Henty Essay Contest Winners
THIRD PLACE WINNER
Joël Quenneville
WHAT CAN TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY BOYS and GIRLS LEARN about
DUTY, HONOR, and COURAGE
from the WRITINGS OF G.A. HENTY?
Do heroes still exist today? Can one be courageous, honorable and dutiful in the
twenty-first century just as many of Henty’s characters were centuries ago?
Henty’s heroes can still teach us lessons if we examine their good deeds.
The Reader’s Digest Illustrated Dictionary’s definition for courage is
“The state or quality of mind or spirit that enables to face danger and overcome
fear.” But the line must be drawn between courage and rashness. As Francis
Vere in By England’s Aid said to his pages, the heroes of the book,
“Make it a rule, my boys, never to shirk your duty, however great the risk
to life may be; but, on the other hand, never risk your lives unless it is your
duty to do so. What is gallantry in one case is foolishness in another.”[1] Heroes in Henty do many brave things, but the most heroic
are, in my opinion, in those instances where they endanger their own lives to save
someone else’s. This is because human life is one of the most valuable things
to God since he made us in his image. One we see saving others’ lives at a
risk to his own is the young British chieftain, Beric. He and his faithful friend
Boduoc are journeying through a forest when they hear a woman scream. They hasten
towards the sound, and notice that her hut is besieged by wolves. Should they help
the woman defend the hut and risk being devoured by wolves, or should they speed
on to the safety of their village? Beric determines to save the desperate family.
There ensues a vicious struggle in which the wolves tear off most of the roof and
seem certain to succeed in their fiendish desires. “For hours the fight went
on. Gradually the holes, in spite of the defenders, were enlarged, and the position
became more and more critical. At least twenty of the wolves were slain; but as
the attack was kept up as vigorously as at first, it was evident that fresh reinforcement
had arrived to the assailants.”[2] Fortunately
for the valiant party inside the hut, a group of friends from Beric’s village
suddenly arrives on the scene, and at their sight the wolves flee into the darkness
of the forest.
Saving other people’s lives is one way to show courage. It is not likely that
21st century children will have the opportunity to do that, but they
can still show courage in other ways such as obeying their parents even if their
friends laugh at them, playing with someone that no one else wants to play with,
or standing up for Jesus even if it makes them unpopular. There are many ways of
showing courage, but what is important is that when God wants us to do something
we must do it courageously whatever the cost.
What honorable traits do Henty’s heroes display that 21st century
children should imitate? The Reader’s Digest Illustrated Dictionary’s
definition for Honor is: “Nobility of mind, probity, personal integrity.”
Let us see how Henty’s heroes fare in this respect. Heroes in Henty’s
novels do not seek revenge, but they are willing to forgive their worst enemies.
In With Lee in Virginia, the hero, Vincent, who is an officer in the confederate
army during the Civil War, has been captured and sent to a prison at Elmira. To
his astonishment, he learns that a wicked schoolmate named Jackson is also imprisoned
there. Once, as Vincent had come upon Jackson in the act of cruelly beating a slave
and his wife, Vincent had felt it his duty to come to the defense of the innocent
couple and a fight was begun. Vincent won the fight easily and from that instant
on Jackson plots revenge. What a surprise then when Vincent finds out that he, Jackson
and several others are to share the same cell. What is his reaction? “Presently
he turned around, and Vincent recognized with surprise his old opponent Jackson.
After a moment’s hesitation he walked across the room to him. ‘Jackson,’
he said, ‘We have not been friends lately, but I don’t see why we should
keep up our quarrel any longer; we got on alright at school together; and now we
are prisoners together here it would be foolish to continue our quarrel.’”[3] And so Vincent and Jackson shake hands,
but Vincent doesn’t know that Jackson is not sincere. A few weeks later, Vincent
finds a way to escape and he invites Jackson to come with him. Once out of the walls
of the prison, Jackson calls the prison authorities and tells them Vincent’s
direction and disguise. Despite his companion’s treachery, Vincent ingeniously
escapes through the hands of his pursuers and crosses the border to safety.
Another honorable trait that characterizes Henty’s heroes is that they are
not willing to do anything for money and don’t accept bribes. Beric the Briton,
who was high in the Roman emperor, Nero’s, favor showed that he had this quality.
“Large sums of money had sometimes been offered him for his good offices, but
he steadily refused to accept any presents whatever, or to mingle in the affaires
of others.”[4]
To try to resemble the model hero of Henty’s books we should also pay close
attention to their treatment of women and others weaker than themselves. Ned, the
main character in Under Drake’s Flag, is on Francis Drake’s ship
during the capture of a Spanish ship. Afterwards, Ned notices that a young Spanish
woman has fallen into the water. “Suddenly he heard below him a scream followed
by a splash; looking over he saw the head of a woman appear above the water, and
without hesitation dived at once from the side. For a moment the girl, for she was
little more, struggled with him as if she would have sunk, but Ned grasping her
firmly, in a few strokes swam with her along the ship to the boat, and two or three
sailors running down assisted him to pull her into it...Captain Drake assured her
courteously, that, rough as his men might be, they would, none of them, lay a finger
upon a woman.”[5]
Even though we may live ordinary lives, we can still be honorable children. We too
can forgive those who have wronged us, we can be honest, and we can respect, protect
and help women, especially our mothers and sisters. Honorable children can make
a difference in this world by their Christ-like character.
What lessons about duty can children of today learn from Henty’s books? The
Reader’s Digest Illustrated Dictionary’s definition for duty is: “Moral
Obligation”. But we must not confuse pride with duty as Sgt. Wilkes did in
With Wolfe in Canada. This is the story: Sgt. Wilkes, runs a boarding house
with his beautiful daughter named Agnes. One day a handsome young man, Herbert,
the son of a rich squire, comes to board at their house. Of course he falls in love
with Agnes and asks Sgt. Wilkes permission to marry her. Sgt. Wilkes says he can’t
without the consent of Herbert’s father. The squire doesn’t believe in
people marrying “beneath” themselves so he refuses. Herbert, then runs
off with Agnes and marries her anyway. When Sgt. Wilkes receives a letter from Agnes
saying she and Herbert are married, he refuses to visit them, thinking that it is
his duty, even though it gives him much pain. But as he says later on, “I thought
it was my duty, but now I think it was pride”[6]
In the above paragraph, I’ve demonstrated that we must not confuse duty with
pride, because they are two completely different things. Duty is not pride. But
what then is duty? Ned, the hero in By Pike and Dyke, displays this very
quality. During Holland’s war of independence, Ned is charged by the Prince
of Orange to deliver a pack of important letters to the Prince’s secret adherents
in the Spanish-held town of Brussels. While in Brussels, Ned is captured by the
Spaniards and is sentenced to death for carrying treasonous information. However,
the Spaniards mistakenly give him back the pack of letters. Ned manages to escape
and instead of hurrying back to safety he feels it is his duty to go on and deliver
the letters despite the fact that he might be recognized any moment and dragged
back into jail.[7] Children today can learn
that they too should try to discharge whatever duties they’ve been given to
the utmost of their capacities. In other words they should not shirk or cover up
their mistakes, but they should persevere until their task is completed, doing it
“as unto the Lord”.
Even though courage, honor and duty are different traits, all three are related.
To do our duty honorably often requires courage. Let’s remember that even though
we might try hard, we can never be truly courageous, honorable or dutiful unless
we let God work through us. “I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.”
Philippians 4.13
Endnotes
[1] G.A. Henty, By England’s Aid
(Mill Hall, Pennsylvania: Preston Speed Publications, 2000) 56.
[2] G.A. Henty, Beric the Briton
(Mill Hall, Pennsylvania: Preston Speed Publications, 1996) 33.
[3] G. A. Henty, With Lee in Virginia
(Mill Hall, Pennsylvania: Preston Speed Publications, 1997) 144-5.
[4] Henty, Beric the Briton
300.
[5] G.A. Henty, Under Drake’s
Flag (Mill Hall, Pennsylvania: Preston Speed Publications, 1998) 51.
[6] G.A. Henty, With Wolfe in Canada
(Mill Hall, Pennsylvania: Preston Speed Publications, 1999) 66.
[7] G.A. Henty, By Pike and Dyke
(Mill Hall, Pennsylvania: Preston Speed Publications, 1996)
ABOUT JOËL QUENNEVILLE
My name is Joël Quenneville and I am thirteen years old. I live in the little
town of Orford nestled in the Appalachian Mountains in Quebec, Canada. My father
is French Canadian and my mother is American so we speak French and English at home.
I have three younger sisters, one younger brother, and a new baby to come in April.
History is my favorite subject and I love to read, so of course I am a great fan
of Henty. I already own a grand total of fifteen of his works. They are so fascinating
that I’ve read them three or four times each. When I’m not reading I enjoy
hiking, biking, fishing, berry-picking, running, sledding, and ice-skating.
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