The Henson Journals

[635]

Thursday, February 3rd, 1916.

549th day

BRIGHTON

The 'Times' gives a good place to my letter on "Robertson of Brighton", who was born just 100 years ago. A clergyman, whose name I forget, volunteered very kindly to take me to the Monument in the extra–mural cemetery. It is much grown over by ivy, & is less impressive than I had expected. I lunched at the Rectory with Archdeacon Hoskyns. Mrs Hoskyns is unusually pretty, & attractive, not at all like the conventional parson's wife. The lecture was well–attended, many persons being unable to find seats. The Mayor, Otter, son of a former Bishop of Chichester, made too long an introductory speech, but well–conceived & well–expressed. I spoke for nearly an hour. An old gentleman was introduced to me as one of Robertson's hearers. He said that he owed his religion to the teaching he heard in Trinity chapel. The Dean of Chichester told me that the Head of Barclay's Bank had told him that he was now so devoted to Robertson's sermons that he always carried a volume of them about with him, and read one daily, but that in his youth, though he resided in Brighton during Robertson's ministry, he would never allow himself to hear him preach lest he should create a scandal among his religious friends! It is certainly difficult to imagine such fanatical bigotry. Ernest Henson, in khaki, came to me afterwards. He has a commission in a Lancashire regiment, & looks more manly in his uniform. The little girls, Ruth & Joan, have struck up a mighty fondness for me, & insisted on invading my bed–room, where I was writing, to smother me with Goodnight embracements! Bless them!

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