The Henson Journals

[156]

Saturday, December 16th , 1916.

866th day

I attended Mattins, and presided at a meeting of the chapter. No business of importance was transacted. The Headlams arrived shortly after 11 a.m. I took him for a walk. Sir Frank Brown lunched, & was somewhat startled at the opinions, crude and crudely expressed, of my learned guest, after whom (as I learned afterwards) he had regard as the author of letter in the 'Times' on educational questions, but who now impressed him most by his evident ignorance of the social questions on which he dogmatised so freely! Sir Frank & I went to the meeting of the "War Savings Ctee", and on the way he told me that he would himself be Chairman only on condition that he had a Vice–Chairman who wd do the work, and that he did not think I could be asked to accept that position. Of course I assented. In due course, the meeting (which had quite evidently been primed in advance) elected Watkins to be Vice–President. This is well–enough, but I felt somewhat chilled at the attitude of the Committee, which gave me a novel impression of personal unfriendliness. My discontent was not relieved by discovering that the Chapel was wholly unprepared for the Bishop's use. Then, the sudden & vehement heating caused most alarming sounds in the pipes, so that I caused the fire to be raked out again! This did not, however, disturb those in the Chapel. There came to dinner Lillingston and his wife: & afterwards Culley & his wife, Knowling & Fearne, and Dennett. After the other guests had gone away or gone to bed, Headlam & I sate for an hour, and talked together on ecclesiastical affairs. He is less truculent at close quarters!

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