The Henson Journals

[97]

Saturday, July 7th, 1917.

1069th day

I presided over a very amicable meeting of Chapter, at which we provisionally decided to substitute an electricity–driven fan for the present organ–blowing apparatus. I undertook to ascertain from the Deans of the Cathedrals, wherein this device has been adopted, whether it has been found satisfactory. The Mayor came to see me about a meeting on August 4th in the Market place to commemorate the anniversary of the declaration of War. After lunch Ella & I "took up our carriages", and travelled to Manchester, where we were to be the guests of Canon & Mrs Scott. There came to dinner Bishop Welldon, & Mr & Mrs Murray Wrong. The latter is the daughter of the Master of Balliol, & very pretty, but an ardent suffragist.

The evening paper ^reports^ another air–raid on London, more formidable in number of aeroplanes & persistence of attack than any previous raid. This will give actuality to the observations on 'reprisals', which I propose to make tomorrow. Our conversation at dinner turned on this subject, and moved on naturally to that of the Quakers and their religious attitude. Welldon seems to me to have an inadequate sense of the obligation of Christians, and a fortiori of Christian ministers, to resist the onrush of the baser motives, which takes place in these moments of natural exasperation, and finds expression in the agitation for "reprisals". The very fact that it is so difficult to distinguish between legitimate military methods, and immoral methods of revenge, adds to the obligation. We must not play the casuist in the interest of natural passion, and suffer ourselves to drift into the situation of becoming Apostles of Hatred. No one who is not a preacher can realize how strong is the pressure in that direction. It seems so poor a thing to bleat of forgiveness from the "coward's castle" of a protected pulpit. The temptation is very strong not to echo the prevailing cry for vigourous & immediate retaliation. Nevertheless the duty of doing this unpalatable thing seems to me plain.

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