The Henson Journals

[286]

Friday, October 20th, 1916.

809th day

Our anniversary falls again in the shocks & shadows of a fearful War, and the relatively calm routine of such a life as ours takes an aspect of almost tragical futility, when it has to be seen in a setting of conflict & sorrow. "Give peace in our time, O Lord' – that is the inevitable prayer now.

The morning brought me, "With grateful thanks from his Father and Mother", a little memorial of their son Edward Wyndham Tennant, who at the age of 19 years, has fallen in action. It includes a very winning picture of the lad, and his wonderful letter to his mother, written on the eve of the fatal conflict, and in conscious reckoning with its stern possibility. I have never read a nobler or more moving composition. I wrote to Ernest, and to Carissima. In the afternoon I attended a meeting of the Sherburn Governors: & afterwards had some talk with Pemberton. He advises me to undertake the Warden's "Life". Lillingston brought in Bishop Frodsham, who has come to Durham in the character of "Archbishops' Messenger", & will deliver his message in the Cathedral tomorrow afternoon. He is a stout man very episcopal in aspect & manner: rather disposed to think the colonies the homes of wisdom: & to look down upon the non–colonially experienced. He appeared to be nowise very confident of the policy of the "National Mission", which, he said, had been "as ill–managed as possible from above", though, he thought, it had stirred much devotion in some quarters. He indicated that, though he was the Archbishops' Messenger, their Graces had nothing to do with shaping his "message". He admitted that there was considerable risk of the trumpet giving an uncertain sound, as the Missioners had arrived at no agreement as to their "Message"!

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