The Henson Journals

[181]

Friday, March 23rd, 1928.

I finished the Conference Address. My post contained nothing of interest or of importance, which bodes ill for the Durham Castle Fund, but left me free to work.

Dr Kidd and the 'Church Times' join Frere: but Gore the Bishop of St Alban's adhere to the Book, though with scruple and sorrow. Meanwhile all the Protestant associations proclaim their unaltered opposition. I strongly suspect that we have lost the Anglo–Catholicks without placating anybody!

I motored to Barnard Castle, presided at a meeting of the Governors of the School. We had an amiable but melancholy meeting. The decline of the School continues, last year there was a deficit of £900.

Lionel and I motored to Burnmoor, where I confirmed 94 persons in the parish church. They came from the three parishes of Burnmoor, Shiney Row, and Penshaw. I was pleased to notice that the number of males was about equal to that of females. It seems to be evident that the gross dis–proportion in number between the sexes is almost limited to "Anglo–Catholick" parishes. There is something in the "Anglo–Catholick" version of Christianity which is distasteful to normal boyhood. Women take to sacramentalism like ducks to water!