New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-05-06

The newspapers report them verbatim. What 1
want to know is: Could l. without lmproirisS S ol
sbsurdity, say to the representatives Oh nems
papers that | wish they would not report Ine
Verbatim, and if made the request, would the ere
be much chance Of it's being attended tor VI
course they might quote words ana passages "n"
comment on them as much as they pleased. -
/ have nearly broken my heart over my nrst
discourse, with which | mean TO open IN new W
York, but begin TO think II VIII DO ai'er AL
But we shall see. ~
Send me a line to any QUE that you and your
wife would like us to SEE AT EiGii WIZ HfRSoLD
You will not have forgotten the trouble that
grew out Of the reporting question. but before
ouoting the solution of what then seemed TO be
a mystery, will give a letter written on his
way TO America
Cunard Royal Mail Steamship Seryia,
Queenstown, Oct. IA.
ised letters before writing 20 you and they reached
me yesterday evening at Liverpool Just as we
have many nastier before we reach NewYork.
But jacta est alea,n and the kindness which has
been called forth by my going l shall never
H Ss London a glad Of e''' =
New-York Herald wanted my opinion
On American institution; Journalism ana b 0a
the oracles were dumb I write to London as /
am not sure where in Scotland you will have now
alighted. Mrs. Arnold sends her love TO Mrs
cordially yours MATTHEW ARNOLD
Singular accounts had been telegraphed from
America-whence the kilograms apt to be of a
singular kind-about Arnold's reception and lect-
ures, and especially about the reporting difficulty
/ am not sure that the full explanation OF
this last was ever given TO the public by you;
at any rate, here it is in Arnold's own words;
and with it foretaste Of that stern Judgment
upon the American press which its unrelenting
critic has since enlarged for the benefit of the
English public:
Somerset Club,
Boston, November 81, 1888.
MY dear Smalley: The appropriation question
looked bigger, perhaps, in the kilograms than IL
actually was / move about so much that SEQ
the papers here very irregularly, but don't think
il caused much irritation over here--not with me,
at any rate. II arose out OF what you must have
often remarked in me-my signal modesty.. Dr.
keatingc, of THE TRIBUNE, who had interviewed
me sympathetically, came and asked me Tor my
lecture 60 read before he made has summary,
promising to respect my wishes as to not giving
the lecture in full But he asked me 70 mark for
him the passages which gave tho gist Of the
matter. This | did and he printed the whole OF
the marked matter which / had. not intended,
but think he may quite VEL have imagined s@aied
me for the lecture to read and gave 1t to The
Herald likewise; but The Herald did not ask
me to mark passages and was moderate In its
quotations. The agents for my lectures had sent
round to the newspapers begging them not to report
me in full, and the other papers attacked The
TRIBUNE, believe. for disregarding my, wishes.
THE TRIBUNE replied that 1t had my leave TO
publish what it did, and DR.. keatinge, as said
before may fairly enough have imagined so.
Then the newspapers turned somewhat upon me- me,
but without vioiousness; in fact, the press has
been curiously favorable to me on the whole. BUT
my dear Smalley, the press over here is an Awful
symptom-your worst. There IS mncn, howevef'
that Is promisng-much, even, that is quite excel
lent; but, serious press you have not ana IL
is great want. QUIT
ering Hall is vile place to speak In; l get on
much better now, but am little bored by my own
eloquence.
There are delightful people here, and the club
from which write is one of the very best ever
truly yours, MATTHEW ARNOLD.
It is, imagine true of Arnold that whatever
offended his taste offended his whole nature. He
found much in America that offended his taste,
and he said so with that keenness Of phrase which
nothing could blunt. lie found much also TO like
and like heartily, but a kind of reserve seemed
TO come over him when he sought to express in
public his appreciation of what he most valued
in America He expressed 1t freely enough in
| private. If he had yielded to his feelings he
would I believe, have suppressed most of what
he said against u.s. He said it because he thought
it ought to be said In private he was wont to
speak of his visits in the peasantest possible
way and of people he had met in the United
States as very attaching" word he delighted
in.
There Is a passage in letter on his return
from America in 1856 which shows how he valued
American opinion. After referring TO something
which had pleased him in THE TRIBUNE he
says:
"To be sure, have had so long stage of what
DR.. Johnson calls wholesome neglect that per
haps notice and kindness in the end of my days
viii not spoil me. Kindness from you have
had always"
print the last sentence because alas! it reads
| to me now like o reproach. Then he goes on:
"Thc American people is q great deal bigger
and stronger than It was but caLnot agree with
those who think it less sensitive TO foreign, at
any rate to English, opinion; IT is natural it
should be so, and, on the whole, though there are
| some inconvenience, useful
| l have dwelt long on these American expert
ences Of Arnolds, and there is a great deal to be
said ON other points which l must reserve for
another letter. But l wish TO cite, lastly, a
passage which have just reread from the Preface
TO the Discourses in America" / took down
the volume which was gift from him. to look
again at the inscription in the beginning, which
I trust he would still rewrite; then L began,
| amid some pressure Of work. TO read, and came
upon this:
Il am glad Of every opportunity OF thanking nltn
ton and kindness with which they listened to @
speaker who did not fatter them, who would
have hattered them i'll, but who yet felt, and IN
fact expressed more esteem and admiration than
his words were sometimes, at hasty first hearing,
supposed to convey, l cannot think that what
scant praise, although praise universal and un,
mixed II certainly is not. What high esteem
feel for the suitableness and easy play OF Ameri-
can institutions have had occasion, since my re-
turn home, to say publicly and emphatlcaly
But nothing in the discourse on Numbers was at
| variance with this high esteem, although eau
ton certainly, was suggested. But then, some
caution or other, TO be drawn from the mex
haustibly fruitful truth that moral causes govern
| the standing and the falling of States who is
| there that can be said not to need?"
After all, Arnold's visits to America were but
an episode of his career What he said Of
America bears little proportion to what he said on