Place Order

Working Thesis and Outline

Thesis: Thomas Arnold’s ways of teaching demonstrated a modernized religious system in Victorian Era.

 

  1. Thomas Arnold’s ways of teaching demonstrated a modernized religious system in Victorian Era rebukes the false believers in England.
  2. Thomas Arnold labels those who do not value the church as “Church Destroyers.”
  3. “These men are in truth Church destroyers, only they are restrained by temper or by some scruple of conscience from going the full length of their of their own principles” (Arnold, Principles of Church Reform, 3).
  4. “It is quite idle to think that the Destroyers, or the Self-seekers, really care about pluralities and non-residence, and the inequality of Church benefices: still less are they concerned about alterations in the Liturgy, or the introduction of a more effective clerical discipline” (Arnold, Principles of Church Reforms, 4).
  5. Thomas Arnold points out the divided Christianity.
  6. “It has arisen from what worst reproach of the Christian name, – the spirit of sectarianism” (Arnold, Principles of Church Reforms, 13).
  7. “Whoever is acquainted with Christianity, must see that differences of opinion amongst Christians are absolutely unavoidable” (Arnold, Principles of Church Reforms, 15).
  8. Thomas Arnold’s ways of teaching demonstrated a modernized religious system in Victorian Era in education.
  9. Thomas Arnold used his own academic background to teach his students in unique ways.
  10. “He joined with it Biblical studies, history, and some study of French. But it was a prominent feature of his method that he related all of these subjects in such a way that the good student could, for example, find materials for thought about history and languages when he read his Bible and about literature and history when he read his French” (Marcham, A History of England, 779).
  11. “The personal piety evidenced in his sermons, the genuine concern for the poor, the dedication to his work of education – these are things which lead us to admire him” (Nicholls, The Totalitarianism of Thomas Arnold, 518).
  12. Thomas Arnold pursued to improve the middle-class education system in England.
  13. “It seems to be, then, that the education of the middling classes at this time, is a question of the greatest national importance” (Findlay, Arnold of Rugby, 199)
  14. “And that is education, which lays the foundation of such habits – and gives them, so far as a boy’s early age will allow, their proper exercise” (Findlay, Arnold of Rugby, 205)

 

  • Thomas Arnold’s ways of teaching demonstrated a modernized religious system in Victorian Era in opposition to the society’s profane living in England.
  1. Thomas Arnold encouraged his students to live through biblical principles.
  2. “He showed them how important was a uniformly high standard of conduct among scholars and how great was the responsibility which lay before them as Christian gentlemen. His use of religious argument was always vigorous. His gospel was a challenging, fighting creed, presented on such a plane as would capture the imagination of adolescent boys” (Marcham, A History of England, 779).
  3. “The personal piety evidenced in his sermons, the genuine concern for the poor, the dedication to his work of education – these are things which lead us to admire him” (Nicholls, The Totalitarianism of Thomas Arnold, 518).
  4. Thomas Arnold considered everyone under one authority, which is God’s.
  5. “It is Arnold’s ideas on the relations of church and state which demonstrate his totalitarianism most clearly. He saw the state as a giant “public school,” in which every aspect of life was brought under a single authority” (Nicholls, The Totalitarianism of Thomas Arnold, 520).
  6. “Thomas Arnold becomes a super-Moses who not only leads the children of Israel out of Egypt, but actually delivers them entire into the City of God” (Middlebrook, Resignation, Rugby Chapel, and Thomas Arnold, 295).

 

 

 

Bibliography

 

Marcham, Frederick G. A History of England. New York: The Macmillan Company, 1937.

 

Arnold, Thomas. Principles of Church. Vol. 3. London: B., Fellowes, Ludgate Street, 1833.

Nicholls, David. “The Totalitarianism of Thomas Arnold.” The Review of Politics 29, no. 4

(1967): 518–25. http://www.jstor.org/stable/1405724.

Middlebrook, Jonathan. “‘Resignation,’ ‘Rugby Chapel,’ and Thomas Arnold.” Victorian Poetry

8, no. 4 (1970): 291–97. http://www.jstor.org/stable/40001450.

 

Findlay, J. J., ed. 1897. Arnold of Rugby: His School life and Contributions to Education.

Cambridge: University Press.