Letters to a Sister (19 page)

Dearest Jeanie,

... I went to the opening meeting of Union Week, where we were addressed by a R.C., an Anglican, and a Methodist.
⁶⁴
All were good, but none got down to the point, which is what are the obstacles in each case, and how, if possible, surmount them. I felt the R.C. should have said about the Pope and about Anglican invalid Orders, and the Anglican should have said about episcopacy and how [to] get round it, and the Methodist about the Methodist objections. Instead of which, each spoke about their own Church, and quite well, but this wasn't the point of the meeting. Of course the ideal thing would have been if they had all said, ‘We are divided by many points of difference of belief, but we should ignore them all and allow intercommunion.' All they said was, ‘We must pray this week that the question of unity may be solved, in whatever way God wills.' I wanted to get up and say, ‘
I
know what God wills', but didn't like to. Last night I went to Westminster Cathedral where there is a course about it.
⁶⁵
Last night the preacher dealt with the Orthodox Church, but this seemed pointless, as they already have intercommunion with them.
⁶⁶
Tonight it will be the Anglican Church, which would be much more interesting to hear, but I can't go. The last one is very ambitious—‘The Conversion of the whole world'.

I am reading Milman's
Latin Christianity from 4th Century
⁶⁷
again; that is, I don't think I ever read it all through at once
before, only in parts. It is a wonderful and interesting story, and throws a lot of light on human nature, which has been more extraordinary in its dealings with religion than almost anything. I have just got to the beginnings of the cult of the Virgin. I see some Italian has written a history of this lately,
⁶⁸
reviewed in the
Church Times,
which I should like to read. Obviously it was an inevitable cult. It has now reached a peak that can scarcely be heightened. The next doctrine the Pope is meditating is on her position as perpetual and essential mediatrix.
⁶⁹
I was talking at the French Embassy the other day to a Dominican I know (Welsh, and very intelligent); I remarked that the Churches had, I thought, all gone very wrong about war; I thought he looked wistful, and wondered if he was wishing
he
could say that the Church had gone wrong about anything. It is a great advantage to be able to.

Two of my [nurse] friend's [trainees]… have just become district nurses instead of joining hospitals as most do. They are loving it; one thing they like is the kind way they are regarded by the public in general, not only their patients. When they run into taxis on their bicycles, or get in their way, the driver, after beginning as usual to swear at them and call them bad names, such as bitches, cows, etc., suddenly sees they are nurses and at once changes his tone, saying,‘All right, ducks, no harm done; didn't see you were a nurse.' They say it is the same everywhere, in shops, queues, buses. They treat Sisters in the same way, I think. It is wonderful that their uniform can soothe even a taxi-driver's rude and savage breast. I expect you find the same. But these nurses are in London, a much less polite place than Romford….

[No signature]

20, Hinde House, Hinde St, W.1 21 March, [1956]

Dearest Jeanie,

… My godchild
⁷⁰
(who is getting confirmed tomorrow) is acting Mr Bennet in
Pride and Prejudice
on Friday, and wants me to go and see it, so I said I would if she can get me a ticket. She will tell me tomorrow. I don't know how well she will act Mr Bennet, but I must see her if I can….

Gerard Irvine, who sees a lot of people who have been converted by ‘accepting Christ', was explaining to me the other day what they believe. They believe that, by Christ's death, his righteousness is ‘imputed' to them by God, so that their sins are covered by it, even when they sin again; once they are accepted, they are saved. This does seem to suit many temperaments; it leads to much more emphasis being put on Christ's death than his life, and very little on the Holy Spirit and the inner light. Of course as regards right living, all good religions sincerely held incline to this, according to the character of the holder; it would be difficult in Christianity to say that more right living is achieved by one kind than another. But it is certain that, for right living, each individual had better try to find the kind of beliefs that suit his own mind; if he tries to hold those unsuited to him he will make little of them. If I tried to hold the evangelical ‘imputation' views, they wouldn't get me anywhere, and if a natural evangelical tried to pin his hopes and faith on the sacraments without much stressing the atonement, it would worry him. Luckily there is something for every one.

I went to a meeting of the Guild of St Raphael
⁷¹
this evening in St Paul's [Knightsbridge].... It wasn't interesting unfortunately, as there was no healing, but only a list of the ‘cases' read out and how they were getting on, and they might have
been any ordinary invalids, and as I didn't know any of them, I couldn't feel much interest. It would have been better to say what had been done for them by prayer, and how often, and when. I shan't join the Guild.

I think you misunderstood Gilbert Murray on pity. He really doesn't attack it, or attribute to it the worst passions of mankind, though he says it has often led to revolutions etc.... Certainly pity for the downtrodden and oppressed has often in history led to ruthlessness against the oppressors. Even at this moment, those who pity the sufferers from Communist tyranny are wishing to start a movement against the Russian visitors Krushchev and Bulganin,
⁷²
and tyrants have often been murdered by those who are sorry for the tyrannised. So I think there is a lot of truth in it. He is himself one of the most compassionate of men.

I regret the movement for being rude to K. & B. Malcolm Muggeridge who edits
Punch
means to reproduce a cartoon of 1844 when a Czar was here who had brutally put down a rebellion, flogging people to death.
⁷³
People were angry because he [the Czar] was received by the Queen, and they mobbed him at the Docks when he went there.
⁷⁴
I told him I thought it would be a great mistake, both insulting and unwise. Obviously Georgi [Malenkov] is trying to ingratiate himself with us.
⁷⁵
There is a rumour that he has been sacked
from Russia and won't be allowed to return, so will ask for asylum here; but this is probably nonsense.
⁷⁶
Asiatics, such as Russians, are very mysterious, but oddly naive too. One never knows why they act as they do. Anyhow I'm glad Georgi is making friends with us, and I hope K. & B. will too.

Thursday.
Just back from the confirmation, taken by Bishop Wand. He gave a nice address, much better than in ‘Lift up your hearts', where he says things that mean nothing to me about propitiation and atonement, but no doubt they mean a lot to many listeners. I met Maisie Fletcher there, seeing a grandchild's confirmation…

There was a very odd letter from a clergyman in today's
Times
saying that nowhere in the Prayer Book are Bishops said to be a necessary part of the C. of E.
⁷⁷
I looked it up, and of course in the preface to the Ordination services it says just this. For a clergyman this seems a very odd mistake. I wonder if any one will point it out.
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He also says that deacons are asked to say they ‘unfeignedly believe all the canonical scriptures'. I thought this had been altered to ‘Do you believe they were inspired by God?' but apparently this is only in the revised P.B.
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I believe it is commonly used, but I suppose not always.

Did you listen to the play about Cranmer?
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It was quite
good. Do you think he would have recanted his recantation if he hadn't heard he was to be burnt after all. He didn't know himself whether he would have had the courage, so I suppose we can't know either.

What do you think is behind Sir Eugene Goossens's behaviour?
⁸¹

When I get time, I shall try and get down to thinking out some theory about God's part in the universe that seems to me a possible hypothesis.

Very much love.

E.R.M.

20, Hinde House, Hinde St, W.1 25 March, 1956

Dearest Jeanie,

Thank you so much for your letter and Fr Waggett.
⁸²
I thought I had a copy, but can't see it about. Have you [another] one, and don't you want this? It is a book I have always liked very much; quite the best I know of its kind....

We are having good addresses from Fr Harris every day [during Holy Week at St Paul's, Knightsbridge] on how to discover, and want to do God's will.... He suggested three ways of making decisions (all to be used together): consulting one's conscience (which should be kept in the right direction, like the needle of a compass, which, even if it has been deflected from the right direction by sin and misuse and neglect, still shows it is alive by quivering), (2) praying for guidance and reading the Bible, (3) considering the circumstances
in which one is placed. Not like the married Anglican priest who, on visiting St Peter's, told his wife he felt that God had called him to celibacy. He had forgotten his circumstances. At least, Fr Harris said he had; possibly, of course, he merely didn't care for them much.

I suppose each person joining the Church or getting ordained must decide what measure of belief in creeds is necessary and honest and possible. Of course no intelligent person would worry about the ‘symbols', such as ascending and descending and sitting; ‘rose again from the dead' presents rather more difficulty, I suppose. ‘Born of the Virgin Mary' is a fact not a symbol, of course; but I don't know if many ordinands let it worry them unduly; I hope not. The real crux is probably the second paragraph of the creed, down to ‘came down from heaven'. If they can't take that, they had better not be ordained. I don't know what I should have done if I had been an ordinand. But my principle is that the less trouble they make over it the better, if they feel they would make good priests….

Fr Derry has just rung up to come in to tea this afternoon. I now have to support
2
clergymen with my Easter offerings.
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How much for each? I can't well consult either about this.

I wish you had time & opportunity for Holy Week services. I got two palms on Sunday, one from each of my churches, so send you one, in case you got none.

Very much love.

E.R.M.

20, Hinde House, Hinde St, W.1 [probably 21 April, 1956]

Dearest Jeanie,

... I went to the S.P.G. Rally in Albert Hall on Tuesday evening, it was cram full and very impressive. I had been given a seat at the last moment, in a loggia, and could see and hear the platform well. There were a lot of bishops, a huge choir, Fr Huddleston and Fr Raynes
⁸⁴
etc. Bish. Roberts
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presided and introduced. Fr H. was excellent, very reasonable and persuasive.
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I liked Dr Barker,
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too; do you know him? I think he works among Zulus.

I feel rather sad that poor K. & B. are getting, apparently, such a chilly welcome from Londoners.
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Hardly anyone is cheering, even when they put a beautiful wreath on the Cenotaph. I'm afraid people have been got at by Ukrainians, Poles, and papists. It is a pity, and makes war more not less likely. If they were sent away with friendly feelings, it would warm their hearts. They must feel envious of Malenkov; no one wants to kiss them….

V. much love.

[No signature]

20, Hinde House, Hinde St, W.1 29 May, 1956

Dearest Jeanie,

... I am
so
glad you like my foreword.
⁸⁹
I was a little doubtful lest it should seem to give too solemn and religious a touch, but after all that is what it is largely about. I shall be most interested to know what you think of the whole novel when you read it; perhaps in your holidays.

Did you see a letter from a Presbyterian passionately rejecting the idea of union with the C. of E.? He said our Prayer Book was far too formal, stiff & cold. But of course union wouldn't mean using one another's forms of worship. Though I suppose for Presbyterians who really can't like our liturgy, it would be n.g. to be allowed to communicate at our services. I don't really know just what ‘union' would mean, besides that.

Fr Harris preached a v.g. Ember Day sermon on Sunday, emphasising what the clergy are for, and the great need for more good ones. He said afterwards that at Bedford
⁹⁰
he regularly deputed lay readers, men & women, to say Evensong when he and his curate couldn't be there. It is pitiful to see services full of eager women communicants and perhaps a man or two but usually not (on weekdays) and such a shortage of help. It is all rather mysterious and wants analysing by intelligent psychiatrists—I mean the male disturbance at the idea of women as priests or deacons. It can't be the competitive economic reasons that apply in most professions; but it is something very deep-seated.

On Corpus Christi I am driving to Nashdom Priory, near Burnham, to take part in the Priory C.C. procession, or at least to walk behind it. If fine, it will be nice; if wet I shan't go….

Very much love.

E.R.M.

Dear old Miss Browne,
⁹¹
who must be about 95 I should think, or more, wrote a very ill-scrawled letter saying she is all-but blind now, but goes to a Blind Library in Guildford and hears books read aloud from records. What a good idea this is.

20, Hinde House, Hinde St, W.1 25 June, 1956