The Henson Journals

[95]

Wednesday, July 4th, 1917.

1066th day

An anonymous post–card written with some violence and insult denounces me as "a kind of clerical Winston Churchill", and declares it "a piece of infernal impudence for Dr Henson to write on a military subject." It winds up with describing the said "Dr Henson – aged 54" as "a shirker"! Internal evidence leads me to conclude that the writer is one of our neo–Tractarian zealots, a conclusion which is confirmed by the circumstance that he writes from Portsmouth. All this rage is occasioned by my "Spectator" letter. Last night at the Castle all the company were at one in thinking that a great blunder has been made in exempting the clergy from military service. It was a company representative of the educated laity & "superior" clergy.

I spent the morning in preparing a sermon on "Friendship" for the Eton boys. Also I attended Mattins & Evensong. After tea we went to Hebburn, where I opened a "Maternity Centre and Infant Clinic", which the local authority has started. The formal "opening" was followed by a public meeting, which was well attended. Sir Thomas Oliver read an excellent speech, & then I spoke. After this, there was a wonderful array of complimentary–edificatory speeches by divers local folk. On the whole I was well impressed by these good people. They had evidently taken great pains over their function, & were mightily pleased at its success. After the meeting Sir Thomas Oliver motored us to Newcastle, & there gave us dinner in his house. This was acceptable as we should have gone dinnerless if his hospitality had not intervened. We caught the 10.47 express from Newcastle, & were back in the Deanery before 11.30 p.m. The evening paper reports another raid. Harwich is the victim this time. There were 8 persons killed & many wounded. It puzzles the ordinary citizen to conceive the reason why these raids can be undertaken almost with impunity & in broad daylight. There seems no reason why the most serious damage should not be inflicted on London, & many thousands of people killed.

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