Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1888-04-21
ARNOLD's LAST CRITICIsM OF AMER
ICA AND AMERICANS.

Neafly all the newspapers Vi lile olitSu
States have deemed it sacred duty to
assail Mr. Arnold's views rudely, and not
few have felt called upon to pro-
nounce the distinguished scholar, crank
an over-cultured misanthrope and to
speak of his American paper as "a disten-
pered screed," and finally we are told
that Mr. Arnold did not make much
money by his lecture tour in the United
States, and therefore found fault with the
Americans. All these ebullitions of tenn
per and manifestations of anger and feel
ing but prove that Mr.. Arnold's lance
pierced in tender places Americans must
not be childishly sensitive to criticism;
we need more Of it, and more of the truth
preached to Us of ourselves.
Let US look at Mr.. Arnold's indictment
of Americans dispassionately. He dc
clared our institutions comport we'll with
the modern age. No one is prepared to
take issue with him upon that head;
he added that our civilization has short
comings, and we are not so self-sufficient as
to assume that it is free from imperfeetions.
The chief of these which Arnold
pointed out are in the allegation
that intellectual ability does not
in America command for its possessor the
social position il would give him in Eng
land, whereas the possession of wealth en-
ables one to buy his way. The measure of
truth in the statement is sufficient to give
some warrant to the Englishman for the
criticism. Reared in State where class
distinctions are so radical, and where So
ciety is so differently composed, we should
not be surprised that Mr. Arnold wrote
what he did, especially when he supple
mented it by the admission that we have
done more for the masses than any people
in the world. But the critic is fagellated
because he pronounced our civilization as
uninteresting for want of those two great
sources of the interesting, which are dis
tinction and beauty; that which is elevated
an that which is beautiful That is to
say, Mr.. Arnold held that there is not
great deal in our civilization to delight
and nourish the sense of beauty. This, he
claims, is due to our lack of permanence
and to the fact that our " sense of conduct
of business is more strongly developed than
the sense for beauty" We part company
with him for the extreme character of this
statement. Yet it is true that because the
country is not ancient" it has neither in
rural permanenee, historic architecture of
castle, mansion, cathedral or fortress the
characteristics Of Europe, but towns and
cities of busting activity and structures,
for the most part, adapted more to our
needs than our tastes Mr.. Arnold said of
us:
They have buildings that cost great deal of
money and produce certain effect-buildings
shall l say, such as our Midland Station at St.
Pancrss; but nothing such as Somerset House
or Whithan. IN general, where the Americans
succeed best in their architecture-in that art I
so indicative and edueative of peoples sense
for beauGy-is in the fashion Of their villa-eot |
tages in wood. These are often original I'd at |
the same time very pleasing. but they are Or tty |
and coquetiish, not beautiful
But all this is neither so harsh no. so |
unjust as TO Justify acerbity in response.
We are accustomed to speak Of European
civilization. laws and society VITA |
perfe,t freedom and that ra~pjng harsh
ness that j. characteristic If the blunt. |!
outSpoken American. But we seldom, if |
ever, find our expressions disturbing to the |
equanimty Of the European. That we
should be more sensitive when cuitur, d |
Englishman points out our defects and ex-
aggerates them, is not creditabe to our
fitness to stand among the peoples of the
world and give and take thrusts.
Mr.. Mathew Arnold really paid America
and Americans more compliments than he
gave them blows. The observation that |
discovers the good without neglect of |
error, certainly evidences intent of its fair |
ness. While declaring the truth that our
journalism is so largely purveyor of !
scandal and the vehicle for uncleanliness,
Mr. Arnold also says that we have the
sense and system Of equality England has
not and so much needs There is not here
that intense division of classes that in
equality that is so marked in England, and !
this is scored to the credit of our civiliza-
tioa
american women while criticised for [
their loud voices and their strong intona-
tion, he estimates to be among the most
charming of women because of their pa-
tural manner " A manner not self-con-
scious, artificial aud constrained 1t may
not be beautiful manner always, but it is
almost always natural manner; and this
gives pleasure. Here we have, undoubt-
edly, note of civilization, and an evil
dencc, AT the same time, of the good effect
of equality upon so rial life and manners.
The Englishwoman is living in the pres
ence Of an upper class, as it is called.
Hence self-consciousness and constraint in
her The American woman lives in pres !.
en,e of no such class"
He objects to our Wanting of our vir- |
tues; our boastful spirit; that instead of |
solving social and political problems, we
content ourselves with "boasting;" with
"inhated SENTIMENT and the hope to
find in these a substitute for that real !
sense of elevation which human nature /
instinctiyely Graves. The thrill of awe, !
which Goethe pronounces to be the best |
thing humanity has, they would fain Gre
ate by proclaiming themselves at the top !
of their voices to be the greatest nation |
upon EARTH by assuring one another, in
the language of their national historian,
that American democracy proceeds in its
ascent as uniformly and majestically as the
laws of being, and is as certain as the
DEGREES of eternity All which with its
atoms of truth we can well afford to hear
from Mr.. Arnold, who saw so much to
commend in our social equality, our bust /
ness capacity, our remarkable energy, the
natural manner of our women, the vastly /