The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1880-01-31
MATrnEw AnNOLD.
HIS Beliefs and UnbeiIefs and His Dcvo
tIOn to Education.

HIS beliefs anu UuDeIIeit anu HA Dctus
tIon to Education.
From London Truth.
He is all mind; to understand him you
must read his books, or better still, talk
with him, provided lie accords you that
high honor, which he will not lightly,
having always held his own intellectual
powers in Just generation. Aristotle's
ideal OF the perfect man embraced GER
tain amount OF seli.appTeciation and Mr..
Arnold has studied Aristotle. There is an
oxford story which shows how fully the
man at an early ago understood his own
dignity, and felt, perhaps, q correspond
ing contempt for that OF others. A car
tain Wilkins, OF Morton, i ! remember
rightly, had asked Arnold, then an under
graduate, to dine with him at o'clock.
About 8, Master Matthew strolled leisure
" into Morton, aud asked II "Mr. Jen-
Eins' lived in the college. The porter
happened to know him, and said: "No,
Sir, but there's q Mr.. wilkins who's been
expecting you TO dine ever SO long,
"Ah, dear me, yes; Wilkins-so II was.n
won't vouch for the names, but the real
ity Of the story is unquestionable.
Mr.. Arnold has long outgrown such
Alterations, and now stands before the
world as, perhaps, the most perfect speci.
men OF modern English culture-at all
events, the most perfect specimen OF the
destructive school, as Cardinal Newman
is Of the conservative. He believes in
| little, and in that little feebly. On the
other hand, he disbelieves in much, and
notably in dogmatic Christianity. Radi-
Calism, immediate perfectibility OF tho
negro, the moralizing effect OF railways
and free trade, the beauty OF repeating the
contagious disease act, and l1any other
things which win belief from others. In
short, he disctedits nearly every modern
nostrum for our ills, and many an ancient
one he utterly rejects.
Has he any panacea Of his ownr Not
precisely. Workable religion, which may
possibly be defined as what we can be sure
Of, he has boiled down TO this fact: "fhereis
a something, not in ourselves, which makes
for righteousness" For even Mr.. Arnold
has 10 abandon elegance Of style in deal:
ing'with those awful problems which will
not admit Of being solved in cut-and.dried
phrases. And in estimating Mr.. Arnold
one should never forget that he Is pro-
foundly religious. His creed has been,
indeed, called a negative creed but may
it not be worry positive one after all2
IA mans reliGio1S says Carlyle, Consists,
not OF the many things lie Is in doubt oil
and tries 70 believe, but Of the few he il
assured OF, and has no need OF effort for
believing" Matthew Arnold believes
very sincegely in that Something, though
he declines, like humble folk, 70 call
it God. he believes, too, almost pas sion,
Gia!y, in the good effects OF education,
on which his theories are so enlightened
that We may haply see them realized ID
excellent time, say in 2S79. However
!, though his IDEA is . lofty one, he perfect
ly understands the NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.
and has made one OF the best Inspectors
Of Schools Of whom the Priyy Council eve
took cognizauce, By the way, he hai
!. seEgp5 under certain chiefs whom be
must have considered puzzled; but, an TIL
, other hand, what an amusing affair III
seems when one thinks Of lord .Ripoh o
ths Duke d Richmond being Matthew
, Arnold's superior and eoMnaadArg,, Hal
1 Mr.. Arnold been Erenchman he would
long since have been Minister OF Educa
d ton, II not something higher; being {
/ Brilon, he has not even attatne4 10 Ia
distinction OF o. B,.ship. Lord Beacons
9 field Is so sincere patron Of talent thu
j, the fact may be commended 70 his notice
/, lei hiH DC least giYe Mr.. Arnold ID
chance Of declining a ribbon. T
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