The Henson Journals

[97]

7th Sunday after Trinity, July 29th, 1906.

A close sultry morning with no air to breathe!

At the early celebration there were 23 communicants. I preached wearily at Mattins to a sadly dwindled congregation. Indeed it were questionable whether the Apostle Paul himself would be able to retain the faithful when the holiday season has really set in.

Raleigh was in church and came in afterwards to lunch. I had some speech with him about these disturbing Cornish rumours: and he went round to the Athenaeum to collect rumours. There he fell in with Buckle who gave it as his opinion that the P.M. would appoint on party grounds, and said that he understood the appointment to have been already made. This I trust may assure me that I shall not have to face episcopacy & exile just yet.

Steel–Maitland called at tea–time.

There was but a moderate congregation at Evensong, and I preached wearily. Raleigh was again in Church, & came to supper, as did also Sherwood and Custard. Afterwards I walked with him as far as Charing Cross.

[98]

On Monday, July 30th 1906 the work of cleaning the organ began in good earnest.

In the evening I entertained the 'Brethren' at dinner. The following attended. viz:–

Shelford	Le Bas
Hadden	Gamble
Morrison	Pearce.

It was decided that I should invite Gow and Beeching to join the society.

On Tuesday, July 31st 1906, Lord Lytton came to consult me with respect to his speech on the education bill.

On Wednesday, Aug. 1st 1906, I attended the debate in the House of Lords, and heard Lord Crewe introduce the Education Bill, and the Archbishop of Canterbury make an effective speech against it.

On Thursday, Aug 2 nd 1906, I attended the installation of Barnett as Canon: afterwards we went on our holiday, going first to Frant, then to Canterbury, then to Robertsbridge, & finally to Scotland.

[99]

In the Chancel of S. Mildred's Church, Tenterden, on the north wall inside the communion rails was an inscription which interested me so much that I copied it. It ran thus: –

To the Memory of the Rev. Matthew Wallace, son of the Rev. D. Wallace of Edinburgh, Vicar of Tenterden, Doctor of Laws, who was born on the 28th of October 1728 at Moffat in Scotland, & died at his Vicarage on the 14th of November 1771, aged 43 years and 6 days.

Agreeable manners, great benevolence, and excellent parts, united to extensive learning, pastoral fidelity, and discourses uncommonly elegant as well as instructive, rendered him universally beloved, respected, and esteemed in an English parish, even in times during which the National Prejudices that had formerly subsisted were again attempted to be highly inflamed between the Northern and Southern divisions of Great Britain.

(Aug 10th 1906).

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Issues and controversies: education bill