The Henson Journals

[306]

4th Sunday after Easter, April 24th, 1921.

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Grant, O Lord, that my words and deeds this day may be according to Thy will. Send Thy Holy Spirit into my heart that my speech in Thy Name may be serviceable to Thy people, and acceptable in Thy sight. Make me sincere and honest, so that I may not fall into the number of those who after they have preached to others shall themselves finally be rejected. Show Thou me the way that I should walk in for I lift up my soul unto Thee. Give me this day the strength & comfort of Thy Presence through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

After breakfast I walked to Buckingham Palace, and preached in the Private Chapel. In the gallery were the King, Queen, Prince of Wales, Princess Mary, Prince Henry & Prince Albert. I preach from notes: my text & the substance of my sermon being the same as those of the discourse at All SS. Sunderland. From the Palace I went to the Athenaeum, and, after an hour there, I went to the Chapel Royal at S. James's Palace, & preached again. The Archbishop & Mrs Davidson were in the congregation. I lunched with the Sub–dean & Mrs Shepperd [Sheppard], a quaint amiable pair. The afternoon I spent in the Club, and at 6.15 p.m I preached in S. Martin's–in–the–Fields. My text was [307] [symbol] Ecclesiastes iii.II "He hath set eternity in their heart", and my subject was "The Religion of William Shakespeare". There was a very large congregation, & it was very attentive. I had supper with Dick Shepperd in his Club. Oxford, that strange erratic creature who now acts as a kind of unofficial curate in S. Martin's, was with us. At 9 p.m. I walked to Dean's Yard; being accompanied thereto by Hadow whom I picked up on the steps of the Athenaeum. After half an hour's conversation with Sir Henry & Lady Craik, I returned to Park Lane, where I found Lady Scarbrough, who had come up for Sir John Cowan's funeral.

For the first time I had speech with the Prince of Wales. He was certainly not so good–looking as his pictures had led me to expect, and he had a "played out" look, which was rather unpleasing. He is being worked too hard. The Queen & Princess Mary look more robust than any of the others. Her Majesty, noticing that my medals had become unhooked, & were hanging loose, put them right with her own hands. The King looked tired and worried. He spoke much of the Strike, & said that Lloyd George had determined to be quite firm against the attempt to impose "nationalisation" on the nation. He had 100,000 men under arms.

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