The Henson Journals

[98]

2nd Sunday after Christmas, January 4th, 1920.

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Before starting for Brockhampton, I read a remarkably illuminating essay on "Institutionalism and Mysticism" in Ralph's "Outspoken Essays". His description of Christian mysticism is extraordinary lucid and alluring: and the strokes of mortal satire which fall again & again as he describes Institutionalism are such as only he can give. His stature grows visibly as I read his work.

We motored to Brockhampton, and there I preached & celebrated in the church which the Fosters built in memory of their son, Lieut. Foster, who fell in the War. The service was devotional, and the singing of the mixed choir extremely good. We lunched with the Fosters, and saw the rabbits. Mrs Foster presented me with a pair of rabbit–fur–lined gloves. On our way home we called on General Clive, who has just been appointed to the command of a brigade at Aldershot. We found the General and his wife at home, & I had some interesting conversation with the former. He had been in command of the army of occupation at Cologne, & was attached to French Headquarters during much of the War. He had been in Russian on the eve of the downfall of the Tsarist regime.

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I found him both informed and intelligent. He said that he was personally acquainted with Mr Keynes, who was a young man of great ability, and whose reputation in Paris stood high. He had not read his book, but intended to do so. I stated its general thesis, & he expressed himself as entirely agreed with it. He said the "Times" was totally wrong in trying to work up a scare about Germany's military forces. I asked him what was his deliberate judgement on the alleged German atrocities, and he replied that they had without doubt been enormously exaggerated, & that some of the worst had certainly been manufactured in this country. He thought the Germans were more brutal than ourselves in waging war, but he was not so sure about the French. The standard of manners was more brutal in Germany. He had often separated German children in Cologne, who were knocking one another about. He thought the Peace was excessively severe, & indeed, could not be carried out. I wrote to George, and went to the Cathedral for Evensong. I preached to a considerable & very attentive congregation on Christian Faith, taking for my text the two passages, Psalm 46.1 and Romans viii.35.

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