The Henson Journals

[167][sic]

Wednesday, November 19th, 1930.

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A damp, warm uncomfortable day. After breakfast with mine host, I walked to Westminster and attended the session of the Assembly. After finishing with a petty measure affecting the channel islands, which gave [the egregious] Douglas ample opportunity for exhibiting his recondite lore and argumentative acuteness, we got on to an Educational debate. I made a short speech supporting a resolution which urged on the Church the importance of maintaining and extending the Training Colleges. I took occasion to say that the C. of E. had to "shorten its front", that the abandonment of the tiresome & hopeless effort to maintain the Dual System was the most obvious point at which to start to process, & that if we did this, we could centre our efforts on the Training Colleges. This brought up a "die–hard", named Thicknessse, who spoke with some vehemence in defence of Church Schools, and drew the applause of the Anglo–Catholicks. The motion was carried unanimously.

Sir Lewis Dibden called me aside, and explained his statement about my having [168a] [symbol] induced the Ecc: Comrs to purchase a part of the capitular estates. He had looked up the matter, & found that the capitular estates concerned belonged, not to the Dean & Chapter of Durham, but to the University of Durham. Thus his statement was entirely misleading & irrelevant. He did not, however, think it necessary to make a public explanation: and I, with my usual indifference to merely personal issues, suffered the matter to rest unexplained. But, of course, the newspaper reports made merry at my expense!

I had tea with Caröe and Alban. The late Bishop of Wakefield, Eden, encountered me in the passage of the Church House and thanked me warmly for the "Bishoprick". He said that he had read the article on "The Memory of Vergil" twice, with much enjoyment. I walked to the Athenaeum and wrote to Ella. Canon Jenkins was in the Club. He expressed regret at our failure to get Durham excluded from the [169a] [symbol] operation of the property clause in the Cathedrals Measure.

I dined at Grillions. There were present:

Sir Austen Chamberlain.

The Editor of the Times

The Editor of Punch.

Lord Hanworth.

Lord Crawford & Balcarres

Lord Fitz. Alan.

Lord Midleton.

Sir Roger Keyes.

The Bishop of Durham.

I took the chair, & had beside me Lord FitzAlan, & Sir Austen Chamberlain. With the last I had much conversation which came to take almost an intimate character. He spoke strongly against the Bishop of Birmingham's tactlessness & political partisanship. He spoke of Disestablishment with aversion: and I promised to send him my pamphlet on "Chuch & State in England". Altogether it was the pleasantest meeting of the Club that I can recall. I was back in Park Lane shortly before 10 p.m.

[170]

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I was much interested by meeting that most gallant sailor, Sir Roger Keyes, the hero of Zeebrugge. He did not look like a warrior of renown: for his aspect was gentle, his manner shy & almost bashful, and his expression sweet and winning. I could not but compare him with the aspect & reputation of Nelson, and conclude that the two men belonged to the same category.

We spoke of the manners & customs of The House of Commons. Austen Chamberlain said that on one occasion the Speaker had referred to him as an old member of the House on the point whether decorations might be worn in the House. A member who had come straight from Buckingham palace, had been refused admission by the door–keepers because he was wearing medals, & had had appealed to the Speaker. Chamberlain was unable to discover the origin of the custom which the doorkeeper pleaded, but conjectured that it might indicate a certain jealousy of the civil authority as against the military.

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