The Henson Journals

[295]

1915

Wednesday, July 21st, 1915.

352nd day

A newspaper cutting from America reports the death of old Mr James Goodwin, who entertained us so pleasantly at Hartford, Conn., three years ago. The fore–noon was spent in writing letters. I accepted Carnegie's invitation to preach in S. Margaret's on Oct: 3rd which he proposes to keep as the Dedication Festival of the Church: also, I promised to preach in the Crypt of Canterbury Cathedral on Oct: 10th, when the French pastor observes a Thanksgiving for the Victory over the Spanish Armada: also, I promised to preach to the troops at Darlington on Aug: 8th. The traditional indolence of the Decanal Office is subject to some mitigations! I walked to the Close, & called on Fearon, who welcomed me with affection. We talked briskly for half an hour. With his habitual loyalty to superiors, he strives to show that the Kikuyu 'Statement' is not as bad as it looks, & that the Archbishop has been no worse than 'diplomatic', but the task is beyond even his powers. The arrival of the Bishop of Winchester cut short our conversation. I exchanged a few words with his Lordship, who regards me with the melancholy of settled suspicion. I suppose we are, & know ourselves to be, frankly opposed on all religious issues. Ella joined me at the Deanery where we lunched with the Dean & his daughter. Miss Furneaux looks very well in the garb of a Red–Cross Nurse. We walked back to the house, & then motored with Mrs Dennistoun to Petersfield, where we had tea with her eldest brother, Mr Hamilton Russell. The weather became dull & threatening. The air was heavy, & there were splutterings of rain. However we returned without more than splutterings. At dinner Archdeacon & Mrs Robinson joined the party – pleasant people, & I should suppose very serviceable on severely conventional lines of respectable Anglicanism.

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Issues and controversies: Kikuyu