The Henson Journals

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Tuesday, August 26th, 1930.

Another brilliant day. After breakfast, first Mrs Herbert, and, then, Brooke & Fosca Westcott took their departure. Then Neville Talbot, the Bishop of Pretoria, and his sister, Mrs Ford, arrived to see the castle, and were shown over. Hardly had they gone before Leonard Wilson came to talk about Eighton Bank, and to lunch. I offered the vacant benefice, and he undertook to consider the matter, and, after discussing the matter with his wife, to let me know his decision.

After lunch Ella, the Bishop of Calcutta, and I motored to Lanchester, where we visited the church. Then we continued over the hills to Edmundbyers where we had tea pleasantly with Mrs Dolphin. Her father, a clergyman of 86, was there, & other relations. After tea, we returned to Auckland by way of Stanhope. The hills are becoming empurpled with heather, and the ranges of moors were delightful to look at. A grouse shooting party was at work, and a few bewildered birds crossed our path. We got home shortly before 7 p.m. Bishop Westcott seems to have seen nothing, & known nothing of the beauty of his father's diocese.

[244]

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Gandhi did more in ten years to make Jesus honoured in India than all the missionaries had done in a century – this rather startling opinion was expressed in our conversation tonight by the Bishop of Calcutta. He thought that Gandhi was certainly sincere, & yet he could hardly be ignorant of the total impracticability of his policy of regenerating India by revival of village industries. The Bishop described the shameful methods employed by the Roman Catholicks, and spoke with some repugnance of them. Certainly, there seems little reality in "conversations" at Malines or anywhere else, so long as the popish zealots continue to treat non–Roman missionaries & their converts with such brutal scorn. He asked me to suggest some books which he might read during his voyage to India. I wrote out a list, which would not be too severe, and yet would be worth reading. Also I presented him with a copy of the volume, "Church and Parson in England". [symbol] He is a rather enigmatic person, who alternately impresses me as stupid and as sagacious. He is a good–tempered, placable, and humble–minded. I gather that he is persona gratia with the Government of India.

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