The Henson Journals

[103]

Friday, December 30th, 1921.

December 30th, 1921.

Dear Sir,

I am greatly obliged to you for your gift of ten guineas to church purposes in my diocese. I have thought it best to add it the Fund for assisting cases of real hardship which I dispense privately as occasion arises, and which, I am sorry to say, is just now woefully inadequate. The rapid and continuing increase of the local rates (expedited and emphasized by the cost of feeding the miners' children during the long strike) is now bearing very hardly on the clergy.

In leaving money by will to the Church of England, I should ever advise benevolent churchmen to make the Diocesan Funds, rather than any central Body, the trustee of their bounty. If you have no personal reason for selecting one diocese rather than another, I should suggest as more necessitous than others, and least likely to be dominated by "Anglo–Catholic" influence, the following: –

In the Province of Canterbury: –

Norwich, Hereford, and Truro.

In the Province of York:

Carlisle, Durham, & Newcastle.

In order to make sure that no avoidable informality happened, I should suggest that you communicate with the Secretary of the "Diocesan Finance Board", and ascertain the exact form in which it is desired that bequests should be made.

I return the correspondence you were good enough to let me see. Probably political rather than ecclesiastical considerations lay behind the proposal to set up a statue of Joan of Arc in the cathedral at Winchester, though in the present temper of our French allies, I doubt whether the compliment will have much effect.

Believe me, my dear Sir, very faithfully yrs

Herbert Dunelm:

J. Stewart Dismora Esq.

[104] [symbol]

A high temperature, violent wind, and intermittent deluges of rain. Ella and Lady S. went out in the car to pay calls. Lord S. went out on "estate business"; I remained at home and wrote letters.

After lunch we motored to Durham where I presided over a special meeting of the Diocesan Finance Board. Of the 4 selected candidates for the post of paid secretary, one failed to turn up. I recommended Captain Carter, and Watkins, another man. On the vote my candidate secured 21, and the Archdeacon's 10. So Carter was elected. I was both surprized and annoyed by Watkins's proceeding, for he had seemed to agree with me as to Carter's merits, and I fear he will now set himself to make him fail. However, since he took the course of opposing me, I am glad he was beaten.

Ella took her guests, except Linetta, to a dance at Ramside, and I retired to my study, & wrote a number of letters which had accumulated. Then I started reading an unpleasant book by Gerald O'Donoran, "Vocations". Lord Gerald Wellesley told me that he had met this author, and not received a favourable impression of him: but I gathered that the poor man was prejudiced in his eyes by reason of his marriage. It is obvious that the Roman view of celibacy had attractions for him. "Vocations" is designed to give 'the seamy side' of Roman nunneries in Ireland, and the picture drawn is certainly unpleasant enough. I received letters from the Bishops of Manchester & Oxford thanking me for the copies of "Anglicanism" which had been sent to them. Both claimed to have read the book through, and thus entitled themselves to pass judgment on its merits. Burge writes: "I think they (the lectures) are extremely powerful, though they do leave one depressed about the future. … Your lectures are not easy reading for ordinary people because of course you are compelled to compress your history. The account of Henry viii is masterly."

Temple: – "I have now read it ("Anglicanism") with great pleasure with (as you would expect) mixed agreement and disagreement, and with a great deal of profit through the necessity of defining my own point of view."

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