The Henson Journals

[60]

Thursday, January 12th, 1928.

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Thomas Hardy's death is announced in this morning's papers, which, of course, publish obituary notices of a most eulogistic character; & that character could hardly be too much emphasised. I only met him once, some 40 years ago, when I was staying with Harry Davis at Weymouth. I was taken to have tea with the great man, who received me with much kindness, & left on me an impression hardly equal to his literary greatness, which was even then established.

Rather pathetically poor old Lord Halifax now publishes his 'Notes' on the Malines 'conversations'. The Papal Encyclical reduces them to fatuity.

There was much talking, but not much performance in the Counsels of the Bishops. We agreed to repeat the 'Black Rubrick' in the Alternative Communion Order, but rejected motions by the Bishop of Worcester and the Bishop of Bristol designed to make substantial concessions in the matter of Reservation. The first, which would limit Reservation to the mere carrying the Elements from the Church to the Sick on the day of Celebration was rejected by 32 to 7: the last, which would prohibit Reservation in the Church, by 32 to 5. The dissident Bishops [61] [symbol] now number (if I make no mistake) the following:– Worcester, Norwich, Birmingham, Exeter, Ripon, Bradford, and St Edmundsbury & Ipswich. The Archbishop of Canterbury made a speech which indicated clearly that he has receded from the position taken up in the Archiepiscopal Letter, & is not prepared for a breach with the State. Sir Lewis Dibdin has been talking to him with much effect.

I walked to 20 Dean's Yard, and, at their own request, had an interview with Storr and Spen. They wanted to put down before me the suggestion that the Latinist section of the Anglo–Catholicks should be suffered to organise themselves as a kind of 'Uniat' Church, in communion with the Church of England, but having their own usages. I said that such a project could not possibly originate with the Bishops. If, after the Revision had been legalised, the dissentient Anglo–Catholicks approached the Bishops, the possibility of their proposals being accepted would depend on their character, & on the numbers & weight of those who advocated them. The notion of the Bishops consecrating a Bishop for the rebels against their own authority is really rather comical.

[62]

The Archbishop and Mrs Davidson were rather particularly agreeable to me at dinner, perhaps to remove the impression of resentment which I had received earlier in the day. His Grace was in high spirits, & full of anecdotes. He told me that he had accumulated a mass of notes about eminent persons, with whom he had had dealings: that these would be left to his wife with instructions to determine which of them should go to Lambeth, & which to the British Museum. I noticed that he said "If I should die here" quite naturally, as if that were the probable event: and, indeed, I doubt if he has any serious thought of resigning. An Australian bishop was at dinner. He said that Wakeman had wanted him to become my curate, when I was Vicar of Barking. This carries me back a long time. The Bishop of Wakefield gave us a lively account of the manner in which his father was appointed to the wealthy Rectory of Bishopwearmouth by Bishop Longley, at the insistence or rather the command of Lord Brougham. "The Rectory belonged to me as fully as the coat on my back" wrote that impudent nobleman.