The Henson Journals

[429]

Thursday, October 7th, 1915.

430th day

I wrote to Arthur for his Birthday. Ella & I walked for an hour on the cliffs before lunch. In the afternoon we attended the Harvest Thanksgiving in the parish church. The convalescent soldiers who performed at last night's concert now appeared in surplices, & acted as choirmen. I preached from St Paul's words: "Be not deceived: God is not mocked: whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap". I took occasion to protest against the belittlement of Germany, which has become so common. The congregation listened with attention, & did not fling the hassocks at my head. The midday post brought me another letter of protest, very virulently expressed. That snippet in the papers 'reporting' my sermon in S. Nicholas's church has certainly 'uncorked' a lot of rather surprising violence. It would seem that many understandings are so limited that they really cannot accommodate more than one notion at a time: & as the War dictates for the present what that notion shall be, it is quite useless attempting to insert any other!

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