The Henson Journals

[181]

Monday, June 26th, 1922.

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A wet day, such as the farmers have longed for. I left Exeter College in time to get to London by the 10 a.m. train.

I attended the meeting of the National Assembly at 3 p.m. Most of the time was occupied with a succession of belated rantings by Evangelical laymen who were "dying in the last ditch" over the ridiculous issue of a reformed lectionary. The voting was by orders. Twenty–five bishops voted for the change, and none against. It is the first time that I remember seeing the Bench unanimous. There were but 4 opponents among the clergy, and 52 among the laity. The last figure probably gives the full strength of the Evangelical party in the Assembly, as the speeches disclosed its intellectual quality. The first is insignificant: the last squalid. That the "Anglo–Catholicks" should enjoy a "walk–over" is explicable when their only rivals are seen to be such miserable folk. Most of them were over 60: none of them disclosed the faintest perception of the actualities of the modern world. Yet I cannot doubt that they represent the main multitude of English Christians: If any issue of theological liberty were raised they wd vote as one man for the suppression of truth. After having tea in the Club, I went to the S. Paul's Deanery, where I dined with Kitty. Ella went out to dine with Mrs Fox.

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