Self Help; with Illustrations of Conduct and PerseveranceSmiles, Samuel
Philosophy
Self Help; with Illustrations of Conduct and Perseverance
Smiles, Samuel
Conduct of life
Towards the close of his life Mr. Hanway’s health became very feeble, and
although he found it necessary to resign his office at the Victualling
Board, he could not be idle; but laboured at the establishment of Sunday
Schools,—a movement then in its infancy,—or in relieving poor blacks,
many of whom wandered destitute about the streets of the metropolis,—or,
in alleviating the sufferings of some neglected and destitute class of
society. Notwithstanding his familiarity with misery in all its shapes,
he was one of the most cheerful of beings; and, but for his cheerfulness
he could never, with so delicate a frame, have got through so vast an
amount of self-imposed work. He dreaded nothing so much as inactivity.
Though fragile, he was bold and indefatigable; and his moral courage was
of the first order. It may be regarded as a trivial matter to mention
that he was the first who ventured to walk the streets of London with an
umbrella over his head. But let any modern London merchant venture to
walk along Cornhill in a peaked Chinese hat, and he will find it takes
some degree of moral courage to persevere in it. After carrying an
umbrella for thirty years, Mr. Hanway saw the article at length come into
general use.
Hanway was a man of strict honour, truthfulness, and integrity; and every
word he said might be relied upon. He had so great a respect, amounting
almost to a reverence, for the character of the honest merchant, that it
was the only subject upon which he was ever seduced into a eulogium. He
strictly practised what he professed, and both as a merchant, and
afterwards as a commissioner for victualling the navy, his conduct was
without stain. He would not accept the slightest favour of any sort from
a contractor; and when any present was sent to him whilst at the
Victualling Office, he would politely return it, with the intimation that
“he had made it a rule not to accept anything from any person engaged
with the office.” When he found his powers failing, he prepared for
death with as much cheerfulness as he would have prepared himself for a
journey into the country. He sent round and paid all his tradesmen, took
leave of his friends, arranged his affairs, had his person neatly
disposed of, and parted with life serenely and peacefully in his 74th
year. The property which he left did not amount to two thousand pounds,
and, as he had no relatives who wanted it, he divided it amongst sundry
orphans and poor persons whom he had befriended during his lifetime.
Such, in brief, was the beautiful life of Jonas Hanway,—as honest,
energetic, hard-working, and true-hearted a man as ever lived.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account