The Henson Journals

[494]

3rd Sunday after Trinity, July 9th, 1916.

706th day

A beautiful morning but with a shifty breeze & a sultry atmosphere. I preached at Mattins for the local Hospitals, adapting an old sermon on the words, "I know their sorrows", which had done duty on more than one "Hospital Sunday" in Westminster. The church was little more than half full, which was wholesome for such vanity as remains to me after so many humiliations! There was a certain lethargy over the service, though the Vicar reads the prayers reverently, and the singing of the choir was certainly not conspicuously inadequate. Also I celebrated the Holy Communion after Mattins. It is to be noted that after the 3rd collect we had the latter part of the Litany. This is a variant from the legal form which I have not previously encountered. The Vicar told me that the Archbishop requires the incumbents in the diocese of Canterbury to follow the statutory service up the 3rd collect; and tolerates varieties afterwards. This, of course, is quite illegal, but it may pass as a pis aller.

After lunch Marion & I walked on the cliffs in the direction of Westgate, but the sultriness of the atmosphere made exertion little desirable, so we soon returned. At evensong I preached again to another meagre congregation. After supper Ella & I walked along the cliffs to Minnis Bay, & talked to several of the soldiers, who were in some number 'taking the air'. They are always very civil & give an impression of alertness & candour which is certainly very pleasing. There is report of a German sea–plane, which visited this coast early in the day, and even dropped bombs, which, however, failed to explode. We heard many alarming sounds. These are now so familiar to the residents that they wake little interest & no alarm.

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