The Henson Journals

[121]

Monday, October 15th, 1928.

The Charnwoods left after breakfast. I laboured at the composition of a sermon until lunch. After lunch Lionel and I motored to Darlington, where I consecrated a new cemetery at one end of the town, & an addition to an old cemetery at another. The Mayor & some members of the Corporation attended both services. Afterwards we all had tea with Mr Storr, who is a rather distant relative of the Canon of Westminster. Then we returned to Auckland Castle.

I read through a novel, 'The Revolt', which was sent to me by the author, George B. Lissenden, who appears to have written other novels. He accompanied his book with a letter in which he claims to be setting forth in it facts which have come under his own observation. I wrote to him civilly in reply. There is a sure market for 'scare literature' and this circumstance makes it very difficult to believe any 'facts' which provide materials for that kind of composition. Nevertheless, it is not easy to exorcize from one's mind the dolorous fears which books of this kind create. Some truth there must be in the picture they give, but how much? Lord Halsbury novel "1944" may stand with "The Revolt" as a disconcerting forecast, which may be just, but is too unpleasant to be accepted. Both these compositions, poor enough as literature, are extraordinarily disturbing.

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