The Henson Journals

[132]

Feast of the Conversion of St Paul, January 25th, 1921.

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The consecration of William Temple to be Bishop of Manchester took place in the Choir of York Minster. There was a very large gathering of Bishops. The Archbishop was vested in a white cope, and performed his central function with characteristic dignity. I read the Gospel, and the Dean of York the Epistle. The last was contrary to the Rubrick, and the Archbishop "made a public apology" to the Bishop of Wakefield, (who by right of seniority ought to have been Epistler,) after the service in the vestry. "My dear Archbishop", I observed, "the precedent of public apologies in episcopal gatherings should not be lightly set." The Bishop–elect was presented by the Bishops of Ripon and Southwark. Dick Sheppard preached the sermon, of which I could hear no more than disconnected sentences, as he drops his voice. I could not avoid the reflection that the service indicated the completeness of the victory of Tractarianism. The hymn appointed to be sung during the communion of the clergy was inspired by the Roman view of the Real Presence: & the Archbishop's manner of reading the Consecration Prayer wd have shocked an old–fashioned Anglican. Altogether it was a noble and significant ceremony. It was observed that Archbishop Temple had consecrated Lang, & now Archbishop Lang had consecrated Temple. The latter was said to be wearing his father's chimere and pectoral cross.

I lunched alone with the Archbishop at Bishopthorpe, & consulted [133] him about my scheme for creating a Theological Faculty in Durham. He expressed himself favourably, & thought that the right procedure wd be for me to introduce a Bill into Parliament. It wd on many grounds be undesirable that the "National Assembly" should handle a subject of that kind.

Ella and Christian Caröe appeared at the service, & lunched at the Deanery. I always have a sharp attack of medievalism when clerical females hang about the Bishops at a consecration!

I returned to the Hotel, and had an interview there with the Revd W. Longdon, the organising secretary of the C.E.M.S., in order that he might explain to me the methods, constitution, and actual value of the society. He so far succeeded that I told him I wd bless the society in my diocese, & commend it to the clergy. Then I had half an hour's talk with old Canon Scott, who then went off to Manchester.

The "Yorkshire Post" reports a very sensible speech of the Bishop of Ripon on the Temperance Question.

I dined in the Hotel with no other company (though the room was fairly filled with hotel visitors) than Cicero's Letters to Atticus, of which a volume from the Loeb classics had accompanied me from Durham. I went into the writing room, & wrote a letter to Ella, before going to my bedroom. I retired early, & enjoyed the luxury of reading in bed.

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