Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1904-03-31
SIR EDWIN ARNOLD
British Poet and Orientalist Was y
and Blind-"LiEht of Asia's" Au-
thor Had Japanese Wife

Sir Edwin Arnold whose death has
been announced. had suffered OF late
years from partial paralysis. He was
not taken seriously i'll until last week,
when he gradually lost strength
The deceased continued his literary
work until quite recently. his last writing
being in connection with the Russo-Jap-
anese war. in which he was greatly in
tercsted The funeral will take place
March 3. The body will be cremated at
Working.
Edwin Arnold was horn at Gravesend
June 10 1892; was educated at Kings
school, Rochester, and at Kings college,
London. Thence he went up to CniVer-
sity college, oxford, as scholar, ana
won the Newdgate English verse prize
with a poem entitled THE Feast of
Eelshazzar." In 1853 he was chosen to
address the Earl of Derby on his install
lation az chancellor of the university.
For a second time after his graduation
he was second master in the English di-
vision of King Edwards school at Biz
mingham, but he soon left to become
principal of the Sanskrit college at Poona
in the presidency OF Bombay, India.
He made Il metrical translation of the
great Sanskrt work, The llitopadesa. 4"
and since 1861 had been on the editorial
staff Of the London DAILY Telegraph"
In 1915 he published the Indian Song
of Songs metrical paraphrase from
the SanSkrit. For all these services to
Indian literature and education he was
made a companion of the Star of India,
on the proclamation OF Queen Victoria
as Empress of India.
In 1870 The Light of Asia a poem
on the life and teaching of Buddha, was
published. and soon after this the King
of Siam made him a knight OF the White
nDh l,1f lp leo 1anA a cd hI,f h1
Sultan and the Shah OF Persia In 1883
he became Sir Edwin. being made a
knight Commander OF the Indian En-
pire by the Queen.
HIS JAPANESE WIFE.
India exortcd so deep a spell upon Sir
| Edwin Arnold that it was freely said
| that he was IA convert to Buddhism, and
| that The Light of Asia" was written
| with more than a merely literary convic-
| ton. But Japan. where he lived for some
years, in the ninoties. was the land that
most completely enthrallcd him. lie
went there not long after the death OF his
| second wife (who was Miss Fannie Chan
| ming, of Boston,. and after living there
! in the japanese style for some time
| he took a third wife, Miss Tama Kuro-
| kawa, of Sondai, Japan.
| When they went to London, in 1891
Sir Edwin had a church marriage cere-
| mony performed. to make the union bind
| ing in Occidental, as well as Oriental
eyes. His English friends were some
what scandalzed by this affair, but the
| genius of the man and the charm OF the
| woman smoothed it over.
| Sir Edwin's wholesale adoption Of Jan
anese customs while he lived in the Mi.
| kado's realm gave rise to almost as much
| comment as has followed Lafcadic
Hearn's standardization OF himself
| there.
LIVED LIKE AN ORIENTAL.
Arnold lived in a native house. left hi.
shoes at his door, slept on n thick quilt
| and, it was said, ate in true Japanese
| style. In his bedroom he had a cheat
European wash stand two japanese chests