The Henson Journals

[52]

Sunday after Ascension, May 24th, 1925.

I went to the Temple Church at 8.30 a.m. and received the Holy Communion. There were, perhaps, as many as a dozen communicants. At 11 a.m. I went again to the Church for Mattins, & preached to a large congregation from "Heal the Sick", repeating substantially what I said at Manchester about Hickson's doctrine, that the original Commission of the Church included physical healing. The attention was close, and I think the people were interested. After service Lord Desart, the Treasurer, of the Inner Temple took me to lunch. Lord Darling was there, &, as usual, very friendly. I sate between Lady Jersey and Lady Desart. The first was keen about Socialist Sunday Schools, and the last was full of the ill deeds of the Irish Papists, who burned down Lrd Desart's ancestral home, & behaved abominably. After lunch we went into the Library; I was interested to see the greatly enlarged reproduction of Parnell's signature, and Piggott's forged version of it. After lunch I walked to the Athenaeum, and wrote to William. Then I called at S. Paul's Deanery, but found both Ralph & Kitty absent.

[53] [symbol]

Returning to the Temple, I found the Master entertaining one How, a relative of the Dean's, who had just returned from Greece. He insisted on the difference of the Athenians and the rural Greeks, greatly to the disadvantage of the former.

I dined at the Travellers' Club with Mr Rawlinson M.P. for Cambridge University. He admitted so frankly that he had been mistaken in supporting the Enabling Act that I could not but relinquish the resentment which his behaviour had provoked. We had a most interesting talk. He had been in charge of the inquiry into the American psychologist, Homer Lane's, conduct of the 'Little Republic'. He said that the man's guilt was beyond reasonable question: that the whole arrangements of the institution were shameless, & that, he believed, the man to be a mesmerist.The Bishop of Liverpool made an ill impression in the witness–box, & was evidently a foolish person. He thought that the whole episode could not but react unfortunately on the bishop's influence in his diocese. We drove back to the Temple about 11 p.m. and parted in high good–humour!

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