The Henson Journals

[111]

Saturday, July 12th, 1924.

I went to the Athenaeum, and (excessive heat making movement laborious and imprudent) continued there all day. I wrote many letters including one to George Nimmins.

I received a letter from Worsey, the Vicar of Bodenham, in my old diocese, which, in view of the genuine goodness of the writer, has a significance not to be lightly regarded. It runs thus:–

Dear Lord Bishop,

As one whose privilege it once was to serve under you, may I thank you for your great speech in the Upper House on Tuesday. In my own little world (little but very complete in its way) it is this obviously one–sided, class legislation, which offends the mass of our people, & alienates them from the Church.

Your outspoken utterance gives new courage to some of us, who refuse to 'toe' the conventional, official 'line', presumably from slackness or apathy, but really from a sincere desire to follow the right.

Feeling these matters as I do, I hasten to say that a few more utterances such as yours wd give men new confidence in the Church as God's Society, and 'draw them in' as the uplifted Christ is pledged to 'draw [112] them in'.

Believe me, Yours gratefully

Fred. W. Worsey.

This is an unusual kind of letter, and seemed to me deserving both of acknowledgement to the author, and of insertion in this journal.

The well–known bookseller & publisher, Henry Cecil Sotheran, also wrote approvingly. He begins his letter thus:–

"As one who (if you will believe that no disrespect is meant) is sometimes puzzled at the apparent working of your mind, I wd most respectfully & warmly thank you for the courage of your speech in the House of Lords".

I suppose he is an "Anglo–Catholick", or, possibly, a member of the 'Life and Liberty' set.

George Adam Smith was in the Club. He said that the Government had sent to him all the testimonials &c of the candidates for the Chair of Ecclesiastical History in Aberdeen. One of the candidates urged as one reason for his appointment that he was the son of a carpenter!

The heat grew ever more intense as the day wore on, & my walk from the Club to Park Lane was really exhausting.

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