Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-07-14
THIS AND THAT
BY CHARLES E. TRACEWELL.

| Tirolese campaign. later with Lord Ma
pier. and Lord WolSeley.
He was in Paris during the siege of
| the Commune, after following the
Franco-Prussian War from its incep-
| ton. Later he served as correspondent
| in the Pyrenees, in Asiatic Russia, and
| in Turkey.
It will be realized that C. A. Henty
wrote the things he knew.
His subsequent life should prove an
| inspiration to those who are slow ma
| turing. and who feel that unless they
begin their life work early they have
no chance TO become famous.
While. in a sense, Henty's war work
| laid the foundation for his future
career, he was we'll into middle age be-
fore he actually began the writing of
! the BOYS books which were to keep his
name and works alive.
"Out on the Fampas" appeared in
| 1853 Between this book and his last.
with the Allies to Pekin." which ap-
peared in 1904 he wrote about 30 tales.
to say nothing of some eight regular
novels. These latter were not only out
numbered by his books for boys, but
were lost in the fame of the latter.
Among them we're "A Woman of the
Secret" The writer here has read
neither.
The books for boys were standard
during the life of their author. Since
his death, in 1902 CHS last two books
having been published posthumously)
the fame of the Henty books has in
sensibly declined.
No doubt there are many boys of to-
day who have never heard of them, or
at least read but few. Books, as
flowers plays, jewels have their fash
ions. What is popular with one age
is overlooked by another
In the end the good things of life
| have a strange habit of coming back.
1t will be so with the "Henty books"
When revolutions of reading taste are
over the confusion. the good old books
will come into their own again.
X
The very names of Henty's stories
carry happiness to those familiar with
them from childhood. They are good
titles, too. I'm Times of Peril" is a
tale of India, that same country now so
largely in the news. Under brakes
Flag" THE Lion of the North" with
Lee in Virginia" by Pike and Dyke, "
I'm the Irish Brigade" THE Cat of
Bubastes"-here are titles to conjure
with, as good today as when written
The fact. that each story deals with
period now gone will prevent them
from growing old-faShioned. The boys
of today who like history, can read
Henty with the same degree of pleasure
their fathers did.
Good historical narrative is time
less. Muck the same may be said of
any good story, such as Treasure Is
land" but in peculiar sense of the
historical tale. History is branch
of human learning which makes a par
ticular appeal to thousands of per-
sons. partly because it is, indeed a
story, partly because it is a true story.
G. A. Henty, coming to his life work
at an age of discretion, made a pro-
fession out of combining history and
fiction, both solidly based on the facts
of history and the facts of human
living.
The boys of his stories were such
boys as live at all times and in all
countries. Henty wrote universally
long before the international way of
looking at things began to come into
its own. Now that most Americans
have some smattering. at least. of the
international viewpoint, we should not
forget the name of a man who helped
us get it.