The Henson Journals

[87]

Thursday, June 28th, 1917.

1060th day

I finished the Manchester sermon. My morning post brought an ill–written & ill–spelt ^letter^ from a miner (as I suppose) who signs himself George Britton, No 6 South Street, Langley Park, Durham. It is a rather wild screed of the usual Socialistic type. He encloses a newspaper cutting referring to Ingram's statement that £70,000 was annually wasted on Deans. The amount of the Dean of Durham's income appears to have deeply shocked him. This probably represents the main consequence of Ingram's speeches. They stir up appetite, and create a mass of unnecessary prejudice. The "Times" contains a very short and ineffective letter from Temple declining controversy with me, & parading the support of the Master of Balliol & the Headmaster of Rugby. For other purposes these functionaries might carry weight, but neither has any knowledge or experience of ecclesiastical affairs. Geoffrey Robinson wrote to say that I might make what I wd of Anson's letters to the "Times", adding an expression of approval of my last letter to the "Times". I sent a subscription of one guinea together with a flatterous letter to the Fund for making a presentation to Private Michael Heavyside V.C., the Durham miner. The money is probably wasted.

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