The Henson Journals

[172]

Saturday, May 3rd, 1919.

The "Hereford Times" reports that at two Easter Vestries – Tupsley & Kington, resolutions in favour of the Enabling Bill were adopted. At Tupsley with 1336 inhabitants, the Vestry was attended by the Vicar, his wife who acted as vestry clerk, and 10 persons. At Kington with 2651 inhabitants, the vestry consisted of the Vicar and his curate and 14 persons, of whom three were ladies. At St Weonard's the vestry passed a resolution "That this meeting is of the opinion that the spiritual independence of the Church without sacrificing the national recognition of religion is a paramount need of the day, and calls upon Parliament to facilitate the early passage of the Enabling Bill". The parish contains 485 inhabitants, but the number present at the Vestry is not stated. These facts may fairly be quoted as indicating the worthlessness of the Easter Vestries as evidencing the approval of the Church, and, perhaps also, the unscrupulousness of the methods by which opinion is being manufactured.I shall emphasize the fact that the real impetus behind the scheme is a vague, widely–extended, waxing discontent with the existing situation. Men pursuing diverse and mutually irreconcilable aims unite in clamouring[173]for "self–government" which, they assume, will remedy the ills of which they complain. I shall argue that such of those ills as are remediable can be better remedied by other means: and that those ills which cannot be so remedied are quite beyond the power of the "National Assembly" to remedy.

I shall take notice of the fallacy which underlies much of the advocacy of the scheme viz. that rapidity of legislation and facility of legislation are in themselves desirable. The history of the Church of England challenges that view. Would it be excessive to say that only the comparatively rigid character of the established system saved the Church in the XVIIIth century from falling officially into Deism?

Something must be said of the discredit into which the notion of national churches has been brought by the repulsive spectacle of the German State Church. It is of course granted that national churches express naturally, perhaps necessarily, the national mind: their value is tested by the quality of that mind, which they do much, perhaps most, to fashion. "Catholick" churches oppose the national mind when it conflicts with their institutional interests & claims; for the rest, they are certainly as complaisant to national wickedness as the national churches themselves. cf. the Irish Roman Church.

[174]

I went to the Athenaeum after lunch. There I found Archbishop Bernard. He expressed agreement with me on the Enabling Bill, and also on the Feminist Question. He thought Disestablishment was probably near; and that the admission of women to the priesthood no unlikely contingency. It would break up the Anglican Church, he said, adding that he himself would never permit an Anglican priestess to officiate in his diocese.

I walked to 16 Elvaston Place. On the doorstep I met Miss Haldane; with whom I had some conversation about the article "The Dean's Jeremiad", a severe review of Ralph’s Edinburgh's article, in today's 'Westminster Gazette '. I had tea with Miss Mundella, & read various letters about poor little Christopher Benson's death. Ella, who had witnessed the march of the Colonial troops through the City, joined me, & we returned together to the Hotel. There a telephone message from Miss Haldane invited us to dinner tomorrow, and we rashly accepted over the telephone. But immediately reflecting that the dentist had deprived me of the mechanical requisites for dining, though not yet of speaking, I wrote a letter to be left tomorrow morning, revoking my acceptance, and proffering instead to take the chance of finding Lord H. in tomorrow at tea–time.

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