The Henson Journals

[111]

16th Sunday after Trinity, October 2nd, 1927.

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I received the Holy Communion in the Chapel at 8 a.m. when the Bishop Celebrated. There was also present one man, & four women, who came in from the neighbourhood: the household reserving themselves for Thursday, when the Bishop is to be enthroned. We went to the Cathedral together. The service was a Choral celebration of Holy Communion. Newsom preached. He began by an extravagant eulogy of the Enabling Act, & went on to an eulogy hardly less extravagant of the Reunion Conference of Lausanne. Then he spoke about the Episcopate, and wound up with some extremely eulogistic remarks on the new Bishop. It is certain that in historical judgements the determining factors are temperament and the point of view. From the same data I should draw inferences which would be as depressing as Newsom's were cheerful.

[112]

Mine host overflows with reminiscences of his ministry in the Durham Diocese, and especially of the missions which he has conducted in the parishes. Canon Body is his hero: and he seems to be very confident that in 1927 the same methods will be successful as succeeded in 1900. But I must needs think that he is greatly mistaken. The "Gospel Message" is no longer as interesting as it was once to the people. Their lives are fuller of secular interest: they are better educated: they no more look to the clergy for direction: Religion has a smaller place in the national life. In short, society has become secularised. The new (and mostly false) theories of economic & social reconstruction have largely taken the place of religion in the outlook of "Labour". Add, that public speaking of all sorts has been enormously increased, & that the clergy are no longer the chief speakers, and the extent & nature of the change may be understood.

[113]

The Bishop and I went to the Cathedral for Evensong at 6.30 p.m. I preached to a very attentive congregation, and Newsom thanked me for my sermon: bit I do not think it was altogether approved either by his Lordship or by Canon Boot! Immediately after Evensong there follows a short service, at which I preached again in order to be broadcast. Leng was waiting for me outside the Cathedral, and I got back to the Castle about 10. p.m.

Old Bishop Talbot was determined to make me discuss the prospects of the Revised Prayer Book with him, & to that end simply pursued me into my study, and made me talk though I was dropping with fatigue. He is evidently reluctant to admit the necessity of coercing the lawless clergy, but he cannot deny that there is no likelihood of their yielding to persuasion. He is very hostile to Barnes, who (it must be confessed) has been, and continues to be, gratuitously provocative. He is obviously as destitute of a policy as the rest of us.