The Henson Journals

[108]

Friday, May 19th, 1922.

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I left Park Lane after breakfast, & returned to the Castle, arriving about 5.45 p.m. Immediately Clayton and I went through the correspondence. Dolphin arrived to dine, & stay the night. After dinner I had some talk with him about his woeful brother, & we agreed that I could not rightly do what he had asked.

There are 2 points in the diocesan administration which the Anglo–Catholicks are showing signs of kicking against, the age of confirmation candidates, and the control of Titles. On neither is it possible for me to make any concession. As to the first, there must be something arbitrary about an age–limit, since birthdays fall at all times of the year: and I am always ready to consider genuinely exceptional cases: but to lower the age limit means to carry the ordinance still ^further^ away from anything that can be called responsible and intelligent; and to that extent to create fresh difficulties in the way of any true fellowship with the other reformed churches. As to the last, if ever discipline is to be restored in the Church of England, it must be by replacing the unwarrantable loyalties to Theological Colleges and "Catholick centres", by a right & reasonable allegiance to the Bishop. I do not intend to be coaxed and pressed into the position of a mere automatic machine for confirming & ordaining whomsoever may be set before me!

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