The Henson Journals

[177]

Monday, August 10th, 1925.

I was handicapped by an attack of lumbago, which disinclined me for serious work. However, I read through, or rather, finished reading through Shadwell's History of Socialism, an interesting and informing work. On the whole, he leads up to an optimistic conclusion viz. that the Communist extremists are not likely to prevail, and that, though the more moderate Socialists will probably be able to embark on their great economic experiment, experience will demonstrate its impracticable character.

From America I received two vehement protests aginst my statement that "American society is at least 60 years behind the society of this country in all matters of religious thought and knowledge". Bur as one writer could not spell correctly, and the other gloried in the fact "that America has the greatest store of knowledge in the writings of Joanna Southcott to be found in all the world," I did not think it necessary to attach much importance to the opinions of either.

Fawkes, Chute, and Boden arrived together about 6p.m. in order to spend a few days at the Castle.

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