The Henson Journals

[366]

3rd Sunday after Trinity, June 8th, 1913.

I attended the morning service at St Paul's & received the Communion. There was an immense congregation of which, however, a great part left before the sermon. The preacher was Arthur Robinson, but his voice was too feeble for the place, & his sermon (not an impressive production) was mainly unheard.

We lunched with Sir John Struthers: & called on Lady Charnwood.

Gilbert Simpson brought his young lady to tea at the Deanery. She seemed a harmless person.

Ralph & I walked together on the Embankment. I attended the evening service in the Cathedral, & heard a violent sermon from Hudson Shaw. He railed at the 'upper classes' in fine demagogic style, & was relished by a very large congregation. It was a very mischievous performance.

[367]

We left the Deanery on Monday, the 9th of June 1913, and returned to Durham. The week was frittered away in many little futile functions & Committees.

I gave away prizes & made a speech at the Darlington Training College – an unsectarian institution.

On Saturday, the 14th, I preached in St Giles' Church to the students, past & present, of St Hild's Training College: & then I attended a meeting of the Sherburn Trustees, convened to consider the revision of the constitution which we have decided to attempt. Then we travelled to Hexham, missing by 2 minutes, our train connexion at Newcastle, & arriving late for dinner. Old Mrs Sumner of the Mothers' Union was staying in the House. To listen to her talk is to be baptized with hoary shibboleths! Heaven forgive the involuntary hypocrisy which left the old creature with the notion that she had made a valuable recruit in the Dean of Durham!

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