The Henson Journals

[166]

Monday, August 3rd, 1925.

The "settlement" of the Mining Crisis does not grow more satisfactory on consideration. Joynson–Hicks, who as a member of the Cabinet must be held responsible for it, defends it very coldly, &, indeed, seems more anxious to show his own discomfort with it than to commend it to public approval. Lloyd–George attacks it hotly: while Cook naturally exults in his triumph. The 'Daily Mail' denounces Baldwin; and even Barnes, himself a Labour leader, writes of it with decisive condemnation. Its probable cost seems to be generally placed at £20,000,000: which makes a end of Churchill's essay at 'retrenchment'. Everybody is obsessed with holiday–making, and until the holiday is over, serous reflection is impossible: but when serious reflection sets in, I cannot doubt that the effect will be considerable. It does not seem to me extravagant to think that Baldwin's reputation may have received a mortal shock; and certainly his Government will have been badly shaken. We must make our count with a formidable increase of taxation, and with another fact, which is even more formidable, a heavy blow to the public credit. Is Baldwin, as some have always maintained, a weak, yielding man at bottom, whose personal charm is his main asset? He has yielded to the ardour of the naval men over the cruizers: and now he has yielded to the bluster of the Trade Unions. When will he give way next?

[167]

Ella and I went to the church, & met the Vicar there. He showed us the wonderful screen, & the fading frescoe on the north wall of the nave. Mr Boyce expressed his desire to present me with Wordsworth's Greek Testament. The book will be quite useless to me, but I feared to hurt his feelings if I refused his gift, and said I shd value it! Then Miles took me out in his car, for an hour & a half.

I received a letter from Drury of Darlington, in which he mentions incidentally that what he calls my "wise" article on Tennessee has actually appeared. He asks permission to publish the Roland Bradford Sermon "with a view to it being printed in a neat brochure". I referred him to Captn Bradford, to whom I presented the manuscript.

Ella and I walked for an hour and a half after lunch. This woeful situation in the coal–fields thrusts itself inevitably into conversation, & neither makes for harmony nor intelligence!

Lady Thompson took us for a motor drive after tea. I sate with the chauffeur, James Attfield, a well–grown man of 26 hailing from Berkshire, & I talked to him about architecture & books. I promised to send him one of Scott's novels on condition that he would read it through. The old parson, Mr Boyce, sent me 2 vols of Wordsworth's Greek Testament as he had promised. He had written my name in them flatterously.

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