The Henson Journals

[132]

Saturday, July 11th, 1925.

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I walked to the Athenaeum, & spent the morning in writing letters, & preparing a sermon for G. F. S. Also, in my response to a request from the Editor of "Nature", I sent a brief note of my opinion of the farcical proceedings at Tennessee. I lunched at the Club, & then went with Ella to Victoria Station, & took train to Canterbury. There was a horrifying crowd of trippers, but we travelled comfortably enough, arriving shortly after 4 p.m. The Dean & Mrs Bell gave us tea in the garden, were we were joined by a Belfast professor, & a Papist priest, with whom we conversed quite amiably. There came to dinner a Colonel & his wife, & Mr & Mrs Fielding. Mr F. is a lineal descendent of the famous novelist. We talked pleasantly together until bedtime. Bell tells me that the experiment of throwing the cathedral open to the public without fees is answering well so far. The behaviour of the crowds has been uniformly excellent, & their offerings in the boxes have more than compensated for the loss of fees. So far, so good, but the experiment cannot be said to have succeeded until a considerable period has elapsed: & there is always the risk of damage, which might at any moment become very serious indeed. He assures me that the crowds are no more disturbing to the serious visitor than in the old days, but on this point I am not easily convinced.

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