The Henson Journals

[69]

Tuesday, July 19th, 1921.

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William completes two years of service as my chauffer and I am quite ready to say to him, many happy returns of the day! To mark the occasion I gave him a book on 'Cricket': and I recall that I baptized him in St Nicholas Church on January 18th 1920: and confirmed him in the parish church of Onibury on March 8th 1920. Since then he has grown steadily in my regard: his work makes him my constant companion: and indeed I look on him more as a friend than a servant.

Dicey has been reading Begbie's preposterous "interview" in the D.T. and has been moved thereby to send me a long and interesting letter, the obtaining of which may, perhaps, go some way towards compensating me for being made ridiculous by that canting mountebank!

Clayton and I motored to Durham, and transacted business with J.G. Wilson who entertained us at lunch in his usual manner of cordial & sumptuous hospitality. Sir Arthur Pease was in the Club and I asked him how the settlement was working. He said that there were many miners for whom no work could be found. We returned to Auckland in time for me to consecrate an addition to the cemetery. I spoke to a small company under the blazing sun. Then the Rural Deans arrived, and after tea settled down to a serviceable discussion on Finance introduced by Gouldsmith. It was stated that there are but 52,000 communicants in the diocese though the population exceeds 1,500,000. We had Evensong in the Chapel, strolled for an hour in the garden, and so got to bed.

[70]

My dear Mr Selwyn,

I am obliged to you for your kind proposition which I regret to find myself unable to adopt. Next Monday I hope to get away for a few weeks holiday, which I really need rather badly: & if I undertake work, I shall not get one.

The lowering of the status of the clergy is a grave matter. The "democratic" wind blows very strongly in the so–called "National Assembly": and it carries everything in the direction where all forms of authority, not least that which is called "spiritual", are little likely to be respected. English people are living in an atmosphere of popular radicalism, and, if they be called to reconstruct the terms of ministry, the only ecclesiastical model which they are at all likely to adopt is that provided by the Protestant sects, whose view of the Christian [70] ministry is not easily reconciled with that expressed in the English Ordinal. No doubt our soi–disant "Catholicks" think that their own sacerdotal beliefs will guard sufficiently the independence of the English clergy: but I am surer of nothing than that they will be woefully disillusioned.

Believe me. Yours v. faithfully,

Herbert Dunelm:

This was written in answer to a request from the Editor of "Theology" that I would contribute an article on "The Position of the Clergy" amplifying my speech in the "National Assembly".

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