The Henson Journals

[286]

Wednesday, August 28th, 1929.

The 'Nineteenth Century & After' for September arrived. My article has "the place of honour". It is followed by an article, 'Church before Party' by Rory Dearman, which is vehement against Disestablishment, but too windy and vague to be serviceable. It affects to believe that the Archbishops' 'Pastoral' was a great utterance! There is a pleasant, but not very practical article: 'The Church and the Village, a New View' by the Prior: S.H. Randall, which sets forth a very old view indeed.

I walked in the Park with my Chaplain and old Dr McCullogh, and on returning to the house found the Rev. G. J. Bidgood, who had come to talk over my proposal that he should accept appointment to Stella in succession to Simpkinson. He plainly wants to do so, but cannot afford to accept so small an income. The policy of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners has made the moving of clergy from one parish to another almost impossible since all the parishes are coming to be of the same value viz. £400 per annum.

[287]

"The number of services to be performed in any church depends on the discretion of the ordinary: for while it is enacted by divers statues, that the bishop may enforce the performance of certain services, he is nowhere forbidden from granting any relaxation in this respect that he may think fit."

Cripps. Law relating to Church & Clergy p.553.

"The manner in which the church service is to be performed is at the direction & discretion of the officiating minister, subject, of course, to any directions from the ordinary."

Ibid. 560.

The shortage of clergy is such that it may well become necessary for me to put into exercise whatever powers I have in the matter or curtailing & simplifying services. Mostly the Law assumes that the Bishop's authority will be needed to secure an adequate number of services: now it is most required for their reduction!

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