The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1898-02-27

contemporaries, many Of them far inferior to
him. rose to high positions In Church and State,
while he refnAined, TO tho ond, an examiner Of
elemental schools. or course II may no said
that. like 40 many Of his literary friends. he
might have written novels, and thus okeh out n
living by pot.boilers, as they are called, of vari-
GUS kinds, but there was something noble and
refined In him which restrained his pen from
such work. Whatever he gave to tho world was
to be perfect. "a perfect rs he could mako 1t, and
no did not think that he possessed talent for
novels" II Ia well known that when Arnold,
later in life, took TO theological studies, no was
allowed to say thinus that would have given
deep offence II coming from other lips. We nro
reminded in this book Of his famous saying
about tho three Lords Shaftesburys, and It, Is
acknowledged that tho illustration Of what
Arnold took to be tho common conception of
the Trinity among his Philistinc friends was,
as a matter Of taste, Objectionable. 1t
must have particularly panied those who
felt that the picture was not altogether un-
true. However. his friends. and among them
many high ecclosiastics, forCave him. Stanley.
1 know. admired his theological writings very
much. Many Of his critics fully agreed with what
Arnold said, only they would have said IL In n
different way. There 10 q kind of cocaine style
which Is used by many ablo critics and reform.
ers. 1t cuts deep into the flesh. and yet the
patient remains insensible to pain. You can
say anything in English Arthur Helps once
said to me, only you must know how to say It,
Arnold, like Carlyle and others, preferred tho
old style Of surgery. They thought that pain
was good in certain operations, and helped to
accelerate a healthy reaction" It seems that.
for some reason or other. the three Lords
Shaftesbury" have disappeared in the last
edition Of Literature and Dogma" and have
been replaced by "a supernatural man. Our
authors remark on the excision is: 'Froude.
who wae an intimate friend both Of Arnold and
Of Sir james Stephen. told me that tho lattor
had warned Arnold that tho three Lord Shaftcs-
burys' were really actionable, and. II Arnold
hated anything it was a fracas. In the fifth
edition they still remained, go that the change
must have been made later on. when he pre-.
pared the cheap edition Of his book The au-
thor testihes to the presence of a great charm
In Arnold, even though he could be very patron
izing. In argument he never lost his temper.
but he could not be easily convinced that he was
wrong, and he would generally end by "Yes, ,
yes. my good fellow; you are quite right; but
you see my view of tho matter Is different,
and l have little doubt it ia the true
There seems to have been in all
he said a kind Of understood. though seldom.
expressed, sadness, as II to say. at will soon
be all over; don't lot us get angry; we are all
very good fellows" sc. According to our au.
thor, Arnold "knew for years that. though he
was strong and looked very young for his age,
the thread Of his life might snap at any mo-
mont. And 80 1t did; Felir opportunitate ntortis.
long before his death he met Browning on
the steps Of the Atheneum. He felt i'll. and on
taking leave of Browning he hintod that they
might never meet again. Browning was pro-
fuse in his protestations. and Arnold, on turn.
ing away. said. in his airy way: Now. one
Browning. Please not more than ten
lines Browning understood and went away
q solemn smile.'