The Henson Journals

[64]

Saturday, July 16th, 1921.

We caught the 10 a.m. express at King's Cross, and returned to Auckland, where we arrived at 4:45 p.m. We had a compartment to ourselves all the way.

There is no necessary or invariable connexion between an unsatisfactory state of society and revolutionary sentiment. For instance, the Norwegians might seem the most satisfactorily–ordered community in the world, being a community of small farmers for the most part, perhaps the best educated of modern peoples, without great differences of wealth, and hardly any great industries. None the less, the Norwegians incline more than others to various forms of Socialism, and even to the fatuous violences of Bolshevism.

Among my letters was the long–delayed demand for income tax – a monstrous sum, £2321. I sent it out to Lee with a request that he would inform me whether this was indeed the right amount due from me.

Old Sam Storey sends me an interesting letter along with his contribution to C.L.B.. He thinks that "the root of the evil" (of undiscipline and irreligion) lies in the fact that we have no agreed National form of moral & religious instruction for the scholars, & no guarantee in the majority of cases that those who instruct in these high matters shall themselves know & practice what they teach." He suggest that "one of independent & courageous thought like yourself" (!) should "take the lead in asking & answering – What are these fundamentals"

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