The Henson Journals
Fri 17 September 1915
Volume 20, Page 393
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Friday, September 17th, 1915.
410th day
Kathleen writes to tell me that her brother, Wilmot, wounded at the Dardanelles, has died at Malta. The casualties at the Dardanelles are stated in this morning's papers to exceed 87,000 men: & we have just lost a submarine & its whole crew. I finished the sermon for the Freemasons: corrected proofs: & wrote condolence letters to Kathleen & to her Father. After Evensong, I took Ralph for a walk to the golf–course where the air is fresher than in Durham itself. We had much talk, which tended to take a melancholy turn. Ralph quoted our Lord's words to St Peter as summing up the truth of our life on earth: "When thou wast young, thou girdest thyself, & walkedest whither thou wouldest: but when thou shalt be old, thou shalt stretch forth thine hands, & another shall gird thee, & carry thee whither thou wouldest not'
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Lillingston & his wife came to dine. Also Dennett. All very pleasant. The Bishop of Bristol (Nickson) writes to ask me to recommend him books to assist in the preparation of a sermon which he is to preach to the University of Oxford in December. He proposes as his thesis the following: 'The evidence of Christian character as tending to a broader view of the Work of the Spirit & incidentally the cause of Reunion'. He is pleased to say that 'he is told to think that the subject or at any rate allied ones are not altogether foreign to my own outlook'. None the less, I think his framing of the subject is not wholly satisfactory, & I grievously suspect that I shall find the handling of it far from my liking.
The question was raised tonight what might be the effect of the cathedral services on the choirboys, who attend them so regularly. Dennett replied that some boys were so impressed that they desired to take Orders, but that on others the effect was precisely opposite. They reacted from church attendance altogether! He said further that the choirboys prefer the military service to the more regular services: & generally gave him a fair account of my sermon to the troops.