The Henson Journals

[249]

Thursday, November 18th, 1926.

This warm wet weather continues, & takes all the energy out of me. However I made two speeches in the Assembly, in the morning on education, and in the afternoon on the observance of the Lord's Day. In the first, I was out to "prick bubbles": in the last, I was trying to save religion from fanatical zeal. I lunched with old Sir Harry Craik & his son – a gloomy meal, after which I walked into the Abbey, & Chapter House. The famous tiles in the latter, are now seen to perfection, & a functionary fits you with rubber shoes to walk on them.

Ella and I dined with Lady Struthers. The company consisted of Miss Haldane, Sir Philip Gibbs, Sir Richard & Lady Butler, the Swedish ambassador & his wife, and ourselves. Also Sir Reginald & Lady Wingate. I had interesting talk with Sir Philip Gibbs about Italy & Russia. His description of the derelict Russian children, stark naked, filthy beyond description & nearly starving, was dreadful indeed. He said that the Communist system had hardly been seriously enforced outside Petrograd & Moscow, with the immediate neighbourhoods: that the system even within the limited area of its application had broken down: that it was now being revived, but could not possibly succeed. He had had interviews with Radek, and [Tchickterin (?)] who both talked with the utmost frankness, & admitted their probable inability to restrain the Communist propaganda of the military zealots.

[250]

The Committee of Bishops, appointed to draft a rubrick about extemporaneous prayer in the churches, met in the Council Room at the Church House at 5.30 p.m. There were 5 members present: – the Archbishop of York, & the Bishops of Durham, Winchester, Liverpool, & Truro. After discussion it was agreed to report to the Bishops two forms of a rubrick, with preference for the first: –

(1) Note that after the conclusion of Morning or Evening Prayer, or of any service appointed in this book, the Minister may at his discretion offer prayer in his own words

(2) …. the Minister may at his discretion lead the prayers of the people in his own words.

It was also agreed that the aforesaid Rubrick should be inserted in the General Rubricks of the Book.

This Rubrick, if finally adopted, will have little effect on the practice of anybody, but it will validate a good deal of lawless practice, and will please the Evangelicals, who will find so much to complain of in the rest of the Book. Barnes told me that he desires Revision to fail: and Pollock is determined to carry his opposition to change even into Parliament.

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