The Henson Journals

[117]

Monday, May 22nd, 1922.

I have to preach to the Bede College Students, past and present, at their annual Festival next Saturday. They are either elementary school teachers, or in training to become such. Most of them belong, all of them will belong, to the N.U.T. a selfish and powerful Trade Union, which has well-nigh destroyed the ideal of teaching in the Teachers' profession. Perhaps I might fitly preach on that perishing ideal, and take as my text "the words of the Lord Jesus, how He Himself said, It is more blessed to give than to receive". And I might illustrate the argument by the example of Bede, a selfless & supreme Teacher in his time.

I counted the clergy named in the calendar as working in the parishes of this diocese, and they numbered no more than 388. If the population be taken to be 1.500,000, this gives an average of 3866 persons to every clergyman. There are about 260 parishes, so that the average population of a parish in my Diocese is about 6000 persons. There are many nonconformists and many Papists, but, even allowing for these, the proportion of clergy to population is far too small for efficiency. I should judge from observation that the Durham clergy are far too senior for their work, which, being mostly in districts occupied by working folks, requires comparatively young men. The clergy are generally married, very poor, & in many cases of humble origin & inferior education.

[118]

Clayton brought the letters, and we dealt with them. Bayley came to tell me the result of his latest consideration of the Capitular finance, & to report that Caröe places the necessary Fabric fund at £3000, which seems to be excessive. He thinks that the surplus in 1923 ought not to be less than £3000, but we can't let the Fabric Fund swallow up the whole of it.

Stokes, a bearded man with the appearance of a Greek pope, came to discuss his grievance with his Vicar. He is obviously a jack ass: & his Vicar is shifting & cantankerous.

Then, finally, came Craven, the pleasant Anglo-Catholick, who announces at the same time his desire to resign charge of the slum in South Shields. where he has been working, and his intention of entering into matrimony! He stayed to lunch.

At 2.30 pm. Canon Cooper was buried. The service began in S. Mary's in the Bailey, and ended in the cemetery. Unfortunately the rain was falling sharply, & everybody got wet. I read the graveside prayers.

Clayton and I motored to Gateshead in a hired car – for William cannot get possession of the car until tomorrow at the earliest – and there I confirmed 120 persons.

I offered the hon: canonry, vacated by Cooper's death, to the Rector of Gateshead, Stephenson, who accepted it.

We got back to Auckland Castle at 9.50 p.m.

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