The Henson Journals

[103]

Friday, January 9th, 1920.

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[Reading: Rashdall's Atonement.]

I made but little progress with the Lectures: sawed wood with William, & wrote letters &c. The Labour outlook is again dark, for the moulders refuse to accept a settlement of their quarrel, and the Railwaymen seem bent on rejecting the Government's terms. It is evident enough that we are a long way yet from sanity

Two days ago I received a letter from C. R. H. Bamforth 24 Gay Street, Bath, which amused & interested me more than most letters which come to me. The writer says naively:–

"My age is only 14, but I have read many books on the subject of the Church & her history both from a Roman Catholic & from an Anglican point of view. My ultimate conclusions lead me to the Catholic and Roman Church, which when my father permits, I am intending to join, but I should very much like to know how a noted dignatory [sic] like yourself answers what seems to me an entirely central & grave problem, on which the whole position turns" &c.

I wrote the following:–

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Dear Mr Bamford,

I think you are mistaken in assuming that "the indivisibility of the Church Militant" has been held 'from the time of Christ down to the middle of the 16th century'. 'Indivisibility' is a predicate of the Church invisible or spiritual, but not of the Church militant & visible. The History of the Church demonstrates its divisibility but too completely, for since very early times the Church has been divided. Sometimes on points of discipline, & sometimes on points of doctrine the Church has been divided, & good men have ever laboured to heal the divisions. I should myself hold that the exorbitant claims of the Papacy had been a principal, perhaps the principal, cause of division, and in the case of the Church of England, I think the main fault lay with the Popes. But I do not pretend to be infallible, & I may be mistaken. Only the question is a grave one, & not to be quickly decided. You owe something to the Church of your Baptism. At least you should remember that the issues between the Church [105] [symbol] of England and The Church of Rome have been much debated for nearly 400 years, & that the breach remains unclosed. Wait until you are older, & have been able to bring your adult mind with full knowledge to bear on the question. If I may judge from your letter, I think it will be a very good mind, too good to be handicapped by a hasty decision.

I am, yours faithfully,

H. H. Hereford

Memories of Chatterton make one slow to ignore any puerile appeal, however absurd, and my own self–knowledge assures me that at 14 one can be very deeply perplexed & concerned about religion. It is, of course, possible that the boy (I assume that my correspondent is of the male sex) hit on the plan of writing to leading Anglicans, whose name he has heard, or he may have been advised to do so by his friends. I have no doubt that my name has been of great use to the busy Papist proselytisers, who concern themselves with the seduction of children. A heretick, nay an atheist, on the Anglican bench!!

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