The Henson Journals

[91]

Thursday, January 18th, 1923.

A most beautiful day, soft and spring–like. I wasted the time in writing letters, and making notes with a vague notion that they might be useful. After lunch I played bowls with Ernest and William.

I note with interest that the present Bishop of Ely ( D r Chase ) in his primary visitation on 1910 expressed his mind on the age of confirmation. He "deprecated young children" being confirmed, and stated the rule in his diocese to be 15 for boys and 13 for girls.

Bishop Robertson of Exeter in 1905 said in his primary charge:–

"At the same time I find that experience leads most of the clergy, even those whose a priori preference is for a younger age, to lean more & more towards a preference for an age not much below sixteen."

The real difficulty is that there is no sincerity on the side of the "Anglo–Catholic" clergy in discussing the subject. While the bishops are really concerned with the candidates, 'What is the best age for them?', the clergy are only aiming at discovering some plausible excuse for 'toeing the Roman line'. Their theory of Confirmation is frankly Roman, and the theory draws with it a congruous practice. It is vain to appeal to the Anglican standards, for these are held to have no authority against a 'Catholick' tradition. The judgment of even our most learned Bishops is discounted by the single & indubitable circumstance that they are not truly "Catholick"! It is a grotesque situation .

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