The Henson Journals

[91]

Tuesday, September 25th, 1928.

[symbol]

Meeting of the Bishops

Lionel went with me to Darlington, where I took the early train to King's Cross. I drove at once to the Athenaeum, and enquired for the bedroom, which had been reserved for my use. To my surprise & consternation I learned that none was free. I produced the Secretary's telegram, which, happily, I had kept. On seeing this, the servants assured me that a room would be found. Then I went to the hair–dresser, & was dealt with. After this I drove to Lambeth, and joined the Conference of the Bishops. The Bishops of London and Southwark had tabled series of resolutions: but I insisted that before dealing with these, which both dealt with the conditions under which various irregularities could be tolerated, we ought to face the necessity of clearing up the situation as a whole.

I suggested the following :–

That the Bishops should issue an Address to the People of England setting forth the fundamental principles, religious & constitutional, under which they must needs act, and stating, as a modus vivendi for the present, that they [wd?] not regard as disloyal to the Church of England those clergymen who limited their [92] departures from the Prayer Book of 1662 to what is permitted by the Revised Prayer Book of 1928, and that they wd use their legal discretion to protect from prosecution those clergymen, who should so limit their action: Provided always that when any alteration in the accustomed order of service in the parish church was involved, the incumbent must act with the consent of the parochial church council.

This proposal evidently impressed the Bishops.

The Archbishop of Canterbury told me that he approved it. Subsequently, however, he passed me a note saying that he thought the difficulties in the way of its adoption insuperable. We left over the voting on it until the morrow.

Lang took me aside to assure me that he had informed the Prime Minister that he would willingly work with me as a fellow–primate but that (so he understood) the Prime Minister thought that I was both too old & too independent: he thought that it ought to have been offered: though I should have the done right to reject it.

[93]

The Bishop of Bath and Wells made a strange speech, averring his conviction that the House of Commons had acted with the utmost gravity in rejecting the Prayer Book, & that the rejection was generally approved by the public. Wynne–Wilson has all a pedagogue's dogmatism without his overpowering impressiveness. I think meanly of him. The Bishop of Bristol also spoke disconcertingly, so that I begin to doubt whether we could hold the Bishops together for any common policy.

The Newcastle Journal contained a very fair summary of my Gateshead speech. There was also a brief report in the Yorkshire Post.

The Times, Daily Telegraph, and Yorkshire Post had leaders on the Bishops' meeting. All urge the Bishops to adopt some mild course which may avoid the main issue of the Establishment. It is evident enough that the party organizers are straining every nerve to keep that issue out of the next general election, & their efforts are powerfully assisted from within the Church of England. Nevertheless, I doubt whether that issue can be kept out, for the volume of fanaticism which has been generated is inconveniently large, & will not easily 'come to heel'.

---