The Henson Journals

[49]

Wednesday, November 21st, 1917.

1206th day

A cheerful–looking maid, who was careful to tell me that she was a Durham girl, & hailed from Tudhoe, brought me some tea at 7 a.m: and I spent an hour before getting up in preparing my speech on the "Church & State" resolution. Convocation met at 11 a.m: and I stuck at the dull business until 4.40 p.m., when I returned to the Hotel. (I lunched at the Deanery, where I had an opportunity of talking over the projected meeting in Manchester on Dec: 4th, with Archdeacon Allen. From what he said, I gathered that the whole business was being horribly bungled, & might well end in a fiasco. I told him that I would withdraw my promise unless I could be assured that the meeting was fairly representative of the diocese.) Lang's presidential remarks were very brief, & we soon got to business. I gave notice of a motion expressing to the President the "surprise & regret" with which we had received our summons to the R.C.C. next week, after the members, in reply to the inquiry of the Archbishops themselves, had, by a very large majority, expressed their desire not to discuss the Church & State Report this year. Welldon agreed to second this, & it stood over for the morrow. Then I introduced Rashdall, as Dean of Carlisle, with a brief eulogium. Nearly the whole day was spent in discussing the Reports on the Lectionary & the Psalter. I spoke several times but in the end the Fanaticks triumphed by 35 to 31. The names on my motion were called over.

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