The Henson Journals
Sun 21 March 1909 to Mon 22 March 1909
Volume 16, Pages 438 to 439
[438]
4th Sunday in Lent, March 21st, 1909.
A lovely spring morning, bright, soft air, singing birds. I celebrated at 8 a.m: there were 37 comts.
Carlile preached at Mattins, a characteristic sermon. The collection at the doors for the Church Army amounted to £41. The ordinary collection was just over £12.
Our luncheon party consisted of Lord & Lady Inverclyde, Admiral Rolfe, Charlie & Dorothy, Miss Markham & John Hole, Carlile, Walters, Harold, Gilbert, & ourselves – the ill–omened total of 13.
I baptized 3 young women in S. Margarets – Minnie Bent, Helen Goddard, & Elizabeth –.
The weather changed during the afternoon, & by Evensong was wet: so the congregation was reduced.
Brierley came in to supper.
[439] [symbol]
Throughout the week beginning on Monday, the 22nd March, much correspondence passed between the Bishop of Birmingham and me with reference to my preaching for Jowett next Wednesday. On Saturday morning a formal inhibition reached me, and I at once wrote to assure the Bishop that I should ignore it. Later in the day I received from him a telegram & a letter acquiescing in the suggestion (made by me in a former letter) to postpone the fight until my return from America. But it was then too late. Jowett had asked me to keep my promise for next Wednesday, & I had assured him that I would do so. Raleigh looked up for me in the Law Reports the cases cited by the Birmingham Chancellor, but they have no bearing on the action which I contemplate. Fillingham "ordained" and "celebrated the Lord's Supper" in a dissenting chapel. In another case a squire quarrelling with his parson fetched a clergyman to read service for him in the schoolroom. In another the dispute arose between a newly appointed incumbent & a curate whom his predecessor had allowed to officiate in an unconsecrated building, & who would not cease to do so when he cancelled the permission. I cannot suppose that even ecclesiastical lawyers would deny that these cases differ essentially from anything involved in my preaching to Jowett's Institute on the occasion of its first anniversary. Yet Gore's Chancellor had the temerity or ignorance to quote them.