The Henson Journals

[49]

Friday, September 19th, 1930.

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Another very wet day, a replica of yesterday. Beyond walking up to the Middle Lodge after lunch, when I got woefully wet, I did not get out. The swallows were sitting along the iron railings in the Park, no doubt making their plans for the great Flight.

I revised that detestable article for "the Political Quarterly", and despatched it by the afternoon post.

Pattinson returned to my great relief: and we set to work on the accumulated correspondence.

The Church of England Newspaper gives prominence to an Article on the Lambeth Conference by Bishop Craig Stewart, coadjutor Bishop of Chicago, in which there is the following uncomplimentary description of the Bishop of Durham:–

'The Bishop of Durham, Dr Hensley Henson; l'enfant terrible of the conference: small, dark, shrewdish & acrid of speech, with lancet logic, brilliant phrasing & a squeaky little voice: every one admires his eloquence, & then votes the other way.'

In point of fact, I was generally in the majority: and, save on the Woman Question, where I am certainly in opposition to the general current, when I spoke I carried the majority with me.

[50]

The most flatterous description is that of the Bishop of Winchester, whose type would naturally commend itself to Transatlanticks! The publication of reckless 'personalia' is becoming a fashion of the time, and must be accepted with as much indifference as one can command. Happily the public memory is as brief as its appetite for such things is eager and indiscriminating.

Derek sends me some snapshots of Milan and Venice, which he took during his recent visit to Italy.

The Baptist minister, Dennis, whom I accepted for Ordination next Trinity, finds that his congregation objects to his holding office up to Christmas. So he has yet another 3 months to "finance" before he begins to earn money as an assistant curate. The real crux of this problem of recruiting for the ministry is certainly financial. It is the same with the problem of resignation. At both ends of the clergyman's life he is without money. How are we to find the money both to prepare the candidates, and to provide incomes for the worn– out, is hard to discover.

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