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FIRST PLACE WINNER — 17-18 CATEGORY

Jennifer Schlaudt

WHAT I HAVE LEARNED FROM MR. HENTY

I have been an avid reader all my life. As early as the library’s summer reading programs in my first and second grade year, I devoured the “find” of the week in two or three days and rushed it back to replace it with two or more works of equal merit. Anything imaginable that constituted quality reading I sampled: biographies, mysteries, classics, Newberry winners, and historical fiction novels. Everything from Misty Chincoteague and Prince Caspian to Through Gates of Slendor, Sherlock Holmes, and The Scarlet Pimpernel was on my reading list. I read books in ones and twos and even a few series such as Anne of Green Gables, and Elsie Dinsmore. I plotted doggedly through some, determined to finish if it killed me, and raced breathlessly through others-even on the second and third re-readings. But, never was I so captivated by a series or an author as when I encountered a writer by the name of George Alfred Henty. Since the summer before my nineth grade year, when I reluctantly read my first Henty novel as an assignment from my mother, I have been a committed Hentonian! I immediately recognized the inestimable value of such a literary treasure and determined that it would be followed by as many more as I could manage to discover. The tremendous potential for life-enrichment in Mr. Henty’s books, combined with an irresistibly thrilling plot, motivated me to establish a collection for myself and my children. One book at a time, my little library has been steadily growing ever since. As I anticipated, this investment for the future has already paid off, increasing my store of knowledge outside the boundaries of a traditional textbook and preparing me for my adult life in many indispensable ways.

I have gleaned a much more thorough understanding of historical events which have been treated by Mr. Henty than I ever could have gained from a textbook account. The portrayal of battles and events, voyages and intrigues in the vivid colors of well-written historical novels inevitably embeds the otherwise burdensome details in the mind of a reader. The tragic events surrounding the fall of Jerusalem to Titus and the Roman army have been etched on my memory as a result of my perusal of For the Temple. Through this masterful narrative, I have been able to grasp the impact that the political and civil unrest within both nations had upon the outcome of the subjugation. My heart has been stirred by the valorous struggles of Boadicea to preserve her faltering kingdom against the conquering legions of Rome in Beric the Briton. When my study of British literature this year required an understanding of the history of the Britons, I was already quite familiar with the story, due to my reading. The history of the Scottish war for independence, under the leadership of immortal patriots such as William Wallace, and Robert Bruce, has added a stirring episode to my ever-increasing hoard of favorite accounts, as has the story of the Norman Conquest, culminating the famous Battle of Hastings. I fairly imbued Saint Bartholomew’s Eve, which reveals the political chicanery behind the murderous Huguenot Wars of the Reformation and was enthralled with By Right of Conquest, sympathizing keenly with both sides involved in the saga of Montezuma and Cortez. Thanks to Mr. Henty, I am now in the class of those who are learning from history that they may not be doomed to repeat it.

As I have made my way through the escapades of Mr. Henty’s illustrious and unprecedented heroes, I have kept a mental file of their never-failing techniques to which I may refer to in the case of an emergency. For instance, should I find myself grappling with a ferocious bear and five cubs on a high, narrow mountain ledge in an attempt to take shelter in a cave, from a band of fierce natives, I have simply to dispatch the bears, skin them, twist together a rope from their hides, and descend the cliff with it. Nothing to it. Or, if I am taken prisoner by a band of enemy soldiers, and forced to trudge the dusty roads in a procession, I can slip my hands from my bonds, dash to the nearest horse and vault onto his back, hurl the previous rider to the ground, and gallop away to the hills, mustering an army as I go. I could end a pursuit, and evade capture by jumping into a well to hide, support myself by clinging to the bucket until I can safely emerge. That one has promise! Should I be forced to avoid detection by escaping from a walled city, I could conceal myself in the howdah of a trained elephant, force him to stampede in a destructive rage through the city, and drop neatly off his back outside the gates. Perhaps most impressively, if I ever find myself the object of the worship of a tribe of South Seas natives, who are under the impression that I am a deity and insist on dragging me about with them like a good luck charm, I have but to instruct the natives to assemble a week’s supply of food and water, choose a very dark night, gag my four guards, steal a canoe, and make a gateway. Mr. Henty may one day be entitled to credit for preserving my life and limb!

On a more serious note, I have learned the meaning of true manhood through the characters of Mr. Henty’s novels. In the exemplary figures of these timeless tales I have seen the old-fashioned ideals, morals, and character qualities, which constitute a truly godly man — precisely the kind I desire for a husband one day. Chivalry — or courtesy, especially to women — is a trait shared by each of Mr. Henty’s protagonists. All of them treat women as special charges to be respected and protected at all times, as in the case of Sir Philip Fletcher of Saint Bartholomew’s Eve. He considers it his responsibility to aid the lovely Clare de Valecourt to escape the horrors of the St. Bartholomew’s Day Massacre, while still preserving her womanly honor. The integrity of godly manhood is a facet of the character of all Henty’s heroes, as well. Sir Gervaise Tresham of A Knight of the White Cross demonstrates his moral incorruptibility through dependability, keeping his promise to the Lady Claudia, though he must surmount all sorts of obstacles to do so. The admirable quality of selflessness, too, is a trait exhibited by the characters of Mr. Henty’s stories, including Beric the Briton, who battles a lion barehanded in the arena to save the life of a condemned Christian. Not a single hero fails to show great courage in all situations. Wulf the Saxon, aided only by two stalwart companions, defended his king’s camp against a party of enemy soldiers, preventing their entry until reinforcements arrive to drive them back. Rupert Clinton, a character of Dash for Khartoum demonstrates extraordinary loyalty — yet another aspect of the nature of Henty’s heroes — by undertaking an apparently hopeless and seemingly endless search for his enslaved brother, a prisoner of war. The deep humility of John of Gamala — the eminent young guerilla leader in For the Temple — in the height of his popularity is an illustration of G.A. Henty’s characters. The worthy protagonist of G.A. Henty’s tales hold up the highest standard of behavior, serving as ideal role models for young men and young women alike.

A writer of Mr. Henty’s caliber is a very rare find. The majority of us could not produce in a lifetime one work carrying the mark of a masterpiece, not to mention one hundred and forty-four of them! In Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s beautiful poem “A Psalm of Life,” he writes:

Lives of great men all remind us
We can make our lives sublime,
And, departing, leave behind us
Footprints on the sand of time.

In my aspiration to be a skillful, effective, and articulate writer, the small steps I have taken in the general direction are due to the blessing of God and to the dedication world-wielders who have hove before me, inspiring me to tread the influential path of the eloquent communicator. Mr. Henty is one of these “great men,” and it is to him that I owe a large portion of my own writing style. The hours that I have spent pouring over his books have impressed upon my mind the beauty of his flowing sentences, stimulating vocabulary, and lucid syntax. These, in turn, have tremendously influenced my thinking and, hence, my writing. My individual style has developed under the tutelage of Mr. Henty’s works. Judging from the trail of footprints that G. A. Henty has left on my “sands of time,” my hardcover collection of his works is one of the best investments I have ever made.

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