Hannah More (1745 to 1833)
Church of England
School Marm to Her Nation's Poorest
Hannah More was born the, fourth daughter of the village schoolmaster at Stapleton, near Bristol, England. She could read at age four; and at eight she astonished her father by her abilities in Latin, mathematics, and verse making. Later she acquired knowledge of French, Italian and Latin. A school teacher as a young woman, her writing abilities soon introduced her to the literary circles of London where she wrote successful plays. Turning to spiritual matters, she became less and less intrigued by the pleasures of society and the literary groups. She used her pen to begin the series of Cheap Repository Tracts, which sold 1,000,000 copies in their first year, helping uplift England's spiritual tone. With her sisters, she developed Sunday schools that taught the poor practical skills. In her old age she supported a mission school in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) from the sale of her knitting.
Paul White (1910 to 1992)
The Gospel through Jungle Fables
Birth of Paul White in Bowral, Australia. A frail child, he was continuously troubled with life- threatening chronic asthma. Paul was converted to Christ on December 3, 1926, and studied medicine at Sydney University. In 1937 he loyally married his sweetheart although she had developed chronic mental depression (she would eventually develop Alzheimer's disease). Called to minister in Tanganyika, God used him marvelously as both a doctor and a missionary. However, the illness of his wife forced him to return home in 1942. On shipboard he began writing the stories which became the famous children's Jungle Doctor books. These stories were adapted to radio broadcasts.