The Henson Journals

[15]

Monday, April 15th, 1929.

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PAU

Heavy rain last night, but this morning blue sky & brilliant sun. Certainly the beauty of Pau is hard to beat.

Mr. Eaton–Smith is a Balliol man, contemporary and 'dearest friend' of Steel–Maitland. He is a 'good churchman', a member of the Assembly, and a useful member of committees, in short, a typical representative of the lay Anglican. He had, of course, voted for the Prayer Book, but equally, of course, he saw nothing in its rejection but a normal mischance. The traditional refusal of Englishmen to act according to the logic of their principles would prevent anything happening, we should 'worry through' as usual, the illness of the new Archbishop was, perhaps, 'providential' as it prevented anything being done, & so forth. I said that it seemed to me probable that, as so often before, the course of secular affairs would "save the Establishment". Ecclesiastical affairs are a very minor factor in political life, and the abnormal prominence into which the prayer Book agitation brought them [could – crossed out] can not possibly be maintained. Everybody [16] [symbol] is 'dead sick' of the Prayer Book, and eager to 'shunt' the issues which have been raised by the precipitate action of the Commons. Probably the victorious Protestants are as much embarrassed as delighted by their triumph, & the dissentient factions within the church, whose obvious interest it is that the existing paralysis of law should continue, are frankly jubilant that the invidious business of defeating Revision has been done for them by Parliament. Even the Sectaries, who have ever clamoured for Disestablishment, are reluctant to lose the pleasure & advantage of having a grievance, and the politicians, "Liberal" & "Labour", are interested in the larger and nearer questions of economic 'reconstruction'. Immediately the General Election absorbs public attention, and may create a quite unexpected situation, in which the question of the Church's relation to the State will take an urgency which will compel action. But the spiritual credit of the Church of England has been dangerously shaken, & there are those who will not fail to take advantage of the fact.

[17]

The 'Northern Echo' of last Friday, sent by Lionel, arrived. It contains a report of a vestry meeting at Leadgate, at which the deplorable condition of that parish was deplorably illustrated by a disgusting altercation between the half–imbecile vicar & his wife on one side, and the parishioners, on the other. What ought I, as Bishop, to do?

I wrote a letter to Sir Walter Raine, M.P. for Sunderland, whose wife's death is announced. After breakfast we went into the town, & visited the Musée in the castle. It was a very trivial show, barely up to the level of the poorest county town museum in England. I bought a copy of the Sunday Times, and read it for an hour on the Esplanade, while Ella & Fearne indulged 'the lust of the eye' in the shops! We lunched in the Hotel, and then started on the char–à–banc excursion to Lourdes. A lame man who was also in the vehicle introduced himself as brother of the Swedish Bishop of Calmer, Tottie, whom we met in Upsala in 1920, & who seems to have retained a kindly impression of me. He had been advised to try the Lourdes Cure, but, being a stout Protestant, had no faith in it.

[18]

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How did Lourdes impress me? At first I found it difficult to believe that I was actually looking at the scene of so many ardent descriptions. The actual grotto, gleaming and greasy with votive candles, & with its walls polished by the kisses of the faithful, was in its way impressive. The line of brass taps with mugs for drinking the salutary water was certainly not impressive, and the baths quite failed to answer to the pictures I had seen of them. However, this was an "off day". Had we come on an occasion when the great pilgrimages were made, we should have seen Lourdes in very different circumstances. The two Churches, and the Crypt of the upper church are very sumptuous, but rather tawdry. Their walls are covered with grateful inscriptions. In the porch of the crypt was a replica of the famous Jupiter–Peter statue in Rome, & underneath it an 'act of faith' in the Infallibility of the Pope, underneath which were the words, "He that heareth you, heareth Me".

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