The Henson Journals

[198]

Monday, October 3rd, 1921.

O God, there is mercy with Thee: therefore shalt Thou be feared.

Shew Thou me the way that I should walk in, for I lift up my soul unto Thee.

Ella, Fearne, & Lucy arrived in the car with William at 10 a.m. Before leaving Walworth Castle, I showed William the astonishing chestnuts. We motored to Darlington, where I had an interview with Canon Cosgrave, & dropped the ladies. William motored me back to Auckland.

Mr Frank Blackburn, the Deputy Divisional Controller, Northern Division, lunched with me tête–à–tête. He had prepared an elaborate set of figures of unemployment. The situation is far worse than I had supposed, and the winter's outlook is most unpromising. After he had departed, I walked into the Park, & finding a group of about a score of young pitmen, sitting in a circle on the grass, I got into talk with them, and eventually took them for a walk round the castle. They seemed to be both interested and impressed.

My letter for W. must deal with (α) citizenship (β) marriage (γ) friendship (δ) religion (ε) amusements.

I wrote a belated letter of thanks to Linetta for her wonderful criticism of Guillaume's article. Also, I wrote to thank Lord Durham for a haunch of venison: & to Londonderry in answer to an inquiry about patronage. I sent the copy of my Congress Sermon, which Fearne made during my absence, to the Guardian, asking that it might be sent on to the Congress Secretary.

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