The Henson Journals

[29]

Saturday, November 13th, 1920.

Winnington Ingram writes from Hereford in terms which for him are almost ardent!

"I shall remember for all time your great kindness to me all the time you were bishop, & I only hope you may as easily win the hearts of your new diocese as you did those of the people of Herefordshire."

I received a letter from Archbishop Söderblom enclosing two photographs, and his speech at the consecration luncheon in 4 languages. He writes with characteristic flatterousness:–

"Let me tell you once more how healthy the work & the impression has been that you made here everywhere. As I wrote to the Archbishop of Canterbury, we consider your lectures as an essential commentary of the generous act of the Lambeth Conference with regard to our Swedish branch of the Evangelic Christendom.

Professor Deissman writes to me how comforted he has been in his deep pessimism by some words that had been reported to him from your lecture in Religionsvetenskapliga Sällskapet in Stockholm."

I wonder what his Swedish Grace has written to my Brother of Peterborough, who was certainly much more to his taste than I! Everything is tactical & diplomatic in this Reunion business, nobody is quite sincere in the matter!

[30]

George Macmillan sends me "Forty years in a Moorland Parish" by Rev. J. C. Atkinson. If my memory do not mislead me, the author was one of old Greenwell's cronies.

The Rev. J.E. Brereton, Headmaster of the North–Eastern County School, came to see me in order to explain the situation in which that foundation now stands. He judged rightly that as I am Chairman of the Governors it was desirable that I should know some of the salient facts.

Then Lord Thurlow came to discuss the position of the Golf club. He naturally dreads the probable consequences of permitting golf on Sundays. It would inevitably be followed by Sunday football. The coup de grace would be given to boys' classes and Sunday Schools. I think he is mainly right. He thought it might do good if I made the petition a peg on which to hang a public pronouncement.

Mr Sam Adams called in order to beg a subscription. He is one of the diocesan representatives in the National Assembly, and an enthusiastic autonomist! None of these people can rise above the tea–party parochial point of view. It never occurs to them to reflect on their own extreme unimportance when measured beside the nation, in whose name they affect to speak. And under the aegis of the public scorn this absurd affection flourishes & prevails.

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