The native Virginian. [volume] (Orange Court House, Va.) 1867-187?, 1868-07-10
ssETHICS OF THE DUST"
TOLERATIOS.

We return our warmeSt thanks to
lady of Alexandria for a copy of the
book bearing the above title. 1t Is the
only work of Ruskin's which we have
had the good fortune to read, and its
perusal has excited the livelest desire
to make the further acquaintance of its
pure-minded and deep-seeing author.
We know not when we have received
so much light into the mind and so
much warmth into the heart as this lit
tie book has given us. 1t contains, we
verify believe, more true religion than
library of sermons. Assuming the
character of a lecturer, Ruskin gathers
about him q fancied group of young
girls. and, in series of conversations,
which are wonderfully life-like, teach
es them the ''ethics of the dust" as
shown IN the "struggles," the "sor-
rows" the ''caprces" and the 'srest" of
crystals. The art, the knowledge-the
deep insight into the secrets of nature
the daring conjectures and the splen-
did imagery withwhiclI these lessons are
enforced. cannot be told, still less the
purity and goodness of the lecturer,
which illumine his art and knowledge
as with a glory. 5.f...
Take this passage on toleration, with
OttD WHICH all CIl3liity anu GiC plCoChCC
of it are as sounding brass and tink-
ling cymbal, as a specimen of the book
and as a lesson which all may read with
profit: f#ta
MARY.--.sDo you seriously mean that
the G reeks were better than we are;
and that their gods were real angels ?"
LEcTURER.-s'NO, my dear. | mean
only that we know, in reality, less than
nothing of the dealings Of our Maker
with our fellow men; and can on
ly reason or conjecture safely about
them, when we have sincerely humble
thoughts of ourselves and our creeds.
awe owe to the Greeks every noble
discipline in literature; every radical
principle of art; and every form of con-
venient beauty in our household furni-
ture and daily occupations of life.-
We ape unable, ourselves, to make ra-
tional use of one half that we have re-
eeived from them: and, of our own, we
have nothing but dis coveries in science,
and fine mechanical adaptations of the
discovered physical powers. On the
other hand, the vice existing among
certain classes, both of the rich and
poor. in London, Paris and Vienna,
could have been conceived by Spar
tan or q Roman of the heroic ages only
as possible in Tartarus, where fiends
were employed to .e lch. but not to pun
ish. crime. 1t little becomes us to speak
contemptuously of the religion of races
to whom we stand in such relations;
nor do think any man of modesty or
thouehtfulness will ever so speak of
any religion, IN which God has allo we'd
one good ma to die, trusting"
We appenda passage from 'Ecce Ho-
i.,i., s1oo
of toleration:
1--WE ought to be jus. as tolerant of
an imperfect creed, as we are of an i'm
perfect practice. Everything which
can be urged as an excuse for the lat
ter may also be pleaded for the former.
If the way to Christian action is beset
by corrupt habits and misleading pas
sions, the path to Christian truth is ov-
ergrown with p"cjudices and strewn
with fallen theories and rotten systems
which hide it from our view. Tt is quite
as hard to think rightly as it is to act
rightly, or even to feel rightly. And
as all allow that an error is a less cul-
pable thing than a crime or a vicious
passion, it Is mOnstrous that IL should
be more severely punished it is mon
strous that Christ who was called the
friend OF publicans and sinners, should
be represented as the pitiless enemy of
bewildered seekers of truth. How
could men have been guilty of such an
inconsistency? BY speaking of what
they. not understand men, in gener-
al, do onot understand or appreciate the
difficulty Of finding truth. All men
must act, and therefore all men learn
in Some degree how difficult 1t is to act
rightly. The consequence is that all
men can make excuse for those who fail
to act rightly. But all men are not
compelled to make an independent
search for truth, and those who voluu-
tarily undertake to do so are always
few. They ought, indeed, to find pity
and charity when they fail, for their
undertaking is full of hazard, and in
the course of it they are too apt to leave
friends and companions behind them,
and when they succeed they bring back
glorious spoils for those who remained
at home criticzing them. But they
cannot expect such charity, for the haz-
ards and difficulties of the undertaking
are known to themselves alone. To
the world at large, it seems quite easy
to find truth and inexcusable to miss
It. And no wonder. For by finding
truth they mean only learning by rote
the madness current around them"