The Henson Journals

[204]

Thursday, October 6th, 1921.

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I began the letter for W. After breakfast our guests went off in their motor. The sun, which for the last 3 days has been hidden, has burst out gloriously again, & the temperature is summerlike.

After tea Clayton and I motored to Birtley, & there I met the Parochial Church Council in a special meeting convened in order that I might hear & decide the question, Who was properly entitled to pay away the moneys collected in church. There were 16 men besides the 2 churchwardens, 8 women, the Vicar, the Rural Dean, Clayton & myself – 30 persons in all. The people's churchwarden, Harrison, was "the villain of the piece". He was evidently determined to prevent peace, and thought that, if he defamed or denounced the Vicar loudly enough, I should 'throw him over". But I was resolved not to do this, & held the meeting to the point of finance. This point was settled after a fashion: & I announced my intention of coming to Birtley on October 30th, & preaching in the parish church. I should celebrate the Holy Communion, & hoped that all the members of the Church Council would communicate with me. Harrison raised the question of the 2 lighted candles, & said he would not attend unless he was assured that they would not be lighted!! I declined to give any such assurance, & appealed to the Council to "have a truer sense of proportion". Then I dismissed the [205] [symbol] meeting with the Benediction, & returned to the Castle. I could not feel very confident that I had done any good. Indeed I fear that the situation in Birtley is beyond remedy. Barclay is a jackass, not merely a "Ritualist" with all the foolish crankdoms of that character fully developed, but also he is a "born natural" in all matters of business. He has evidently set the parish against himself. I noted with some surprise that not a single voice was raised in his defence, although many injurious things were said against him. It is sufficiently evident that the people are Protestant to the core, and they cannot stomach "Anglo–Catholicism". Harrison is a clever & unscrupulous rascal, who cares nothing for religion, but for some reason or another is determined to "down" the Vicar. Laws, the ex–lay–reader, has an axe of his own to grind. He seemed to me literally bursting with self–conceit. I suspect that they were grievously disappointed at my not beating the Protestant drum, and announcing the immediate dismissal & degradation of the Vicar. But I was determined to do nothing of the kind. So the problem of Birtley remains unsolved.

Things and actions are what they are, and the consequences of them will be what they will be: why then should we desire to be deceived?

Bishop Butler. "Upon the Character of Balaam", p.101.

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