The Henson Journals

[68]

Tuesday, April 26th, 1927.

Mine host accompanied me to the station, and expressed much appreciation of my visit. I travelled as far as Carlisle, where Leng met me with the car. Ella & Fearne were there, designing to go to Helensburgh by train. We parted at the station. At Penrith, Leng & I halted for lunch, & then continued our journey home, where we arrived about 3.30 p.m. The weather was brilliant, but very cold. Snow yet lingered on the hills. I set to work at once on the correspondence, which contained nothing of interest, though much of perplexity and annoyance.

Derek Elliott and his mother have written to me in terms of gratitude for contributing to the cost of his schooling at Durham: but I am much in the dark as to how that matter has been arranged, and, indeed, whether it has been arranged at all.

Two or three letters thanking me for my answer to the Cardinal had arrived, and one, registered, was filled with anonymous and witless abuse. It is difficult to understand the mentality of those who write such letters. There is certainly a notable recrudescence of bigotry in the Roman Communion. Kenneth Hodgson told me that he had recently attended service at the local papist church, & that the sermon was mainly a diatribe against the Church of England. The dispute in the latter which the appearance of the Revised Prayer Book has occasioned, is evidently regarded with much satisfaction by the Papists.

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