The Henson Journals

[121]

Monday, July 7th, 1930.

The Lambeth Conference started on its work today. I went to the hair–dresser & was shampooed: & then, returning to the club. On leaving the Athenaeum, I fell in with the old Archbishop of Wales, & shared a taxi with him to Lambeth. He was most gloomy about Lang's health, and foretold an early vacancy of the Primacy! But he is one of those men to whom wire–pulling & the gossip which goes with it are the salt of life. The library seemed rather congested. However, as a seat had been reserved for me, I had no personal inconvenience. [The Archbishop] ^The President (Lang)^ made allusion to his predecessor, and did so in felicitous words & at no undue length. Then Bell, the Bishop of Chichester, who is the Secretary of the Conference, made a series of announcements, after which we fell to work. The subject was 'The Christian Doctrine of God'. Abp. D'Arcy opened with an admirable speech, & was followed by a rather disappointing speech from Abp. Temple. There were many other speeches but none of any value. The Bp. Of Oxford (Strong) had something useful to say, & said it in his worst manner. The Bishop of Goulburn was fluent & copious, evidently giving the substance [122] of his commentary on the Colossians, which, he told the Conference, had engaged his leisure for two years past. The colonial bishops do not impress me as either well educated, or very intelligent. Certainly the speech of the new Abp. of Melbourne was a very poor performance. Neville Talbot, the Bishop of Pretoria, made a foolish speech, full of a patronizing pomposity which was emphasized by his huge figure & cumbrous carriage. The Bishop of London spoke ineffectively, though what he said was both true and relevant, but his credit has been greatly shaken by his feeble government of London, and his voice is reduced to a husky whisper. I was rather bored.

The Archbishop asked me to draft an address to the King, no easy matter, but I could not decently refuse.

Ella wanted to go to Lady Beauchamp's reception 'to meet the Patriarch of Alexandria' but I refused to go, & finally persuaded the poor lady to abandon her intention!

[123]

I dined at the Westminster Deanery with the Brotherhood. We numbered 12 members:

The Dean of S. Paul's (Inge)

The Bishop of Birmingham (Barnes)

The Bishop of Worcester (Pearce)

The Bishop of Durham (Henson)

The Headmaster of Westminster (Costley–White)

Canon Vernon Storr

Hanson, a City Rector

The bishop of Northern China (Norris)

The Bishop of Liberia (Campbell)

Perceval of Marylebone

Ellison, a City Rector

The Dean of Westminster (Foxley–Norris)

Barnes told me that he used to be a frequent member of my congregation in S. Margaret's. If I had known him personally in those days, what would have been the effect on him and on me?

Foxley Norris is evidently sore over the failure of the project to build a sacristy for the abbey, especially as he attributes it to the 'backing–out' of the Canons!

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