Dr. Thomas Arnold of Rugby, "England's greatest schoolmaster," was born
at West Cowes, Isle of Wight, June 13, 1795. He was the youngest son and
seventh child of William and Martha Arnold. His father died before he
was six years old. His early education was intrusted to his mother's
sister, Mrs. Delafield; and later, at the age of twelve, he was sent to
Winchester.
This aunt he never forgot. When she was seventy-seven he wrote to her,
"This is your birthday, on which I have thought of you, and loved you,
for as many years past as I can remember. No tenth of September will
ever pass without my thinking of you and loving you."
The shy, retiring boy was early fond of books. When he was three, he
received a present from his father of Smollett's "History of England,"
"as a reward," says Dean Stanley, in his life of Arnold, "for the
accuracy with which he had gone through the stories connected with the
portraits and pictures of the successive reigns; and at the same age he
used to sit at his aunt's table arranging his geographical cards, and
recognizing by their shape at a glance the different counties of the
dissected map of England."
His first childish literary work was at the age of seven,--a play, on
"Piercy, Earl of Northumberland." Between eight and twelve, when at
school at Warminster, he rejoiced in Homer. A schoolmate writes:
"Arnold's delight was in preparing for some part of the Siege of Troy;
with a stick in his right hand, and the cover of a tin box, or any flat
piece of wood, tied upon his left arm, he would come forth to the
battle, and from Pope's Homer would pour forth fluently the challenge or
the reproach.... Every book he had was easily recognized as his property
by helmet and shields, and Hectors and Achilleses, on all the blank
leaves; many of mine had some token of his graphic love of those
heroes."
The home life seems to have been full of affection. Rose E. Selfe, in
the _World's Worker_ series, gives these letters. His brother Matthew
writes him from school, in 1800, before he is five years old, asking him
for a letter, "with all the news you can think of. What new books you
have, whether you like the great Bible as well as you did, how your
garden and the flowers come on."
"My _darling little_ Tom...." his sister Susannah writes, "I shall
expect to find you _very much_ improved, particularly in your
_reading_. As you know you are _fond_ of kissing, give our DEAREST,
DEAREST, DEAREST Mamma and Aunt ten each from Fan and myself. Oh,
how I wish I could see and kiss them _myself_, and _you, too_, my
_sweet dear_ Tom! I should like to know _very much_ if you are as
fond of geography as you were last Christmas; tell _me_ when _you
honour_ us with a letter. Adieu now, my _lovely_ Boy. With
_sincerely_ wishing you _health_ and _happiness_,