The Henson Journals

[6]

Tuesday, November 14th, 1922.

I spend the morning in preparing the sermon for the Westminster secretaries. It was a revised edition of the address I gave at Gateshead last Passiontide on Christian Citizenship. As the weather was fine I played bowls again with William. The boy is becoming indispensible. I should be lost without him. After tea I wrote a sheaf of letters until dinner time.

Strong sent me the Address on 'Reservation' which he addressed to his diocesan 'Synod'. It is excellent in form & substance. I shall certainly have to revise my opinion about him, for no "Anglo–Catholic" could get much comfort out of this pronouncement.

'Bishop Barrington, who loved to encourage literary men to take holy Orders, in vain held out to him (i.e. Robt Surtees), as an inducement to take that step, the otium cum dignitate of a stall in Durham Cathedral.'

This is a note by Sir Cuthbert harp v. Life of Surtees p. 224.

May we connect this proposal of Bishop Barrington to Surtees with Scott's declaration that he had once dreamed of a canonry:

Yet gazing on the venerable hall,

Her flattering dreams would in perspective ope

Some reverend room, some prebendary's stall,

And thus Hope me deceived a she deceiveth all.

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