The Henson Journals

[161]

Tuesday, September 10th, 1918.

1499th day

I breakfasted at the Athenaeum, wrote to Ella, and attended the meeting of the Comtee at Westminster. The total attendance as shown in the voting never rose above 29 votes, & generally fell below it. The Committee consists of 66 members, so that this is less than half the number. I was steadily outvoted all day long. Sir Edward Clarke sate beside me, & was very friendly. Mainly the so–called Evangelicals are rotten folk: they can never be counted upon, being in truth quite too stupid to understand the issues. I lunched at the Club, & saw Struthers, Buchan, Amery, & Ker. After the afternoon session I had tea at the Athenaeum, & walked with Charles. Darling was in the club. He asked me to dine with him, which I was glad to do . I walked to 18 Princes Gardens, & had a tête à téte dinner very pleasant & confidential.

[162]

He talked freely about the Billing trial, in which he himself had played a principal part. He said that Father Vaughan had evidently seen an opportunity for self–advertisement, and had played the mountebank in the witness box to perfection. He shewed me some verses which he had written to a friend in acknowledging the gift of a salmon. Arthur Balfour had sent him a complimentary letter. He shewed me also the portraits of his wife & son, the latter a smart cavalry officer now at the Front. I walked back to the Hotel.

Rather to my surprise Darling told me that he had never learned Greek, having been sent neither to a public school, nor to a University. He inclined the think that the study of the classics was an unwholesome influence on the morality of the upper classes. It is, of course, certain that the revival of classic studies at the Renaissance brought with it a revival of classic vice, especially pederasty. Or, rather, perhaps for there was no lack of that abomination in medieval Europe, the classical Revival made the vice respectable. The horror with which the medieval church regarded the sin of Sodom could not survive the breaking down of the church's authority. He told me what I had never before heard that there was some reason for thinking that the air–service was more tainted with this mischief than the other branches of the Army. Undoubtedly, among the other evil consequences of the War must be reckoned a considerable development of unnatural vice. The abnormal conditions develop abnormal tendencies.

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