The Henson Journals

[228]

Monday, November 20th, 1916.

840th day

The paper reports the re–capture of Monastir by the Serbo–French Army. This is good, but cannot have much effect, if any, on the really critical situation in Roumania. Old Canon Fleming took his departure about the time that I went into the Chapter House to preside over the Great Chapter. Everything went well enough until we came to my Patronage Resolutions, when iste Archidiaconus developed an opposition which met with more success than I had supposed to be probable. The actual form in which the resolution was passed ran thus:–

That for the purposes of administering the Cathedral patronage the Dean & Canons will constitute a Patronage Committee for selecting candidates to be considered in Chapter.

That Patronage Committee shall present the names of selected candidates in alphabetical order, & shall keep a register of selected clergymen.

This is a poor substitute for my project, and will, I fear, fail to effect any improvement on our present system. It only substitutes discussion in a committee, for discussion by the same persons in Chapter. The last has the superiority of being carried on under the statutory obligation of secrecy. But that doesn't come to much while Watkins is a member of the Chapter. We must make the best of it. I walked in the cloisters with Cruickshank; attended evensong; walked on the Banks to view the rain–swollen river, and the waterfalls now full and foaming. Philip le Mesurier came to tea, and undertook to walk with me on Wednesday. I received from Dr Stuart a letter about his son, who was recently killed in France. He seems to have carried himself admirably.

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