The Henson Journals

[19]

Saturday, April 14th, 1917.

985th day

The post brought me a letter violently expressed, from J Maquay, 32 Denmark Street, Gateshead, who is presumably a Freemason, as he subscribes himself "Yours fraternally". I replied thus:

Dear Sir,

You subscribe your letter "Yours fraternally", and I infer that you share with me the character of a Freemason. This circumstance leads me to reply to it, though, indeed, it is so expressed that I might fairly be excused for leaving it unanswered. It is a very monstrous thing that you shd have allowed yourself to misunderstand my words so completely, to keep them in your mind unexplained until the very recollection of the conversation in which they were spoken had grown dim, & then to use them with a twist so injurious & so evidently unfair. I remember the conversation, & I remember also using the phrase "economic rubbish", but I deny altogether that I expressed my "regret" that our island had escaped the fearful wars wh.wasted Europe from the XVIth century almost continuously to our own time. I pointed out what was an obvious truth that one effect of our exemption from War was the accumulation of those more helpless sections of the people who are the first victims of war. This was "economic rubbish", & handicapped the efforts of our social reformers, & weakened us in the competition of the world. But I went on to point out – and this part of the conversation seems to have slipped your memory – that Christianity cd not consent to look merely at the economic aspect of mankind; that as Christians we were committed to the effort of re–making the broken & "unfit" residuum, wh. Genl Booth called the "submerged tenth", & that, though on a superficial view Christianity might seem adverse to economic efficiency, yet in the long run it more than made up for its practical inconveniences by the raising & strengthening of moral character wh. it secured. At this distance of time I cannot [20] of course recall my actual words, but the gist of my language is clear enough in my recollection, & is indeed concerned with a subject on wh. I have thought often & long since the time, some 30 years ago, when I began my work as a clergyman in the slums of Bethnal Green. You are pleased to address me in language of insult. Of course to such I can make no answer. But I wd beg you to consider whether your belief in a "Divine Architect" ought not at least to make you hesitate before abusing the freedom of private conversation in order to malign grossly one whom you nevertheless recognize as a "brother". I must suppose that the dreadful excitements & passions of the War have swept you away from the common & accepted conditions of fraternal intercourse.

Believe me, yours fraternally,

H. Hensley Henson

I spent some time in reading the late Warden's diaries. They are little more than the barest record of his doings. Very rarely does he permit himself to make a comment on any person or happening. The impression one receives from the document is that of a gracious & kindly personality, entirely at one with its environment, & quite untroubled by any of the "obstinate questions" which besiege the greater spirits of our race. Well–born and well–bred he had an easy entrance into life, & he was gifted with a naturally good nature, so that he took from his experiences only the sanest & soundest factors. He loved his friends, & was loved by them with singular devotion. There is never a suspicion of ill–nature in such comments & criticisms as he allows himself to record. The afternoon post brought me a letter from Dicey, together with a copy of his article in the 'Scottish Historical Review' on 'The General Assembly of the Church of Scotland under the Constitution of 1690'. It is a wonderful piece of work on an unfamiliar theme by an old lawyer of fourscore. I rather suspect the hand of his Grace of York in this belated essay of an old Erastian in Scottish ecclesiastical affairs.

---