The Henson Journals

[94]

Thursday, May 23rd, 1929.

A brilliant morning, but the air still sultry, and a hot comfortless wind in gusts. I could not keep in bed in spite of the doctor's admonition overnight, & so had my bath, dressed, & went to my study. The wall–flowers in the bed below my window make a brave show, which is the more noteworthy since most wall–flowers in the district perished in the great Frost. A pair of thrushes are building in the ivy, but mainly there is a dearth of these beautiful birds; probably they, like the wall–flowers, perished in the Frost. It is reported that black–birds are uncommonly numerous; they are tougher birds than the Thrushes.

I made little headway with my work, and finally decided to refurbish an old "Charge" to Ordination candidates, which I wrote in 1919 at Hereford. This occupied me most of the afternoon, & was not finished when the Candidates arrived for Evensong at 7 p.m.

[95]

Dr Mess came to lunch. He is certainly not beautiful to look at, but much may be pardoned in a man who will produce so good a piece of work as "Industrial Tyneside". He wants an income of £1200 per annum to finance his Bureau effectively. At present he has only £600. I promised to write to various trusts to which he is applying for assistance in order to support his application.

Principal Wallis gave the Address to the Candidates. It was simple, practical, and effective, refreshingly free from unction and cant, a circumstance both surprising and welcome. After dinner he had some talk with me in my study. He said that he had information from Liverpool that Gibson, (Red X in the left margin here) the disreputable fellow whom I rejected & whom the Bishop of Liverpool ordained without reference to me, is turning out very badly as might have been foreseen. The new Bishop of Manchester is finding a queer lot of men bequeathed to him by his distinguished but too–yielding predecessor.

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