The Henson Journals

[154]

Monday, February 7th, 1921.

The Chancellor & his assessors agree unanimously to pronounce Archdeacon Wakeford guilty of adultery. In the black records of clerical turpitude this case will always take high place, for one of the days on which the offence was committed was Good Friday. The eloquent divine, having conducted the Three Hours Devotions in St Luke's Chelsea, took train for Peterborough to join his paramour! "The heart of man is deceitful, & desperately wicked, who can know it"? Certainly there is no connection between the gifts of the spiritual orator and moral soundness. Indeed, I suspect that what is called the "orator's temperament" is not morally strong. The Archdeacon's defence did not obtain credence, & was quite patently absurd: none the less he continued to assert his innocence, & there is some talk of an appeal. A wholly squalid & humiliating case which will have a wide effect for evil.

I wrote many letters. Colonel Bowes & Canon Cosgrave came to lunch to talk over the Church Lads Brigade. Ella motored into Durham. I read an extremely interesting & informing book, "A History of British Socialism" by M. Beer". The author is an Austrian who has lived 20 years in England. It is evident that all the familiar battle–cries of modern "Labour" are but echoes from the controversies of the Reform Bill period, when the "class–war" was preached with extraordinary ardour by the leaders of "the People".

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