River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1879-07-31
RUSKIN'S SACRIFICE.
How He Gave up His Wife to the Man She
Loved.

How He Gave up His Wife to the Man She
Loved.
The London correspondent of The San
Francisco Chronicle tell the matrimonial
history of Ruskin and Milais as follows
Between 30 and 35, Ruskin met and
was delighted with very pretty and
graceful young woman of a social posi-
ton and nice culture. | should say he
had fallen in love with her were he not of
so peculiar physical temperament. He
admired her sufficiently to ask her to be
is wife; and S e, approaching his gifts
and scholarship, and fiattered by the
preference of so distinguished man, ac-
cepted his offer. He questioned her. it
Is reported, as to the nature of her affec.
ton; expressed the hope that it was
spiritual rather than emotional, mainly
platonic in character, as he confessed his
o IN to be. As may be inferred, she an
>wered in the affirmative, and doubtless
believed firmly every syllable that she
uttered. 1t would be strange indeed If
any woman should imagine or allow her
self to be less ethereal of sentiment than
any man on t. planet. With the mutual
understanding that theirs was to be a
union of minds, they were married.
They seemed to get on pleasantly for
few months-at least it seemed SO to the
husband, absorbed as usual in study
and writing He greatly admired her
beauty-he probably regarded her as a
picture or statue more than woman
and never wearied of praising it. DESTROYS
of having er portrait taken, he chose his
friend Millals, who, with Holman Hunt,
Charles Collins. Dante Russell an others
formed, and still form, the pre- Raphaelite
school, to transfer her features to canvas.
S gave the painter a number of sit
tings and the husband was so much con-
cerned in the work that he sometimes
watched its progress. Millais, as is we'll
known, is handsome and wlnning-he
was especially so when young, he is
barely fifty now-and was dra n at once
to the young and lovely wife of his
friend, an attraction that appears to have
been reciprocated. In plain parlance,
Millais and Mrs. Ruskin fell head over
heels, or heels over ] if you like, in
love with one anoth without the least
intent on their par Ruskin himself is
said to have perez the fact, although
the lovers had no. in the slightest
lndlscreet or con nal, or even to
have intimated on the other the con-
dition of tbei S. The author of
"Modern Painters IS as generous as he Is
chivalrous. He did not, as ordinary men
~ouId have done, fly into a jealous rage,
! nor did he have scene with his wife
| He told her gently what he had perceived
and assured of hrs continued friendship
and of his earnest desire to promote her
happiness at any price. She turned Grim
son at the words, as if they had been a
revelation of her own soul, which in part
| they might have been. She could not be
| lieve the thing possible at lirst-the sur
| prises OF the heart are generally over
whelming; but very soon she acknowledge
| ed the trltr and the painter did likewise.
| The critic condemned himselffo dizziness
in thinking a platonlc marriage natural or
satisfactory, and announced his willing
ness, yea, gladness to assist the pair to Il
| felicity they were obviously fitted for.
Instead OF putting any obstacles in the
way. he would remove the only one to
their love and happiness-himself-and
! he kept his word faithfully. Under the
peculiar circumstances there was no
trouble in obtaining a divorce. The mat
ter was managed privately, without any
scandal, and 10 due time Mrs. Ruskin,
who was, became Mrs. MilIals, who is.
They have proved from all accounts a
| most harmonious couple, and they are as
much to one and other to-day as they
were during the honeymoon. Moreover,
Ruskin continues to be the firm friend
of both, visiting them regularly and shar-
ing in a reflected manner in their happi-
ness-a fact which demonstrates the
argeness and nobility of Ruskin' s nature.
Millais' famous picture-it has been
engraved and is very common-"The
Huguenot Lovers is almost faithful
portrait of the artists y Ife, and the al
legged fact has added not little TO its
! pOpularltY.