The Henson Journals

[63]

Friday, June 1st, 1917.

1033rd day

I attended Mattins: changed a cheque & paid the month's wages: and made some brief & futile essays at preparing the speech for Sunday. Hadow came to lunch, and afterwards presided at the 3rd meeting of the Industrial Ctee in the dining room. Three representatives of the miners' association, all Socialists, attended. Their names, I think, were Batey, Richardson, and Whitley. We had a very interesting discussion with them. I challenged them on the subject of the South Welsh Syndicalists. They disowned the Syndicalist programme, and were urgent in advocacy of "nationalization". I said that they seemed to me in danger of separating their interest too palpably from that of the nation. I walked with Logic, & wrote a series of letters. Then the Bishop of Durham arrived to stay over Sunday for the Trinity Ordination. Mrs Cruickshank came to dinner. The Bishop's conversation was mainly of the anecdotal order – his reminiscences of Cambridge dons – interesting enough in its way but leading nowhere. He was interested to hear about our meeting this afternoon, but cannot apparently appreciate the gravity of the change which has passed over the attitude of the artisans. He still thinks that occasional civilities will solve the social problem! When I tell him brutally that these no longer evoke gratitude, but rather stimulate appetite, he is perturbed, & changes the subject. Nor do I think that he has the slightest conception of the ill repute of the diocese. He thinks everything is quite satisfactory because in truth the indifference of the people is so complete that they no longer concern themselves with either the faults or the virtues of the clergy. His heart is in the futile speculations which Evangelicals still dabble in, & in those pietistic fervours which warm the Keswick Convention! Any approach to Biblical criticism makes him restive, & he feels rather than perceives that there is a "great gulf fixed" between his interests and mine. Only in a common antipathy to sacerdotalism do we join hands, & even there he suspects that I consider him rather a futile champion!

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