The Henson Journals

[16]

Wednesday, October 24th, 1917.

1178th day

A propos of the slight regard in which Mr Balfour's Government held Sir William Anson, Buller told me that Algie Whitmore told him that, before the Parliamentary Secretaryship of the Education offices was offered to Anson, it had been offered to Whitmore, & declined by him. Now Whitmore had no claim to that office whatever: his entire service being of the conventional party kind.

I called successively on Gow, Carnegie, and Gamble, and found all at home. Then I kept my appointment with Lord Portsmouth at noon. We talked for an hour not to much practical purpose, for he wanted to hear his own voice, and I wanted to avoid committing myself to any partnership of policy with him! He suggested that a letter shd be drafted setting forth the gravity of upsetting the existing relations of Church & State; that this should be signed by a number of laymen & clergy, & sent to the "Times". I promised to "sound" some individuals, & write to his Lordship again. From Lord P. I went to Miss Mundella, & there lunched. Miss Haldane & the Bishop of Southwark were there. When the ladies had retired, Burge spoke to me about the prospect of my becoming a bishop. He said that the P.M. had sent for him to seek his counsel, & had expressed his wish to make me a bp. "Well", I observed, "he has his opportunity". Burge said that he had warmly supported the notion, & had subsequently repeated what he had said to the Abp., who had expressed his agreement. He thought it probable that I shd be offered Bristol. I said at once that in that case I shd have to decline the offer, for it was quite impossible for me to hold a see so poorly endowed. There would not be enough to pay railway fares! [17] Burge was, I think, a little disconcerted at this: but I thought it important to emphasize the point that the only reason why I shd take a bpk. would be to join him & one or two more in an attempt, even at the eleventh hour, to save the National Church; & that I could be of no possible service if I were embarrassed & humiliated by financial worry. "If the opportunity comes to me", he replied, "I shall take care to let the P.M. know that you don't mind where you go, provided there's enough to live upon". On the whole I think it is just as well that this inexorable limit on my liberty of action should be known. Poverty is a very real disadvantage, & most of all in the loss of mobility which it compels, & in the inevitable misconceptions which it occasions. If I were to refuse a poor bpk. it wd be ascribed to a selfish love of ease & money: instead of to the true cause, my desire not to get into a false position where I could render no service.

I returned to Little Cloisters, picked up my bags, and took my departure for King's Cross. My journey to Durham was relieved by the conversation first of Mr Stobart, who was returning from a Conference with the Board of Agriculture, & full of his subject, and then of two young soldiers who professed themselves to be Roman Catholics, & entered on a courageous apologia for the Pope. We were held up outside Durham station for at least half an hour. The station–master explained that a car had been derailed, & had held up traffic most inconveniently. I arrived at the Deanery about 12.15 midnight, and found no "Logic" to welcome me. The weather which had been rainy & tempestuous now developed into a regular hurricane.

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