The Henson Journals

[39]

Friday, November 19th, 1920.

I received a kind letter from Lady Scarbrough offering me the use of "the spare room" at 21 Park Lane, when I came to London. This seems to match my necessities very nicely. I wrote to accept with thanks. Before going to the "National Assembly" I went to the Ecclesiastical Commission, & saw Downing. He sees no reason why the Lodge as well as the gardens should not be taken over by the Commissioners if a delimitation of the Castle domain was made. I took no part in the proceedings save to vote for the League of Nations. Hugh Cecil & Ld Phillimore spoke very well. How full of sinister significance is the fact that the only laymen who make any figure in this assembly are High Churchmen! It is not far otherwise with the clergy. I lunched with Pearce at Sir Robt Hudson's house. I went to the House of Lords, intending to occupy my seat there, but found that there was no session on Fridays. I left my chimere, rocket, & scarf in my cupboard. Then I went to the Athenaeum & wrote letters. George Macmillan was there, & had some talk with me. Also Fish Cecil, who was very insistent that I ought not to attempt residence in Auckland Castle. I dined in the Club, sharing my table with Graves, who said he was a close friend of Meade Falkner.

[40]

Headlam telegraphed to me a request that I should write for the 'Church Quarterly' an article on the first meeting of the "National Assembly' but I declined. The whole thing is too repulsive to my feelings to permit of my doing justice to it. That the general opinion of the members as to their own performances is entirely favourable goes without saying. The attendance of members has been unexpectedly large. It was stated that no less than 90 per cent of the laity appeared. There was much enthusiasm, & a resolute desire to "get on with the business". The dominance of the Clique was very apparent. Lord Selborne, Lord Wolmer, and Lord Hugh Cecil were all but on the platform all the time. Temple was always at hand, & Ld Parmoor never far away. It was plain enough that they regarded themselves as in charge of the assembly. The Evangelicals made no figure at all. Sir Edward Clark is handicapped by his age, & too ardent acceptance of the "Life & Liberty" programme. Prof. Beresford Pite gives an impression of sanctimonious stupidity which is paralysing. By far the best speakers of the laity are the High Churchmen. They know their subject, have a clear view of their purpose, act together, & are in accord with the general feeling of the assembly. The Archbishop of York was sonorous & pompously impressive. The Bishop of Winchester was strangely ineffective. Most of the other Bishops said nothing.

[41] [symbol]

The Bishops of Corea, Zululand, Zanzibar, & the two other bishops of the Universities' mission have issued a signed letter protesting against the action of Peterborough and myself at Upsala, & threatening an early repudiation of the Lambeth appeal. Thus the artificial unanimity of the Lambeth conference is beginning to break up. I never thought it had any vitality.

Lord William Cecil was insistent on the discomfort and disadvantage of "splendid poverty". He thought it was a great mistake on my part to attempt residence at Auckland Castle. He would allow little or nothing to sentimental and historical associations. Herein he illustrates a truth which I have often had occasion to observe, viz., that men value and desire that which is unfamiliar to them, the possession of which augurs an escape from the circumstances natural to them. Thus a Cecil, bred in the ancestral dignity & rich historical associations of Hatfield desires & enjoys a small house & the simplicity of a comparatively modest manner of life. A Henson, on the other hand, brought up in a small house, & inured to the discomfort and disadvantages of narrow means, revels in the largeness & dignity of a great historic position. The magnificent prelates of ecclesiastical history (e.g. Wolsey) were not generally, perhaps not often, 'born in the purple'. Lang is more splendid and pompous than Davidson, & both than Gore or Talbot. Jimmie Adderley has always sought the slums. Watts Ditchfield seeks the palaces. Everyone seeks escape from the Familiar.

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