The Henson Journals

[94]

Tuesday, July 3rd, 1917.

1065th day

I frittered away the day in making notes for a sermon on Friendship which I meditate preaching to the boys at Eton on July 15th. I lunched with the High Sheriff, and proposed his health. Also, I attended Mattins & Evensong; & wrote at some length to the Bishop of Newcastle. I dined at the Castle with Gee to meet the Judges – Coleridge & McCardie. There was much & interesting conversation. Both the Judges expressed their approval of my letter to the "Times", & both expressed agreement with my view that the clergy ought not to have been put outside the Military Service Act. The post brought me some anonymous & abusive communications occasioned by my article in the "Sunday Pictorial" on "The War & Convention". Also a letter from Pearce, who says that he has seen the papers about the Todd case:–

"The papers in the Todd case reached this office on Saturday morning (we had no previous intimation that anything was amiss). Of course his writing to the paper was, strictly, against King's Regulations, but I have read what he wrote and can find no intrinsic fault with it. When he (Todd) comes home, unless there is an unfavourable report of him qua Chaplain, I shall endeavour to get him immediately transferred to France."

Lord Coleridge is a little man of a pinched dyspeptic aspect. He gives the impression of having a settled grievance against mankind which he is engaged in paying off! He expressed himself as opposed to Proportional Representation. He considered the pace of modern legislation far too slow to satisfy the demands of the working classes: & would by no means set any limits to the right of asking questions in the House of Commons. In all this I found myself opposed to him. He said that there was no legal obligation for witnesses to kiss the Bible, that he was not aware of the origin of the custom, & that the legislation abolishing the obligation was passed on the mistaken hypothesis of its existence.

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