The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1903-01-25

A %M 4II1EW ARNQLD'S Lei
b~H ters were. 1 think. Rener-
ally felt to be disap-
a . pOintment. TIL e y
tractively personal in his public writings.
surprisingly colorless and uncharacterIs-
= TIC One would have expected Arnold to
have been delightful letter-writer. for
not Only in his books but in his social
life he was ever the sprightliest of com
paniOns. In his letters. however, though
we have an occasional glimpse of his
deep-hearted home life. he was for the
most part the school Inspector. drearily
official: and one wonders what has be-
come of that twinkle which was wont to
enliven his most elaborate polemics.
Strangely enough, his Notebooks" Mac
milan company, which Lis daughter the
Hon. Mrs WodehOuse, has just edited
though they are almost entirely made I'D
OF quotations from other writer's bring
US much nearer to the man They are
fsieef, i'm their lacOnic way. cxpreSsiveIy
characteristic and those of us who in
the formative period of our lives had the
good fortune to come under Arnold-s in
fluence, will examine these personal
memoranda of their old teacher with at
foctionate curiosity. Here is the physi-
clan to be seen healing himself. practic-
Ing The same regimen that he preached:
and here are the private foods and tones
by which he daily fortified his strenuous
spirit.
How strenuous that spirit was and on
what strong meat it was sustained. these
notebooks almost forbiddingly illustrate
Ne-y surely Arnold lived up to his own
counsel. and continually famiIiarized him
self with the best that is known and
thought in the world" These notebooks
are not in any sense commonplace books.
or the ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Of literary
man dotting down a flying phrase, or the
brief outline OF schemes for future ref
erence. Their interest is less special than
that. and they belong Father to class
of books which. for all I know. is still
popular with serious people. the book of
daily 'meditatiOns." in which our fathers
and mothers would dip at morning or
evening. for some thought to help them
through the day. or TO tranquillize their
minds at its close. Bogatzsky's Golden
Treasury used to be a great favorite
with old-fashiOned religious people and
hooks on a higher level of inspiration
numberless Cditkns Of which have been
worn out by pious thumbs. are the 'Imi-
tation of Christ and KebIe's Christian
Year" For spirits more stoically self
dependent the Fluctuations of Marcus
Aurelius has long been the accepted day
DOOR, ne popularity OF mOttO-cdienddrS
and birthday books shows how instruct
i've and universal the motto and medita-
ton practice is. There is. ! think. often
blended with it just a little of the old
superstition which used to send our
fathers Cand some of their children stiID
10 consult certain accredited books at
important Virgil CT the Bible
for example-by opening them at random
and placing their fingers on chance
passage. In some such spirit I am sure,
many of us, in a morning. tear off yes
terday's date from the Shakespeare cal
Cndar and look. with a certain involun-
taTy eagerness. at the motto for the day.
Though we would never admit it, we
know in our hearts that sometimes they
have seemed strangely prophetic, and
though Arnold was the last man to prac-
tice the 'Virgilian lots" or any other
''sOrtes." yet his notebooks. from this
point of view, provide at least two star
Ting condolences. Arnold died suddenly
April 10. 1885, and for that day he had
written out this passage from Ecclesias-
ticus: Weep bitterly over the dead. as
he is worthy. and then comfort myself;