The Henson Journals

[345]

Whit–Monday, May 16th, 1921.

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Somebody from Sunderland sends me a copy of Saturday's issue of the "Daily News" with an article on its front page headed "A Bishop and a Miner. A case before the Lord Chancellor". Its point is simply an attack on the ^official^ Incomes of the Lord Chancellor ^£10,000^, and the Bishop of Durham:^£7,000^: its argument that the miner's work is more important than theirs, & that, therefore, their remuneration ought to be no greater than his: its ^obvious^ object to discount the effect of their speeches on the Strike by raising irrelevant prejudice. Yet the "Daily News" was once a reputable newspaper.

The more I reflect on Sir Arthur Pease's answers to my questions yesterday, the less satisfied I am. For instance, I asked him whether it was true that the mine–owners were foregoing all profits for the next 4 months. He replied that 'like most statements about mining, it was both true & false"; from which I inferred that without what may be technically called "profits", the mine–owners will gain sufficiently. I asked whether it was true that the mine–owners took for themselves without payment the stores of wood &c carried into the mines during the period of control. His answer was that they had done so, but that this was the custom of the industry not to reckon anything below ground in assets, & that this was reasonable since, once carried below, timber &c became rapidly valueless. The whole matter was trivial. I challenged him on the alleged working of thin seams, and [346] [symbol] reservation of the better seams until the period of control had ended. He said (α) that when the war broke out, & was generally expected to be short in duration, the mine–owners had ordered everything to be subordinated to coal–getting: & had thus created a situation which had to be rectified as the war dragged on, (β) that the miners, seeing great blocks of coal left untouched jumped to the conclusion that these were being reserved for some selfish purpose of the mine–owners,: whereas it was generally the case that the reservation was necessitated by the safety of the mine, or by surface–structures which wd be destroyed if the coal was removed, (γ) that there were no doubt individual mine–owners who might be guilty of unfairly reserving the better seams.

I left the Castle a little before 10 a.m., and motored by way of Sunderland to Castletown in the civil parish of North Hylton. Here I consecrated a portion of the new cemetery. The local authority met me, and there was an odd concession to sectarian jealousy in the holding of a meeting immediately after the consecration service. Several ministers & a female Salvation Army "Captain" made speeches. Then a hymn was sung, and for the second time I pronounced the Benediction. We motored back to the Castle by way of Chester–le–Street, arriving a little after 2 p.m. The Park was full of people observing some kind of 'Fête' connected, I think, with Temperance Fanaticks. I shudder to think of the appearance of the Park tomorrow!

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Clayton had arranged that a party of Knutsford men should visit the Castle; that there should be a Celebration of the Holy Communion in the Chapel: that then they should start for a long walk, to visit divers places of archaeological interest, & should, before returning to Durham, have Evensong in the Chapel. This programme was carried through successfully, with the addition that I was induced to give an address at Evensong. I spoke to them of the difficulties of the Christian ministry, emphasizing the lack of the normal safe–guards ^of^ efficiency. I pointed out that the popular tests were entirely misleading in some cases, and trustworthy in none. A "popular preacher" was often no more than an idle wind–bag: a successful beggar might be only a persistent toady: a successful man with boys might be, and often was, only a self–indulgent sentimentalist. What, I asked, ought your training to give you? And I answered that it should teach at least 5 things:– 1. The power to run alone. 2. The habit of conscientious study. 3. Sufficient knowledge to be aware of ignorance. 4. Settled convictions on the main issues of discipleship. 5. Self–knowledge enough to avoid the worst pitfalls. I ended by begging them not to underrate the importance of intellectual preparation. Let them make their work at the University a part of their Religion. Afterwards I had some talk with Pestle, the Chaplain of University College, who had come with them.

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