The Henson Journals

[399]

Thursday, December 3rd, 1908.

I celebrated in Henry vii's Chapel at 8 a.m. I attended the special meeting of the Representative Church Council convened to consider the Education Bill. Two streams of fanaticism, the political & the sacerdotal, conveyed against the Archbishop. In the crucial division the numbers were.

Bishop	21	3
Clergy	45	70
Laity	50	114
	116	187

This was really a better division than I expected.

The Bps of Winchester & Durham, Bp. of Dover, Archdeacons of Maidstone, Leicester, & Bedford, Dean of Ch. Ch., & Chancellor Edmonds came to lunch.

[400] [symbol]

The evening papers on Friday, the 4th Dec, announced the withdrawal of the Education Bill. Our precious performance at the so–called 'Representative Church Council' had given the last straw to the Government council. It is apparent that, without intending any deception, the Archbishop did in fact deceive the Government. He whipped in the High Church bishops to support his 'compromise' by accepting tacitly their interpretation of 'contracting out', which was not originally his own, & was at no time the Government's.

The mischievous character of the R.C.C. has again received conspicuous illustration. Lord Halifax, Athelstan Riley, & Sir Alfred Cripps are enabled to pose as the spokesmen of the Anglican laity. Yet who that knows anything of ordinary Englishmen can doubt that they represent more than an insignificant fraction? It is, however, an organized & enthusiastic faction, which makes up for the paucity of its numbers by its skilful tactics & fiery zeal. Sir John Kennaway, Col. Seton–Churchill, and Mr Torr, the three laymen who spoke for the compromise, were assuredly representatives of the general body of lay opinion, but they spoke as individuals & without either ability or enthusiasm.

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Issues and controversies: education bill