The Henson Journals

[118]

Monday, July 2nd, 1928.

I left Winchester at 9.16 a.m., & arrived in Oxford at 11.8 a.m. After lunching with the Vice–Chancellor, I officiated at the Funeral of Harry Davies, first in All Souls Chapel, then, in St Mary's, finally at Wolvercote cemetery. There was a considerable muster of dons, in spite of the fact that the University had gone down. Mrs Davies with her two boys, and her brother–in–law were the principal mourners. The children were piteous to look upon, & the brother–in–law, who accompanied me to the cemetery, was overpowered with grief, & apologised for his emotions in the intervals before its outbreaks. I have no doubt that Harry merited this fraternal affection. Robertson came up from Birmingham to attend the function. I had some talk with him about Barnes, whom he describes as obsessed with his conflict against the "magical" superstitions of the Anglo–Catholicks. The matter has become a 'Charles I's head' to him. I inquired who would be thought the best man for the Regius Professorship which is now vacant, & I was told that the post ought to be offered to Pollard, &, on his refusal, bestowed on Powicke, whose age is more suitable, & whose promise is, of course, much greater. Pollard is the more distinguished, but also the far older man.

[119]

I travelled to Paddington by the train leaving Oxford at 4.30 p.m. After leaving my bags in Park Lane, I went to the Athenaeum, where I found Sir Thomas Barlow, with whom I talked about the Archbishop's resignation. He agreed with me that the Church's interest and the Archbishop's reputation are both injured by the postponement of his Grace's resignation. I gathered that the general impression made by the Archbishop's speech in the Assembly was that the Church intends to take its recent experiences "lying down"!

I dined with Lady Struthers, with whom Ella is staying. The Duchess of Atholl, Mrs Neville Chamberlain, Sir Francis Wingate, Lord Haldane, & several others were there. I was particularly interested in the account of the emancipation of the slaves & prohibition of human sacrifices among the animistic tribes in India given by a very fat man, who was the official who actually carried the business through. Sir Francis Wingate told me the actual circumstances as he witnessed them, when Kitchener met Marchland at Fashoda. He said that most of the "Congo atrocities" were manufactured in Cape Town. The more one gets "behind the scenes", and observes the actual processes by which "History" is made, the more sceptical one becomes. And how little of the known facts are suffered to be recorded or made known.