ARNOLD, SIR EDWIN

born , June 10, 1832, Gravesend, Kent, Eng. died March 24, 1904, London poet and scholar, best known as the author of The Light of Asia (1879), an epic poem that tells, in elaborate language, of the life and teachings of the Buddha. The Light of the World (1891), on the Christian theme, was less successful. From 1873 Arnold was chief editor of The Daily Telegraph of London. Before joining the Telegraph, he had been principal of the British government college at Poona (Pune), India. He was knighted in 1888.