind the evidence & the verdict of the Chancellor's Court.

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