The Henson Journals

[103]

2nd Sunday in Advent, December 7th, 1924.

Much toothache in the night made me arrive at the day in a limp and lassitudinous condition. It is humiliating that so trivial a physical fact should have such formidable mental and spiritual effects. How many of the tragedies of history have their key in some such petty, unrecorded circumstance! The beauty of the morning was itself a consolation & refreshment.

I celebrated the Holy Communion at 8 a.m. in the Chapel. After breakfast I wrote to William, Frank Berry, & Fawkes. I motored to South Church and preached at Evensong. The population of this parish is set down in the calendar as 14000, but I gathered from the Vicars' answer that it was not so much. He is the first Vicar of the parish which was cut out of Holmside. As curate & incumbent he has worked in the place for nearly 22 years. Yet the total number of Easter communicants does not much exceed 200 persons. The marvel is that he appeared to be fairly contented with this pitiable fraction. There was a full church, but the building could hardly accommodate more than 300 people. The vicar spoke slightingly of the Dissenters who, he said probably with truth, were largely political rather than religious. The Church counted for more than they all, & was the main thing in the parish! The fact is that in this mining population the Church is no more than a mission, & Nonconformity for the most part a 'spent force'.

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