The Henson Journals

[83]

Friday, July 29th, 1921.

Macmillan will publish the Swedish lectures forthwith. He has no exalted expectation of success in the venture. "We have now gone carefully into the question of your Lectures on Anglicanism, & though we cannot feel sanguine on the question of profits we are prepared to undertake the book on the usual half–profit basis & to put it in hand without delay. I think I may assume you consent to this arrangement". This is well enough, but it involves me in the necessity of writing a preface. To this task I set myself after breakfast in the library, but (though I wrote some sheets) I had no success. The Bishop of Liverpool with his wife & daughter came to lunch. Miss Chavasse appears to be a lady of strong character & considerable intelligence. She observed on the reluctance of young women to undertake parochial work. Partly it was the low rate of remuneration for such work: but more often it was an attitude of contempt towards it. This is bad hearing. We walked for an hour on the common which bore the marks of considerable recent fires. There is a fine view of the Malvern Hills. After tea I resumed work on the Preface, but to little effect.

I noticed in the Times, the announcement that Harry Davis has been appointed Professor of History at Manchester. Also, I read the obituary notice of Burdett Coutts, the adventurer who married the doting old spinster, the Baroness Burdett Coutts. He was not an attractive man, & he was always in a false position: but he showed me some small courtesies.

---