The Henson Journals
Sun 19 January 1913
Volume 18, Pages 260 to 261
[260]
Septuagesima, January 19th, 1913.
We breakfasted at 9 a.m: afterwards Mary & I went to the University Church, & listened to a dull sermon from the text: 'Art thou he that cometh, or look we for another?' The preacher was one Wood's [Woods] of S. John's. Of course he was eschatological meandering through paradoxes to the inevitable Christian–Socialist peroration! He was, however, brief: & we were on the streets again by 11.15 a.m. The congregation consisted of about 30 dons, &, perhaps, as many undergraduates. There is but one University Sermon now – the evening sermon to Undergraduates being a private venture.
We walked round the Magdalene walk, & then round Christ Church. The low–lying meadows which these walks contain were all flooded. The placid sheets of water in which the towers, roofs & spires of Oxford were reflected gave a distinctive & melancholy beauty to the scene.
Returning home, we lunched: & then for an hour Dicey talked with me mainly on politics: he has just completed another book on the Home Rule Question, & is very full on that subject.
[261]
Incidentally, he told me an observation which J. R. Green made to him concerning Wace, now Dean of Canterbury. Dicey had remarked that Wace was a remarkably clever person. Yes, replied the philosopher, 'he is clever enough; but he thinks that because he can see the weak points in his adversary’s case, & point them out incisively, he has thereby proved his own case. I could not but consider this an illuminating judgement on a very able controversialist, who is also an extremely absurd reasoner.
The rain, which had been descending with some vehemence having now moderated, I went down to All Souls: and there sate talking with the junior fellows for an hour, when I called at the Warden's Lodge, & had tea with Miss Anson. Then I walked back to the Orchard, & wrote up my journal before dressing for dinner.
We dined in All Souls. There was a very pleasant company, including the Warden, Oman, Robertson, Simon, Goudy, & some of the junior fellows. I thought of some old faces which are no more.
Issues and controversies: irish home rule