The Henson Journals

[131]

Wednesday, October 12th, 1927.

That preposterous Mohammedan, Lord Headley sends me some papers of his own explaining why he abandoned the Cross for the Crescent; and accompanies them with a letter in which he writes,

"It does seem terrible to think that Christians and Muslims cannot continue to defeat the forces of anarchy, atheism and idolatry we see all around us in the present day!

Why cannot we be satisfied with what Christ enjoyed – keep the Commandments & Duty to God & neighbour? The Muslim British subjects of his majesty outnumber the Christians – there are over 100,000,000 of us in the Empire – and yet we have not a suitable place of worship in London!

What with Hindus on one side & the misleading and inaccurate statements of certain fanatics on the other, we are – to use a lowly expression which I hope you will pardon – 'between the devil and the deep sea'."

Has there ever been a period in the history of the Church before this in which an Apostate from Christianity to the religion of the 'accursed Mahound' could thus address a Bishop of Durham? My predecessor the crusading Bishop Hugh de Pudsey would have known how to answer him.

[132]

Ella and I motored in to Durham, she to attend a meeting, I to license clergy. Before the licensing I had some conversation with the Bishop of Jarrow. We returned to Auckland for lunch, and then with Lady Eden motored to Middlesbrough where I opened the 21st season of Lady Bell's "Winter Garden" and made a drivelling speech. Sir Hugh Bell presided, and was very amiable. The mayor recalled first hearing me when, some 25 years ago, I lectured on the Fire of London in his congregational Chapel. The gentleman who seconded the vote of thanks said that he had travelled in my company to London, & that I had discussed the industrial situation all the way! Finally the Town Clark who said his name was Kitchen & that I had called him 'Lord Kitchener' had known me in Barking and Ilford, that Albert Mason, now Town Clark at Barnsley, had been in his office, & that he himself still possessed books that I had given him. Now I had totally forgotten all these reminiscences, was ungrateful to say the least! On the way home we stopped in Stockton to visit 'Stanley House' where Lady Eden runs a training house for domestic servants. Eleven rather squalid looking maids we marshalled in front of me, & I said a few rather imbecile words of exhortation!! We got to Auckland about 6.45p.m.