Proclaiming Freedom to the Captive by Aidan Johnston

It’s easy to read a biography of Hannah More and come away with admiration, tempered by the thought that she was a bit of a prude. One can be forgiven for that impression. Among other things, one of her book titles, “Thoughts on the Importance of the Manners of the Great to General Society,” does come across as puritanical. But if she was a prude, she was livelier in her prudishness than our society in its libertine excess is today.

With William Wilberforce and the rest of the Clapham Sect, she helped to accomplish the group’s two “great objects”: the “reformation of manners” and the abolition of slavery. More performed a journalistic role, keeping the injustice of slavery constantly before the public eye. Journalists today can learn from her example, for she aimed her pen at both the head and the heart. With poems like “Slavery” in 1788 or her tract “The Sorrows of Yamba” almost a decade later, More not only informed the public about the horrors of slavery, but also guided their passions. The British already knew slavery existed, but More made them feel the slave’s lashes on their own backs and opened their eyes to see the whips in their hands.

More used her versatility as a writer to reach all parts of society. She wrote plays, poetry and essays that were esteemed in the highest literary circles, and Samuel Johnson even said she was to poetry what Hannibal was to war. After achieving such acclaim, More left the allure of high society and began writing her Cheap Repository Tracts. From 1795 through 1798, she wrote or oversaw the writing of some hundred tracts meant to elevate the morals of the less educated classes. These weren’t exactly considered a high form of literature. It’s as though an esteemed journalist or novelist turned her attention to churning out TikTok videos. Her humility and resourcefulness allowed More to change the world the way she did, and are worthy of emulation today.

The tracts sold millions, and some credited More with the remarkable achievement of preventing a sequel to the French Revolution on English soil. “Village Politics” uses a didactic, question-and-answer style, giving ready-made arguments against the most common talking points in favor of violent revolution. Even in this highly political tract, More maintains her goal of moral reform, saying that the surest way to fix society is to “mend thyself.”

More’s life, not just her writing, is important to mention, lest Christian journalists come away with the impression that chastising the conscience of the public is their chief aim. More lived the sort of life she advocated for. She started a dozen Sunday schools by great personal effort, helping thousands of poor children become literate. More’s faith sometimes interfered with her social life, with her observance of the Sabbath restricting her Sunday activities. Both her personal piety and zeal for the poor were an outpouring of the “vital religion” that she espoused. Faith was not merely followed up with good words, but with good works.

There’s much to imitate in her writing, faith and work, but this almost misses the person behind that work. Despite any prudishness, More was renowned as witty and charming in her day, and she could be playful even as she was hard-working and serious. She is a fitting example for Christians today because she, in imitation of her Lord before her, was a light in the darkness. Like her Lord, she cared for the poor and lowly; like her Lord, she spoke words to set the captives free. May we do likewise.

[This essay won an honorable mention in the essay competition hosted by WJI Network.]