The Henson Journals

[60]

Monday, June 17th, 1918.

1414th day

I read for an hour before getting up that painfully interesting book "The Village Labourer 1760–1832" by J. L. Hammond & Barbara Hammond" (Longman's). If all that cruel story of monotonous & sustained oppression, hypocritical on one side, infinitely degrading on the other, be indeed a living tradition in the minds of the peasantry what a treasury of hatred there is for the agitator to draw upon! Bolshevism in England ceases to be incredible. I spent the morning in my study preparing for the Birmingham sermon. In the afternoon I went to All Saints church, and was shown over by Treherne. The collection of chained books is amazingly interesting. It was bequeathed in the 18th century. I had no idea that the practice of chaining books persisted to so comparatively recent a time. The carved miserere stalls with their tabernacles are admirable examples of medieval woodwork. The church has many other features of interest. I had tea with the Trehernes.

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