The Henson Journals

[23]

Thursday, August 18th, 1927. Brockham End.

Punctuality hovers between a virtue & an eccentricity, and in an age of disordered egotism like the present, it is commonly held to be more eccentric than virtuous. Nevertheless I insist on retaining it in my list of virtues. It implies keeping faith with others, and accepting discipline for one's self, and in both regards it passes into the recognised sphere of virtue. For when all is said, good faith is the indispensible condition of social intercourse, and self–discipline is the necessary basis of self–respect. Only as the latter is the characteristic of the citizens can the former so proceed as to make society stable and sound. "Breakfast is at 9 o'clock precisely" says your hostess. Her declaration becomes at once the directory for her guests. They time their hours of sleep on (if they can't sleep) their hours in bed, on that expectation. The terminus ad requiem, having been given them by an authority which they trust, they are able to determine the terminus a quo. If then, the morning brings disappointment, and they discover that their trust has been misdirected, that breakfast, so far from being 'at 9 o'clock precisely,' is at some much later date, which varies unintelligibly from day to day, their scheme of an ordered life is deranged, and in a sense, disallowed. Henceforth they must process not on a basis of good faith but by precarious speculation. This necessity re–acts on their personal habit. Self–discipline is replaced by the anarchy of diurnal guess work, and a subtle but serious injury is inflicted on their self–respect.

[24]

My post contained nothing of interest but something of business, which gave me occupation for an hour in writing letters. Then, I wrote a long letter to Fawkes, and made a copy of it.

The Times completes today a series of three Articles on Fascist Italy contributed by a correspondent lately resident in that country. It must be presumed that he has no intention of returning for certainly his articles would preclude his admission, unless, indeed, the Fascist government is far more tolerant of criticism than he represents. The description is disconcerting both for Italy and for the world. The "Corporative State" has a strange resemblance to the Bolshevist State. When allowance has been made for the relative savagery of the Slavs, and for the political backwardness & inexperience of the Bolshevist leaders, there is not much to choose between the systems. Both suppress all personal liberty, discourage all individual initiatives, and ignore all considerations save those which are material.

In the afternoon we motored to Mells, where we had tea with the Rector, Canon Hannay ("George Birmingham") and were shown the church and manor house. The latter belonged originally to the abbots of Glastonbury, and at the Dissolution, in 1538, was purchased by Mr Horner of Claford, in whose family its possession has since continued. Lady Horner is sister–in–law of Ld Muir–Mackenzie, and mother of Mrs Raymond Asquith, who has become a papist. Both ladies were very civil to me.