The Henson Journals

[61]

Thursday, January 30th, 1919.

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I spent the day at Lambeth. Two subjects provoked most of the discussion viz: the National Mission Committee Reports, and the question of Women's place in the Church. Lang made a careful speech on the first, in which he on the whole endorsed my position, & I made a conciliatory speech, in which, however, I repeated my objection to the Reports of the Abps' Committees. I wanted to know what they were designed to effect, & what limits there were to the policy they expressed. "Did the bishops intend to take over the functions of the Universities?" There was a considerable debate over the women. Gore proposed a resolution asserting that there was no objection in principle against lay women exercising every function now open to lay men. The natural & perpetual subordination of woman to man was expressed in the reservation of the priesthood & the episcopate to man.I challenged this "principle", which, I said was no more than a strong precedent. "When the higher ministry of prophecy was open to women, & they were admitted within the ministerial order as deacons, how could it be matter of principle to exclude them from the priest–hood & the episcopate?". But, on the ground of expediency, I saw many grave objections to going forward with concessions to women. Ella called on Mrs Davidson, & we walked away together, calling successively on Caröe & the Gows.

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