New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-08-10
NEW PUBLICATIONS.


temper Of his erratc master. 1t consists OF selections
from Modern Painters" made at her own instance by
On intimate personal friend OF the author, the youag ger
lady OF the Thwate. Coniston and accompanied by run
ming comments from his pen The kernel Of the nut
will be found in the commentary rather than in the text
Nr Iaskin indulges in vein Of criticism on his own
writings as causc and pungent as II they were the
productions Of foreign mind His structures have
all the frankness Of an autobiography, and are
often too severe himself to permit doubt Of their
sincerity. They afford, to certain extent, brief
history Of the progress Of his mind with the means OF
Comparison between the crudtcs Of his early years. and
the paradoxes Of his subsequent development The spice
Of egotsm. which is absent from his writings
presented powerful doses IA these pages lie takes the
reader into has intimate confidence diScoscs freely the
secrets OF his intellectual career gives naive revelation
Of mistakes and shortcomings, with an apparent indif
ference TO the favorable unfavorable impressions
which may be produced Although the portraiture
is tho mcrcs outline sketch the likeness Of remarka
bic an Individual from his hand cannot be without
interest
Afew characteristic traits taken at random from the
Confessions will servo to show Ruskn he IL bet
tor any elaborate delineation. Under the fol-
Low ing sentence: Had 1t been ordained by the Al
mighty that the highest pleasure of sight should
be those Of most difficult attainment, and that to arrive
nj them should he necessary to accumulate gded pal
aces. tower tower, and pile artificial mountains
around insinua.ed lakes, there would never have
been q direct contradiction between the unseia
duties and the Inherent desires OF every individual,
Rusln remarks upon this The reader must observe,
that having thoroughly disciplined in tic Evangelical
schools supposed myself, at fourand-tweny to know
an about the ordinances of the Almighty Nevertheless,
ia. practical contents the good II only
thcy ere inteligibe which doubt" But the man who
has no invention is always setting things In order ana
putting the world rights, and mendng, and beauy-
ing and pluming himself his dcings, ms supreme IN
al ways" On this paragraph Rusin mas whimsical
INT of sc1ni-ircnoal self depreciation: 81 am now
,cmic illustration Of this sentence, myself have not
NV of inv ntion in all my brains but intensely IA
tcnnl and orderly and have resouely begun 10 set the
world TO rights An the histories of the Bible are yet
wait 70 painted. Moses has never been painted
Elijah never David never except as mere ruddy strip
lurD Deborah never; Gideon never; Isaiah never
tbs furnishes good opportunity for ventiatng
little satire even at his expense not to he promptly
ss,zod by the author His sommcnt is as follows:
knew nothing, when wrote this passage, OF Luh
Filippo Lipp sandro Botticelli; ana had not ca
acIty 10 into the deeper feelings even OF the men
whom was chiefly study -Tnorct and Fra Angehco
Iut the British public is at present as little acquainted
with the greater FlOrentinCs as was then, ana the
Massage, for them, remains true" Apropos Of his
Ina gifcent description OF the IIne-tree: The Pine
-sasniiioeut! nay, sometimes almost terrible. Other
trces tuftIng crag hi yield to the form and
away Of the ground, clcthe 1t with soft compliance, are
l
iorcrs Dut the pine rises in serene resistance se-con-
tanned nor can ever without stay long under
rcat Alpine Cliff. far from all house or WORK Oh men,
looking up 10 SIS companies OF pines an they stand on
the inaccessible JUS and peous lodges OF the enormous
wall in quiet muttules each like the shadow Of the
one beside it-uprght, fixed spectral, as troops OF
ghosts standing tic walls of Hadcs not knowing each
other dumb for ever You cannot reaeh Them cannot
cry TO them those trees never heard human voice they
are above all sound nut of the Winds No root ever
stirred fallen leaf OF theirs all coniotIess they stand
between the ctenscs Of the Vacancy and the Rock
Vet with such iron viii, that the roch itself locks lent
and shattered beside hem,fragie, weak, inconsistent
compared to their dark energy of delicate life and mo
noiony OF enchanted pridcunnumbcrcd uncOnquerable
Then note further their pciectncss. The impression on
most peoples minds must have been received more from
pictures than reality, so far as can judge so ragged
they think the Pine; whereas its chief character in
health green and fr roundness. 1t stands compact
Ike one of it's cones slightly curved ON its Sides
finished and quaint carved tree in some ElzaOcthan
,ardcn and instead of being wild in expression forms
the soes Of all forest scenery for other trees show their
trunks and twisting bouCs; but the pine growing either
in luxuriant macs, in happy isolation, allows no
branch he Summit behind summit rise lis pyra-
mi ai ranges down 10 the very sweep the cir
clets Of boughs; that there is nothing but green
cone and green carpet Nor Is 1t only softer, bat i'll one
cheerful than other foliage fer it casts only
rvramtlal shadow. LOwland forest arches overhead,
growing in scattered groups leaves the gades between
emerald bright Its gloom is all it's own narrowing into
tie sky il lets the sunshine strike down TO the dew
Mr.. Rdsku writes: Almost the only pleasure have,
myself rereaGing my Old books is my sense OF hay
ins at least done justice to the Pine"
Tie author does not greatly pride himself his much
admired description Of gale at but believes thatt
Is far surpassed by the pictures Of the poets: Few
peope, comparatively, have ever seen tic effect on
the sea Of powerful gale continued without inter
mission for thee four days and nights; and
to those who have not, believe it must be uniaG-
Unable, from the force OF size of surge but
from the complete annhilatOn OF the bmit be-
tween sea nd The water from its prolonged agta-
ton is beaten not into mere creamy foam, but into
masses OF accumulated yeast which hang in ropes and
wrcaths from TO wave and where one cuTls over
20 break form fesOon Ike drapcry from its edge
these are taken up by the wind not in dsspating DUST
la. bodily in writing han gng. coing masses, which
make the air white and thick with snow, only the
a foot tTo long each the surgcs themselves
are fun OF foam their very bodies underneath, making
them white all through, the water is under great
ca.aractand their masses being thus half water and
half air. are TO pieces by the wind whenever they
rise and carried away in roaring smoke, which chokes
and stranges like actual water Add 70 this that when
TIE air has exhausted OF its moisture by long rain,
the spray of the sea Is caught by described above
and its surface lot merely with the smoke OF finely
divided water with boiling mist imagine also tic
low ranclouds brought down to the very level of the
sea. as have often them, whirng and flying III
rag and fragments from wave to waye and finally con
oeye the surges themselves in their utmost pitch OF
power velocity vasiness and madness, lifting them
selves in pIeeipies and peaks rrOwcd with tacir whH
Of ascent through all this chaos and yOu viii under
stand cat there distinction left between the
sea and air that object horizon any land
mark natural evidence OF position is left that the
heaven all spray and the all cloud and that you
ro- no N could
through cataract" OF this masterfI piece OF prose
word painting, Mr. Ruskln says: The whole OF this
was written merely 10 show Tic meaning of Turner's
letre OF the steamer in distress, throwing up FINALS