The Henson Journals

[100]

Monday, January 5th, 1920.

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[Reading: Rashdall's Atonement.]

I worked at the Swedish Lectures, until lunch when Knight arrived from Bridstow, bringing with him one of the tutors at Knutsford Training College, named Clayton. He thought that about one third of the students were really fitted for the ministry, and that as large a proportion were quite unfitted. The remainder were difficult to classify. One difficulty arises from the circumstance that many of them are either married or engaged to marry, and that the ladies are not well–fitted socially or educationally, for the rôle of a clergyman's wife. He said that the average age of the candidates was about 25. On the whole, what Mr Clayton said tended to confirm in my mind the impression which I had already received from other accounts viz. that it is in the main unfortunate that this attempt to gain recruits for the Christian ministry from the Army was made. It was one of the many blunders which are traceable to the so–called "National Mission", a venture hastily conceived & ill conducted in the emotion and excitement of the War. I motored K. and his friend back to Bridstow.

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