The Henson Journals

[577]

Epiphany, January 6th, 1916.

521st day

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I celebrated at 8 a.m. Three canons, two minor canons, & a schoolmaster also present. My morning post was mainly favourable. It included letters from Lord Durham, Sir H. Craik & Lyttelton Gell. There came also a rude postcard from Lady Russell. The "Times" had three letters, none of which called for an answer. Sir Wm Chance was brief, angry, & irrelevant. The Bishop of Willesden was rude & vehement: the Secretary of C.E.T.S. sorrowfully indignant! None worth my notice. The afternoon post brought me several more approving letters, including one from Lathbury, & another from the parson–antiquary, Clark.

The entertainment of the college staff & their wives went off without disaster. The choir–boys acted "The Merchant of Venice" (the Trial Scene), and "Julius Caesar" (Mark Antony's oration) with great energy: & the Choir–men sang in the interval & afterwards. The drawing–room makes an excellent theatre. There were 10 wounded soldiers from the little hospital, making about 100 altogether. Meade–Falkner was good enough to say that he had never known so good a spirit in the Cathedral Body during the 33 years since he had known it, as now obtained: & he ascribed it to the influence of the Deanery. This was gratifying.

I accepted Asher's invitation to give a public lecture in Brighton on the centenary of F. W. Robertson's birth. It is an unfortunate addition to my work, but the notion of establishing a public right to speak on the occasion appealed to me. In one respect at least I may claim to be like the great preacher. As little as he am I to be classed in any recognized category, or brought under any conventional description. Moreover, whatever influence I possess (& it is not much) is also derived from the ministry of preaching.

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