The Henson Journals

[220]

Wednesday, October 15th, 1919.

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The principal task of religion is to mitigate and restrain the ardours of secular ambition and sensual appetite: but in the hands of the Christian Socialists that task is laid aside, and in its place the easier work of consecrating secular ambition and condoning sensual appetite is proposed as the proper business of a church. It is an astonishing revolution, and must have amazing consequences both to Christianity and to the world.

I went to see the cattle &c. in the Market collected for the great annual Fair. There was a vast mass of white–faced beasts. The men in charge of them look a wild lot.

David Bulmer came to see me about the question of his father's resignation of Canon Pyon. I fear there is little to be done, but it is a great scandal. I stayed indoors, & made a great effort to clean up my room against my departure on Friday. Then I read "The Army & Religion", a volume summarizing the results of an inquiry into the religious state of the British Army. The compilers are evidently persuaded that they have made startling discoveries, but they have found out nothing which was not entirely familiar to me, & I should suppose, to every other man who has any direct knowledge of the English people.

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