The Henson Journals

[153]

1st Sunday in Lent, February 21st, 1915.

202nd day

A bright morning with slight frost. I celebrated at 8 a.m. There were about 70 communicants, but most of them stayed in the nave where they could not possibly have heard the service, a circumstance of some importance since many were young. Gee preached an excellent little discourse to the troops, who sang the hymns with great heartiness. At Mattins Cruickshank preached a long & characteristic sermon on "Self–control". It was very interesting but disjointed, & delivered in a very lifeless, supercilious manner. There was a large congregation. After service I took Westcott & Hugh Lyon (who had turned up from Gateshead) to call on Budworth, & see the new House. It appears that Westcott has a nephew at the school. The lad, rather shy & awkward, came to tea after Evensong. Westcott's sermon was well composed, & (save for the mechanical intonation which is distinctive of deaf persons) well–delivered. He took for his text S. Paul's words in Eph. VI. "Our wrestling is not against flesh & blood &c" :& made an earnest argument for the reality of evil spirit–forces as the enemies of the human soul. In the course of the sermon he referred to the fact that it was just 30 years since he had himself been ordained in the Cathedral. Gee & Mrs Watkins came in to tea in order to see Westcott: & the Cruickshanks had lunched here with the same object. We easily persuaded Hugh Lyon to stay the night, and risk the displeasure of the military authorities! But he has been in hospital recently, & is clearly not very robust. Westcott, Caröe, and I had much discussion on many subjects. It is interesting to hear from his son's pious & ardent words an account of the great Bishop, whose tenure of the see has left so great a tradition: but it makes the actual circumstances of the diocese seem more squalid than ever.

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