The Henson Journals

[475]

Tuesday, November 4th, 1915.

458th day

The post brought me from Watson a presentation copy of his "Life of Bishop John Wordsworth". I read half through the volume, and found it unusually interesting. What an extraordinary amalgam of surprising combinations, moral & intellectual, that erudite bishop was! He certainly carried into the grave three–fourths of the learning which had lingered on the Episcopal Bench. The 'Times' wired to me, that is, the Literary editor did so, asking me to review Loisy's "The War & Religion", which Arthur Galton has translated. This I consented to do, and duly received a copy of the brochure. It is extremely good reading: its satire on Benedict XV's attitude is inimitable: but I observe with distress that the ex–leader of French Modernism adopts a confessedly non–Christian attitude. His little book suggested to me a subject for my Cambridge sermon. I propose to examine the incompatibility of genuine Christianity with patriotism which M. Loisy affirms. Of course, he adopts the convenient controversial device of identifying essential Christianity with "the programme of the Sermon on the Mount". Dorothy Parker arrived shortly after lunch, and I took her for a short walk. The weather was showery, but we had some interludes of sunshine.

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