DEATH OF DR. ARNOLD.

Waikato Times, Volume XXX, Issue 2461, 19 April 1888, Page 2

DEATH OF DR. ARNOLD.

|By Electhio Temjukaph—Copyright.] London, April 16. Dr Matthew Arnold died very suddenly to-day. His death is attributed to dieease of the heart. Mathew Arnold, eldest son of thn Rev. Thiimiis Arnold, D.1)., was born in 1822, at Laleham. near Staines, and was educated at Winchester, Rugby and Oxford. He was elected Scholar in 1840, and won the Newdigate prize for Enplish verse in 1543, graduated in honours in 1841, and was elected a Fellow of Oriel College in 1815. Hr was private secretary to Lord Lansdowne until his marriage in 1851, with the daughter of Mr Justice when he was appointed a Lay Inspector of Schools under the Committee of Council in Education. He gained distinction us a poet, and published at various times volumes of his poetic works, and in 1857 was elected Professor of Poetry at Oxford. In 1858 he published " Merope," a tragedy after the antique, with a preface, in which thn principles of Greek tragedy are discussed. He advocated the adoption of the Kuglish hexameter as the best equivalent to the Homeric rhythm. He was sent by the Government in 1850(i0, as Foreign Assistant-Com-missioner to the Commissioners appointed to enquire into the state of popular education in France, Germany, and Holland, and published a record of the systems in those countries. He again visited the Continent in 181)5, to procure for the Royal Commission on middle-class education, information respecting foreign schools for the upper and middle classes, and published a volume on this subject. He has published also the following literary works, a collection of prose contributions styled " Essays on Criticisims," " Lectures on the Study of Celtic Literature;" "New Poems ;'" " Culture and Anarchy, an essay in Political and Social Criticisms"; "St Paul and Protestantism, with an essay on Puritanism and the Church of England"; " Friendship's Garland, being conversations, letters and opinions of Arminius, Baron von Thunder-ten-Tronckh,' , "Literature and Dogma," and " Last Essays on Church and Religion." Dr. Arnold received, in 18ii9, the honorary degree of Doctor of Laws from the University of Edinburgh, and also in 1870 from his own University of Oxford.