The Henson Journals

[127]

Saturday, February 15th, 1930.

Lawrence Lamprell came to lunch, and walked round the Park with me. He is 22 1/2 years old, has taken his degree at Cambridge in moral Science and Anthropology, and is 'head – over – heals' in psychology. Sex fills his horizon, and his ideas on that subject are confused, positive, and perilous. He gave no good account of the morality of his Cambridge contemporaries, and was very confident that 'Oxford was worse than Cambridge'. Yet he has the aspect of a wholesome youth, and he is keen on football. I wrote to Lord Grey recommending his application for assistance (afsistance) from Thes Sponsors' Fund in order that he may be able to go to Westcott House for a year before Ordination.

The disappearance of the old reticence on sexual questions, and the familiarity with conduct, which was once held to be too disgraceful to be spoken about, do certainly facilitate moral failure. 'Homosexuality' is now spoken about quite freely as a phenomenon, hardly unusual or abnormal and nowise blame–worthy, and its expression in acts, which were once abhorrent & are still criminal, is discussed without disgust or impatience as if they were within the range of tolerable behaviour.

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