The Henson Journals

[437]

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Saturday, September 13th, 1913.

The rain fell continually from morning till night–fall. Ella and I sate in the smoking room most part of the day, and wrote letters. After tea, we walked for an hour in the wet, preferring the rain to the total absence of exercise.

Mrs Lascelles arrived. Her husband is concerned with social work in the East End. She told me that in looking over some old papers, he had come across an account of some open air meeting in Bethnal Green, in which it was stated that my speech was interrupted by 'the Socialist Burns'. Few transformations have been more dramatically complete than that which has changed John Burns from a socialist agitator to a Cabinet Minister, distinguished from his colleagues by a robust individualism. He is, indeed, now the bête noire of the Lloyd George faction.

Mr Pringle Nicol also arrived. He is reported to have become a Papist since our last visit. This, perhaps, is nowise matter for surprise, since he belongs, physically & mentally to the type of man, which the Roman Church attracts, and which assuredly no Protestant Church could satisfy, or even interest. The long conflict of the Churches will work out finally in a concordat, based on a delimitation of 'spheres of influence'. Peace will come on the basis of a recognition of facts.

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