The Henson Journals

[187]

Saturday, February 26th, 1921.

"It is now our glory & felicity, that God has changed men's tempers with the times, & made a spirit of building succeed a spirit of pulling down: by a miraculous revolution, reducing many from the head of a triumphant rebellion to their old condition of masons, smiths, & carpenters, that in this capacity they might repair what, as colonels & captains, they had ruined and defaced."

South. A.D. 1667.

Clayton and I motored into Durham for the "annual business meeting" of the Diocesan Conference. After attending Mattins in the Cathedral, I presided in the Chapter House over a meeting of more than 200 clergy & laity. I gave an address which took about 20 minutes to deliver, and then the business went on, with an interval for lunch, until about 4 p.m. I lunched and had tea with the Bishop of Jarrow. Picking up Lord Thurlow and his wife, I took them back with me to Bishop Auckland. There were no exciting episodes, and I think the general impression was left that the Bishop was a good Chairman, with a fondness for doing business rapidly. I did not speak much, save for introducing a few observations by way of restraining the "naked & not ashamed" tendency disclosed in the discussion on the "Preventive and Rescue Agency".

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