The Henson Journals

[610]

Monday, May 22nd, 1916.

658th day

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Jim & Clara went off after breakfast. I spent the morning in revising an old sermon for use in S. Cuthbert's, Edinburgh, next Sunday evening. For the morning I must prepare a new one.

Yeoman reports that the dead body of an unknown man was taken from the river last night, hard by the Prebends' Bridge, and removed by the police. I attended Evensong, and afterwards brought in to tea Philip Le Mesurier, the young student from Jersey, who is now resident in S. Chad's Hall. Then, when he had left me, I weeded the gravelled path, and rolled it. The afternoon post brought a letter from Hugh Lyon. This I answered forthwith, & wrote many other letters. After dinner I read Disraeli's Life, the new volume, to my wife.

It is immensely to D.'s credit that he perceived the substantial quality of the grievances which provoked the Indian mutiny, and protested against the savage doctrines of vengeance which were trumpeted abroad in England.

"I for one protest against taking Nana Sahib as a model for the conduct of the British soldier. I protest against meeting atrocities by atrocities. I have heard things said and seen things written of late which would make me almost suppose that the religious opinions of the people of England had undergone some sudden change, and that, instead of bowing the knee before the name of Jesus, we were preparing to revive the worship of Moloch. I cannot believe that it is our duty to indulge in such a spirit."

This was part of a speech at a farmer's dinner at Newport Pagnell on Sept: 30th 1857 (v. Life iv. p. 98/9). With scarcely the change of a word I could have embodied it in the text of my "Good Friday" sermon, &, had I then known of it, would have done so.

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