The Henson Journals

[107]

Thursday, July 5th, 1923.

I walked to the Athenaeum, & thence to Westminster. The proceedings in the House of Bishops were uncommon dull. Mostly his Grace of Canterbury held forth at immense length on the dullest of subjects – the Colonial Clergy Ordination Act. I came away in time to meet Arthur & Ellie at Paddington at 1.30p.m. Ella joined me on the platform. She had seen Dr Wakeford Pinch at the Radium Institute and had received a re–assuring report about Marion. We went together to Victoria Station, & there lunched. I returned to Westminster only to find that the House had risen. I then went over to the House of Lords, and wrote my letters. Bristol, Oxford, and Norwich were there, & I had some talk with them. I went to the Athenaeum, & dined with Bernard, as my table–mate. He thinks that "it is yet too soon to say" whether the Free Hate will "make good". The most formidable rock is the financial deficit which the great destruction of property has made alarmingly great: but the farmers are prosperous.

Athelstan Riley came up to us, rubbing his hands with delight at having "defeated the women" in the House of Laity by retaining "obey" in the Marriage Service, and at having secured the insertion in the Calendar of the feasts of "St Joseph" and the Assumption of B.V.M.! Bernard emitted an expression of contempt both at the childish exultation, and at its course!

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