The Henson Journals

[83]

Wednesday, January 20th 1926, Lambeth Palace.

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A beautiful day, colder and promising frost. We developed into a "Bishops' meeting" and were joined by five of the Welsh Bishops, and the Bishop–elect of Southwark, Heywood, now Vicar of Leeds. Headlam had put down a subject for discussion, "The Revision of the 39 Articles", a proceeding which was not very orderly, since I am the Chairman of the Committee charged with the work of Revision, and had not thought it advisable to introduce the subject at this stage. Headlam himself took the same view, so that his purpose in giving notice of a discussion was not disclosed. We had a good deal of talk about education, and, after lunch, about that nauseous subject, "Contra–ceptives" [sic], with respect to which the Bishop of Winchester read a rather significant letter from Will Spens, in which he deprecated any condemnation of "Birth–restriction" on moral grounds. This from a leading Anglo–Catholick was surprising. We appointed yet another Committee! After tea, I walked to the Athenaeum, & there had much talk with the Bishop of St David's, an excellent man, wise & intelligent, but alas! hardly intelligible for he speaks a queer mixture of Welsh & English which I find it very difficult to understand.

[84]

Lady Burghclere was at dinner, and I sate beside her. She has been recently in the United States where, she says, she never once saw a drunken man. But neither did I on both my visits to America years before this. Prohibition policy had triumphed. And, certainly, one might live many months in England, & never see a drunken man, unless one looked for him in selected scenes. There is no value in these superficial observations. To do Lady B. justice, she was herself sound on the main question.

Lang told some amusing stories of old Sir James Reid, who was Queen Victoria's physician.

After dinner I had a good deal of talk with Mrs Davidson. She says that there is not much ancient furniture in Lambeth: that the best pieces were introduced by Archbishop Temple, & bought in by the present primate: that most of the furniture has been bought by some pious laymen, & made a trust for the use of the Archbishops.

I grow as impatient as a schoolboy toward the end of term. The confinement, and continuity of dull labour at the work of revision, have nearly exhausted my capacity of endurance.

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