The Henson Journals

[70]

Thursday, September 8th, 1927.

Lord H. discussed L.G. with candour and discrimination. He rated his intellectual ability low, but emphasised his versatility, eloquence, and enthusiasm. On the whole, he thought meanly of his character. Of Asquith he spoke with something like affection. He judged him to be the ablest parliamentarian intellectually of his time: he (Asquith) was honest, high–minded, and unselfish, but he had been ruined by his wife who had turned him aside from his true course, & brought him into "Society", with debilitating effects on his character and reputation. We spoke of the Archbishop of Canterbury and he assented to my estimate that his Grace was not a man of the first rank, but that he had the secondary qualities developed almost to the point of genius. "What a Prime Minister he would have made, exclaimed Lord Haldane, or the Manager of a great business like Selfridge's!" He would be prepared to bet sixpence that Lang would be the next Archbishop. I said that Strong was the man whom I myself would prefer. "I know him well, & have had much to do with him. He is a desirable fellow, but not strong enough." Ralph, rather to my amusement, has become almost enamoured of Headlam, for whom he used to have a marked dislike. He now thinks that he would be an excellent Archbishop of York.

[71]

"It is certain that man loves to eat, it is not certain that he loves that only or that best. He is supposed to love comfort: it is not a love, at least, that he is faithful to. He is supposed to love happiness: It is my contention that he rather loves excitement. Danger, enterprise, hope, the novel, the aleatory, are dearer to man than regular meals. He does not think so when he is hungry, but he thinks so again as soon as he is fed.

R. J.Stevenson. "Lay morals etc. p 121

The weather was wet and boisterous all day. We stayed indoors all the morning, & I read Ludwig's 'Napoleon', a fascinating study. After lunch Miss Haldane took me to have tea with Sir David & Lady Cameron. He seemed to me very kindly, saying that he had often attended the services of St Margaret's, while I was Rector. We stopped to see the Castle, of which the ruins are being excavated. It is the original home of the Haldanes. Hard by is a small chapel, which they have repaired. After dinner I talked for an hour with mine host, but though our conversation was animated & interesting it left nothing worth recording!