The Henson Journals

[373]

14th Sunday after Trinity, September 5th, 1915.

396th day

Still glides the Stream, and shall forever glide;

The Form remains, the Function never dies:

While we, the brave, the mighty, and the wise,

We Men, who in our morn of youth defied

The elements, must vanish –

Wordsworth was more a pantheist than Christian when he conceived those lines, though he adopts a more permissible attitude in his lines which follow:–

– be it so!

Enough, if something from our hands have power

To live, and act, and serve the future hour;

And if, as towards the silent tomb we go,

Through love, through hope, and faith's transcendent dower,

We feel that we are greater than we know.

The whole sonnet is a poet's variation of the Apostle's dictum: "The world passeth away & the lust thereof, but he that doeth the Will of God abideth for ever". Caröe went off after breakfast, & I went in to the military service, & preached to a rather small congregation of soldiers on the 'Royal Law' of mutual consideration. Then I attended Mattins, and listened to a sermon from Lillingston about the War. He assumes as if it were self–evident that God is punishing England for its irreligion by bringing upon it this dreadful visitation: & he suggests that reformation is the only road to victory. As an example of the wickedness for which the nation is being visited, he mentioned that he himself had recently visited a camp of 5000 soldiers & celebrated the Holy Communion at 7 a.m., and that only 3 communicants presented themselves! After Mattins, I celebrated the Holy Communion, & then walked with Charnwood before lunch.

[375]

Captain & Mrs Soltau–Simmons came to lunch. At Evensong old Greenwell appeared in his stall to hear Blow's Anthem. After service we (i.e. the Charnwoods & ourselves) walked round Houghall wood. The sunset was most beautiful, & the Cathedral suffused by crimson light which deepened to purple was superb. Meade–Falkner came to supper, and talked with much animation.

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