The Diary of Dorothy Priest, December 25th 1914

No papers today, when we all want them so much to see about Dover and if there is anything in the report that Cromer has been bombarded.

We make a pretty big fuss if our precious coast is touched by a shell, but what about Belgium?  I have been reading King Albert’s book today and that has brought the fact home to me more than anything else.  Truly little Belgium vanished in the beginning of August and her place was taken by great, brave noble Belgium, immortal though her land be all in ruins and in the hands of our enemies.  We can never repay the debt we owe to Belgium and King Albert.  Church today did not seem at all like Christmas Day, though we had the usual Christmas hymns and service.  The sermon, which was remarkably short, was about the two kinds of peace, outward, earthly peace or absence of war and inward, spiritual peace, the peace of God.  It seems to me that England has more of that true peace than she has had for years.  Will this war end war? Will the Christmas bells this year ring out the thousand years of war, ring in the thousand years of peace?

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