The Henson Journals
Wed 26 November 1930
Volume 51, Pages 178 to 179
[178]
Wednesday, November 26th, 1930.
E D I N B U R G H
I motored to Durham, & there took train for Edinburgh, where I arrived at 3.25 p.m. A young clergyman, one of the Cathedral staff, met us, & carried me to the Provost's house, where I was to stay the night.
The Provost accompanied me to the Central Hall where the 40th anniversary of the Weslyan Methodist Mission was being observed. The sermon, which I preached, was preceded by a short service, in which the Lord Provost of Edinburgh read the lesson, and the Superintendent of the Mission said prayers. My sermon took 35 minutes of deliver. The congregation numbered about 300, and looked rather forlorn in a building which could accommodate six times as many.
The public meeting in the Evening was held in the same place, & the attendance was, perhaps, twice as numerous. The Chairman was a layman, whose speech, empty & pompous, took up no less than 35 minutes, but, as he contributed £100 to the collection, he was loudly applauded.
[179]
The Moderator of the Church of Scotland spoke for about 20 minutes. There followed a "statement" from the Superintendent, and a spate of compliments to all & sundry. Finally I spoke for 25 minutes. The proceedings lasted about 2¼ hours.
I was interested in the audience, which I had ample time to study, during the Chairman's speech. It was mainly composed of women & elderly men. I do not think there were more than 30 men under thirty. It was a wet night, & this circumstance may have affected adversely the attendance, but when all reasonable allowance has been made, it is impossible to avoid the inference that this Mission is not really getting hold of the young men.
The Provost tells me that the slump in religion which in England had set in before the War is only now become apparent and acute in Scotland. Everywhere the same fact is patent – the population has lost interest in the Churches. It does not actively dislike them, nor does it wish to embarrass them, but it 'has no use for them', and tends to resent their insistent efforts to arrest its attention.