The Henson Journals

[73]

Tuesday, August 29, 1922.

[^written in Greek, Matthew 25:32^]

The final judgement on non–Christians turns on their behaviour towards their fellow men. It may not be supposed that in this respect any lower standard can be required from Christians. "To whom much is given, from them will they ask the more". We may not therefore exempt ourselves from the reference of this searching and most perplexing utterance of our Lord. How is at all possible so to order one's life in the modern world that it shall bear any recognizable resemblance to such a life as earns the Judge's Benediction? Far, for easier is it to fit the normal behaviour of a modern Christian into the description of the behaviour which Christ's condemned. My waste paper basket receives daily the urgent appeals of the benevolent, to which my response is a prompt & relentless refusal. And this refusal, so little congruous with the demand of Christ is, in the actual circumstances of my life, practically unavoidable. So much of my income is taken from me by the State that no margin is left for any individual essays in almsgiving even if it were otherwise, it would be hard to discover a direction in which one could be generous without being injurious even to the recipients of one's bounty. "Indiscriminate almsgiving" has an evil suggestion in the ears of a modern citizen: yet what else could cover the programme implicit in the Judge's catechism?

[74]

The Times (Aug. 28, 1922) has a sinister but illuminating paragraph headed "Child crime in Red Russia", which purports to describe the appalling situation to which the Bolshevists have brought Russian Childhood.

"Even in the official "homes" for children the moral 'atmosphere is of the most incredible nature, & the children in them are reduced to a state of absolute moral & physical exhaustion. Owing to an absence of proper & complete isolation of the morally corrupted children, the rest are subjected to a gradual process of contamination'. This is an exact translation of a statement in the Izvestia"

According to the official figures of the Information Bureau of the 'Workmen & Peasants' Inspection', the total number of child criminals detained by the militia in the first quarter of 1922 was four times greater than for the same period in 1920. In 1920 children formed six per cent of the total number of street criminals: in 1922, when street crimes on the whole have increased during this period by 240 per cent, the proportion of children is 10 per cent".

This horrible description confirms the account given to me by Mr Smith, the refugee from Russia, during his visit to Auckland Castle. It breeds in one's mind a kind of despair, while the Russian children are being fouled in body and mind, the axe is laid to the root of social life in Russia. What can possibly be built on such a handling of a nation's children?

[75]

Old D. Eugene Stock writes to correct an error in 'Anglicanism', which, however had been already fastened upon by reviewers.

"When I came to page 73, which tells that the abortive Ecclesiastical Title Act' was 'repealed with a few months', I mentally exclaimed 'Surely not' – and at p. 143 I found the same statement. I thought 'Surely Gladstone did that, much later'. For personal memories inspired me. I was once in the gallery of the (old) House of Commons in 1850, when the Bill was being debated, and I vividly also remember the violent public meetings at the time. –– & therefore was specially interested when Gladstone repealed the Act. I find in the life of Gladstone vol.1. p. 415., that it was in 1871, during his first ministry – and it is so stated also in Wane Cornish's History.

There can be very men who can give personal testimony to the event of 1850 – 72 years ago.

The weather was clamp, dull, and debilitating. I wrote letters after breakfast, and took a short walk with Lewis. In the afternoon there was a lawn–tennis party, at which I assisted as a kind of visiting 'wall–flower'. Among the guests was the local Episcopalian parson, Nicols, who is a brother of Mr Knight of Houghton–Le–Spring. The weather cleared towards evening, but continued to be still and 'stuffy'.

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