The Henson Journals

[6]

Monday, June 21st, 1926.

A hot close night. I started the day in a jaded disaffected mood, not favourable for exertion or for society! The news of the Strike is all bad, save that the violences of Mr Cook's oratory, which daily grow more extreme, may, perhaps, indicate a consciousness of defeat, & must provoke a reaction in all minds that retain any sense of decency. Mr Herbert Smith's comparatively reasonable speech may possibly disclose a purpose on his part to part company with Cook. Meanwhile time passes, and the loss to the Country caused by the Strike is reckoned to be not less than £8,000,000 daily. Ld Birkenhead in a speech reported this morning speaks ominously of increases of taxation, next year & possibly this year also, as probably unavoidable. And so far the deadlock seems to be complete.

The Bishop of Jarrow came to see me during the afternoon. I showed him the copy of the letter which I sent to the Times yesterday. His comment was that it ought not to have been sent until the Strike was over. He thought the Castle windows might be in danger!

I received two letters which gave varying accounts of the course of the discussions at Lambeth, the one from Baker–Wilbraham, which said that all was going well, the other from Ernest of Worcester, which indicated the possibility of a secession of the minority bishops.

Also, a letter came from Mary Radford, asking my advice on the point whether she should take charge of a Birth Control Clinic which, it is proposed to start in Oxford. I wrote to her on the subject, on the whole dissuading her. But the whole subject is as hateful as it is obscure and unavoidable.

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