Page:The life and letters of Sir John Henniker Heaton bt. (IA lifelettersofsi00port).pdf/171



ENNIKER HEATON was a remarkable example of how a man can carve out for himself his little niche in the world of politics by sheer force of character, by tenacity, and by a genial temper that disarms criticism and wins ubiquitous friendship. He was not a speaker, he was not a writer, and was not even much of a politician, and yet he made a deep mark upon his times, and effected more practical work than nine out of ten of his contemporaries in the House of Commons, and his death will cause far more regrets than that of many a man who occupied a much higher place in political conflict.

Starting life poor, but ambitious like so many other energetic young children of the Old Land, Henniker Heaton sought fortune in Australia. He did not often speak of his early days, or of his early struggles. Probably they had been so hard that he didn't care to recall them, especially when he basked in the sunshine of the complete prosperity he enjoyed for the greater part of his life. But now and then he would uplift the veil, and you could hear stories, thrilling and amusing, of the shifts to which a penniless young settler had to resort when Australia and he were young. 131