The Henson Journals

[170]

Saturday, September 8th, 1917.

1132nd day

Headlam came to lunch bringing with him Brightman and a Serbian student from Oxford, who had been in the great retreat. He spoke English fairly, and seemed to understand what I said to him. He said that Germany was regarded with respect in Serbia, for most educated Serbians had gone there for their education: that the German troops had treated the country well: & that the hatred of the people was poured out on the Austrians & Hungarians. I showed the house & the library: he seemed to be interested, but expressed himself with Oriental sedateness.

Headlam showed me a letter from his cousin who is on Haig's staff. It was on the whole cheerful, dwelt on the heavy slaughter of Germans in the recent fighting, & confirmed by reference to actual instances the horrible report that the German Government was organizing the breeding of children by requiring unmarried women to have intercourse with selected men. Two governesses in Germany had written to their friends to say that they were enceintes, and to explain the fact. This seems almost too horrible for belief, & yet the facts seem to be well–authenticated.

I attended Mattins & Evensong: walked through Houghall wood: and made some sort of a beginning with the Liverpool sermon.

Messrs Twining send [sic] me the invoice for 50 lbs of tea: and Haisman has sent in about 30 out of the 45 tons of coal which he has undertaken to deliver. With a fire & tea one can stand much. There is scarcely anything else that, in present circumstances, one can store in advance.

After dinner I wrote several letters including one to Ernest Rudling's father inquiring where that young man is, & how he fares. There is, perhaps, none of the old S. Margaret's boys whose career in the Army seems to me more fraught with peril. He has many amiable traits, but also many grave faults, & while the first are little likely to be strengthened in military life, the last are but too germane to its lower aspects.

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