The Henson Journals

[324]

Saturday, January 15th, 1927.

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A fine day, but distinctly getting colder. We had a considerable discussion of the proposed rubrick permitting extemporaneous prayer in the churches, which, however, was finally adopted by 24 to 5. The minority consisted of the bishops of Gloucester, Bath and Wells, Ely, Truro, and Coventry. The latter told me afterwards that he opposed as fearing possible abuses of the liberty, but that he was not displeased with the decision. Headlam reminded me of the attitude which his predecessor, Warburton, took up towards the early Methodists.

Eyre & Spottiswoode wrote to ask me to write a book on the Church of England. I replied civilly that I could not add to my engagements.

Hodder & Stoughton will publish the Sermons & Ordination Charges on condition that I pay them £90 on the day of publication, & they supply me with 400 copies free of charge for distribution to the clergy. The terms are in the manner of Shylock but it certainly is the case that "there is no market for sermons".

I travelled to Farnham in the company of the Bishop and Mrs Wild. On arriving we found the Bishop of Manchester & Mrs Temple already in the Castle.

There came to dinner Major Storrs and his wife. He is a military instructor at Aldershot, & a son of the Dean of Rochester. [325] [symbol] After the ladies had retired, we had a good deal of talk, & covered a good extent of ground. A reference to my vicariate at Barking led to Temple's remarking: "That was in your spiky days", to which I rejoined that such days had never been, for at no period in my life had I been a spike. And this led me to speculate on the reasons why the contrary impression had been so general. I put it down to two causes. First, a certain vehemence in speaking on any subject which interested me. This gave the hearer the notion that I was everything which my attitude seemed to imply. Thus my dislike of Dissenters, which at a diocesan Conference had been crudely uttered, led people to picture me as the kind of bigoted "spike" from whom such utterance would have been natural. Next, my association on some public occasions with the E. C. U. in meetings for "Church Defence". I once received a direct appeal from the Secretary of the E. C. U., Outram Marshall, asking me to join that Society, and I had declined for the specific reason that, apart from "Church Defence", I was not in essential agreement with it. Nevertheless, the notion persisted, gathering strength from uncontradicted affirmation, and finally became part of the normal abuse which was poured out on me. I gave it formal contradiction in the Times, when Lord Halifax expressed it in a letter to that journal which seemed to me insolently rude: and I think it no longer holds its old place in the public mind, but it has certainly done me much prejudice in the course of my life, and will probably serve the offensive purposes of the controversial Nethinim to the end!

[326]

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Temple is rather an enigma. He expressed himself on the value of "prizes" as a magnet of able Ordination candidates in language which would have been appropriate on the lips of an Erastian like me: and his observations on the Labour Party were not lacking in severity. When I said that no considering citizen taking account of the prevailing forces within the Labour Party, could adventure the risk of entrusting the fortunes of the British Empire to a Labour Government, he assented. And yet he is commonly reputed to be himself far gone in the Labour heresies! Is it merely the complaisance of diplomacy, which leads a man to be as agreeable as he can, in order to command himself, & gain his ends? Or does it indicate the effect of his episcopal experience, which is opening his eyes to the practical dangers of "Labour" theories?

He told a story which does throw a curious light on the religious standards of early xixth century England. His father, about the year 1840, went to St Paul's, and remained after the conclusion of Mattins with the object of receiving Holy Communion. Three or four other persons also remained, doubtless with the same object. The Verger came round to them, & requested them to go home, as the Canon had accepted an invitation to lunch, & would be too late for his engagement if he had to celebrate! This sounds almost incredible, but Temple assured us that his father, the Archbishop, had vouched for its truth.

This house, so soon to be abandoned, is glorious. It seems almost sacrilegious for the Bishop of Winchester to desert it.

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