The Henson Journals

[76]

Saturday, December 10th, 1921.

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I spent the morning in sermon–writing. After lunch Ella, Fearne, Clayton and I motored into Durham, where we left the ladies, & then went on to Pelton where I consecrated an addition to the cemetery. After this function, I attended a "parochial tea", and was formally 'welcomed', and of course had to make a speech. We returned to Durham, & there I had interviews, first, with Bayley about the appointment to the secretary of the Finance Board, and, next, with Wreford Brown, who had asked to see me on business of 'urgent importance', but who had nothing coherent to speak about! He babbled absurdly about Roman Catholicks, & their subterranean machinations, which suggested to me that his nerves were out of order! We returned to the Castle, arriving about 7 p.m. After dinner I patched up a sermon for the Institution tomorrow.

Somebody sent me a copy of the "Church Family Newspaper", in which was a very friendly review of "Anglicanism" by Barnes of Westminster. But this kind of review disappoints me. What one really desires in a review is not personal compliment which may be so evidently excessive as to defeat its presumed object, nor personal abuse which may be so far beyond one's deserts as to more resentment, but a calm, candid, and intelligent examination of one's work, from which one may gather some advantage. This kind of reviewing, however, seems to have died out almost completely. Compliment from one's friend, and abuse from one's enemies is all that we can hope to receive.

The 'Church Times' is a fair reflex of its readers' mentality, and it is credibly asserted that its circulation far exceeds that of any other "religious" newspaper. In this week's issue no less than 7 letters are published under the suggestive heading "Reverend Father" or "Reverend". It appears that many of the Anglican clergy are perturbed by the assumption of the title "Father" by married clergy. To be a "father" in the ordinary sense is presumably a final disqualification for the title in the extraordinary or "spiritual" sense! Any celibate "priest" of 24 may be rightly addressed as "Father", but a married veteran of 70 must forego the title! It seems somewhat perverse; & the eagerness of the discussion is rather disconcerting to say the least.

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