New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-03-24

Thomas Hughes was born in Ellington. in berk-
shire England. October 20 1873. He was the second
son Of John Hughes OF bennington Priory' near
Newbury Berks His mother was Margaret Eliza
beth, daughter of Thomas Wilkinson. Ills grand
father was vicar Of Ellington. When ne was seven
years cd Thomas Hughes was sent to schooi al
Twyford. near Worcester, and In 1883 he entered
Rugby under DR.. Thomas Arnold Here ne stud
fed till the time for him TO matricuate al
Oxford which he did at Orel College. He took his
degree of b. A. there in 1915.
Before his graduation he had taken interest in
political problems and when he left oxford ne was
an advanced Liberal He was called 10 the par al
Lincolns Inn in 1913 In 1865 he was elected TO FAR
Lament for Lambeth retaining his seat for three
years. when he was returned for France; this con-
sttuency he represented till 1874 In the general
election Of that year Mr. Hughes was nominated as
a candidate for Marylebone. but he retired the
day before the poll taken. He received the APP
pointment of Queens Counsel IN 1869 In lSSZ ne
was appointed Judge of the County Court, Circuit
No 9 OF late years he had made occasional APP
pearances a lecturer. being well-known author
lily cooperation; he had also been known as an
active opponent Of gambling
Mr. Hughes's reputation rests chiefly upon his
two books tom Browns School Days by an Old
Boy" published in 1857, being description OF life
at Rugby and its sequel, Tom Brown at Oxford
which appeared in 1861. both OF which have gained
great popularity, and have become almost
classics in the department of boys literature. To
the men who were boys twenty five or thirty years
ago name has pleasanter sound than that Of
TON" Hughes. they all called him when they
did no, identify him with his most famous char
acter and call him Tom Brown" The adventures
OF ingenious English boy at Rugby, under the
care Of that beloved master. DR.. Arnold and after
ward at the university in the days when rowing
was at its zenith read with unmixed delight
They were even attractive to American boys
0lisb lads tha "A T.
mosphere OF distance and the glamour of school
and university system such as was unknown in this
country. The stories of the fights In the ring for
principle, Of the struggles on the football held OF
the tasks set punishment all had the charm OF
novelty. The manner OF life at Oxford. with its
look Of homekeness. the rash Radicalism OF youth
in contact with the Torysm of the od-fashioned
country squire who comes up to see his boy and TO
revive the memories of his university career.
the minor lapses from rectitude Of the hero. come
UP to mind with the freshness Of first reading.
1t undoubtedly the experience of the author
vvidly forth under the guse of fiction that gave
these famous books their power the reading
public. Rugby became a household name In Amer
lea. and to Thomas Hughes DR.. Arnold undoubtedly
owed good measure Of the TenS%n which ne had
literature many more serious works than these, but
as ana rdx xsd o roay
two books seem auto5ographic Mr. Hughes Is said to
have gone through many editions. and paraphrase
OF them has been published In France.
Mr.. Hughes also has published the following:
1.-THE Securing OF the White Horse" 1885, ''Religo
Laici,'' 1861. being the first OF series Of Tracts
as "A Layman's Faith.' 1865 The Cause OF Free
dom: Which Is Its Champion in America, the North
the South 1862 Alfred the Great" 1859; Me-
moir of Brother George c. Hughes). which
seachea secona eoson IN s9; prels se memoir
Church: What Shall We Do with I,?' opposing the
movement for the disestablishment OF the Church
Of England. 1878 and Memoir of Daniel Nc
Milan" 1852 He also contributed preface
Wh!tmore's poems and edited James Russell Low
ellis "B!How Papers" 1882 the Count Of Paris's
work on 1.-THE Trades Unions of England" and
other books
Mr.. Hughess interest in the United States was
we'll known and frequently manifested. He warmly
espoused the cause OF the North during the Civil
War. when that was the unpopular side in Eng
and the same thing is indicated by his admiration
for Lowell and his works: The ,Bigow Papers"
which he edited he Is said 10 have known Almost by
heart He visited this country In 1870 making an
extended Journey He largely interested i'm