Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1888-05-04

which he berates American writers for want
of clearness are sentences so long and in
volved that the reader loses the subject be-
fore he reaches the predicate. But as he is
dead, let us briefly review what he did
He was born Dec "a, 1922, his father being
the noted Thomas Arnold, of Rugby, who
revolutonized the school system of England
Matthew was thoroughly prepared by his
father and entered Ballot college, Oxford,
under the best auspices The latter years Of
the father and the earlier years of Matthew
were passed in the midst of that queer social
and theological ferment to which contempt
rary writers gave the vague title of the "Ox-
ford Tractarian Movement" of which the
renowned John Henry Newman was the
moving spirit. Like the Methodist move
ment of century before, it began in an at
tempt to "vitalize doctrlnes"-that is, to
make the established church more a mission
izing and evangel church. But the results
were wonderfully different. Newman dashed
into the controversy with the brocu
statement that the Protestant reformation
was badly managed, and that most of the
arguments alleged against tho old church
told more effectively against historic Chris
anity Once launched on this course, he
pursued his logic unhinchingly to the end,
became Catholic and rose to high rank IN
that communion. Some 800 young Oxonians
followed him into the Catholic church The
other "Tractarians" divided into three
classes; one became High Churchmen an
other, including James Anthony Froude and
men OF his type, dropped into a mild inf
deity; while Matthew Arnold and those of
his cast of mind grew or glided into mysti-
cal half faith, which seems to an average
American like a mixture of "liberal Christi
anity' with Emersonianism and perhaps a
small percentage of Buddhism. In "Litera-
ture and Dogma" the curious reader will
find part of this faith set forth in phrases
which are, perhaps, plain enough when
thoroughly studied.
At Oxford Mr. Arnold won the Newdegate
prize for English verse. For some years he
acted as secretary to Lord Lansdowne, and
for five years thereafter was inspector of
schools. From 1857 to 1867 he was professor
OF poetry at Oxford, and thereafter was
writer, lecturer and educator He was
volumnous writer and worked increasingly
for his schemes of liberal education. He
visited America several times, and liked us
less every time, though he has a daughter
living in New York city, the wife of
Frederick W Whitridge, ESQ.,, lawyer at
No. 50 Wall street. They met in 1888, when
DIG NiSiocu f>inei ia Will neT ldtner, anu
were married in 1884 Matthew Arnold did
not admire American literature He thought
such humorists as Mark Twain and Bret
Harte national misfortune; did not admit
that there was as yet distinctive terature
on this side Of the ocean, and was shocked at
our jovial system of naming towns, espe-
cially at Podunk, Oshkosh, Smthville, Wee
hawken and Kalamazoo. His recent visit
gave him occasion to write the article in the
April number of The Nineteenth Century
Magazine, in which he speaks of America as
"a nation of ignoble braggarts, living in
fools paradise 1t is pretty severe, but we
shall make an effort to survive