The Henson Journals

[108]

Thursday, September 14th, 1922.

The rain continues still. After breakfast I had more talk with the General. He is plainly a man of considerable intelligence, of strong prejudices, and of a certain self–assertiveness. He complains that the local secretaries of the League of Nations Union are in many cases pacifists and even conscientious objectors: that their advocacy of the League has little in common with the caution & loyalty which, he says, marks mine: that they gain influence under colour of the approval of the League which I & other bishops expressed; and that they are really "deceiving the people". In all this there is of course a measure of truth, but there is also a hopeless misreading of the situation. Richmond, Craik, Ernest, and I walked for an hour in the Park, while Ella motored Mrs Belloc Lowndes & Mrs Burgess into Durham.

D.W. having definitely declined my offer of the Archdeaconry, I offered it to the Bishop of Jarrow. Also I offered S. Mark's, Millfield to the Revd J. Romans, Curate of Staindrop.

James Parker–Smith, Maimie & Kathleen came for a visit. The party at dinner numbered no less than sixteen.

I gave Ella the Italian translation of Richard de Bury's 'Philobiblon', a rather sumptuous volume with many curious & interesting illustrations.

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