The Henson Journals

[188]

Monday, December 4th, 1916.

854th day

Lloyd–George tendered his resignation; and the Prime minister has announced a reconstruction of the Cabinet, with a view to the more vigorous prosecution of the War. Hutton went away after breakfast. I attended Mattins, and then wrote a number of letters. After lunch I walked with Logic, and, falling in with Cruickshank, ended my walk by an additional turn in his company. On regaining my room I wrote a long letter to Burge, in reply to his rather melancholy epistle. I urged the policy of 'balancing illegalities' so as to preserve the Equilibrium of the Church of England. The Via media must not be widened only on the Romeward side, but synchronously on the side of Geneva, so that the net result of the whole widening process shall still be a via media, though a much wider one.

Rashdall arrived about 7 p.m. We had much discussion on ecclesiastical affairs. He manifested much indignation when I told him what had happened at the meeting of the Ripon College Governors on Nov. 21st (v. p.224). He maintained positively that Major had neither resigned his office nor been dismissed from it: and raged mightily against the bad–faith of those who had misled us into supposing that his connexion with the College had ceased. He says that it is hoped to reopen the institution in London after the war. With his experiences in S. Andrew's fresh in his mind he said what both Inge & I have said before, that he found himself more at home in the atmosphere of the Church of Scotland than in that of the Church of England at the present time. This sets one thinking.

---