The Henson Journals

[137]

Saturday, September 25th, 1920.

We packed our baggage, and were at the quay side by 10.45 a.m in order to journey to Stockholm in Mr Äckström's motor boat. Two of the younger Söderblom's boys went with us, and there were some others. The brilliant weather enabled us to enjoy the scenery, which was extremely beautiful. We lunched on board lavishly. On arriving at Stockholm we hired a taxi, & were driven to the Hotel Terminus, where a room had been reserved for us. Hardly had we settled into our room before a telegram was brought to me saying the King would receive me tomorrow at 10 a.m.

[I wrote letters to Marion and Arthur. Also I wrote to Professor Aulén at Lund, and to the Proprietor of the Grand Hotel engaging a room.]

The wealth of the Swedish Churches in carved reredoses of the medieval period, and in frescoes & vestments of the same epoch, has been a great revelation to me. I am assured that confesion is still the general practice in the western part of the country. The poverty of the clergy is being met by the uniting of parishes, as in England. There seems no very effective system of inspection or oversight, by which the treasures of the churches might be secured against loss by fraud or carlessness: but there is a disposition to remove objects of exceptional value to the Stockholm museums. There are parties in the Swedish Church, not unlike our own, but there is no conscious, still less any organized revolt against the Reformation. All are proud to be Lutheran Protestants.

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