The Henson Journals

[197]

Saturday, August 22nd, 1925.

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Rain fell heavily all night, and continued until late in the afternoon. I remained in my study, and finished (after a fashion] the fifty–guinea article for John O'London's Weekly, on Religion and Science. But it will probably have to be re–written as it is distressingly crude.

I read a great deal of Eliot Smith's "The Evolution of Man", and found it extremely interesting, but what a mountain of inference these anthropologists build on half a dozen fragments of human or semi–human skulls! If we could count upon a hundredth part of the docile receptiveness, which is readily conceded to the pundits of "Science", our work would be easy enough! But modern society associates together "Science" and "Truth", and also "Religion" and either "Fraud" or "Error". It is the hallmark of intelligence to swallow all that bears the one label, & the sufficient evidence of being 'old–fashioned' or 'stupid' or 'ignorant' to profess acceptance of anything that bears the other! Superstition might seem to be changing quarters, leaving the Churches for the Lecture–rooms!

Lord Darling and Di arrived in time for dinner. Our conversation about the political situation became somewhat tense through the dogmatic fervour of Sir Henry Craik!

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