The Henson Journals

[228]

2nd Sunday in Advent, December 4th, 1927.

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I found awaiting me from the publishers a copy of Barnes's Apologia "Should such a Faith offend?". It consists of a Preface, and 31 Sermons and Addresses 'typical of my teaching during the last seven years'. He is a mathematician and man of science dabbling in theology, and doing so without any perception that theology still has spiritual significance for many people, probably for most of those whom he addressed. We have long been familiar with theologians dabbling in science, and if the spectacle is as wounding to the scientific folk, as the contrary process is to religious people, the irritation must needs be great. Barnes quotes an undergraduate's opinion of an episcopal sermon in a college chapel – "inoffensive chatter". This description may stand with Bishop Blomfield's reference to a certain preacher as having "considerable power of sustained remark". Still, when the actual conditions of preaching in a College Chapel have now become, it is no mean achievement that the preacher's "chatter" should be admittedly "inoffensive". Barnes seems to have no consciousness of the normal mental state of the average worshipper who is really not in the mood for critical discussion of his religious assumptions.

[229] [symbol]

I celebrated the Holy Communion in the Chapel at 8 a.m. We numbered 8 communicants including John. After breakfast I wrote to Spencer Wade, and to Mr Albert Mitchell, & kept copies of both letters. In the afternoon Ella and I walked for 1 1/2 hours in the Park. The 'Observer' has an interesting article by Whickham Steed headed 'My American Diary'. He says this, which is equally important and true:–

"Despite the similarity of language and some blood relationship, the United States is essentially a foreign community, not inhabited by any sort of "cousins", and tending to look upon Englishmen as the oddest and sometimes the most irritating kind of foreigners with whom it has had or had to deal. We need to understand America, and to study her people and her problems with at least as much respectful care as we should bestow upon study of Frenchmen or Germans. Only thus are we likely to escape serious misunderstanding."

This reduces to nonsense a vast volume of post–prandial eloquence, and suggests a very unwelcome possibility, while it destroys a very attractive prospect.

[230]

I read through Ralph's 'Norman Sockyer Lecture' on 'Scientific Ethics', which he sent me. It is, of course, brilliant, incisive, suggestive, and astonishingly complete. "A catastrophe is always possible, but the chances seem to be that our race has a hundred thousand, perhaps even a million more years in which to try every possible and impossible social experiment."

A publisher – Arthur H. Stockwell Limited – has asked for "eight sermons of 2500 words each", and offers to pay the munificent sum of £10 "to cover production of a first edition of 1000 copies with £5 to be paid for each additional 500 copies as called for".!!! The munificent man evidently has no very exalted estimate of the market value of sermons: and he is probably right. Few sermons are worth publishing, and episcopal sermons are least worth of all: for they are almost always directed to some immediate purpose of very limited concern. Reviewing my life, I am disposed to regret that I have bestowed so much labour on the composition of sermons: for had the time thus occupied been devoted to other objects, I should have been a more useful clergyman, & probably a more popular preacher. The War hastened & intensified the decline of the pulpit which was already apparent when I first became a preacher, & has now attained completion.