The Henson Journals

[434]

Saturday, November 9th, 1929.

CAMBRIDGE

Pattison went with me to Darlington, where I took the early train to London. On arriving at King's Cross, I drove to Athenaeum. There I exchanged a few words with Hugh Macmillan, and then talked with Chancellor Newbolt. As I was reading the telegrams I was laid hold on, & addressed with much friendly emphasis by Mr Baldwin, who at once began to speak of his visit to Durham. I took occasion to express my warm admiration of his speech in the Indian debate which, I said, was worthy of Burke. He seemed pleased, & said that 'he had put himself fully into that speech'. The situation in the House was certainly precarious, & he but just succeeded in holding back his rasher followers from forcing a division in which case the party [435] would have divided. "I should in that case have retired from the leadership", he said. The "Daily Mail", which I read in the train, described Baldwin's speech as confirming its worst suspicions, & renewing its accusation that, behind the back of his party, he had sacrificed India to his private friendship for Lord Irwin. Those Harmsworth papers are detestable, but alas! inaccessible to any kind of restraint.

Fleming was in the Club with a Scottish Judge, whose name was unpronounceable. We had some talk about ecclesiastical affairs. I told him that the United Church of Scotland was no longer in the true sense of the word an Established Church : & he did not seem to me able to rebut the statement. Then I went to Liverpool Street, being deflected by the crowds gathered for the Lord Mayor's Show, and so to Cambridge.

[436]

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I found two young men with the Master, the one, Lyttelton, a younger son of Ld Cobham, the other Clerk, the Librarian of Windsor & a fellow of the College. We had much talk, varied and vivacious. There came to dinner, Bethune Baker and his wife, & divers others. The conversation ranged over a large area, and we got on to Disestablishment at the end. After the guests had departed, we (i.e. Lyttelton, Clerk and I) went to the Master's study and talked until midnight. I enquired into the religious state of the University, and received a rather disconcerting reply. The Theological professors are said to carry no weight with the undergraduates. Stewart of Trinity is credited with some influence, and Milner White, an Anglo–Catholick, counts for something: but, speaking generally, Christianity is not effectively presented in Cambridge. I was assured that the Papists were making few, if any, converts. The youth of Cambridge have not sufficient interest in Religion to care about this propaganda.

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