The Henson Journals

[702]

Saturday, April 1st, 1916.

607th day

A glorious spring morning with much hilarity among the birds that sing, & marked emphasis in the raucous communings of the rooks. I received the Holy Communion at 8 a.m. Dennett was the celebrant. A reporter came to inquire whether there would be anything about the War in my sermon at S. Margaret's tomorrow morning. I was able to assure him that there would be no such dilution of the Gospel! I read through Ernest's essay on "A London & a Parisian Lodging House", in which he compares Dickens & Balzac. It is quite a respectable piece of work, and gives one a better impression of his powers than the little sermons. Taken along with his evident devotion to Shakespeare, might one discern a potency of literary competence in him? I presided at a meeting of Chapter. There was little business, but the Chapter Clerk was instructed to write to the Mayor, & require some answer to my letter about his bad work in Langley House. I worked awhile in the garden. Hugh Lyon arrived after lunch, and walked round Houghall with me, returning just too late for Evensong. The Bishop came in at tea–time: I gave him Söderblom's letter to read, & the book on "Degenerate Germany". There was another Zeppelin raid last night. This arrested the running of trains, & delayed the arrival of newspapers until the afternoon. I wrote to Mary Radford congratulating her on the safe arrival of the boy, my godson, and asking for exact particulars of name & date for inscription on a piece of silver. Hugh described to us some of his experiences in camp abroad. The rats must be a horrible nuisance. Like all the returned soldiers I have met, he expresses a preference for the French over the Belgians. The latter impress our troops as churlish and avaritious, with a tendency to making money by espionage!

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