The Henson Journals

[164]

Thursday, September 12th, 1918.

1501st day

I breakfasted at the Athenaeum, and had much conversation with Newbolt. Then I wrote to Godfrey and Lilley. I walked into the City, & changed a cheque: then I called at the Deanery, & saw Ralph. He was more than usually gloomy about the war, & foretells revolution at its certain result. It certainly is hard to avoid pessimism, when one reads daily of strikes. I bought a few books in Paternoster Row, and went back to the Athanaeum by way of the Embankment. Here I lunched, having as my table comrades Percy Matheson and the Bishop of Sheffield. Then I returned to the Hotel, paid my reckoning, "took up my carriages", and went to Paddington. My journey to Hereford was relieved by the conversation of a young officer of the Naval Brigade, named Price. He told me that he had been educated at Tenbury Musical College (where he had been solo–boy), & Hereford Cathedral School. He had been a solicitor, & got into the Army from the Inns of Court Territorials. He was now 26 years old. We discussed life in the Army. He was very frank, said that 80% of the officers "went to pieces" with drink & women, that of these 20% contracted disease. I asked him whether the minority were also those who made some religious profession. He said this was so but that religion was a less powerful restraining force than fear of disease, & a feeling that one could never ask a decent girl in marriage if one had taken up with the baser sort. I arrived in Hereford about 8 p.m. Kitty & Craufurd had arrived, & also Linetta. The weather was quite cold.

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