The Henson Journals

[7]

11th Sunday after Trinity, August 19th, 1928.

We went to the church at 8 a.m., & received the Holy Comion. The parson substituted what is called the 'Dominical Summary' for the Decalogue, which was illegal. There were 12 communicants. We attended Mattins at 11 a.m. Save for the now familiar illegalities – shortened exhortation, eccentric choice of a psalm in lieu of the psalms for the day, omission of creed, versicles, & two collects – the service was satisfactory. There was a fair congregation, including an unusual proportion of young men & the people joined in the singing & responses very well. But the sermon! Had there been anything that suggested preparation, or knowledge, or thought, or respect for the preacher's office, I could have put up with the conceited mannerisms, the ridiculous management of voice, & the vulgarities of phrase, but there was nothing, & I suffered terribly! To think that a man should be educated, ordained, given his life free from secular business, & paid an income which most laymen would covet, in order to produce a little talkee–talkee, off the surface of his mind, no wise superior to the effusions of the laity in the Sunday Schools & mission rooms, is humiliating indeed. If the clergy do not respect their own office, how can they expect anyone else to respect it? After hearing such preaching as that who can be greatly surprised the common people think the clergyman's life "a soft job"?

[8]

Lord Hugh Cecil sends me a characteristic letter in acknowledgement of a letter of mine, thanking him for the gift of the Empire Review contained his Article on "The Prayer Book; and After", & making some observations on the recent appointments. He writes:–

I fully understand & sympathize with your wise – as well as humble – feeling that you are better as Bp. of Durham than as a Primate. Cosmo Ebor was obvious for Canty – not to appoint him wd have been to pass him over – & York with its very heavy diocese in addition to the province would have been another Magee. And Durham with your brilliant powers gives you all the opportunity of service you can want.

Probably there was a considerable admixture of anxiety in the expectation that I should become Abp. of York, and there is a correspondent relief in the knowledge that that danger has been averted. It is probably true that I did wish for the offer of the primacy, but that I should not have accepted it.

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