The Henson Journals

[119]

Whitsunday, June 5th, 1927.

A most glorious morning: under the brilliant Sun the country is radiant and vocal with the singing birds. I celebrated the Holy Communion at 7.45 a.m. in the chapel. We only numbered 10 communicants: vz: Ella, Mrs Gow, Mrs Murray, 5 maids, Alexander and myself. The custom of their class does not require that they should communicate save only at Easter: hence, though they were warned, the outside servants were absent.

I left the castle at 9.20 a.m., and motored to Sunderland, where I preached, and celebrated the Holy Communion in the parish Church of Bishopwearmouth. There were about 140 communicants. After the service I lunched at the Rectory, and then returned to Auckland. There, being uncommonly tired for some unimaginable reason, I rested & read the little book which Sir George Renwick gave me – Northumbria's Decameron by Howard Pease. It is extraordinarily interesting. I had expected no more than a guide book; I found a pleasantly written & very learned history of Northumbria, containing much curious information useful to have in so accessible a form. But why did the author prejudice his work by having it published by a local printer in Newcastle? It should have been issued by Murray or Macmillan.

The 'Observer'' reports the death of Lord Landsdowne, at the age of 83.

[120] [symbol]

Mr Hestor, the new curate, came to supper. He is an hon: canon of McKenzie River, and has worked for some years among the Eskimos. He exhibited a service–book in the Eskimo language, which he has compiled, & which must represent much labour, patience, & linguistic capacity. The last surprises me in a man who is clearly destitute of any regular education, & who does not give an impression of intellectual power. He has recently married, & has but just returned from his honeymoon in North Italy. I asked him a good many questions about the Esquimaux, & he replied in terms which indicated no mean affection for these quaint people. They do not seem to have many vices, &, if exploiting Europeans would leave them alone, they do well enough. But the whalers bring drunkenness, profligacy, and disease. He described the circumstances in which some Roman priests had been murdered by the Esquimaux, when they had tried to bully. The murderers were arrested, imprisoned, feted, and released. They brought back so alluring an account of their experiences in confinement, that the penalty was rather an encouragement than a deterrent of crime. The Esquimaux ladies were modelling their dresses on the chasubles of the murdered priests! I urged Mr Hester to settle down to work for a reasonable time, & not to leave the parish before he had learned to know the people!

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