The Henson Journals

[96]

Monday, January 22nd, 1923.

I left the Castle at 8.45 a.m., and motored to Jarrow in order to complete my informal Visitation of that large Rural Deanery. I addressed the clergy in Christ Church, and then presided at the Conference, where we discussed the question of 'Divorce'. The we lunched (miserably) at a Café, after which Ritson & Hudson Barker took me to see 'Bede's Well'. I was shocked to see that it was almost obliterated, being filled with stones and the old masonry hard to trace. It is over–hung by a vast heap of slag . Then I was taken to a secondary school, where I saw over the building, and addressed the assembled children, about 350 of both sexes. After tea with Lilburn, I went to St Peter's institute, and addressed a gathering of Parochial Church Councillors on Prayer Book Revision. They were a humble folk, and could hardly have understood much that I said, but, as always with North Country audiences, they listened in silence & with very close attention. William picked me up after the meeting, & motored me back to Auckland, where we arrived at 10.15 .m. I have now completed my visitation of 4 deaneries viz: Gateshead, Jarrow, Sunderland, and Hartlepool. On the whole I have been pleased by the temper of the clergy, and the general attitude of the parochial church councillors. But more than ever I am impressed by the feebleness of the latter. It seems inconceivable that the Church of England should be represented by such humble, illiterate folk, without any admixture of the educated or well–to–do .

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