Hannah Tatum Whitall Smith (February 7, 1832 – May 1, 1911) was a lay speaker and author in the

Holiness movement The Holiness movement is a Christianity, Christian movement that emerged chiefly within 19th-century Methodism, and to a lesser extent influenced other traditions such as Quakers, Quakerism, Anabaptism, and Restorationism. Churches aligned with ...

in the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and the

Higher Life movement The Higher Life movement, also known as deeper Christian life, the Keswick movement or Keswickianism ( ), is a Protestant theological tradition within evangelical Christianity that espoused a distinct teaching on the doctrine of entire sanctifi ...

in the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

. She was also active in the

women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the women's rights, right of women to Suffrage, vote in elections. Several instances occurred in recent centuries where women were selectively given, then stripped of, the right to vote. In Sweden, conditional women's suffra ...

movement and the

temperance movement The temperance movement is a social movement promoting Temperance (virtue), temperance or total abstinence from consumption of alcoholic beverages. Participants in the movement typically criticize alcohol intoxication or promote teetotalism, and ...

Early years

Born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

, Smith was from a long line of prominent and influential

Quakers Quakers are people who belong to the Religious Society of Friends, a historically Protestantism, Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations. Members refer to each other as Friends after in the Bible, and originally ...

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

. Hannah Tatum Whitall was the daughter of John Mickle Whitall and Mary Tatum Whitall. Her most famous ancestor was Ann Cooper Whitall.

Career

On November 5, 1851 Hannah married Robert Pearsall Smith, a man who also descended from a long line of prominent Quakers in the region. The Smiths settled in Germantown, Pennsylvania. They disassociated themselves somewhat from the Quakers in 1858 after a conversion experience, but Mrs. Smith continued to believe a great deal of Quaker doctrine and gloried in her Quaker background and practices."Hannah Whitall Smith, Higher Life Writer," in ''The Doctrine of Sanctification,'' Thomas Ross, Ph. D. Diss, Great Plains Baptist Divinity School
/ref> The Smiths were highly influenced firstly by the

Plymouth Brethren The Plymouth Brethren or Assemblies of Brethren are a low church and Nonconformist (Protestantism), Nonconformist Christian movement whose history can be traced back to Dublin, Ireland, in the mid to late 1820s, where it originated from Anglica ...

, and then by the

Methodist Methodism, also called the Methodist movement, is a Protestant Christianity, Christian Christian tradition, tradition whose origins, doctrine and practice derive from the life and teachings of John Wesley. George Whitefield and John's brother ...

revivalists. Out of influence from the

Wesleyan Wesleyan theology, otherwise known as Wesleyan–Arminian theology, or Methodist theology, is a theological tradition in Protestant Christianity based upon the ministry of the 18th-century evangelical reformer brothers John Wesley and Charle ...

doctrine of

sanctification Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects ( ...

, and in accordance with Quaker teaching and influences from spiritualism, Mrs. Smith and her husband formulated and promulgated the Keswick theology. They were also influenced by William Boardman, who wrote ''The Higher Christian Life'' (1858). From 1864 to 1868, Robert and Hannah Smith lived in

Millville, New Jersey Millville is a city in Cumberland County, in the U.S. state of New Jersey. As of the 2020 United States census, the city's population was 27,491, a decrease of 909 (−3.2%) from the 2010 census count of 28,400, which in turn reflected an in ...

. Robert managed Hannah’s father’s business, the Whitall, Tatum & Company glass factories. left, Hannah Whitall Smith at the Broadlands Conference - central figure from a painting by Edward Clifford William Boardman apparently groomed Robert and Hannah Smith to join the Holiness movement as speakers. From 1873–1874 they spoke at various places in

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

, including

Oxford Oxford () is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and non-metropolitan district in Oxfordshire, England, of which it is the county town. The city is home to the University of Oxford, the List of oldest universities in continuou ...

, teaching on the subjects of the "higher life" and "holiness," after a foundational meeting at the Broadlands Conference sponsored by the spiritualists

Lord Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power (social and political), power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the Peerage o ...

and Lady Mount Temple. A painting was commissioned of Broadlands Conference and she was the central figure of the painting by Edward Clifford. Her husband is not in the painting as he had been unfaithful. The text she is reading notes that you can put your trust in God but not in men. The tiny white figures behind her are thought to represent souls contacted by spiritialism. In 1874 Hannah helped found the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU). That same year, the Smiths traveled to the

German Empire The German Empire (),; ; World Book, Inc. ''The World Book dictionary, Volume 1''. World Book, Inc., 2003. p. 572. States that Deutsches Reich translates as "German Realm" and was a former official name of Germany. also referred to as Imperia ...

and

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

, where they preached in several major cities. In 1875, they returned to England and conducted meetings in

Brighton Brighton ( ) is a seaside resort in the city status in the United Kingdom, city of Brighton and Hove, East Sussex, England, south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze Age Britain, Bronze Age, R ...

. Due to a sexual scandal involving Robert, their visit to England came to an abrupt halt. Their marriage came under serious strain through Robert Smith's persistent adultery and Mrs. Smith's advocacy of strong feminist views of the role of women that were contrary to the patriarchal ideas dominant in their time. She also served as the national superintendent of the WCTU Evangelistic Department, producing a network of activists across many countries. By this time, however, Hannah's work with the WCTU as well as her book
The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life
(1875), was well-known internationally. Mary Clement Leavitt, WCTU world missionary having just been in

New Zealand New Zealand () is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and List of islands of New Zealand, over 600 smaller islands. It is the List of isla ...

wrote to Hannah Smith in August 1885 to ask for contacts in England, stating: "I met a Rev. Mr. Hill, Anglican missionary in

Auckland Auckland ( ; ) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. It has an urban population of about It is located in the greater Auckland Region, the area governed by Auckland Council, which includes outlying rural areas and ...

, an exalted servant of the Lord, and my chief helper there who owes, he says, what he is spiritually to you, under the Lord. I find your writings in many households, and have met several persons who attended your meetings in England." In 1888, the Smith family moved to England because their daughter Mary married an English barrister, Frank Costelloe. They eventually divorced, and Mary then married the critic

Bernard Berenson Bernard Berenson (June 26, 1865 – October 6, 1959) was an American art historian specializing in the Renaissance. His book ''The Drawings of the Florentine Painters'' was an international success. His wife Mary is thought to have had a large ...

. It was in England that their younger daughter Alys Pearsall Smith met and married the philosopher

Bertrand Russell Bertrand Arthur William Russell, 3rd Earl Russell, (18 May 1872 – 2 February 1970) was a British philosopher, logician, mathematician, and public intellectual. He had influence on mathematics, logic, set theory, and various areas of analytic ...

Logan Pearsall Smith Logan Pearsall Smith (18 October 1865 – 2 March 1946) was an American-born British essayist and critic. Harvard and Oxford educated, he was known for his aphorisms and epigrams, and was an expert on 17th century divines. His ''Words and Idio ...

became an essayist and critic. Hannah Whitall Smith had seven children in all, but only three—Mary, Alys Pearsall, and Logan Pearsall—survived to adulthood. Her niece, Martha Carey Thomas was the first female dean of any college in America and an active suffragist. Hannah Whitall Smith died in

in 1911.

Writings and legacy

Hannah Whitall Smith’s book ''The Christian’s Secret of a Happy Life'' (1875) is an extremely popular book of

Christian mysticism Christian mysticism is the tradition of mystical practices and mystical theology within Christianity which "concerns the preparation f the personfor, the consciousness of, and the effect of ..a direct and transformative presence of God" ...

and practical Holiness theology. It is still widely read today. She wrote her spiritual autobiography, ''The Unselfishness of God And How I Discovered It'', in 1903. Many publications of that book omit the three chapters which explain how she became a Christian universalist.The Unselfishness of God and How I Discovered It (the missing chapters)
at www.tentmaker.org Hannah Whitall Smith wrote "The God of All Comfort" in 1906, five years before her death in 1911.

Notes

1. "In 1870 Hannah Whitall Smith wrote what has become a classic of joyous Christianity, ''The Christian's Secret of a Happy Life''. The title barely hints at the depths of that perceptive book. It is no shallow "four easy steps to successful living." Studiously, the writer defines the shape of a full and abundant life hid in God. Then she carefully reveals the difficulties to this way and finally charts the results of a life abandoned to God. What is the Christian's secret to a happy life? It is best summed up by her chapter entitled "The Joy of Obedience." Joy comes through obedience to Christ, and joy results from obedience to Christ. Without obedience joy is hollow and artificial." Foster, Richard J. Celebration Of Discipline, p. 192. San Francisco: Harper & Row, 1988. Print.

References

External links

* * *

"Hannah Whitall Smith, Higher Life Writer," in ''The Doctrine of Sanctification,'' Thomas Ross, Ph. D. Diss, Great Plains Baptist Divinity School
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Hannah Whitall American evangelicals American women writers People from Millville, New Jersey Writers from Philadelphia American Quakers 1832 births 1911 deaths Members of the Universalist Church of America 19th-century Christian universalists 20th-century Christian universalists American suffragists American temperance activists Activists from Philadelphia Keswickianism Quaker feminists Writers from Cumberland County, New Jersey