The Henson Journals

[50]

Friday, November 9th, 1923.

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I wrote the Address for the Royal Exchange on Monday, and made a copy of it which I sent to Albert Saxton, who had asked for it that he might send a translation to the Dutch newspapers. In the afternoon the State–room was crowded with subscribers to the "Women's Offering", which was formally presented to me, or rather to the Bishop of Jarrow, who acted for me.

The Duke of Northumberland has a long letter in the "Times" conceived in a tone which might fairly be called impudent. This fact seemed sufficient to exonerate me from any obligation to answer him. His Grace and Lord Birkenhead, who has "taken up his parable" in his Rectorial address in Glasgow against Idealism, are joining hands against the "League of Nations". The attitude of America gives a kind of respectability to their cynical contempt of the League. How perverse is human nature! Who could have imagined that the one considerable triumph of American "Idealism" – the establishment of the League of Nations – should find the principal obstacle to its successful working in American "Politics"? But America embodies this Mezentian Union of impracticable altruism, and a cynical partisanship. Even the policy of "feeding Germany" has its strongest support in the political value of spreading a great sum of money in purchasing food stuffs from the Western farmers! It might gain Coolidge the Presidential election!

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