The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1896-01-26
THE CRITICS COLUMN.
DETOTED TO COMMENT UPON CUR
RENT PUBLICATiONS.
Matthew Arnold's Leiters-1hs Capeis
and Their kin-Literary
Notes.

THE LETTERS OF MATTHEW AK
NoI,D-MacMillan & Company. New
york. 500. isor sale by West. john
ston x Company.
Matthew Arnold, popularity known as
the author Of certain phrases, Tor instance
sweetness and light" 1.-THE power not
ourselves that makes for Righteousness
&c.
So charming are these Letters that one
IS reminded Of the whimsical prediction OF
Arnold that Shelley would be remefn-
bered not by his poetry, but, by ms iet-
ters. Would IT not be the irony oil iate
If Arnold, whom his friends rank above
Tennyson as the representative poet OF
our axe. should be remembered not by
his poetry, not by his criticism, valuable
and stimulating as it is, but by his let
tiers?
However that may be. his Letters are
an addition TO English literature and will
be welcomed by all those who love the
name Of Arnold. either through admira-
ton Of the father Or. Thos. Arnold. Of
Rugby, or because Of the intellectual
stimulus and poetic delight they derived
from the son.
The Letters begin in 1SiS. when Mat
thew Arnold, then %. was intellectually "a
jaunty young gentleman" as Goodwin
Smith called him as late as 1854. In 1871
he was appointed Private Secretary TO
Lord Lansdowne. then President OF The
Council. and I'm 1851 Lord l.. got him APP
pointed inspector Of schools. a position he
held till 1856. a year and n half before
his death.
II was Pegasus harnessed TO a pillow.
What would Tennyson, or Wordsworth. OF
Browning have accomplished. If obliged
10 do the drudging that Arnold had 10 go
through all his life? II am now" he sent
10 his mother IN 1863. at the work I dis
/ like most in the wOrld-lOoking over and
marking examination papers. / was stop
| ped last week by nv eyes. and tho last
year or two these sixty papers n day Of
close handwriting 10 read have. ] am
sorry 10 say. much tried my eyes" In
1865 he writes: Tell Edward ! divide my
papers, (second year grammar through
every day. taking IN Christmasday,
Saturdays and Sundays.
In this way I bring them down TO -
a day. which can DO without the strain
on my head and eyes. which 10 a day. or
as I used often 10 make Il i'm old times.
by delaying at first. so or even % day
would be. 7 am up at six, &c"
Another source Of wasted energy was
certainly his habit OF dining out. He was
usually with congenial minds. but this
was not the way 10 produce that calm Of
mind and soul. on account Of which ne
Is always envying the ancients. The
! adverse fate" Of which the editor OF the
Letters speaks. was partly of his own
making. If he had. had such DISPOSE
ton 10 plain living and high thinking as
| Wordsworth had. we might have had
much more poetry Ike "Sohrab ana
/ Rustrum." Certainly dining out four or
/ five times n week does not conduce TO
seeing visions and dreaming dreams. IL
does conduce 20 producing political pam
! phIets such as Arnold wrote when was
! an additional source Of distraction
Yet II all that he did. except this poetry
were blotted out the world Of letters
would be sensibly poorer The majority
Of the Letters are addressed 10 his
mother. who died I'm 1873, at the age or
eiehty-two. They reveal a most loving
son. father husband. friend.
We see also the critic the literary his
torian the political writer, the poet-Nr-
mold I'm all his manifold activities. we
find as We should have judged from ms
poetry. that he was an ardent lover or
Nature i'm all her phases especially or
running water. Of which he makes such
splendid use I'm his poetry. and OF wild
flowers. but We were not prepared 10
learn that he was equally as enthusiastic
as sportsman. hunter, fisherman. skater.
and croquet and tennise player.
Think Of the apostle OF sweetness and
light. taking of his shoes and stockings
and wadng five hours. barefooted ana
ankle deep in the clear. pebbly borders
of beautiful trout stream. My cold was
better next day" he adds and my Feet
| have been happy ever since. l only WISH
YOU could have seen the fish-my basket
/ FUN OF great trout as long as my fore
/ arm He was. however, not good
shot. "The shooting here is superb he
writes i'm 1873. when In his 5lst year, and
7 am shooting II possible worse than /
ala nj Hampden: but this last year ! shall
go on blazing away. and then abandon for
ever the vain attempt 10 mingle I'm the
sports of the Barbarians.'
Arnold gives in. too. interesting criu-
cisms on the men OF his day which he
| thought improper TO publish. lie speaks
Of meeting "a sort OF pseudo-Shelley, call
cd Swinburne" "The fault / find with
Tennyson's Idylls Of the King is that
the peculiar charm and aroma Of the
middle age. he does not give IN them The
real truth is that T., with all his tenn
permanent and artistic skill is deficient I'm
Intellectual power, and no modern poet
| can make very much Of his business un-
Jess he IS pre-eminenty strong In this.
what women those Jewcsscs Oady de
! Rothschid was one OF his most intimate
frionds) arel What with a force, which
seems 20 triple that Of the women of our
/ Western and Northern races" at might
be fairly urged that ! have less poetical
sentiment than Tennyson and less intel
lectual vleor and abundance than Brown
| ing. vct. because / have perhaps more Of
n fusion Of the two than either Of them.
and have more regularly applied that
/ fusion 10 the main line OF modern develop
ment. I am likely enough 10 have my
turn. as they have had theirs"
This Of Lord Salisbury Is good: Gle is
n DANGEROUS man. Religion he knows. and
/ phvsical science he knows. but the i'm
| monse work between the two. which is
| for literature 10 accomplish. he knows
nothing Of. know no one. indeed. more
| likely 10 provoke shocks and collisions
| than men like Lord Salisbury"
The Letters are full OF such bits Of
| criticism. In 1883 he visited the United
| States on n lectoring tour Though a
| severe critic Of America, whose life IS I'M
| interesting. without SAVIOR. without depth,
! he was greatly pleased with what he saw
of virginia. and he has several letters
about Richmond.
He writes from here December 19;-"It
was getting dark. but she Mrs. Anderson.
| his hostess) took me out a drive 10 show
me the view Of the CITY with the James
river bending through Il. and sending up
n beautiful sound from its rapids-no
trout. though. tell Dick (his som. But
my pleasure was the cemetery. whore is
a great pyramid over IN common soldiers
Il .e he. 70 = WI N 10