The Henson Journals
Fri 23 May 1913
Volume 18, Page 350
[350]
Friday, May 23rd, 1913.
Watkins came to see me in the morning with wreathed smiles & the oiliest manner to prepare me for a revolt of the Canons at the Chapter tomorrow on the subject of "the services'. He left me divers documents which I read with care, & then determined to have it out with the rebels tonight when they were due to dine with me. So after dinner when we had all come into my study, I opened fire by directly demanding that we should come to an agreement on the version of Decanal Authority which we accepted. I insisted that the Statutes were fully binding, that they gave complete control of the services to the Dean alone, that I proposed to act on the powers they conveyed. We had a long discussion, & ultimately we came to an agreement that the Statutes should be observed, and I assured them that in exercising my authority I should willingly consult their views as far as I could. So we ended: but I was somewhat surprised, and a good deal concerned, at the evident signs of concerted hostility, which betrayed themselves. They were clearly astonished that there was so clear a case for the Dean's position.