The Henson Journals

[47]

Monday, July 19th, 1926.

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My father was born at Bampton in Devonshire, as long ago as July 19th 1812 – 114 years ago! He died at Ilford on my Birthday, November 8th, 1896 – nearly 30 years ago. I am myself nearing 63.

Last night about 2 a.m. there was thunder and rain, and these continued, the one mildly and intermittently, the other fairly steadily until 7 p.m. The atmosphere is close and heavy.

The simple reasoning of our Anglo–Catholics seems to run thus:

Anglo–Catholics & Roman Catholics are both Catholics. All Catholics believe & practice alike. [3–dot symbol] Therefore there can be no difference between A. C.s and R. C.s.

Whereas a more reasonable logic would argue thus:

Anglo–Catholics & and Roman Catholics differ widely in faith & practice. Both A. C.s and R. C.s are Catholics. [symbol] Therefore Catholicism admits of large differences of faith & practice.

The issue between the Anglo–Catholics & the Church of England is not the legitimacy, or reasonableness of Anglo–Catholicism, but whether Anglo–Catholicism can, or cannot, consist [sic] with the system of the Church of England, as set forth in its official standards and established by Law. These elaborate & multiplying apologies for Anglo–Catholicism all seem to be addressed to the first, and are quite irrelevant to the last, which alone is the practical question. What is the meaning & value of clerical subscription?

[48]

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I expended the whole morning in writing an article for the Evening Standard on Sir Henry Slesser's account of "Anglo–Catholicism", & despatched it to the Editor by the evening post.

The papers give great prominence to the Bishops' attempt to negotiate a settlement of the mining conflict, but the actual proposals which the miners have been induced to put forward seem to promise small chance of acceptance. Of course, the men are plainly beaten, and casting about for some device whereby to "save their face": and, just as in the famous case of Bishop Westcott, they are glad to avail themselves of that which the clergy provide. But whether the result is as good as the gratified ecclesiastics imagine does not appear to me apparent. Already, the egregious Cook is boasting that the Bishops say that the miners are right, although everybody knows that they are woefully wrong. If now they succeed in getting the terms which they could have had three months ago without any strike at all, they will be more fortunate than they deserve to be. And I fear that the action of the Bishops & appendant Sectaries will be to hinder the indispensable process of educating the miners. Unless they can become more responsible & less selfish, they will ruin everything.

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