The Henson Journals

[157]

Saturday, March 6th, 1926.

[symbol]

The weather became much milder, &, perhaps, for this reason, my toothache became almost unbearable. I walked to Adeney, & tried on the coat: then I purchased a note–case to replace that which, after serving me for 15 years or thereabouts is now done for. I lunched with Jack Boden at his Club. An official named Hoare was of the party. Save for my hateful toothache we had a pleasant lunch, & good talk. I called on Lady Struthers, & had a cup of tea, but could not stay, as my suffering became worse. So I returned to Dean's Yard, &, at the suggestion of mine host, went across to the Westminster Hospital, & supplicated the assistance of the House Surgeon, a civil young Welshman. He could not do much, but did, I think, give me some slight relief. Lord Crawford was in the Athenaeum, & I had some talk with him, & had some talk with him. He said that he would have voted against me last Thursday, because he knew nothing about the point at issue. I told him that he would probably have changed his mind in the course of the debate, as others had done. He expressed satisfaction at the H. of L. having asserted its authority.

[158]

There came to dinner the new Canon, Woodward, & his wife. He was at one time examining chaplain to Bishop Moule, & said that the Bishop frequently ordained men whom the chaplains had rejected. Also, Colonel Storr dined, and his wife. He is the patronage secretary to the Lord Chancellor, & had much to say about the difficulties he encountered in making appointments to the poorly–endowed benefices in the Lord Chancellor's gift. He was in the House of Lords on Thursday, & heard my speech. He said that he heard the observation made in the Lobby, that the House had hardly ever been so stirred as by my speech. This, of course, is pleasant to hear, but it remains to discover what the permanent effect will have been. I think it might be useful to write an article for the Evening Standard on the Church Assembly and Parliament. The "Guardian" and the "Church Times" will probably provide the requisite material. Jack Boden told me that my article on "Communism & Childhood" had already appeared. The bookseller in Hugh Rees's shop also spoke to me about that article, which he had read.

---