The world of English school-boys goes into shock as the news is telegraphed from Rome: R. M. Ballantyne, beloved novelist and story-teller, dies of a strange disease!

An aging R. M. Ballantyne

Attempting to find a cure for his mysterious ailment, now known as Meniere's Disease, R. M. Ballantyne traveled to Rome. Here he spent many months with his daughter, Jane, but to no avail. On February 8, 1894, he succumbed and breathed his last breath, 164 years ago today.

What was the disease that prostrated this literary giant? Well, Meniere's Disease is a rather mysterious illness which affects the fluid of the inner ear. An imbalance of fluids in these regions causes the rupture of a thin membrane, mixing two incompatible liquids. Common symptoms are extreme vertigo, dizziness, and hearing loss.

The contributing factors are still undiscovered by the medical field, but today, treatment can be attempted with reasonable assurance of success. In the 1800's, however, no cure had as yet been discovered, and for this cause R. M. Ballantyne died.

I am not medically inclined, to say the least, so to get a better sense of the disease I would recommend reading this article, from the University of Minnesota.

Robert Louis Stevenson contributed to the monument.

Thousands of grieving children across Britain immediately began a subscription to erect a suitable monument at his grave. Six hundred pounds were collected, mostly made up of small contributions from school children. Robert Louis Stevenson, who was a part of the representative committee for the subscription, advised in an open letter to spend but a small amount on the actual memorial, giving the rest to Ballantyne's widow and family. His advice was carried out, and only forty pounds were spent on a simple but tasteful monument, which was inscribed as follows:

IN LOVING MEMORY OF ROBERT MICHAEL BALLANTYNE, THE BOYS' STORY WRITER. Born at Edinburgh, April 24th, 1825--Died at Rome, February 8th, 1894. THIS STONE IS ERECTED BY FOUR GENERATIONS OF GRATEFUL FRIENDS IN SCOTLAND AND ENGLAND

R. M. Ballantyne was buried in the Cimitero protestante also known as the Protestant Cemetery of Rome. This cemetery was formed by the Roman Catholic powers in the 1700's. No "heretics," or Protestants, could be buried in Catholic "holy ground," but there bodies could also not be left to rot. Hence a separate burial ground, in which large numbers of traveling dignitaries, writers, philosophers, sculptors, painters, and representatives of many more distinguished trades have been buried here over the centuries.

Ballantyne's grave is close to the plots of English poets John Keats and Percy Shelley.

The English newspaper The Times gave this obituary of R. M. Ballantyne.

OBITUARY

Mr. Robert M. Ballantyne, the prolific and excellent writer of tales for boys, whose death we announced yesterday, was connected with the well-known family of the Ballantynes, Sir Author:Walter Scott's printers. He was born in Edinburgh in 1825. When a lad of 16 he went out to Canada, and spent six years there in service of the Hudson Bay Company. Having returned to Scotland in 1847, he published in the following year his first book, entitled "Hudson Bay, or Everyday Life in the Wilds of North America." In this he embodied the substance of his letters to his mother and of his journals written on the spot. He spent some time in the printing office of Messrs. Constable in Edinburgh, but he did not take kindly to the desk after his free and roving life in the West. At the same time his literary proclivities were asserting themselves strongly, and about the year 1856 he gave up business and adopted literature as his profession. Then began that series of adventure tales written about and for boys and girls which have brightened the loves of several generations of young folks, and which seemed ever fresh and never-failing in interest. "The Coral Island," "The World of Ice," "The Young Fur Traders," "Ungava," "The Dog Crusoe," and many more followed one another in quick succession. Every Christmas I saw at least one new story from his busy pen. For the material of several of his earlier stories he reverted to his Canadian experiences. He made it a rule, indeed, to write always, when he could, from his own experiences. Before he wrote "The Lighthouse" he lived for some time with the keepers on the Bell Rock. He prepared for "Deep Down" by a visit to the Cornish mines, for the "The Pirate City" by a winter in Algiers, and so in other cases. This method of preparation gave a realistic character to his work and a graphic force to his descriptions. There was a great deal of human nature in his creations, and all his books are pervaded by a sound and healthy tone which loses nothing from the vein of humour that runs through most of them. Down to 1887 Mr. Ballantyne had written 74 volumes containing 62 separate stories. He was also a clever artist, and often exhibited water-colours in the Royal Scottish Academy, for many years past he had resided at Harrow. A short time ago he fell into bad health, the result of overwork, and he had gone to Italy in search of relief and rest. He died in Rome.

And that was 164 years ago, today.

Tutela ex Vulnero,

John

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Far better it is to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs, even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy much nor suffer much, because they live in that grey twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat. ~Teddy Roosevelt

Tutela ex Vulnero,

John

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One of the most distinguishing features about a man or woman is their accent. You can change your clothing fashions, habits, and other similar features which characterize your region of habitation, but it is extremely hard to change your accent once fully acquired. In all books, but particularly in novels, capturing a character's accent in the dialogue can be used with great effect, but it is also very easy to lose the tremendous potential.

In order to emphasize an accent, a careful use of the vernacular is desirable. This simply means incorporating slang into the dialogue, where appropriate. Combined, you get a full sense of the speaker's background, habits, and personality.

Say, for example, that you write a novel set in Victorian England. Your main character is a London coachman, carrying on a conversation with a friend. He inquires into the state of the weather in the following manner:

"Hello, Richard, how are you? What do you think of the weather today?"

That's the way to ask the question, certainly. However, consider the greater effectiveness of this next example:

" 'Ey, Dick, 'ow are ye? Whady'ee think o' the wither today?"

Which do you think gives a better feel for a London coachman? The one which uses good King's English, fit for a law school graduate, or the highly accented, man-on-the-street dialect used by the second example?

In my opinion, it is the "power of the apostrophe" which makes the difference. London coachmen had little respect for the "h" sound, omitting it where it was needed and including it where it was not. Erase the "h," include the apostrophe to show that we do know how to spell, and there you have it! Of course other sounds, not just the "h," must also be transfigured and manipulated to achieve the desired effect. However, this is a splendid writing tool if used wisely.

Using this tool of writing you can easily differentiate between a Irish soldier, a Southern plantation owner, and an Australian banker, giving your reader a colorful glimpse into the education and culture of your character. If you do use this tool, be very careful not to accent words so that they appear to be other words. This creates great confusion and can harm more than it can help. Both Henty and Ballantyne use dialogical accents very effectively, creating a feel of authenticity for their audience and making the reading experience much more enjoyable.

An' soo, oi gives 'e a gud day, an' 'opes to see 'e agin!

Tutela ex Vulnero,

John

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After the American War for Independence, the fledgling United States had no navy and little military standing in the eyes of the world. American merchantmen in the Mediterranean became valuable prizes to the corsairs of Algiers, Tripoli, Tunis and Morocco, the four members of the Barbary States.

These Muslim nations were the scourges of the sea, and many countries felt the sting of their depredations. Most of the victimized nations preferred to buy off the pirate states with annual tributes and presents rather than deal with them by force. For years America was forced to take this approach as well, due to our lack of naval power.

After a close-fought presidential race, the newly elected Thomas Jefferson issued commands for increased naval construction, as well as sailing orders to our existing warships, sending them to the sunny Mediterranean in what would become the First Barbary War. For several years they carried on a blockade of Tripoli, which served as a main capitol for piratical crews.

Commodore Edward Preble

The first several years of the conflict were relatively calm, consisting mostly of blockading the coast and giving protection to America's increasing merchant fleet. Neither Admiral Richard Dale, nor his successor, Richard Morris, showed much interest in their duties, preferring the lush ballrooms of surrounding friendly nations. It was not until the fighting Commodore Edward Preble, already recognized as a rising star in naval operations, was appointed Admiral that the war took a more serious turn. Preble captured numerous enemy ships, and bombarded the city of Tripoli itself.

While I do not have space or time to set down the many glorious events of the First Barbary War, it is a fascinating struggle, and one which I recommend for readers to study. Interestingly enough, it was this conflict that trained the sailors who fought in the subsequent War of 1812 against British high-handedness and hostility.

USS Enterprise defeats the pirate ship Tripoli

So, you might ask, how does this tie in with R. M. Ballantye, the Scottish novelist? Well, one of RMB's most famous books, The Pirate City, is based in Algiers and gives a wonderful feeling for the way in which that city commanded tribute of the greatest nations on the earth. After studying the war from a historical view point, it's a lot of fun to dive into the winding streets, meeting famous characters and trudging along in chains with captive Christians, as pictured by the pen of R. M. Ballantyne!

Tutela ex Vulnero,

John

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Calico Zak has just written another review of one of G. A. Henty's books, this time By Conduct and Courage.

A fast paced story, William Gilmore gets captured and escapes (by his conduct and courage) a total of three times, before returning to England decently wealthy, where he marries the girl he saved from pirates, and lives happily ever after to be a very old man with many children.

("Calico Zak" is a Henty/Ballantyne fan who runs this blog.) To read Calico Zak's book review, click here.

If you have written a review of any of Henty's or Ballantyne's books, you can email us at ballantynethebrave@gmail.com. We'd love to see it on the Articles page!

VoD, ~Joshua Titus

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The "Scotch Thistle"

Imprinted on the cover of each Vision Forum reproduced "Ballantyne" book is a thistle. This, however, is no ordinary thistle. Instead, it is the beloved Scotch Thistle, the emblematic flower of Scotland. Why is this humble, weed-like flower beloved by the Scotch people? Read and find out!

Long ago, wild Norseman pillaged the coast of Scotland, spreading rapine and destruction among the scattered villages near the. Occasionally, whole armies of the wild pagans would invade the craggy Scottish countryside, giving battle to all they met.

One particular night, as legend would have it, the daring invaders hatched a plan to surprise a Scotch encampment, taking advantage of the darkness. The fierce warriors crept carefully forward, sure of an easy victory and much plunder. The grass was wet with dew as they neared the encampment. Each step brought them nearer to their unsuspecting victims.

All at once, one of the creeping soldiers pressed his foot down, expecting soft, cool grass to meet his tread, but instead a thistle pierced his skin. The spiky leaves cut into his foot, eliciting a shout of pain. With that shout, the Scottish soldiers sprung to their arms now aware of the invaders' proximity. Disheartened by the failure of their surprise, the barbarians could not defeat the awakened defenders, and the attempt failed.

While the legend could very well be false, there's a good possibility that at least the foundation was set in truth. In my opinion, it's a likely story. At any rate, the Scotch Thistle has been a national emblem since the 1200's, and has been found imprinted on coins since James III's reign in 1470.

The reason Vision Forum chose the thistle emblem is to represent the strong ties which R. M. Ballantyne felt towards his homeland of Scotland. The author was firm in his patriotism and love for the old times of Scotland as expressed by Burn's Auld Lang Syne:

For auld lang syne, my dear,
For auld lang syne,
We'll take a cup o' kindness yet,
For auld lang syne!

For those more scientifically interested, the "official" name of the Scotch Thistle is Onopordum acanthium. It's a biennial, with spiky leaves, (which the Norseman found out to his regret.) Hurrah for Scotland, and the Scotch Thistle!

Tutela ex Vulnero,

John

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When studying history, I find it very helpful to see what else was happening in the world around the time that I am learning about. It was in 1825 that R. M. Ballantyne was born, and so I decided to give a list of other interesting events that happened that same year, both in American and European history.

• March 4 - John Quincy Adams succeeds James Monroe as President of the United States.

• September 27 - The world's first modern railway, the Stockton and Darlington Railway, opens in England.

• October 5 - First Photograph ever taken.

• October 26 - The Erie Canal opens, providing passage from Albany, New York to Lake Erie.

• November 9 - A. P. Hill, future general for the Confederacy, is born.

• The first horse-drawn omnibuses established in London.

• The first roller skates are invented.

• Aluminum is discovered.

• Estimation: London becomes the largest city of the world, taking the lead from Beijing.

• The Panic of 1825 is the first modern stock market crash in London.

• Trade unions become tolerated in England.

I wonder what interesting occurrences this year will be pointed to by others in years to come.

Tutela ex Vulnero,

John

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George Alfred Henty was born 177 years ago today. Happy Birthday, Mr. Henty.

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"I count myself one of the number of those who write as they learn and learn as they write." ~Augustine

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When Ballantyne wrote young children's books, he used the pseudonym "Comus." His best known children's book is The Three Little Kittens. While Ballantyne didn't actually write the well known poem, he incorporated a story around the anonymously-written piece, and also illustrated the book.

Ballantyne normally utilized animals as the main characters in his children's books such as The Kitten Pilgrims, The Robber Kitten, and My Doggie and I. The Kitten Pilgrims is a humorous adaptation of John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress in which two kittens and a dog go on a journey and must fight horrible monsters such as the Worm Sloth, Peacock Pride, and Octopus Untruth.

The Kitten Pilgrims

It's fascinating to see the high level of vocabulary which young children formerly possessed during the Victorian era. The Kitten Pilgrims in particular is full of words such as "malignant", "elasticity", and "convolvulus." Being unfamiliar with this last word, I looked it up in the dictionary and found that it speaks of any flower in the morning glory family. Imagine coming across "convolvulus" in a children's book today!

Tutela ex Vulnero,

John

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