The Henson Journals

[66]

Tuesday, November 20th, 1923.

I had but time for some unavoidable correspondence & the preparation of an address on "Educators" before William was at the door with the car to carry me to Durham. There I licensed half a dozen curates among them that queer creature Palgrave, who was with me at the Oxford House when first I was ordained. He has had a roving career, mostly of hard & obscure service, & he winds up as an assistant curate. Yet what honest man wd not set his life above mine in the scale of spiritual values? I lunched pleasantly with Wilson, & then presided over the Diocesan Conference Committee, where that tiresome "saint" from Ferryhill, Lomax, made himself a considerable nuisance. When this was over, I motored through a deluge of rain to West Hartlepool. Here I went to Christ Church Vicarage & had an interview with Captain Hare, the son of the old Vicar of Greatham, who has resigned his benefice under coercion of the doctors. After tea with the Macdonalds, I went to the Town Hall, & distributed prizes to the Secondary School. In spite of the rain, and three electioneering meetings, there was a large attendance of the public. My speech, which took 45 minutes to deliver, was listened to with attention, and much applauded. We motored back to Auckland through heavy rain, & arrived about 9.45 p.m. Thus I frittered away another day.