The Henson Journals

[21]

Thursday, April 12th, 1923.

I worked at the S. George's Sermon for S. Paul's. After lunch Clayton and I motored to Durham, where I presided at a meeting of the Training and Maintenance Board. After the meeting I saw three aspirants for ordination – two sons of Talbot, Vicar of Anfield Plain, and a youth from Croxdale named Wilson. There is no sign yet of any turning of the tide in the matter of Ordination candidates.

Lillingston & his two boys came to tea. The boys are growing up fast. Charlie looks delicate but is cheerful and well–mannered.

About 9.30 p.m. there was a brief thunderstorm, violent while it lasted. The 'Edinburgh review' arrived: my Article has first place. I wrote to Bishop Knox and Sir Edward Clarke calling their attention to it.

[22] [symbol]

Not all who seem to fail have failed indeed;

Not all who fail have therefore worked in vain:

For all our acts to many issues lead;

And out of earnest purpose pure and plain,

Enforced by honest toil of hand or brain,

The Lord will fashion in his own good time,

(Be this the labourer's proudly–humble creed)

Such ends as to His wisdom, fitliest chime

With His vast love's eternal harmonies.

There is no failure for the good and wise;

What though thy seed should fall by the wayside

And the birds snatch it; – yet the birds are fed;

Or they may bear it far across the tide

To give rich harvests after thou art dead.

Sir Edward Clarke has an article on the authorship of this "very fine poem "which" in his judgement 'is in substance if not in strict form, one of the finest sonnets in our language". To my thinking, on the contrary it is not poetry at all. In thought and indeed almost in form, it is pedestrian prose. It appears to have been written by Matthew Inglett Brickdale who was one of Maurice's followers. It appeared on the title page of the final number of that short–lived publication 'Politics for the People' which appeared for a few months in 1848 and then expired for lack of support.

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