The Henson Journals

[90]

Wednesday, January 17th, 1923.

Macdonald took me to see the amazing devices wireless telegraphy. I was actually placed in connection with Rome, & heard the tapping of messages from the Eternal City. Then we called on an excellent Wesleyan & Freemason, Alderman Thompson. He showed me a segment of a beam of timber, which though sound enough on the outside was completely honeycombed by some destructive wood–insect within. The timber–merchant in Finland, gambling on the chance of the cargo being sunk by the Germans, had not scrupled to send the worthless timber . The consignment had, however, arrived: the fraud had been discovered: & the fraudulent trader condemned to heavy payments.

At 3.30 p.m. I preached in the Wesleyan Chapel on the occasion of its Jubilee Celebration. There was a considerable congregation, mostly of middle–aged and old people. The young men and women are conspicuous by their absence. I wore my red robes, & preached on Unity. It pleased me to see some of the parochial clergy in the congregation. At 7 p.m. the Mayor presided over a public meeting in the Chapel, and I spoke 'large' for 45 minutes! Then I recovered my bags, and was met by William with the car. We motored back to Auckland Castle, where I arrived about 10 p.m., having completed a rather arduous round of engagements in Hartlepool.

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