The Henson Journals

[229]

November 10th, 1922.

My dear Vice Chancellor,

I have decided with the greatest possible reluctance to ask permission to withdraw my acceptance of your very kind proposal that I should give the Rede Lecture next May. When I too rashly undertook the task, I had not realized that the tiresome & exasperating business of Prayer Book Revision will be in full progress next spring, & that it will not be possible for me to avoid taking a large part in it. This will make it practically impossible in the short time at my disposal to prepare a lecture which would be at all worthy to stand in the series of Rede Lectures.

You will, I know, understand that I take this decision under a coercive sense of duty, and deed against the current of my own desire. But I see clearly that the tasks before me do not permit of any serious paragon like the Rede Lecture.

Believe me,

My dear Vice Chancellor,

Your obliged sincerely

Herbert Dunelm:

The Rev. the Vice Chancellor of Cambridge.

[230]

Friday, November 10th, 1922.

I wrote to Austen, Vicar of Thirsk, offering him the vicarage of S. Ignatius, Sunderland.

I wrote to Brigstocke, advising him to seek appointment to the curacy of Stanhope in succession to Shaddick.

I wrote to the Vice–Chancellor withdrawing my acceptance of the Rede Lectureship. For the rest I wasted my time "browsing".

Lady Gainford and her daughter came over for the League of Nations meeting. We dined at 6.45p.m., and then went to the Town Hall for the meeting at 7.30p.m. The Hall was filled, but the meeting was deplorably dull. I spoke for about 6 minutes as both the speakers – Ben Spoor & a school teacher from Middlesbrough named Broyce – had to catch trains. The meeting ended in a general stampede when the collection was announced! It is rather pathetic that when people do come together for a good purpose, the proceedings should be deadly dull. Of course non–party meetings have none of the "go" and interest of the partisan assemblies just as "undenomi–national" meetings e.g. those of the Bible Society are cold & lifeless by comparison with sectarian gatherings such as those of the "Angl–Catholics". But this fact does not indicate that partisan ship in politics is right as sectarianism in religion. None the less men will always prefer the warmth of unanimous error to the chilly detachment of a common truth held variously!

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