The Portland daily press., 1880-10-04
Ruskin and His Home Pictured.

lSOII M l. W Oilu
l mentioned Mr.. Ruskin as contributor to
DIR. John Browns treasure-house. Mr.. Rus
kin has his disciples, fit though perhaps few,
in America Just as he has here. In both coun-
tries are people who do him reverence as a
man of true genius, eccentric and one-sided
frequently, but always suggestive and full of
ideas as original as those of him whom he calls
his master-Thomas Carlyle-but clothed in a
very different style-a style which must ever
iemain a model of English undefiled. Mr. Rus
kins lives now among the English likes, at
Brentwood, on Lake Coniston. His house is on
slope above the lake, and is best approached,
as approached it few weeks ago, by water
A more charming house could not be i'm
agined. The visitor, looking down from in
front of the house on the lovely lake and away
up to the grand hills that tower above the
quiet village, sees one Of natures fairest
scenes, and within doors there are treasures of
art and industry which should have liked
weeks instead of hours to examine. An adj
ditional charm is the wonderful talk of the
master spirit, which is kindly, almost tender
in manner, and full of instruction Mr.. Rus
kin is a little man of slender build. But he is
very active in his movements, and is not
likely, with his wistful, eager eyes and most
expressive mouth, to escape observation any
where. His visitors feel at once, although
not ppressively, that they are in presence of
one to whom it will become them to listen If
they listen attentively, they will receive many
things which, has been said, will both
'strike and stick" With such man, unless
there are opportunities for prolonged inter-
course, it is mistake to argue. 1t may indeed
he lmDOSSlbla to do A N amiDant litpra
man once told me of an encounter he had with
Mr.. Ruskin. The great art critic had adj
vanced one of his most sweeping generaliza-
tons. 'Do you really believe that, Mr.. Rus
kim" said the literary man. -"Beleve it,"
said Ruskin; "I know it, SIR" That was, of
course, an end of all discussion.
/ don't know whether Brentwood is richer in
books or in pictures. The manuscripts are of
great value. There are missals Of ancient
dates, whose delicate ornamentation Mr.. Rus
kin says cannot. with all the present advance
in the art. be equalled. Some of the leaves of
these missals which are of greatest interest
are framed like the smaller pictures, in plain,
unvarnished oak. Then there are some half
dozen Of Sir Walter SCOTS manuscripts,
among which is the "Peveril of the Peak
have very few corrections. They are con-
trast to the extraordinary products with which
some literary men delight to torture the I'M
fortunate composition. Dean Stanley's manu-
scrtplS, ior iuslaICc, are 50 Ddd tIidt his pup
Usher has told me that it is hard to find any
compositor who will undertake to set them up
They have first to be copied by clerk famil-
lar with the deans hierogyphics.
Some of Mr.. Ruskin's pictures are well
known from frequent illusions to them in his
writings. He often refers to Titian's tVene-
tian Senator" most imposing picture which
hangs in the dining-room under glass. There
also is picture of Angelica Kaufmann-diss
Angel-by Sir Joshua Reynolds; portrait of
Turner when young man, painted by him.
self; and Napoleon 1. on horseback, by Meis-
sonnler-a painting which is more speaking
than shelf-full of biography about the Little
Corporal. The collection of Turner's is
unique. Some of the paintings are very early
ones, and were made when the artist was still
trammeled by conventionalities Others again
show when he had learned to fly. Mr.. Ruskln
showed me with a magnifying glass the amount
OF minute conscientious work which they all
contain. He said that Turner never, or al
most never, painted in the open air. He OBJ
served and made notes. but he worked in the
studio. I asked whether that was mere hab-
it or whether it proceeded from any principle.
From the most important principle said
Mr.. Ruskin. 'In the open air the scene is
constantly changing. The clouds, the shad-
ows, the hues shift from moment to moment.
represent a harmonious whole if you attempt
to copy what is continually changing. You
must grasp the scene as "a unity and then
evolve it on the canvas"
Mr.. Ruskin is no mere selfish recluse buried
among his books. His kindness and OPEN
handed charity are proverbial in the neighbor-
hood. A kinder, softer heart was never COM
bined with a greater power or more merciless
use of scathing invective