Warning: include(header.php) [function.include]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /home/parsonsf/public_html/martin_autobiography/highbury.php on line 2
Warning: include(header.php) [function.include]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /home/parsonsf/public_html/martin_autobiography/highbury.php on line 2
Warning: include() [function.include]: Failed opening 'header.php' for inclusion (include_path='.:/usr/lib/php:/usr/local/lib/php') in /home/parsonsf/public_html/martin_autobiography/highbury.php on line 2
Warning: include(martin_autobiography/autobiography_index.html) [function.include]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /home/parsonsf/public_html/martin_autobiography/highbury.php on line 4
Warning: include(martin_autobiography/autobiography_index.html) [function.include]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /home/parsonsf/public_html/martin_autobiography/highbury.php on line 4
Warning: include() [function.include]: Failed opening 'martin_autobiography/autobiography_index.html' for inclusion (include_path='.:/usr/lib/php:/usr/local/lib/php') in /home/parsonsf/public_html/martin_autobiography/highbury.php on line 4
5. St John's Hall, Highbury
After the C.U.M. camps I went to Eastbourne where my father was again doing the locum at All Saints, though not living in the Vicarage but in a school in Carlyle Road. I helped in the C.S.S.M. which was being run by Leslie Brewster who was curate of Holy Trinity. J.B. Phillips was among the workers, already an original character and a striking speaker. His contribution to the Kingdom of God through his translations [of the New Testament] is incalculable. I found the Eastbourne C.S.S.M. larger and less intimate than Filey, but I am sure it was effective.
I was now twenty two and ready to go to a theological college. ["At last you will be doing some theology." It was the Dean of Queens', Charles Wood, who made the remark when I met him in Walnut Tree Court on one of my visits to Cambridge. When I was an undergraduate I used to attend meetings of the Ryle Society in his rooms, and occasionally laid bare my theological ignorance. The Ryle Society was the Dean's 'pigeon' a rallying ground for those who were not of the Chaplain's anglo-catholic bunch. We were an odd assortment, but in that society I learned some basic things about infant baptism, confession and absolution, and kindred subjects which have stood me in good stead.]
I had earlier been in touch with Ridley Hall as an associate, but later withdrew. The motive for this was financial as it was found that the fees at St John's, Highbury, were only £100 a year, whereas at Ridley I should have required more like £200. [I knew little of Highbury, except through friends who had been there, and whom I admired. In particular there was L. P. Sheath, and of a slightly earlier generation Bryan Green and Kenneth Bevan. I knew that Bishop Taylor Smith and Prebendary Carlyle had both been students, and that Hugh Gough had recently gone to the College after his spell with the I.V.F. since coming down from Cambridge. These facts seemed to me to belie the description I had heard of St John's as 'the back door into the Ministry'. And when I made contact myself] I also liked what I knew of Highbury, and felt that after a year in Bermondsey it would be more congenial to go to North London rather than to the lawns and river of Cambridge again. In some ways it would have been pleasant to rejoin many of my friends, but I made new ones at Highbury, and perhaps had something to contribute as a graduate in a college made up mostly of non-graduates. Anyhow, the decision to go there had far-reaching results in my subsequent life and career.
[The application form struck the spiritual note, and seemed to endorse what I had heard of the evangelical nature of the College. Then I was called for interview with Dr. Gilbert and he confirmed my impressions. He remarked on my Crusader badge and gave me, in his own unemotional way, the conviction that the College stood for a sane and spiritual evangelicalism. He stressed the place of prayer in the life of the College, and when he found that Laurie Sheath was a friend of mine he seemed satisfied that I should fit in. I was drawn to the man, and through him to the College.]
[When the principal showed me round the building I was impressed with everything I saw. The gateway was modelled on St John's, Cambridge, the hall and chapel were both plain but beautiful in their proportions, and library, lecture rooms and living quarters were all adequate. When I later discovered the principal's gardens, to which students had access, and the tennis courts therein, I thought it delightful. The surrounding area of North London was certainly a bit drab.]
There were 110 students, mostly residing in college, but some sleeping in an annexe and a few in digs. Only men in their final year, or graduates who would normally be there for only four terms, had studies to themselves: others had to share, and the accommodation was pretty cramped, a bit like a cell! [One occupant of each study had a bedroom immediately above, the other was accommodated in sleeping quarters in odd corners of the building.] There was an interesting assortment of men, most of whom had done other jobs before coming to college. Very few were married, and these had to face separation from their wives in term time in a way which would not be tolerated now. The college was evangelical, but not all the men came from this background, and a few were quite rebellious. Admission to the college seemed to be entirely in the hands of the Principal, and I think if there had been A.C.C.M. selection as there is now, a number of men would never have got in.
[I found myself one of a group of five who were to do the General Ordination Examination, while the remainder would do the three year 'College Course' (which qualified them, at a later date, when the scheme had been agreed by College and Church, for the A. L. C. D.), except for a few who worked for the London B. D. the G.O.E. class consisted of three Cambridge men, C.S. Crowson, M.R. Must, and I, and two men who had been passed on to the College by Kelham.
[Many of the third year men had actually been at the College for four years by the time they had finished as they had taken a preliminary year to get up to Matriculation standard. This was just about finishing in 1929-30 and survived only in the evening classes, of which more later. Considering they had to make up much lost ground from the time they left school, many did remarkably well. Other final year men I got to know through sitting near them at meals were Geoffrey Druitt who became an army chaplain of distinction, and a Chaplain to the King, and a man named Higgs who died soon after ordination.
[About half the members of the College joined L.I.F.C.U. (London inter-faculty Christian Union) and rather fewer the S.C.M. (Student Christian Movement), but party lines - with a few notable exceptions - were growing less pronounced. Among the senior men in the L.I.F.C.U. I greatly admired Arthur Gillian (the Organ Scholar), Norman Cooper, and Desmond Dean. Desmod was a man of great integrity and spiritual leadership and the principal's prophecy that we should hear more of him has proved true.
[The second year men when I started as a student do not stand out very clearly. ... I remember Gerald Groves, whom I had known before, and who has since been Assistant Chaplain-in-chief in the R.A.F., and a Chaplain to the Queen. Another I recall is J.S. Hepworth who has been outstanding in parochial ministry.
[The first year, of which in one sense I was a part, although as G.O.E. men we did not attend all first year lectures, I again find it difficult to remember. One of them was C. C. Wolters who eventually became Provost of Newcastle, and another was G. A. Baker ('Peter') whose outstanding parochial work is well known. These two eventually became Senior and Deputy Senior students. A real power spiritually among the students was G. W. Williamson who served many years in the C. I. M. There was a batch of about ten men who came from Oak Hill, which at that time was a College for preparing men for entrance to Highbury or, in a few cases, for elsewhere, Only later did it become a theological college proper.
[Into this community I came, hoping that as a graduate I would not be too much of an outsider. Being naturally shy, I dreaded the possibility of being thought standoffish.] My closest friend was Sydney Crowson, also a Cambridge man, and he drew me out of my shell quite a bit. We both were friendly with an older man, Bill Webb, [an excitable Irishman] who had been in the Navy and helped us to keep our feet on the ground. Dick Rees was another good friend. He tended to engage in a good many outside activities, which was frowned upon by those in authority. [But few Johnians have been more effective in subsequent life.] At meals I sat with Arthur Hawkins whom I had known at St Leonards C.S.S.M. He had a breakdown and did not finish his B. D. but he recovered and was later ordained and had a useful ministry, ending up as an Honorary Canon of York. Another fellow-student who has had a great ministry was D. K. Dean, as also his great friend V. N. Cooper. But not all the men were of this calibre.
The Principal, Dr T. W. Gilbert, was a man of iron will and stern discipline. Men in their first year were a bit afraid of him, but he was greatly respected, and by some even loved. He was always kind to me and gave me good advice, and Mrs Gilbert also was very pleasant. [She looked after us if we were unwell, and took the line that if a man was sick enough to stay in bed, he needed to be on a starvation diet!] The Prin lectured in Doctrine and in English Church History [and gave excellent pastoralia talks to the final year, drawing on his own parochial experience]. The content of his lectures was excellent, but the manner was dull and he virtually dictated the notes. Probably many of the men would not have made much of the lectures if this had not been the case. It was possible to get through the exams on lecture notes alone, without any other reading. Standards are a good deal higher today, though on the whole the Highbury men were not being badly trained.
The Vice Principal was W. D. Sykes, a man in his forties who had married a young wife and they had one infant at that time. He subsequently became Principal of Tyndale Hall [the B.C.M.S. College in Bristol]. We few graduates went to him for New Testament as our Gospel for G.O.E. set book was Matthew. We also attended his first year lectures in Old Testament and Worship. He was very good in giving us extra time, and to me personally he was most kind and friendly. Twice I went to lunch with him and his wife, a welcome change from Hall.
Dr Harold Smith was a great "character," deaf, short-sighted, taking little part in social life. His lectures were difficult to follow, but his material was first class. We went to him for Morals. [His knowledge was massive and he gained his London D. D. with a monumental work, The Ante-Nicene Exegesis of the Gospels. He lectured in philosophy, morals, and other subjects. It became so difficult to hear his lectures that in the end Mrs Gilbert typed out the notes (becoming expert in deciphering his handwriting) and every student was given a copy. 'Squiffy', as he was affectionately known, took no offence, any more than when he prepared a learned paper for the Islington Conference knowing that, for audibility reasons, it would be read by me on his behalf!]
Guy Bevan, who later became a great friend, lectured in Early Church History, and first year New Testament on the Gospels. He was clear and concise [, and some of his devotional asides I can remember still. He took a prominent part in games, being in the 1st XI for both football and cricket, and the best fives player by a long way].
O.A.C. Irwin was perhaps the most brilliant man on the staff, but I never sat under him. He took the more liberal line on the higher criticism, and some of the very conservative men found his views a trial. He was a godly man, and comes into my story much later. [Much later he and I worked together in Dublin and I was greatly saddened by the news of his dying, along with his sister, in a fire at their house.]
The junior tutor was Harry Ellison, mentioned already on page 26, but I did not attend any of his lectures. He was friendly as far as the rather stiff tutor - student relationship allowed. when he left to go out with C.M.J. a great fillip was given to the already strong branch of the Palestinians (a curious title for C.M.J. supporters in view of the present-day nomenclature).
Missionary interest was quite strong, with a fair amount of rivalry between C.M.S. and B.C.M.S. A missionary prayer meeting took place every day at 7.10 a.m., though not very well attended. The C.M.J. cashed in on the demand for early morning tea and made handsome profits at a penny a cup. Chapel services were a great joy, at 7.30 a.m. and 9.30 p.m. I think now that 6 p.m. would have been a better time for Evening Prayer. As far as I remember, we only had one lesson both morning and evening, and I believe the full diet of Anglican worship would have been more helpful. But the singing was lovely and the worship a real inspiration. On Thursdays we had evening chapel at 5.30, with a sermon, usually by an outside preacher. In this way we had some of the best evangelical preachers - and some others as well! - and at Quiet Days once a term we had excellent fare from men like Guy King, Charles Wilson and so on.
In my student days we ran a Mission in the parish of Emmanuel, Holloway. It was the Principal's idea to have it in term time and I don't think it interfered with academic work. Ellison was the leader, and most of the college took part. It bound us together. The Senior Student, was an older man named [A. H.] Jackson, from Belfast, [the son of an Ulster farmer, and was] a fine character who later served in India with C.M.S. [for many years, and became an archdeacon]. The Deputy Senior was also an older man, Arthur Rowland whom I liked very much. He never seemed quite to sparkle in his subsequent ministry, though not for lack of devotion. A very staunch protestant, he was "Abbott" of "Monastery", i.e. leader of the Prayer Meeting which met for ten minutes each evening after supper. Probably the best prayer meetings of all were the Wing P. M.s when all those who lived in a wing of the college met together as a wing for 15 minutes on a Wednesday.
The L.I.F.C.U. had a membership of about half the College, the S.C.M. considerably less. Quite a lot of men did not join either. I was secretary of L.I.F.C.U. for a short time. I think it was a good thing to strengthen the witness in the University as a whole. L.I.F.C.U. also ran Open Air Meetings on a Saturday night, sometimes at Highbury Corner, and sometimes outside a pub at Drayton Park. It was a good experience. On Sundays everyone went to his allotted Mission. Mine was changed each term so that I was engaged in hospital ward services at the Royal Free and the Royal Chest hospitals, and in the summer was leader of the College Open Air service at Highbury Fields. I was first year representative on the Missions Committee which allocated the tasks to each man. Norman Cooper was secretary, and the placing of 110 men in 110 slots must have been quite a job.
A lot of men relied on an afternoon walk for exercise, in spite of the Principal's constant plea that "walking is not enough." I used to play fives occasionally, and tennis in summer, and was in the hockey, badminton and swimming teams. I got my colours for the latter two sports. Later when I was on the staff I umpired cricket, and played in the rather scratch Rugby team. I kept pretty fit except for one or two boils, which had also worried me in my year at the C.U.M.
I remember little of the Christmas and Easter vacs of my student year at Highbury. Over Easter itself I was at C.U.M. camp in Epping Forest, to which I also took a Highbury man, Dennis Hallett. The speaker on that occasion was Arthur Hopley, then a C.S.S.M. evangelist, but to end up as Archdeacon of Taunton. At home in Tiverton I got drawn into the Boys' Brigade. I reasoned with myself that there were plenty of people to run C.S.S.M.s and V.P.S. camps. So I went that summer to the B.B. camp at a good site between Paignton and Brixham. Fred Parsons was the Captain, a real father to the boys, Maurice Heath was the Lieutenant, and I was Padre. It was a good opportunity, but I do not know of any striking results. I was able to go on from there to the C.S.S.M. at Broadstairs, run by Sydney Crowson. His right hand man was Alan Cooper, later Provost of Bradford. Sydney's fiancee, Esther Goode, was in the party and her elder sister led the girls' work. It was quite a good C.S.S.M. I remember going from there to my parents at Eastbourne and doing the journey by coach, which was then quite a novelty. Stanley and Lydie were there, too. They were married at Tiverton that September and I was best man.
I had considered several suggestions for a curacy. C. E. Wilson had put out feelers about my going to Gypsy Hill, but I think the timing was wrong. The Vicar of Old Hill, whom I had met at Filey C.S.S.M., wrote to ask me to consider a title there. It was a black gown church, and I do not think I should have been happy there. I was much nearer accepting an invitation from Canon Askwith of Old Woking and I think he was disappointed I did not go. Earlier I had spent a weekend with Uncle George at Combe Down and visited Walcot parish. Prebendary Murphy wanted me to go, but I was unhappy with his approach. I was chiefly sorry not to be a fellow curate with Reg Heath, whom I liked and admired. But Murphy talked a lot about how "well" his curates had done, and I was put off by this.
Anyhow, all was changed when Dr Gilbert asked if it would appeal to me to follow Ellison as junior tutor at Highbury. I said it would, but that it was beyond my capacity. He asked me to think about it but say nothing to anyone. I kept it to myself, apart from writing to my father, who thought it a great opportunity. Later I talked to Guy Bevan, who gave me encouragement. So I said "Yes" to a job for which I should not now be considered qualified, but which had potential for a spiritual ministry. Dr Gilbert somehow got the Bishop of London to ordain me on only Part I of G.O.E. I did not do particularly well in that, either, getting bene in only one subject, satis in all else except Old Testament which, alas, was vix satis. At some point I took the Deacon's Exam and had an interview with the Bishop of London, Arthur Foley Winnington-Ingram. He was a great man, even if his diocese was in a bit of a mess administratively. He could not possibly know all his clergy; anyhow, he didn't. [As I left him he said, 'Send me along some good converted men from Highbury; we need them all.']
The Ordination retreat was taken by a Fulham vicar named Scott. He had been in the Bush Brotherhood in Australia and was a godly High Churchman. I found the retreat quite helpful. We were a large batch of men, mostly living in the huge Fulham Palace. We broke the rule of silence when walking round the grounds, but it was a serious affair. We took the oaths on Saturday afternoon, and then were sent away, to appear again at St Paul's next morning. I went to the C.U.M., which was almost like home to me, and which I had frequently visited on Sundays from Highbury. Next day I was to be made Deacon and so started on the life to which I knew God had called me.
Next chapter
Warning: include(footer.php) [function.include]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /home/parsonsf/public_html/martin_autobiography/highbury.php on line 67
Warning: include(footer.php) [function.include]: failed to open stream: No such file or directory in /home/parsonsf/public_html/martin_autobiography/highbury.php on line 67
Warning: include() [function.include]: Failed opening 'footer.php' for inclusion (include_path='.:/usr/lib/php:/usr/local/lib/php') in /home/parsonsf/public_html/martin_autobiography/highbury.php on line 67