The Henson Journals

[59]

Monday, December 31st, 1928.

Frost, and a thin veil of snow on the country. After breakfast Mordaunt Gore–Booth and Paul left in their motor: and I spent the day indoors nursing a cold which I contracted yesterday. Daly from S. Mary's, Tynedock, came to lunch, and to consult me about the offer of a benefice, which he has received from the Bishop of Wakefield. He has been 2½ years in Holy Orders, and the Bishop knows of him because he was one of the students at Cuddesdon where he himself was Principal. Is this "playing the game"? The Bishop writes to explain to me how singularly well–suited Daly is to the requirements of a difficult mining parish: but he might have reflected that that is precisely the circumstance why he should not be taken away from Durham. However, he must not be kept here against his own will. There are several more Cuddesdon men whom I have ordained, &, of course, the late Principal knows them well. Must I expect that these also will be withdrawn from my diocese, as he finds himself (as he surely will) hard driven to find men for work in his?

[60]

1928

This has been a difficult and exhausting year, and cannot but be finally judged to have been of exceptional, perhaps of decisive importance in the history of the Church of England. The retirement of Archbishop Davidson, after a primacy of 25 years, and following closely on the 2nd rejection of the Revised Prayer Book by the House of Commons, will be seen to have the same kind of significance as the death of Archbishop Warham in 1532. Both mark the ending of a phase of Anglican History. Whether Lang will prove himself to have the constructive genius of Cranmer remains to be seen. Temple's accession to the Northern Primacy is generally interpreted as indicating that I myself am definitely relegated to "the shelf": though this rather depressing experience is understood, probably with justice, to be due to myself. The sermon [61] that I preached in Cambridge on January 29th, and published in the volume, "The Book and the Vote" made it evident that I had personally abandoned the defence of the Establishment. In the August number of "The Bishoprick" I wrote some "Reflections on the Crisis", which still more clearly disclosed my opinions: & these I circulated to all the members of the Church Assembly. Finally, I wrote an article in the "Nineteenth Century and After" under the heading "Disestablishment by Consent", which separated me decisively from the accommodating & dilatory procedure which the new Primates had clearly decided upon. My attitude has surprized my friends, and given general offence, but it had been clearly indicated in my speech in the House of Lords in December 1927, and was the inevitable consequence of the new conditions.

[62]

Of journalism I have done little. Three articles in the Evening Standard, an article on Bunyan in the Review of the Churches and the article in the Nineteenth Century and After exhausts the record. In the Times I wrote a Review of Jix's Book on the Revised Prayer Book, and several letters on Cardinal Bourne's impudent assertions. I preached, and read a paper, at the Cheltenham Church Congress: Also, I preached on Magna Carta at St Edmundsbury (Oct: 9th), and on Bunyan (Nov: 27th) in Westminster Abbey. In Oxford I preached 4 times viz: in All Souls (Nov: 2nd), Queen's College (Nov: 4th), S. Mary's and New College (Nov: 11th). I exerted myself to raise funds for the preservation of Durham Castle, speaking at public meetings in Newcastle (March. 14th) and in the Mansion House, London (July 23rd). I brought the [63] subject before the House of Lords on July 3rd, and gave a Lecture at Harrogate on Dec. 5th. In addition to all this I myself subscribed £500. But the response was pitiably small, the total amount at the close of the year being about £34,000. In the interest of the Fund I appeared as one of "Mr Punch's Personalities" in that journal, being execrably drawn by Mr George Belcher!

Two deaths of friends affected my life – that of Harry Davis who died suddenly on June 28th, and that of Lord Durham who died on Sept. 18th. I buried them both, the one in Oxford, the other in Burnmoor.

Ralph Inge's attack on me in the Church Family Newspaper in March hurt my feelings badly, and my reply was little more than a refusal to fight with him.

On July 5th, I confirmed the Westminster School Boys – 47 of them – in the Abbey.

[64]

My second Quadrennial Visitation of the Diocese was held in December. The Charge had been hastily prepared, and has not yet been completed. I design to include in it an Introduction which will practically be an Apologia for my change of front on the question of the Establishment. Lord Davidson's letter suggested that such an Apology was needed. The newspaper reports of what I said to the Clergy in Durham and in Darlington disclosed the character of the Charge sufficiently to cause a flutter: but the illness of the King directed public attention from ecclesiastical affairs, and, if it should end (which may Heaven avert) in his His Majesty's Death, it may not improbably happen that the excitement of a new Reign will effectually dispose of the Crisis in the Church!

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