Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1874-02-25

Puertle as IL must be in conception from all
accounts, IL is doubtful whether any modern
work OF art has attracted 50 much attention as
the "Shadow OF the Cross, !" the latest effort of
Holman Hunt, the Acknowledged head of the
re-Raphaelite or realistic school. According
to M ID. COnway's letter to the Cincinnati Com
sHereidi, cit was the sensation In London up to
the time the political crisis came He adds:
"There has been q great deal of anxiety to
hear what John Ruskin has to saw for this new
Get work by the man he once set beside the old
masters. The oracle has not spoken yet n pub
he But my information is to the effect that he
will speak out before long, and in a tone OF
ItpIobation OF the picture. Not long ago Mr.
ku>kin came from Oxford where he passes
most OF his time. especially 10 study this pic
ture; he passed several days-the guest of Mr..
ETOHde-the greater part of each being given
20 the shadow OF Death 1t may never be
known how the verdict might have gone had liz
not been for curious incident. AS Mr.. Rus
lin Was talking 10 soLse ladies whom he b sd
taken to see the picture, and noting one or two
1InPOT ant points, one OF the ladies made some
r, mark about the shavings OF the CARPENTER
shop Upon this man standing near-a Scotch
nan-IGt In. asking the group to excuse him,
snd saying that as he had been a carpenter for
many Years be would like TO say a word on the
POINT raised by the lady. Mr.. Ruskin was 40
charmed at finding himself side by side with a
carpenter that he almost embraced him, and
begged him to proceed with his criticism The
ScOtehmsn then said that there are in eyery
carpenters shop three different kinds OF shay
plane going deep into the wood; a little thin
.skit,' slight curl; and foot long clean shaw
ing, Dangling, with q loose curl at the end. In
This NaZarene carpenter shop, he said. there Il
but one Kind of shaving. the first described"
1.-The man bowed and went of; but
Euskin followed him, and persuaded him to put
his criticisms down in writing. and no dOu bt the
students of Oxford will hear them before long,
Since Mr.. Ruskin's sloppy rhapsody over
Turner's "Slave ship il isn't likely that any
thing he may say about the picture under no.
tce or any other will have very much weight
with the thinking public; but to our mind the
Scotch carpenters criticism is not sound. The
three kinds OF shaylngs to which he refers, or
rather the last two, are clearly due to the i'm
proved and finely adjusted planes Of the pres
ent day. IL is not at all likely that the rude and
imperfect implements in use in the beginning
OF the christian era could have made any other
kind than the thick, broken, chippy shaving
represented in the picture. What seems 10 the
carpenter OF tc-dav a defect in the picture
must, therefore, rather be regarded as an evil
dence Of thoughtful study and a scrupulous ac-
curacy in detail on the part of the artist. To
have introduced the "little thin 'skit'' and the
"foot-long clean shaving, dangling, with a
loose curl at the end, !" in picture OF a carpen-
ter shop eighteen hundred years ago would
have been as great an anachronlsm in art and
history as Is shown in picture of the "Annun-
citation" said TO be by Rembrandt and DOW,
jointly, 10 be seen in picture gallery in this
city, where one of the wonder-stricken throng
has goOd-sized modern Scotch bagpipe sIung
over his shoulder.