The Henson Journals

[258]

Tuesday, November 23rd, 1926.

I spent most part of the day in writing a sermon for next Saturday, when I have promised to preach to the Diocesan Missionary Association in the Cathedral. There is no subject on which I preach with more reluctance and embarrassment than Foreign Missions.

Kenneth Alfred Hodgson, aged 16 1/2 years, came to see me. He is a pleasant–looking lad, 6 feet high, not, perhaps, a genius, but well enough. I promised that, if he got his scholarship, I would add £50 per annum. This is foolish of me for life is uncertain, & the world grows restless. I wrote to the Headmaster telling him of my decision, that he might know better how to direct the lad.

The Church Quarterly Review contains an article by Headlam on "Economics & Christianity". It impresses me as having been dictated, & is too discursive & platitudinous. The case is not quite so clear as he thinks: & one is rather moved to contradiction by the oracular decisiveness with which the article is written.

There is no form of speaking which I detest more, & certainly none which matches my powers so badly, as after–dinner or humourous speaking, such as I am pledged to tomorrow night, when I have promised to give a speech at the annual parochial "festival". What subjects are there on which to hang my words? There are obviously (1) The Strike. (2) The Small–pox outbreak. (3) The dearth of curates. (4) The new road. (5) The increase of Rates. (6) The probable closing of mines & consequent dispersion of the people. (7) The Revision of the Prayer Book. (8) Sunday observance. How far the requisite jesting can be introduced into the speech which deals with these dull disastrous topicks is not easy to see.

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