The Henson Journals

[203]

Friday October 15th, 1926.

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Lord Oxford announces his retirement from the leadership of the Liberal Party in a dignified letter to Spender. He takes care to re–affirm his verdict on Lloyd George, while avoiding any mention of his name. He refers significantly to the General Strike "the gravest domestic event of his lifetime".

I wasted the morning in an attempt to write a sermon. After lunch Ernest and I motored to Sedgefield, where we visited the Parish Church, and had tea with Canon and Mrs Sykes. There was a largely attended C. M. S. meeting of Ladies in the State–room during our absence.

Lady Wimborne sends me a devotional book which she has compiled – "The Daily Walk, a Book of Devotions for every day of the Year" and hopes that I may "be able to recommend it in my dioces [sic]". The good lady does not realize that the proud position of becoming Deborah to militant Protestantism costs something, & that part of the price is total absenteeism from the goodwill of ordinary Anglicans!

Phelps writes to offer me a copy of "Sylvestra": –

"Now years ago I had a reading party at High Force, & Westcott came to the Inn, & we all lunched together. The subject of Sylvestra came up, & later on I sent him a copy, which he courteously and gratefully acknowledged, adding with his invincible veracity that he had given it to his chaplain to read. It ought to be in your Library at Bp. Auckland – if it is not, do let me send you a copy. It was a favourite with Shadwell who recommended it to me: and Mark Pattison, paradoxically inclined, said that it was better than John Inglesant!["]

The missionary lady, who came as a deputation from the C. M. S., exhibited more intelligence & humanity than one commonly associates with that description.

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