The Henson Journals

[31]

Tuesday, April 24th, 1923.

I attended a meeting of the Patronage Committee at 10.30 a.m. We spent most of the morning in hearing the evidence of Mr Justice Sankey on the system adopted by the disestablished Church of Wales. It was interesting and well–given, but had little bearing on the problem of patronage in England. Then, when the Judge had departed, we found ourselves without any business to do: and, to my chagrin, I learned that I might well have postponed my coming to London until Thursday. This is bad chairmanship.

I lunched at the Athenaeum with the Dean of York, who has just been elected a member of the Club under the special rule. Then I went to the House of Lords, where I found the Bishop of Bristol. We had tea together before going in to the House. I found that Lord Balfour of Burleigh was raising the question of publishing reports of Divorce Trials, and I was moved to make a short speech. It was brief and ineffective. Evidently the general feeling of the House was in favour of restrictive legislation.

I called in Victoria Street and saw Marion before going to 'The Club' to dine. It was a pleasant party of six, viz: Lord Hugh Cecil, Sir Frederick Kenyon, Bailey, Sir Henry Newbolt, Sir Charles Oman, and the Bishop of Durham. Oman & I walked back together as far as Westminster, when he went to the House and I to my lodging.

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