The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-08-20
LTTERATURE.
VIEW OF VIEW 0oKs.


Tbera 10 no doubt that tolerably ingenious
mon oon make almost any Interpretation of
tbo Greek myths plausible, and they have
oIroodv been interpreted in many different
,vo,s that when new idea on the subject is
mt forth. it is apt to be received with suspi-
rion Tn fact, to give an explicit interpreta-
tion of these myths may be set down as an
impossibility. They frequently may mean,
and do mean different things; they are COM
binations of different ideas, of different lines
of thought, and of different religious systems
The threads of different legends are so twisted
together that the most ingenious unraveller is
unable to follow each of them out to a def
mite origin or rather they are Of such obscure
and impalpable growth that it is impossible
TO decide when or where they had their origin.
MIR. Ruslzin takes Athena as the representa-
tive of the powers of the air, the clouds, the
storm. the clear light, the shifting, chang
ing and complicated phenomena of the sky
and atmosphere. His theory is ingenious,
and to great extent satisfactory, while he
develops it with that enthusiasm and elo-
uuenee of language for which all his writings
are noted The theme is a noble one, and
the greatest regret in perusing this book is
that Mr. Rusldn has not confined
himself to it exclusively and avoided
his vile habit of DEPRESSING to talk about
every subject under the sun except the one
he processes to have in hand As it is, about
one-half or less of this book treats of the
Greek myths of cloud and storm, while the
rest is piven up to some of Mr., Ruskin's alb
snrd disquisitions on political economy and
in al, NH ho
knows nothing at all. When Mr. Ruskin dis
courses about art he is always worth listening
to, even if we'do not agree with his opinions
and conclusions, and even in his most ira
90 --ol moments he strikes out ideas and elo-
. 1lOno. command o,,,. od,,iro+io,,
Quent thoughts tnr bo,voror
His theories of political economy, "'"o''l'
are simply bosh, and it is a great blemish on
such work as the one before us that Mr..
Ruskin should have wandered off from his
real sr1biect to talk nonsense. The book IS
full of fine passages that might be quoted
and the difficulty is to make selection. We
take the following, however, from the con-
Guiding chapter, because it is essentially true,
and it contains thoughts that are worthy Of
the consideration of our artists and all who
have any interest in art
',FiX that in your heads also, therefore, that
Greek faces are not particularly beautiful. OF
the much nonsense against which YOU are to
keen vour ears shut, that which Is talked TO you
of the Grcel, ideal OF beauty, is among the abso-
lutest There is not n single instance OF very
beautiful head left by the highest school Of
Greek art On coins, there is even no approXi-
mately beautiful one. The Juno OF Argos IS a
yiragO the Athena of Athens grotesque; the
Athena of COrinth is mSipid and OF Ihurium,
he
Arcthusa on the coins of Icrina and Syracuse,
are prettier, but totally without expression, and
chiefly set off by their Wcll-curled hair. You
might have expected something subtle in Mcr-
curies: but the Mercury of Knus is avery stupid
looking fellow in a cap like q bowl, with knob
ON the top of it, The Bacchus Of Thasos is a
drayman with his hair pOmatumd. The Jupiter
of Syracuse is, however, calm and reiined and
the Apollo of ClaZomeujp would have been i'm
pressive, if he had not come down to us much
fattened by friction. But on the whole, the
merit of Greek coins does not primarily depend
on beauty of features, nor even, in the period OF
highest art that of the statues You may take
the Venus of MclOs us a standard OF beauty OF
the central Greek type. She has tranquil, regu-
lar and lofty features; but could not hold heI
own for a moment against the beauty of sim
pie English girl, of pure race and kind heart.
'And the reason that Greek art, on the whole
bOres you (and you know it does), is that you
are always forced to look in it for something
that is not there; but which may be seen every
day, in real life, all round you; and which yol
are naturally disposed to delight in, and Ough
to delight in. For the Greek race was not mt nj
one of exalted beauty, but only of general ant
healthy completeness of FORM They were only
and could be only beautiful in body to the de
gree that they were beautiful in soul Cor yol
will find, when you read deeply into the matter
that the body is only the soul made visible). AM
the Greeks were indeed very good people, mucl
better people than most of us think, or than man
of us are: but there are better people alive nov
than the best OF them and loyelier people to b
seen now, than the lovelest of them.
'Then, what are the merits of this Greek art
which make it exemplary for you? Wei
not that it is beautiful, but that it is Right. A
that it desires to do, it does, and all that it does
does well. You will find, as you advance in tn
knowledge of art that its laws OF self-restrair
are very marvellous; that its peace of heart, an
cOntentment in doing simple thing, with onl
one or two qualities, restrictedly desired, an
sufficiently attained, are a most wholesome elC
ment of education for you, as opposed to tll
wild Wrthing, and wrestling. and lOnpnp r.
the moon, and fitting at windmls, and agony {
eyes, and torturing of fingers and general snh
ming out of ones soul into flddIestrings, whic
constitute the ideal Life Of a modern orfiSt,
'Also observe, there is entire masterhood ,
its business up TO the required point A Gree
does not reach after other peoples strength, NJ
Outreach his own. He never tries to paint b
fore he can draw; he never tries to lay on ne.
where there are no bones; and he never expec
to find the bones of anything in his inner co
seriousness. Those are his first merits-since
and earnest purpose, strong common sense al
principle and all the strength that comes
these and all the grace that follows on til
strength.
But secondly, Greek art is always exeI
plary in disposition of masses, which is a thi
that in modern days students rarely look fC
artists not enough, and the public never. b
whatever else Greek work may fail of you IN
I,an n1.r itG me- llY,1,,n ,nn1,