The Henson Journals

[106]

Tuesday, February 2nd, 1926.

Eight years ago I was consecrated to the bishop's office and work. The war was still proceeding, and some months of desperate conflict had yet to be traversed before peace would be gained. Thus the general mind was obsessed with anxieties at the time, & had small margin of interest left for ecclesiastical occurrences. In more normal times it would have been different. The Abbey Church was filled with a congregation which was mainly sympathetic with me, but at St Matthew's, not far from the scene of my consecration, a Cowley Father was denouncing that consecration as an outrage which called for solemn acts of "reparation."Ralph delivered a sermon which had been carefully bowdlerised by the Archbishop, who had thought it prudent to exclude me from the "Bishops' meeting" which had been sitting at Lambeth, in spite of the invariable rule which included Bishops–designate in that assembly. Hough, who was consecrated as Bishop Suffragan of Woolwich at the same time, quite evidently resented his association with a notorious "heretick". I was myself sad, wounded, and expectant of some fanatical interruption. And so I came to my comfortless throne.

[107]

If the king would grant only a bare text of the scripture to be put forth among his people, be it the translation of what person soever he shall please, I will promise never to write more, nor to abide two days in these parts.

W. Tyndale.

I worked at the lecture, & practically finished it. After lunch I motored to Durham, & presided over a meeting of the Conference Committee. Then I had tea with the Bishop of Jarrow, and returned to Auckland.

A letter from William describes "a serious fight between two native tribes employed by one of the Rand mines" in which seven were killed, & a great number injured". The cause seems to have been jealousy, the one tribe imagining that its interests were neglected in the allocation of "the better jobs". "While out interviewing some of the storekeepers on the mines, I came across an old Boer who fought against us in the Boer War, & for us in France." He was very interesting, & spoke well of the English". I really think that William is beginning to take an intelligent interest in South Africa.

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