The Henson Journals

[58]

Whit Monday, May 28th, 1917.

1029th day

A glorious day. Tourists – in spite of the war – wandered about the Cathedral, and in the Banks. Yet the War 'left not itself without witness', for a flock of five aeroplanes, gleaming in the sun, passed overhead. I attended Mattins, and afterwards told Dennett that I could not sanction Brown's continuance in the Choir–school as assistant. The doctor's report on his health appears to be decisive.

Inskip, the Vicar of Christ Church, Southport, writes as follows:

"Gipsy Smith, who I believe is a Wesleyan, to speak at Christ Church on Thursday evening apropos of the Y.M.C.A. War Work. There is no hall large enough, and the Y.M.C.A. people appealed to me, & after consultation with the Churchwardens I agreed to let them have use of the church. The Mayor, who belongs to the one extreme church here, will preside, or else the President of the Y.M.C.A., who is a Diocesan reader – a very fine man. I hope that this will not create any disaffection, & at the same time that you will feel it to be a step in the direction indicated by yourself."

I replied as follows:–

Dear Mr Inskip,

"Gipsy Smith", I suppose, is not an ordained minister at all, and, therefore, the question raised by the meeting, at which he is announced to speak, being held in Church is not that of "exchange of pulpits", but the more general question of allowing meetings other than those directly contemplated by the Law to be held in a parish church. Here, I apprehend, that your general precedent wd be the custom, wh was widely existing until the 19th century, of holding meetings of vestry in the parish church: & your particular justification wd be the recent action of the Bp. of London in sanctioning the use of a London church by the Presbyterians.

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You wd claim within your own parish the same right to consider an extraordinary situation on its merits, & to decide, in the circumstances of this dreadful time, that you were justified in making a new departure. It is obvious that very great care must be taken to guard against anything happening at "Gipsy Smith's" meeting wh wd be, or wd be generally felt to be, unseemly in the House of God. The standard of external reverence varies in the non–liturgical churches, but in all it is, I think, lower than with us; &, therefore, some special care on this point wd seem to me requisite. That is the main point on wh I shd fear some danger; on the general grounds of your action, wh seems to be Christian & neighbourly, I shd be of course in sympathy.

Yours sincerely,

H. Hensley Henson.

P.S. I am very glad you consulted the Churchwardens. That is entirely right. The proceedings in S. Martin's, Trafalgar Square, where laymen of many types have been allowed to give addresses, might serve as a parallel to your permission to "Gipsy Smith".

After lunch Ella and I went to Bishop Auckland to be the guests of the Bishop for the night in order that we might see the gardens of the Castle in their beauty. Archdeacon & Mrs Derry came, Dolphin from Edmundbyers & his wife were also there, & of course Mr De Vere, & Miss Bothamley. We sate in the garden & talked until Dinner. After dinner I had a little conversation with the Bishop, and mentioned my notion of inviting George Adam Smith to preach on Jany 27th next. Moule is a very timid man, and evidently nervous of getting into difficulties, but he professed approbation in vague terms; & I said that, if I determined to invite the Principal, I wd let him (the Bishop) see the letter of invitation before it was sent.

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