The Henson Journals

[182]

Monday, November 7th, 1927.

The weather became colder during the night and finally developed itself in a considerable snow storm, during which I motored to Durham, attended a meeting of the Bede College Committee, had tea with the Bishop of Jarrow, and motored back to Auckland.

Letters of congratulation on my Birthday (tomorrow) arrived from Arthur, Angel, and Cecil Fortescue. The gloomy suggestiveness of the anniversary was sufficiently indicated by the announcement in the papers of the death of my eminent contemporary Hogarth.

The modern world is so close–knit, that no limits can be set to the consequences of personal & local folly. Cecil Fortescue writes from Aden:–

"This Birmingham business is very distressing; its upsetting a good many people, and has, amongst the large number of agnostics it's creating amusing, sometimes blasphemous conversations".

Barnes is to all seeming quite unregardful of the by–products of the controversies which he occasions. Had he ever been a parish priest, he could never have had the heart to provoke them. But I fear he is quite unteachable on his subject.