Letters from 1890-1899

SSJE/6/1/2/3/3

Letters from 1890-1899

3 Jan 1890-24 Dec 1899

Fr. Benson's letters to Fr. Gardner written shortly after Fr. Benson's resignation as Father Superior of SSJE. They tell of his time in India helping the SSJE missions in Bombay and Poona, but also record his visits to a number of other cities and town across the country. The letters were sent to Fr. Gardner at either the Mission at St. John's Mission, Mazagaon. Bombay or the Mission at Poona, where he was in charge. The second half of the decade saw Fr. Benson in the United States, being based in Boston but also travelling regularly to New York and Baltimore as well as Toronto on one occasion. Meanwhile Fr. Gardner has left India and returned to England. Includes; ff. 5-8: news from Boston of Fr. Benson's movements since arriving in the United States, meeting friends in Baltimore, sleeping a night at a school [St. Austin's Episcopal School for Boys] on Staten Island, New York and is due to preach in Philadelphia in early June. He writes that Boston has 'grown wonderfully' since he last visited and provides details of SSJE work there and in Philadelphia, 12 May 1890. ff. 9-12: believes Lux Mundi [A series of Studies in the Religion of the Incarnation] to be a 'calamitous publication', especially coming from those who pledged to keep up the 'honour of Dr. Pusey', Feast of St. James 1890. ff. 13-14: spent Monday at Benares where he rowed in a boat along the Ganges and saw bathers going through their functions and bodies being dipped and burned 'in all stages of their funeral rites', and has preached in Allahabad and thinks will make a 'fine Cathedral centre'. Meanwhile, has heard that Br. Beale is doing well at Nagore, 28 Jan 1891. ff. 15-20: news from Fr. Benson's visit to Calcutta, Feb-Mar 1891 ff. 21-22: sadness in hearing of the fighting between various Missionaries [in India]; the resignation of Bishop Caldwell will see the Metropolitan ensure there is 'no unhappy Episcopal arrangement again', Maundy Thursday 1891. ff. 30-31: In Nazareth, expects to remain for a couple of weeks; will meet Fr. Gardner in Bombay the week after, 11 Apr 1891. ff. 34-35: Fr. Gardner must not disparage the work he is doing at Mazagaon, it has more effect on Bombay than he realises and giving up the Parish cannot be judged upon without much consideration, 13 Jun 1891. ff. 36-37: though they must always be ready to help others [doing Missionary work], they cannot do so at the expense of letting their work suffer, 14 Jun 1891. ff. 42-43: is in Jabalpur and due to attend a lecture on the 'hopes of India in the [?] High School', 1 Jul 1891. ff. 52-53: in Sassoon Hospital, Pune communicating for Sister Lydia, who has Cholera in a 'very mild form'; have had 'only two deaths', 20 Aug 1891. ff. 54-55: Sister Lydia has died; she had nice funeral in 'our Cemetery', 26 Aug 1891. ff. 71-72: writing from Hong Kong, Fr. Benson remarks on such a small island has become 'one of the most important centres of world-wide communication'; it teaches them (SSJE) to look for such a 'great transformation', 24 Dec 1891. ff. 73-76: details of Fr. Benson's time in Japan; it 'very interesting' and seems to 'transport you into quite a new reality of the old world'; the Japanese Church is also making way with the American and English [Churches] combining into one constitution, 24 Jan 1892. ff. 80-81: enjoyed Canada trip very much, in spite of temperatures of 57 below zero, Easter 1892. ff. 95-98: in New York for a few days to dine with the Church Club, many people there he did not know including Bishop Wells of Spokane, 20 Jan 1893. ff. 105-108: once more becoming head of the Society is 'out of the question', despite Fr. Gardner's suggestion being heartfelt; the time was right for the Society to take new shape, and if new numbers do not come they shall have done their work as equally 'whether they die out with the next [?] or live till the end of the world'. A lack of sympathy with the 'young High Church Party' would also render him incapable of heading up a movement in the present day, 17 Apr 1893. ff. 134-135: following the death of a close friend Fr. Benson remarks that everything has changed since he first visited Boston, Whit Sunday 1894. ff. 138-141: thoughts on old age and death, having heard of the grave illness of Fr. Biscoe, 10 Aug 1894. ff. 148-149: glad to hear of Fr. Gardner's arrival in England [from India], 25 Jun 1895. ff. 150-153: news from Boston, including the gathering of '70,000 Christian endeavours', 19 Jul 1895. ff. 171-173: news of a gas explosion connected with the building of the subway in Boston; 42 people were seriously injured, 5 Mar 1897. ff. 177-178: hopes the plague is not spreading [in India] and that God keeps them all safe, 22 Mar 1897. ff. 186-187: India seems to be 'full of troubles'. An earthquake and an 'invasion of hill tribes' are noted, with Fr. Benson writing he believes it will probably strengthen the position of the Society in the future, 28 Aug 1897. ff. 190-191: much to be thankful for with the growth of the Church in Wales, though Neath and Swansea are not promising, 20 May 1898. ff. 192-193: Fr. Benson writes about the Spanish-American War, noting that Fr. Gardner will probably be getting a truer picture of events as 'American boasts do not quite come up to the measure of Spanish lies', 15 Jul 1898. ff. 203-204: Fr. Longridge has survived a shipwreck making the crossing from Britain to America; ten lives were lost on the Canadian coast, 4 Dec 1899. ff. 216-218: sorry to hear that the plague has not abated in India; has read the Queen's speech in which she 'spoke gloomily' of India's prospects. There is also 'the growl of war in S. [South] Africa', 10 Aug 1899.

224 ff.