The Henson Journals

[128]

Tuesday, December 26th, 1916.

876th day

The paper announces the death of the Dean of York. It will be very interesting to note how Lloyd–George exercises his patronage, for it will indicate how far he will defer to the archbishop, who will naturally desire to secure the appointment agreeable to himself. Lyttleton lately of Eton, Headlam, Gee, Rashdall, & the ever hopeful Watkins will be dreaming dreams! Rawnsley will also cherish hopes.

After attending Mattins, I walked with Gow for an hour, taking him to see the new House at the School. The roads were so dangerous with the ice that I was thankful to get home with whole limbs. Meanwhile my wife had a prayer–meeting in the drawing room at which Mrs Gow "preached".

I attended Evensong and afterwards read in my study. After dinner I read to my family & so to bed.

Gow presented me with John Buchan's volume of Essays – "Some Eighteenth Century Byways". It is amazingly interesting, & deals with topics in which I am interested. It contains some good things e.g.

"The development of the Scottish Kirk from the days of Knox to the Revolution Settlement is one of the ironies of history. In theory with its General Assembly & its insistence upon spiritual liberty, it was a noble democracy: in practice, unhappily, it thought it its duty to allow liberty of conscience to none but itself. With the meek sentences of the Gospel on its lips it showed an unscrupulous fierceness, a patient malice, & an intolerant selfishness which cast mere secular misdeeds far into the shade".

There is much in this which reminds one but too clearly of the so called "Catholic" faction in the Church of England.

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