Thomas Arnold and Rugby School

Thomas Arnold（13 June 1795—12 June 1842）was an English educator and historian.He was the headmaster of Rugby School1 from 1828 to 1841，where he introduced a number of reforms that werewidely copied by other prestigious public schools.His reforms redefined standards ofmasculinity and achievement.What Arnold did for public schools was to alter and expand，to a degree which amounted to a revolution，the aims and objects which these institutions set before themselves.Arnold took a much broader view of the objects of education；while deeply impressed with the importance of learning，he realized that itwas only a part of education，and that the greatend and aim of education was the formation of character.The ideal which he set before himselfwas to train boys to become notmerely scholars but Christian gentlemen.Thiswas partofMuscular Christianity movement，with the belief in a healthy mind，soul and fit body.

Arnold reformed public schools by changing the behavior of the boys，developing the role of Sixth formers and creating the importance of healthyminds and bodies.The use of games organized by the sixth formers2 established social control，and created positive rolemodels and leadership opportunities.

3-8　Thomas Arnold

House system is the predecessor of the creation of leagues and codification of games.Arnold's house system3 became the focus of boy's personal，social，recreational and sporting existence.The house system allowed healthy competition，a sense of belonging and cohesive attitudes.As Public Schools developed in popularity so did the funding and the development ofmagnificent games fields，uniforms and rules.Interschool competitions brought about the symbols of athleticism.Athleticism，which is the combination of physical effort and moral integrity（sportsmanship），reached cult proportionswith schools having compulsory games for the development of character.

Arnold was not a great enthusiast for sport，which was permitted as an alternative to poaching or fighting with local boys and which did not become part of Rugby's curriculum until 1850.He described his educational aims as being the cure of souls first，moral development second，and intellectual development third.However，this did not prevent Baron de Coubertin from considering him the father of the organized sport he admired when he visited English public schools，including Rugby in 1886.Coubertin is thought to have exaggerated the importance of sport to Thomas Arnold，whom he viewed as“one of the founders of athletic chivalry”.The character-reforming influence of sport，with which Coubertin was so impressed，is more likely to have originated in the novel Tom Brown's School Days4 than exclusively in the ideas of Arnold himself.