The Henson Journals

[61]

Thursday, November 15th, 1923.

I attended a meeting of the little Committee of Bishops appointed on my motion to consider the question of Divorce. We met in the Holbein Towers at Lambeth. The Archbishop (hence departing from the general custom which makes the mover of a Ctee its chairman) had written to Strong, plainly indicating that he, & not I, was the Chairman. So I readily enough gave place, & Strong presided. Headlam undertook to collect evidence as to the doctrine & practice of the Eastern Churches: Strong did as much for the Western: I undertook for the Presbyterians, Swedish, & other Protestants: Williams, to prepare a memorandum on the philosophy of the family. The thought visited my mind that 3 childless husbands & one unmarried man were an odd committee on Marriage! After lunching at the Athenaeum I walked with Gamble as far as the Church House, &, leaving him there, went on to the House of Lord. I attended the House, & witnessed the rapid passage of the Employers' Liability Bill thro' all its steps. Then I went into the House of Commons, & heard the opening of the Debate on the Vote of Censure. The Peers' Gallery was crowded, but by the courtesy of Lord Glenarthur, who gave me his seat, I was accommodated with a place, & listened to the speeches of Ramsey Macdonald, the Prime Minister, & Lloyd George. Both the Archbishops were in the gallery.

[62]

I was particularly interested in the behaviour of the members. There were frequent interruptions from the Labour benches, & some of these were neither courteous nor relevant. It was noticeable that Lloyd George, although he was supporting the Labour motion, was much interrupted. Baldwin has a good voice, a manly & persuasive manner, & an admirable temper. But it must also be added that on this occasion he had a very weak case.

I went back to Park Lane, & dressed for dinner. Then I returned to the Athenaeum, & entertained Fawkes, Vernon Storr, & Fleming. We had much pleasant conversation. On reaching 21 Park Lane, I fund that Lord Scarbrough had just returned from Lincolnshire; so we exchanged views on the political situation before going to bed.

It is not a little remarkable that, whenever the internal condition of the Church of England has reached a critical stage, which imperatively demands the attention of the nation as a whole, there almost invariably develops a political situation, which absorbs the public concern. The aggressive faction thus escapes detection, and is enabled to carry forwards its innovations per incuriam populi [through neglect of the people]. Ecclesiastical affairs have for the time being been banished from the description of "practical politics".

---