The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-11-02


Mr.. ArnOld's Lecture.
Robert Laird Collier in Chicago Tribune
Mr.. Arnold came upon the platform at
Chickering Hall promptly at o'clock. The
lecturer is an interesting man in appearance,
as well as in his manner and method OF dis
course. He is strikingly English in coun-
tenance, and nowhere could he by any
chance be mistaken for an American. He
has the bearing of a scholar, though not in
the least of recluse. Mr.. Arnold is a hand
somer man than his photographs would in
dictate and when he came upon the platform
be was received with respectful greeting,
which he acknowledged with a pleasing
SMILE but with very awkward swaying of
his body, and the feeling was that he was
somewhat out of place.
There is a characteristic side to DR.. John
son" was Mr.. Arnold's first sentence with
out the usual address to his audience and
this sentence was spoken with the most pro-
nounced singing infection of the voice.
Then came up the manuscript to the eve of
the reader and the left hand must have
been tired when the lecture was ended for
he used it incessantly lifting this manuscript
TO his eye. The articulation was lndStipct,
being. like that of most English speakers,
muffied. 1t is certain that comparatively
few OF his auditors heard perfectly all that
was said. l sat within twenty feet of the
speaker, and lost the ending of many sem
fences. The lecturer began by reference to
the fact that he had not hattered his own
countrymen, and that he did not mean to
flatter the English-speaking people on this
side the sea. He then launched out upon the
sentiment of patriotism, and told us how few
true patriots there are, and said it was so in
Athens and Judea in the olden times. Then
he referred to our greatness as a nation, and
especially our great mum bers, and said that
great numbers were a great factor for good
or evil, and by reference to Athens and Judea
showed that the majority are always in the
wrong; that it is the remnant as in the time
of Plato and Isaiah, who were always in the
right, and that il is the aim of civilization to
change the unsound ma ority into sound
majority, and that this is to be done by
righteousness not by congresses or constitu-
tons, and not by politicians, but by the
righteousness of the New Testament
He then alluded 70 his article on America,
and bis apology for it was that he inferred
what was true in America by what he knew
to be in England. ...
The lecturer now for the first time, began
to be interesting by abiding to the relations
between England and ireland as being
neither just nor amiable, quoting the New
Testament text wv hatsoeYer things are
Just, whatsoever things are amiabe," ETC., as
the very essence of civilization. He further
illustrated his point by reference to French
literature and his love for France, and quoted
a sentence from letter addressed to himself
bv his great friend and benefactor M. Sainte-
Beuve. in which the gracious Frenchman
said to Mr. Arnold that Mr.. Arnold was
a lover of French literature by an innate ap-
titude for it and deep study of it, France
went wrong-did not want moral reforma-
ton. Germany went with the moral refor-
nation and went forward to power. The
French remain lucid, but not serious. The
Germans are serious, and are building up
the great civilization of the present and fu-
ture
At this point the lecturer became positive
ly brilliant i'll the matter of his DISCOURSE al
though continuing as dreary as at first in
manner and voice. He began to quote the
French of Renan with the most familiar and
musical pronunciation. l began to wonder
why itwas that he did not speak his own
tongue as beautifully, for never remember
to have heard an Englishman speak French
with such exquisite accuracy of accent. He
told us, after quoting Renan, that the
French have no seriousness, and unless the
remnant of the righteous should conquer,
and that right speedily the French nation
would perish from. the EARTH No onder
that he drew this conclusion from the sent
ences of Renan, which he culled ftUm the
Frenchman's "Recollections'i of his life.
These are two of the sentences: Mature
cares nothing Tor chastity-that which used
to be called the virtue of chastity" He al
luded to Xola as the most popular writer of
French fiction. But, said the speaker, 'un-
chastity is ruin" and grew red-hot in his
thought as he drew a vivid picture of I'M
chastity as the very goddess of the French
nation, tellin; us that it is not clericalism
that is the enemy Of France, but her own
Oh osen goddess.
France" he continued. "has lost her Ger
manic blood-her seriousness She has lu-
cidity, but not so much as the understand
ing of seriousness" He put the question
with great :orce: Will France ever recover
herself? and answered his question tenta-
lively: with her 5000 900 she may but
she must do it speedily or perish" THE
remnant of Israel may be brought in-that
is the remnant of the righteous in France
may save her-but SO far as we can see she is
passing to moral decay"
At this point Mr. Arnold said he now
wished.to apply the doctrine of the rem
nant" to the United States and spoke during
the remaining fifteen minutes of his lecture
on the fact that -majorities are in the wrong
and said plainly that majorities are un-
sound. The logic of the lecture was the
doctrine of aristocratsm. and was in the
very teeth of our American constitution and
all that our form of government stands lOr.
He was very frank. saying that he was aware
THAT the Americans believed in numbers. an
fused the words '"smari ness" "cutenlss,'
and "audacity" in no complimentary FASH