Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-05-23

Mr. Ruskn continues to write his letters to
the workingmen of England, but we fear they
do not reach any great number of the persons
to whom they are addressed. In one of the
earlier letters he justly described himself as a
evident illiberal," and declared that if he could
have his way there would be no railroads in
England, and great part of London and Edin-
burgh and all of New York should be destroyed.
In another letter he proposes plan for the
regeneration of England, which, if we under
stand him Alright, he promises to put in opera
ton, deyoting a tenth of his income to that pur-
pose, and inviting the help of Others who may
be like minded and have a similar faith in the
paradox, which seems to be the essence of lis
religion, that going backwards progress. Eng
land is to be transformed into an Arcadia and
the golden age to be restored by the gradual
process of buying up land to be titled by hand
labor only Here is his appeal for help in this
warfare against the devils of steam and iron and
all that makes the nineteenth century different
from the fifteenth:
Are there any landlords, any masters, who
would like better to be served by men than by
iron devils? Any tenants, any workmen,
each other? Who can vow TO work and to
live faithfully for the sake of the joy of their
homes? Win any such give the tenth of what
they have, and of what they earn not TO emf
crate with, but to stay in England and do what
is in their hands and hearts to make her a happy
England? l am not rich, las people now est.
mate richest and a great part of what
have is already engaged in maintaining art
workmen, or for other objects more or less Of
public utility. The tenth of whatever is left to
me, estimated as accurately as / can, (you shall
see the accounts | will make over TO you in
perpetuity, with the best security that English
law can give, on Christmas day of this year,
with engagement TO add the tith of whatever
earn afterward. Who else will help, with little
or much, the object of such fund being TO begin
and gradually-no matter how slOwly-to in
crease the buying and securing of land in En-
gland, which shah not be built!upon, but Guilt
waited by Englishmen with their own hands and
such help of force as they can find in wind and
waye2 | do not care with how many or how few
this thing is begun, nor on what inconsiderable
scale, if it be but in two or three poor mems
gardens. So much, at least, can buy myself
and give them. If no help come, have done and
said what could, and there will be an end. If
any help come TO me, it is TO be on the following
conditions: We will try to make some small piece
of English ground beautiful, peaceful and fruit
full. We will have no steam engines upon it, and
no railroads; we will have no INTENDED or un
the sick; none idle but the dead. We will have
no liberty upon it, but instant obedience to
known law and appointed persons; no equality
upon it; but recognition of every BITTERNESS that
we can find, and reprobation of every worseness
When we want to 60 anywhere, we will go there
quietly and safely, not at forty miles an hour, in
the risk of our lives; when we want to carry any
thing anywhere we will carry it either on the
backs of beasts, or on our own, or in carts or
boats; we will have plenty of flowers and veg
etables in our gardens, plenty of corn and grass
in our fields, and few bricks. We will have
some music and poetry; the children shall learn
TO dance to it, and sing it-perhaps some of the
old people in time may also. We will have
some art, moreover. We will at least try il, like
the Greeks, we can't make some pots. The
Greeks used to paint pictures of gods on their
pots; we probably cannot do as much, but we
may put some pictures of insects on them, and
Teptiles-butterlies and frogs if nothing better.
There was an excellent old potter in France who
used to put frogs and vipers into his dishes, TO
the admiration of mankind; we can surely put
something nicer than that. Little by little
some higher art and imagination may manifest
themselves among us, and feeble rays of science
may dawn for US. Botany, though TOO dull to
dispute the existence of flowers; and history,
though too simple to question the nativity of
men; nay, even perhaps an matchmaking and
uncovetous wisdom, as of rude Magi, present
ing, at such nativity, gifts Of gold and franklin
cense.