1996 Issue 8 - Book Reviews: Books by Henty and Evans - Counsel of Chalcedon

8/12/2019 1996 Issue 8 - Book Reviews: Books by Henty and Evans - Counsel of Chalcedon

1/3

of Independence and

its

aftermath with

the French

Revolution and

its reign of

terror.

Morison notes,

But

the

mere mention of the

French

and Latin-American

revolutions shows how

fundamentally

ours differed

from

theirs. Our

Revolution

may

be

said to have begun

with Washington and

Jefferson

in Virginia and

the

brace

of

Adamses in Massachusetts;

and ended with Washington,

John Adams, and

Jefferson as

the first three presidents under a

new federal constitution, with

Sam

Adams governor under a

conservative

State

Constitution

written by his cousin John. By

contrast, in no other important

revolution of modem times

did

the leaders who started the

revolution end it. (Ibid., p. 3

Opponents of the

revolution

here

suffered no atrocities

akin

to

what happened in

France.

There were

no

summary

executions

or purges

of

enemies of the

people.

Morison notes, Whilst

treatment of

the Loyalists

is

not

one of the things which we

view with pride, it was not

nearly so severe

as the

treatment of

counter-revolutionary

groups in

the great

revolutions

of our

time.

Thousands

in France,

hundred of thousands in

Russia, and

millions

in China

were arbitrarily killed by

revolutionaries

for no

other

reason

than that they were

opposed

to

the

new regime,

or

owned

property

that the new

regime wanted. By contrast,

in

this

country

there

were no

mass

expulsions, much

less

executions; and

the great

majority

of American

Loyalists

never left the

States

but

eventually became

good

American

citizens.

Also, a

surprisingly

large

number who

did leave,

drifted

back.

(Ibid.,

p.8

The

typical

revolutionary

of

modem times never gained

control or had influence

during

our revolution.

The eaily

agitators

like Tom Paine, left

soon after the war for

France

where

he

could gain

a

respectable hearing. The

rowdy Sons of Liberty in

Boston

and Philadelphia quietly

disappeared because, as

Morison notes, they had

nothing

constructive to offer,

and the people simply forgot

their existence:

(Ibid., p. 28)

Credit

for

this must

go

to the

restraining hand of Christianity

which held in the reins of the

revolutionary impulse. The

laws of Nature and Natures

(jod held sway over the minds

of the vast majority in this

country so

that lawlessness

could not gain a foothold. The

people here fought for the

principle that there were laws

that could not be annulled by

kings

or

parliaments and

were

not about to

fall

into the same

disrespect

for

divine, eternal

authority they had

observed

in

others.(TO E

CONTINVED)

8 f THE COUNSEL of Chalcedon I October,

996

In

Freedom

s

Cause

AStory

of

Wallace and

Bruc

e

by G.

A.

Henty. Preston/Speed

Publications,

RR

4,

Box

705,

Mill Hall, Pa. 17751. Ph.

(717) 726-7844 (c) 1996, hb.

$20 .00.

Liberty or death. This was

the stark choice the people of

thirteenth/fourteenth century

Scotland faced if they rose up

against their English rulers.

Many would say that it was no

choice at all. How could the

Scottish people ever hope to

gain their freedom

on

the

battlefield? Many of the nobles

were English supporters. Few

people could be expected to

rise up against the numerically

overwhelming English anny

that would assuredly invade

from the South. Edward I, the

king of England, would

qUickly and consistently resist

any and all attempts by

.

Scotland to rule itself. The

odds seemed insunnountable.

Yet with the right leader, with

a long tenn commitment and

above all

with

Gods good

providence it could be

accomplished.

Using Bums' masterful

historical work, The Scottish

War of Independence as his

basis, G.

A.

Henty penned this

thrilling account of Scotlands


2/3

s)1ccessf)11 struggle for its

independence. This heart-

stopping aCCO)1nt makes for

fascinating reading. Its

importance is highlighted as

the individ)1al reads with the

knowledge that this fiction

is

solidly based

on

fact)1al

events.

At

the O)1tset, the reader is

introd)1ced to

YO)1ng

Archibald Forbes whose father

has recently been killed and

his land overtaken by the

neighboring Kerr family The

reader follows Archie as he

grows into YO)1ng manhood

and joins with William

Wallace's small force in a

determined effort to end

English rule. Within the

book's pages the reader meets

William Wallace, Robert the

Bruce,

and King Edward I

The pages are full of heroic

activity, heated battles and

heartless treachery Yet the

book

is

far more. The heroes

are tender warriors,

determined to win on the

battlefield, because of their

great love for their homeland

and their wives and mothers.

Thro)1ghout the book the

family s importance is seen in

Archie's protection of his

mother, the grief of family

persecution, a surprising

marriage and courageous

family )1nity in chaotic times.

The book becomes a real page

turner as heroes face hand to

hand combat and imminent

death upon imprisonment

with seemingly no way of

escape.

Scattered thro)1ghout the

book are several pages of

narrative. These pages are

easily read and remind the

reader of Henty's desire

to

be

historically accurate. These

pages

add

to the educational

benefits of this book.

Admittedly, I knew little of

this era of Scottish history It is

seldom if ever taught in

schools. These valiant men

who fought in freedom's cause

are too important to be

overlooked or ignored.

Henty wrote these books as

adventure reading for boys.

As

an adult I found this one (as

well as previously published

volumes) to be highly

informative, engrossing

and

entertaining.

God's providence is clearly

seen on page after page. What

a reminder that

our

unchanging God continues to

work providentially

in

every

event in our own day As we

well know such providence

does not work always in the

way we desire. This is seen in

the book. A hero, William

Wallace, dies. Will anyone be

raised

up

to effectively take his

place as leader? Scottish

soldiers visit the Irish

and

ask

for their help. The request is

denied. How can the

beleaguered forces press on?

At what personal expense does

help come from some former

enemies? Answers to these

questions highlight God's

good providence.

Henty, writing during the

Victorian period, does

not

write history

with

Hollywood

glitz in mind nor with a

desire to please man's

depraved nat)1re. He rightly

knew that accurate historical

writing has its own unique

glamour. After all, fact)1al

historical writing reflects God

at work

in history Who then,

could lightly ask for more

glamour than God's

handiwork provides?

Reading this volume

reminded

me

of the

excitement conveyed in good

historical writing as well as the

education that can be gleaned.

Don't miss out

on

either. Buy a

copy for yourself. Read t and

share it with your family

Q

The Theme

Is

Freedom

Religion,

Politics,

and the

Amelican Tradition by M.

Stanton Evans. 422 First

Street SE, Suite 300,

Washington D.C. 20003, 366

pgs., hb, 1994, 24.95.

During the week of July

4th, one or

more

poll results

were released, shOwing the

little knowledge many citizens

have regarding the origin of

the annual Fourth ofJuly

celebration in America.

Accompanying this is the

increasing demand by many

for the civil government to

insure their multiple rights,

October

996

THE COUNSEL

of

Chalcedon 19


3/3

defined

by

themselves, are

granted and protected.

The examples are but a

few

that could

be

given to

show

the timeliness and importance

of

the publication of

The

Theme

Is

Freedom

Contrary to

the flow of modem thought

and c;:ulture the author does

not ground the freedoms we

have historically enjoyed

in

human autonomy Instead, he

rightly grounds our liberties

within the outworking of

Christian principles.

The author defines freedom

in

these words: Freedom in

these pages means the absence

of

coercion - to the extent that

this is feasible

in

organized

society It means the ability of

human

beings to act

in

.

voluntary fashion, rather than

being pushed around and

forced to do things (p . 23).

Accompanying such freedom

is self-government. The

Citizenry must act

in

accord

with moral law

under

the

omnipresent eye of God. This

results

in an

obedient people

who

do not just obey because

some authority is

in

the area.

They are aware of a higher

authOrity to

whom

they must

one day give

an

account.

Again, quoting Mr. Evans:

Self-government required

observance of the moral law

respect for the rights

of

others,

restraint upon the passions.

Virtue was thus a necessary

precondition to a regime of

freedom,

and

a nation that lost

its religiOUS moorings was

considered ripe for tyranny (p.

35).

This thinking goes against

current teaching that religious

absolutes lead to repression.

The author tellingly shows the

despotism that can easily flow

from a government

that

derlies

religiOUS absolutes.

In

the chapters that follow

the author provides a wealth

of infonnation showing the

influence of Christian thinking

and beliefs on medieval

governing philosophy a:nd the

development of common law.

It was this heritage

that

c c o m p ~ n i e d the English to

American shores. The author

rightly points the application

of Christian thought to the

development of governmental

philosophy

in

America, rather

than the influence

ofJohn

Locke and otHers who are

often and wrongly given the

credit.

Only

as we

understand key

Christian thinking, such

as

the

existence of a higher law than

that of earthly kings, the fact

of original sin necessitating

checks and balances and the

results of a king or a people

breaking contract unilaterally,

can we understand our

political heritage.

Having provided and

developed this basis for

liberty, the author looks at the

Declaration of Independence

and the Constitution

in

terms

of it. The author s research

20 TH COUNSEL

of

ChalcedOIl October,

1996

and application provides

gratifying reading particular+y

for those who are unaware of .

the heritage of our freedoms.

Naturally, the writer clearly

shows that the French

Revolution was in many ways

opposed to the principles that

resulted in the fighting of the

War for

Independence Mr:

Evans also examines the

connection of civil

government and religion and

the misinterpretation of this

concept by the Supreme

Court.

As

go.

od as

.the book is, it is

made better by the excellent

bibliography the author

provides. Many today are

anxious to study history

on

their own, so they can

be

more discerning of revisionist

history This bibliography

provides numerous resources

for those interested. The

index is also useful for using

the book

as

a reference

ona

variety

of

subjects.

We live in a day

in

which

historical knowledge is on the

wane. This book is a helpful

antidote. t can be read with

pleasure by those aware of the

origin of our freedoms. Those

with little knowledge of the

roots of our liberties can read .

this with great profit. It is

particularly important that

college students read this

material that they might be

equipped to deal with the

misinformation they may

receive

iJ;l

their American

history classes.

Q

Documents

1996 Issue 8 - Book Reviews: Books by Henty and Evans - Counsel of Chalcedon