St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-04-04
A CRITICAL CRITIC.

MATTHEW ARNOLD has S0ured on
America. We are nation Of ignoble
braggarts, living in FOOLS paradise, is
the way he sizes us up. 1t is very ugly
in Mr.. ARNOLD to speak so contemptu-
ously of people at whose hands he re-
ceived nothing but civility and gener-
Gus hospitality during his visit to this
country. The very fact that he is thus
unmindful of the ordinary amenities OF
life would condemn him as belonging to
an ignoble civilization himself.
But it is probable that Mr.. ARNOLD
regards the duties belonging to his posi-
ton as critic as superior to all per-
sonal obligations, and it is in this light
he justiies his recent attack upon
Americans and American civilization.
He came here for the purpose OF study
ing our people and their customs, and
as an honest historian he is compelled
to write up the country just as it i'm
pressed him.
So, then, from his standpoint Mr..
ARNOLD is not so far out of the way as
we could wish him to be. However
unpleasant it may be for us to do so,
still we are compelled to admit that
there is some justice in his criticism.
We are nation of braggartS, and there
is no denying it. But our Dragging is
not of the ignoble style Mr. ARNOLD
paints it. Dragging is business with
us, and has been reduced to a science.
We do not boast simply for the sake of
hearing ourselves boast. tits not of the
staggering kind affected by towards
and cheats, but there is method in it,
and it is done for wise purpose. 1t is
natural that man of Mr.. ARNoLD's
guileless nature and unsophisticated
knowledge should fail to understand us.
1t is possible, too, that we are living
in FOOLS paradise, but that ought not
to disturb a man of Mr.. ARNoLD's phil
osophic mind. A wise mans paradiseis
no more enjoyable to him than FOOLS is
to him. If we are happy and contented
with our lot, that is sufficient, and it
would be very unkind in Mr.. ARNOLD
or any one else to disturb our enjoy
ment by moving us up into ciyiliza-
ton that we are not fitted to adOrn.
Mr.. ARNOLD doesn't like our Ameri-
can newspapers. They have flippant
way of treating serious subjects and
jocose familiarity in discussing distin-
guished foreigners that is absolutely
shocking to his English sensitiveness.
Your Indictment is true bill, Mr.. AR
MOLD. There is a raciness in our Amer
lean newspaper literature that is wholly
incomprehensible to one who has been
accustomed to heavy British journalism.
There is a breeziness about our Western
style which sweeps foggy Englishman
from his feet at the first puff.
Again Mr.. ARNOLD is cross because
everything is so high-priced over here.
He says that oysters and ice are the
only two cheap articles he found in
America. That is right. Ice and oysters
are about the only two American prod
ucts that are not subject to the tariff
tyranny. 1t may be qualification to
Mr.. ARNOLD to know that we are about
to make change in this respect. We
are going to make long stride toward
civilization soon by charging our free
list.
There are good many things over
here different from what they are over
there, Mr.. ARNOLD, but for all that our
name is ELI. At the roll call of nations
we are always on hand to respond to our
name.