Henty Essay Contest Winners
THIRD PLACE WINNER
Daniel Ross
HOW G.A. HENTY’S WORKS REMIND us of GOD’S PROVIDENCE THROUGHOUT HISTORY
G.A. Henty books bring several words to mind: action, character, and heroism. But
a more subtle and indirect theme also exists in these classics: the truth stated
in Jeremiah 18:7-9 where God declares: “At what instant I shall speak concerning
a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy
it; If that nation, against whom I have pronounced, turn from their evil, I will
repent of the evil that I thought to do unto them. And at what instant I shall speak
concerning a nation, and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it;”.
Although it was probably not the overt purpose of Henty, his works proclaim this
truth in almost every one of his historical novels.
Beric the Briton is an educational example of this principle. By the conclusion
of the book, one can see that had not the Romans conquered Britain, Christianity
would never have reached that island nation. As it was, it sowed the seeds of faith
for a bountiful harvest hundreds of years later. The peace of God in His martyrs
is also well shown in this book. One good illustration is the amphitheater sequence.
Henty skillfully depicts the grace and calmness with which the early Christians
lived and died. In the book, Beric is deeply impressed by the example set by Ennia
and the other Christians, and this ultimately sets the stage for his conversion
at the end of the book.
An appealing aspect of Henty books is that he makes it easy to see God’s hand
in history. This is illustrated very well in the book, With Wolfe in Canada. As
one follows James Walsham through the war, it is apparent that if clear-headed men
like Washington and Wolfe had not been present, large amounts of North America and
all of Canada would have been conquered by the French, and those areas would have
come under the yoke of Catholicism. When one considers the fact that the French
had vast assets and native friends here, it is clear that only God in His ineffable
providence could have prevented this.
This is displayed in the chapter on the vital battle for Quebec. As mentioned in
the book, the French expected provision boats, and this information enabled Wolfe
to trick the French guards into believing that his troopships, destined for the
Plains of Abraham, were actually supply boats for the main army. This ruse allowed
Wolfe and his men to drift down below the Plains, virtually undetected. The fact
that this information fell into the hands of Wolfe at so vital a time is a direct
testimonial to the presence of God in human affairs.
Many of G. A. Henty’s works chronicle the struggle between the Protestants
and the Catholics and the many miraculous Protestant victories. One that is very
enjoyable to read is With Frederick the Great. This story about a small Protestant
army, who defeated some of the best soldiers in the world, is a perpetual thriller
and is yet another example of God’s kind providence. Protestantism would have
died in Germany, had it not been for the small nation of Prussia, and its noble
leader, Frederick the Great. The accounts of personal drama and the heroism of Fergus
Drummond are some of the superb highlights of this book. The stories of the battles
and incredible victories of Frederick the Great and his outnumbered army also help
to show God’s command of men and countries, and these things make this book
one of the greats of the Henty collection.
Yet, even when victory was not always the outcome, the Lord always used it for His
divine plan. True to the Old Flag wonderfully displays this principle. In this book,
Britain’s loss of the American colonies in the American War for Independence,
as told through the eyes of young Harold Wilson, is presented through the major
battles of the war. Although it was viewed as a great misfortune in Britain, that
war, in another instance of God’s incredible providence and majesty, gave birth
to what is now the greatest nation on the face of the earth, the United States of
America.
A miraculous representation of God’s goodness to the colonials is presented
in the chapter on the end of the war. At the battle of Yorktwn, on the night of
October 16, General Cornwallis decided to ferry his men across the York River and
attack the French rear. He managed to get a small portion of his force across, but
before he could send the bulk of his army, a very rough storm rose up and isolated
his advance force. The next day, he started negotiations with Washington in an unprecedented
example of God’s hand in earthly matters.
n enthralling element Henty’s style is how he was able to create an intriguing
personal plot, and yet narrate a battle between thousands of men with the precision
with which he did. He was also very skilled in giving a clear idea of the political
landscape at the time of a conflict.
These skills are captivatingly coupled with another show of God’s divine superintendence
in one of the most thrilling books of them all, In Freedom’s Cause. The heroic
story of William Wallace, Robert the Bruce, and a devoted handful of men who dared
to defy the English Empire, makes this one of his most exciting books. As well as
succeeding in the personal life and conflicts of the hero, Archie Forbes, this book
demonstrates how God, through these wars, preserved and prepared Scotland for reformation
by isolating it from Catholic England, and laying the groundwork for men such as
John Knox.
One of the close calls mentioned in the book is that of the conspiracy at Ayr. The
plot to murder every important Scottish leader who was partial to the cause of freedom
was probably one of the most diabolical of the war. God’s providence is shown
in this instance by the fact that He allowed a group of men, Archie Forbes’
guerillas, to discover the plot, thereby saving the life of the great Scottish leader,
William Wallace.
A good Reformation Era example of God’s control of history is By Right of Conquest.
In this book, we watch as young Roger Hawkshaw fights alongside the Spanish and
helps to conquer the Aztec Indians. At this point in time, most of Europe was beginning
to hear of the teachings of reformers such as John Wycliffe, who is mentioned early
on in this book, and most countries were starting to come out of a long period of
spiritual darkness. Spain, however, was not one of these countries and was still
in the chains of Catholicism.
The barbarity of the Aztecs is well displayed in this book, as well as the utter
darkness of that nation; and, through careful scrutiny, one can determine that the
combination of these two lost cultures could only result in a nation so steeped
in paganism that it is almost unfathomable to us. But, by these events, God preserved
for future Englishmen and later Americans, seemingly out of nowhere, a small strip
of the best land on the North American continent.
The Biblical truth, “you reap what you sow” is shown in this book in a
whole new light. The Aztecs had, for many years, oppressed the other natives of
Mexico with a cruelty almost unimaginable. The Spaniards were consequently looked
upon as liberators. Throughout the book, it appeared many times as if the Aztecs
would win; yet the Spaniards repeatedly pulled through and won almost miraculous
victories. It seems that God used Spain, a lost nation, to judge the Aztecs, another
lost nation. This aspect makes this book one of the most fascinating Henty books.
The evidence of God’s hand in history is awesome, and a very enjoyable element
of the Henty tradition. His examples of God’s use of noble men make his writings
very educational, and the moral character of his main figures make his works some
of the best historical fiction ever written.
ABOUT DANIEL ROSS
At thirteen years old, Daniel J. Ross is the oldest sibling of five children. He
lives in Grain Valley, Missouri, where he and his brothers and sisters are home
schooled. Daniel enjoys reading, competing in a variety of sports and playing the
piano. One of his favorite activities is target and trap shooting. Daniel was called
to a saving knowledge and personal relationship with his Lord Jesus Christ in March
of 2005.
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