Preface [ix-x]
[ix] The selection of illustrious men, whose careers are related in this volume, has been made with deliberate care. It is no haphazard collection. The heroes whose stories are told made their way to distinction by varying paths, but they had two vital characteristics in common. In the first place it can be said of them all, referring to their main achievement, that they were ‘the first in the field.’ They were all pioneers – pioneers in science and exploration, in reform and philanthropy. And in the second place they were men who had publicly proclaimed their belief in the truth of the Christian revelation, and who recognised that it was their duty and privilege to submit their lives ‘under the law to Christ.’ It is earnestly hoped that these lives will make an especial appeal to young readers. It is natural and not blameworthy that these should pant after distinction, but it is well that they should at the same time keep in mind the conditions on which alone the [x] hope of attaining their ambition rests. The heroes of this volume came to their glory along the path of duty, – their constant companions were Toil, Sacrifice, and Faith, – and there is no other way. Further, it ever holds true, as countless pages of biography attests, that the fear of God is the one foundation on which wise and noble character can be built and that the Lord never fails to honour those who honour Him. Our gifts and graces – small or great, few or many – can never come to their full fruition until they are places at the disposal of Him who gave them. That is the lesson, old, yet ever needed, of this volume. The writers of the various sketches have tried to tell their stories in a simple, vivid, popular style. The result, it is hoped, is a book very suitable for widespread distribution, whether among children, as gifts and prizes, or among ‘grown-ups.’ We are never too old to learn the lessons which are taught by the careers of great and good men. W. Grinton Berry. June 1905
Contents
1. General Gordon: The Hero of Khartoum. By W. Grinton Berry, M.A. 12. John Howard: The Prison Reformer. By John Stoughton, D.D. 31
3. Michael Faraday: A Pioneer of Electrical Science. By George Wilson, M.A. 57
4. Henry M. Stanley: A Pioneer of African Exploration. By W. Grinton Berry, M.A. 86
5. Francis Bacon: The Herald of Modern Science. By Stewart D.F. Salmon, M.A., D.D. 116
6. ‘Rob Roy’ Macgregor: The Founder of ‘The Shoe-Black Brigade’. By James Macaulay, M.A., M.D. 144
7. Sir James Young Simpson: The Discoverer of Chloroform. By James Macaulay, M.A., M.D. 171
8. Sir Henry Havelock: The Hero of the Indian Mutiny. By James Macaulay, M.A., M.D. 200
9. Sir Isaac Newton: The Discoverer of Gravitation. By T.H.L. Leary, M.A., D.C.L. (Oxon.) 228
10. John Wycliffe: The Morning Star of the Reformation. By A. Norman Rowland, M.A. 255
11. Sir Herbert Edwardes: The Hero of Mooltân, By James Macaulay, M.A., M.D. 282
12. Earl of Shaftesbury: The Friend of the Poor. By William Morris Colles, B.A. 311
13. Gustavus Adolphus: The Hero of Militant Protestantism. By S.B. Williams, B.A. 339