" However, it was not facts but ideas that he was in quest
of.
The whole of Matthew Arnold's essay is thoughtful and interesting, but
it has one grand defect. After saying that Emerson's writings
constituted the most important prose work of the nineteenth century, he
fails to support the statement by sufficient arguments. If he had
developed this point to such a length as its importance deserved, and
then finished his discourse with a glowing tribute to Emerson as a man,
his audience might have found slight cause to complain of him; but after
simply stating the fact, he proceeded to a lengthy discussion of
Emerson's stoical philosophy, and finally branched off on a criticism of
Carlyle and the consideration of happiness as the true end of life. We
will only pause here to remark that the true end of life does not seem
to us to be happiness so much as development, and the evolution of such
characters as Emerson and Matthew Arnold.
His condemnation of Emerson's poetry was a still severer blow. Emerson's
friends had endured enough already on that score. Nothing was ever made
so much fun of by parodists and other small wits. In any social company,
if Emerson's poetry was mentioned somebody was sure to raise a laugh;
and there was nothing that could be done about it. It was hoped that
Matthew Arnold's prestige would put a final end to this nonsense, which
was nothing but a fashionable habit; but he added the weight of his
position as professor of literature to the other side of the scale.
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