The Henson Journals

[487]

Friday, November 12th, 1915.

466th day

There arrived from the publishers six volumes of "War–time Sermons". I wonder if as many volumes will be purchased by the public! I wrote to Carissima and to Marion, for her birthday.

The wind and rain disinclined me for outdoor exercise, so I walked with Logic in the Great Library. While we were there Joplin, the carpenter, arrived to place wire–netting at the windows in order to exclude the birds, whose attacks on the books are not unimportant. When Hughes accused the tits of these barbarian tactics, I was sceptical, but after examining some of the damaged volumes, I could not withhold belief since not only was the injury apparent, but the culprits were disclosed by the droppings which they deposited on their victims, adding insult to injury! Mr Charles S. Allwood called on me to ask advice about publishing an English version of two books by Archbiship Söderblom. I counselled postponing publication until the close of the War. He had but just arrived from Sweden, and his account of Swedish opinion was rather discouraging. He says that the Swedes are distinctly more anti–English than they were, on account of the blockade: that the 'activists' (advocates of intervention on the side of Germany) press for an attack on Petrograd: that the Swedes can put 500,000 men in the field: and that only the dread of an attack on Gotenburg by the British fleet restrains the Swedish Government. All this is bad hearing. There seems to be no end to the evil results of our failure at Gallipoli. The Precentor came to see me about the suggestion that anthems should replace hymns at Mattins on certain days. I sanctioned this on "Stir–up" and Advent Sundays.

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