The Henson Journals

[372]

Thursday, February 24th, 1927.

A thick white mist enveloped the world when the day began, but it gradually dispersed, and the afternoon was beautiful. The mildness of the air and the singing of the birds almost cheated one into thinking that the winter was over.

I received from the Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich an invitation to preach the Congress sermon at St Mary le Tower Church in Ipswich on October 4th, as the Archbishop of Canterbury, who had undertaken to preach, had "cried off". I loathe Church Congresses, but I doubt whether I ought to decline this invitation. The year is very important on account of Prayer Book Revision, whether the Bishops' proposals are rejected or accepted. And in any case they will hardly be brought into Parliament before the autumn.

I worked at the Edinburgh Article, and succeeded in completing about two thirds of the poor thing. Rather to my surprise, old Bishop Chavasse has a letter in the Times associating himself with the opposition to the Composite Book. These Evangelicals are hopeless, even the best of them. It is a pity that Chavasse has "gone with the multitude" of his party, because he enjoys considerable prestige within the country, & many will follow the course which he adopts.

The result of the by–election at Stourbridge is yet another Labour victory. At this juncture the Government can ill afford rebuffs from the constituencies.

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