The Henson Journals

[89] [sic] [87]

Saturday, August 21st, 1920.

[A chilly day. Colonel & Mrs Smith, Gabrielsson, & Ella motored to Wigmore in the morning, and I worked at the Lectures. After lunch our guests saw the Cathedral. After tea, the Smiths departed, and Baddeley arrived. I took him & the Swede for a walk. Ella, Baddeley, and I dined with Mrs Percy Clive. There was a small dance afterwards, during which Colonel Jeffreys & I had a long & interesting talk about the threatened coal strike. He appeared to speak with considerable knowledge of the situation, of which he evidently takes a very serious view. The worst difficulty just now is the circumstances that most of the troops are in Ireland, and of the 29 battalions left in England, a substantial proportion are Irish, who cannot be relied upon. He spoke with unusual decision of the essential superiority of English over all other troops: & the real inferiority of the Irish. We returned home about midnight.]

Gabrielsson tells me that few of the students at Upsala will understand any English, so that they will depend altogether on the interpreter! It appears that they are mainly taught German in the schools as a second language. In Sweden the use of the word "Mass" has survived the Reformation, but apparently forfeited most of its original meaning. It has no necessary connection with the Holy Communion, but describes the ordinary service on Sunday mornings which, more often than not, does not include a Celebration of Holy Communion. Among the country people any religious service, e.g. a cottage–lecture, would be described as "the Mass". It is clear enough that the medieval tradition of doctrine and worship was quite effectually destroyed in Sweden. [But cf. p. 135.]

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