The Henson Journals

[602]

Saturday, May 27th, 1916. Edinburgh.

665th day [Monday, May 29th, 1916.]

I wrote letters, cleared up my study in some measure, lunched, and went off to Edinburgh, where I continued until Monday as the guest of the Revd Norman Maclean, one of the two ministers of S. Cuthbert's, at 5 Cluny Avenue. At dinner on Saturday, I met another Maclean, who for some while had been chaplaining at the front. He told me that he had conducted a very successful Church Parade, jointly with the Anglican chaplain, and that this arrangement had been summarily disallowed to the great chagrin of the officers & men. He said that some of the officers had made energetic protests, but of course without effect. The incident had had the worst effect. Bishop Gwynne would seem to be as narrow as the rest.

On Sunday I preached twice in S. Cuthbert's, and wore (at the request of the ministers) my surplice & cassock. I apprehend that these garments had not been seen in that church since the 16th century. 'We are getting on' as the Prime Minister observed! I was surprised to hear Maclean, in the course of his intercessory prayer, pray openly for the dead! In the morning I preached from S. Matthew XVI. 3, "Ye know how to discern the face of the heaven: but ye cannot discern the signs of the times." In the evening my text was Psalm 119.96: "I see that all things come to an end; but Thy commandment is exceeding broad." This was an old sermon, slightly adapted, and this was the 9th occasion on which I had preached it. The congregations were very large, & very attentive. I was particularly interested to see many ministers from the General Assemblies present. I lunched at the New Club with Willie Murray. There was a thunderstorm during the afternoon, & very sultry atmosphere.

[600]

Fisher, the other minister of St Cuthbert's, came to supper after service. He was made a Trustee of his property by my old friend Mitford Mitchell. The whole clerical staff of S. Cuthbert's is two ministers & three assistants. Though this is the old parish church of Edinburgh, the parishioners do not possess the sittings, which are let by the "heritors".

At the evening service, if I was not misinformed, the sittings were open to the public. I noticed in the vestry a picture of Erasmus, surely a strange figure to be thus honoured in a Presbyterian Church. I gave copies of my little book on "Robertson of Brighton" to Fisher, Maclean, & W. Murray. I declined invitations to both the Moderators' Breakfasts, and came away by the 10 a.m. express. I was back in the Deanery about 2 p.m. in good time to attend Evensong, and mount the Tower for the Neville's Cross Anthems afterwards. Last year I had expressed the hope that peace would have come back to us before we climbed the Tower again: but the hope has been dashed, & we are still in the grip of a War, which seems endless. I gave Dennett 24/– to distribute among the choirboys. They at least may be counted on as champions of the custom! Ella brought the young Jersey student in to tea. A letter from Foakes–Jackson (which had been opened by the Censor) gives the very interesting information that he has been offered the Professorship which was held by the late Dr Briggs, & which carries an income of £1280 and a pension. He thinks he will accept it as 'its only four lectures a week'. America seems to be buying up such scholarship as yet lingers in the Church of England. Kirsopp Lake at Harvard; & Foakes Jackson at New York, ought to count for a good deal.

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