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his influence; and moulded their whole lives with passionate

reverence upon the teaching of their adored master。 Conspicuous

among these was Arthur Clough。 Having been sent to Rugby at the

age of ten; he quickly entered into every phase of school life;

though; we are told; 'a weakness in his ankles prevented him from

taking a prominent part in the games of the place'。 At the age of

sixteen; he was in the Sixth Form; and not merely a Praepostor;

but head of the School House。 Never did Dr。 Arnold have an apter

pupil。 This earnest adolescent; with the weak ankles and the

solemn face; lived entirely with the highest ends in view。 He

thought of nothing but moral good; moral evil; moral influence;

and moral responsibility。 Some of his early letters have been

preserved; and they reveal both the intensity with which he felt

the importance of his own position; and the strange stress of

spirit under which he laboured。 'I have been in one continued

state of excitement for at least the last three years;' he wrote

when he was not yet seventeen; 'and now comes the time of

exhaustion。' But he did not allow himself to rest; and a few

months later he was writing to a schoolfellow as follows: 'I

verily believe my whole being is soaked through with the wishing

and hoping and striving to do the school good; or rather to keep

it up and hinder it from falling in this; I do think; very

critical time; so that my cares and affections and conversations;

thoughts; words; and deeds look to that in voluntarily。 I am

afraid you will be inclined to think this 〃cant〃 and I am

conscious that even one's truest feelings; if very frequently put

out in the light; do make a bad and disagreeable appearance; but

this; however; is true; and even if I am carrying it too far; I

do not think it has made me really forgetful of my personal

friends; such as; in particular; Gell and Burbidge and Walrond;

and yourself; my dear Simpkinson 。'



Perhaps it was not surprising that a young man brought up in such

an atmosphere; should have fallen a prey at Oxford; to the

frenzies of religious controversy; that he should have been

driven almost out of his wits by the ratiocinations of W。 G。

Ward; that he should have lost his faith; that he should have

spent the rest of his existence lamenting that loss; both in

prose and verse; and that he should have eventually succumbed;

conscientiously doing up brown paper parcels for Florence

Nightingale。



In the earlier years of his headmastership Dr。 Arnold had to face

a good deal of opposition。 His advanced religious views were

disliked; and there were many parents to whom his system of

school government did not commend itself。 But in time this

hostility melted away。 Succeeding generations of favourite pupils

began to spread his fame through the Universities。 At Oxford

especially; men were profoundly impressed by the pious aims of

the boys from Rugby。 It was a new thing to see undergraduates

going to Chapel more often than they were obliged; and visiting

the good poor。 Their reverent admiration for Dr。 Arnold was no

less remarkable。 Whenever two of his old pupils met; they joined

in his praises; and the sight of his picture had been known to

call forth; from one who had not even reached the Sixth;

exclamations of rapture lasting for ten minutes and filling with

astonishment the young men from other schools who happened to be

present。



He became a celebrity; he became at last a great man。 Rugby

prospered; its numbers rose higher than ever before; and; after

thirteen years as headmaster; Dr。 Arnold began to feel that his

work there was accomplished; and that he might look forward

either to other labours or; perhaps; to a dignified retirement。

But it was not to be。



His father had died suddenly at the age of fifty…three from

angina pectoris; and he himself was haunted by forebodings of an

early death。 To be snatched away without a warning; to come in a

moment from the seductions of this World to the presence of

Eternity his most ordinary actions; the most casual remarks;

served to keep him in remembrance of that dreadful possibility。

When one of his little boys clapped his hands at the thought of

the approaching holidays; the Doctor gently checked him; and

repeated the story of his own early childhood; how his own father

had made him read aloud a sermon on the text 'Boast not thyself

of tomorrow〃; and how; within the week; his father was dead。 On

the title page of his MS。 volume of sermons; he was always

careful to write the date of its commencement; leaving a blank

for that of its completion。 One of his children asked him the

meaning of this。 'It is one of the most solemn things I do;' he

replied; 'to write the beginning of that sentence; and think that

I may perhaps not live to finish it。'



It was noticed that in the spring of 1842 such thoughts seemed to

be even more frequently in his mind than usual。 He was only in

his forty…seventh year; but he dwelt darkly on the fragility of

human existence。 Towards the end of May; he began to keep a

diarya private memorandum of his intimate communings with the

Almighty。 Here; evening after evening; in the traditional

language of religious devotion; he humbled himself before God;

prayed for strength and purity; and threw himself upon the mercy

of the Most High。 'Another day and another month succeed'; he

wrote on May 31st。 'May God keep my mind and heart fixed on Him;

and cleanse me from all sin。 I would wish to keep a watch over my

tongue; as to vehement speaking and censuring of others。。。I would

desire to remember my latter end to which I am approaching。。。 May

God keep me in the hour of death; through Jesus Christ; and

preserve me from every fear; as well as from presumption。' On

June 2nd he wrote; 'Again the day is over and I am going to rest。

Oh Lord; preserve me this night; and strengthen me to bear

whatever Thou shalt see fit to lay on me; whether pain; sickness;

danger; or distress。' On Sunday; June 5th; the reading of the

newspaper aroused 'painful and solemn' reflections。。。 'So much of

sin and so much of suffering in the world; as are there

displayed; and no one seems able to remedy either。 And then the

thought of my own private life; so full of comforts; is very

startling。' He was puzzled; but he concluded with a prayer: 'May

I be kept humble and zealous; and may God give me grace to labour

in my generation for the good of my brethren and for His Glory!'



The end of the term was approaching; and to all appearance the

Doctor was in excellent spirits。 On June 11th; after a hard day's

work; he spent the evening with a friend in the discussion of

various topics upon which he often touched in his conversation

the comparison of the art of medicine in barbarous and civilised

ages; the philological importance of provincial vocabularies; and

the threatening prospect of the moral condition of the United

States。 Left alone; he turned to his diary。 'The day after

tomorrow;' he wrote; 'is my birthday; if I am permitted to live

to see it my forty…seventh birthday since my birth。 How large a

portion of my life on earth is already passed! And then what is

to follow this life? How visibly my outward work seems

contracting and softening away into the gentler employments of

old age。 In one sense how nearly can I now say; 〃Vivi〃。 And I

thank God that; as far as ambition is concerned; it is; I trust;

fully mortified; I have no desire other than to step back from my

present place in the world; and not to rise to a higher。 Still

there are works which; with God's permission; I would do before

the night cometh。' Dr。 Arnold was thinking of his great work on

Church and State。



Early next morning he awoke with a sharp pain in his chest。 The

pain increasing; a physician was sent for; and in the meantime

Mrs。 Arnold read aloud to her husband the Fifty…first Psalm。 Upon

one of their boys coming into the room; 'My son; thank God for

me;' said Dr。 Arnold; and as the boy did not at once catch his

meaning; he added; 'Thank God; Tom; for giving me this pain; I

have suffered so little pain in my life that I feel it is very

good for me。 Now God has given it to me; and I do so thank Him

for it。' Then Mrs。 Arnold read from the Prayer…book the

'Visitation of the Sick'; her husband listening with deep

attention; and assenting with an emphatic 'Yes' at the end of

many of the sentences。 When the physician arrived; he perceived

at once the gravity of the case: it was an attack of angina

pectoris。 He began to prepare some laudanum; while Mrs。 Arnold

went out to fetch the children。 All at once; as the medical man

was bending over his glasses; there was a rattle from the bed; a

convulsive struggle followed; and; when the unhappy woman; with

the children; and all the servants; rushed into the room; Dr。

Arnold had passed from his perplexities forever。



There can be little doubt that what he had achieved jus

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