The Henson Journals

[213]

Sunday after Ascension, May 16th, 1915.

286th day

A beautiful bright day. I looked up the actual dates of the 'conversion' of the Prussians before actually committing myself to the proposition that they had never "passed through the school of the medieval church". The decisive period was the fifty years (1230–1283) of almost exterminating warfare, during which the Teutonic Knights established their authority. The Church of the next century was in no condition to Christianize anybody: and the XVth brought the Hohenzollerns to the front. Perhaps the squalidest basis of any national 'Reformation' was that sacrilegious ambition which transformed the Teutonic Knights into the hereditary & aggressively 'Protestant' nobility of Prussia. Since the 'Reformation' the story is one of almost ceaseless war. I motored to Sunderland, & both preached & celebrated in Christ Church. There was a considerable, but not a crowded congregation. After service I lunched with Major Vaux, who has a comfortable house hard by the Church. General Kelly with his wife also lunched. He told me that he was the brother of Father Kelly of Kelham. We had much, & interesting conversation. I returned to Durham in time to attend Evensong in the Cathedral. Later I went to S. Nicholas' Church, & there repeated the discourse which I had preached in Sunderland. The church smelt horribly of escaping gas, & everything was impressively unclean!

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