The Henson Journals

[176]

Friday, December 8th, 1916.

858th day

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Lloyd George was born in 1863, and is therefore my contemporary. He is a Baptist, a "Socialist", and a Disestablisher – three characters which are utterly detestable to me. He is a member of that nationality which of all the constituents of the British people which I most dislike & distrust. He has been prominent as a politician in the advocacy of measures and methods which are offensive either to my conscience or to my intelligence or to both. He has never passed through the discipline of public school or university. He was fashioned in the atmosphere of low chicanery which fills the office of a Welsh Dissenting Attorney. The general aspect of all this is not pleasant or reassuring. Against it all there is to be set his personal attributes of driving force, enthusiasm, & versatility. Also perhaps, the circumstance that he has impressed upon the allies as the embodiment of our war–purpose. I fore–cast that his Church appointments will probably be very pleasing to Bishop Gore & his faction. That the author of the Welsh Disestablishment Act should now wield the Crown patronage cannot fail to make the English Establishment more disgusting in the eyes of unthinking Churchmen. If Cantuar resigns, which is not an improbable contingency, it is probable that Gore may go to Lambeth with the specific view of carrying through the Disestablishment of the English Church. Generally, Lloyd George will be very anxious to demonstrate his "fairness" by appointing High Churchmen, whom he, as a Dissenter, looks upon as the best type of Anglican: & in his ignorance of the ecclesiastical system he will be more than commonly dependent on the advice of the men at his elbow, & of these principally on the Archbishop & the Bishop of London. It is a bad outlook for Truth & Freedom.

[174] [symbol]

I attended Mattins: sawed up more wood: made notes for that odious Lecture: and attended a meeting about War–Savings. Sir Frank Brown presided, and a certain Mr Chambers arrived from London, and enchanted us on the subject. I moved a resolution in favour of forming a County Ctee, this was carried, & we decided to meet again on Saturday the 16th at 2:30 p.m.

The "Guardian" prints my letter under the title "Dr Henson's Reply to Professor Whitney"; and appends a note to the effect that the correspondence is closed.

Col. Ritson & his wife, Hughes & his wife, and a clerical friend of his came to dinner. I did not get much from the conversation. These officers from the front have strangely little to tell that is in the least worth hearing. For the most part they see nothing but the object which press in on their vision from their immediate environment, & never look discerningly on anything. But why should this cause me surprise? The advent of war throws the soldier onto an elevation, where he is seen to be indispensable & believed to be super human; but he remains what he always was so far as knowledge, or intelligence, or interests, or ideals go. With respect to all these things, the military life has never proved itself wholesome.

What has become of England? Lloyd George, Bonar Law, & Edward Carson are said to be the indispensable trinity who must win the war. The first is a Welshman, the next a Scot, the last an Irishman. It is a strange & humiliating fact that the "Celtic Fringe" is growing to be a mantle covering all the higher branches of our public life. Is the nation becoming deficient in governing force? or is there in the Celtic temperament something that qualifies it for success in the shifting circumstances of crisis?

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