Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1884-03-08
THE APOSTLE OF ART.
Huskin as q Lecturer-HOw He Looki
and How He Dresses.

London Correspondence Of the Boston Herald
Mr. Ruskin Is a curiosity. He is seldom to be
seen anywhere. Even in his own beloved lake
district he takes his walks in the gray of the
morning or the dusk of the evening" He seldom
goes into society. He loves the theater, and
goes when he feels he can indulge himself with
such recreation. Perhaps not fifty Of these we'll
known people have ever seen Mr.. Ruskin be-
fore. But here is
MR.. JOHN RUsKIN.
He comes into the room in the midst Of half
dozen gentlemen, not in the usual seemly fash
ion of the English procession on such occasions.
saw him when he entered the room, but who
was before him, or behind him. or beside him
could not now say, for they all came together,
and the distinguished scholar and critic was like
the Master In the great picture of VerOnese, "The
Marriage of Cana" He was sin the midst there
Of" Ruskin is just sixty-fve years old, and he
looks and acts like man of forty-fve. He is
not more than five feet five inches in height.
Indeed, he is petit. His complexion originally,
l should judge from what remains of complex
Jon, was lair, though now his face pretty nearly
up to his eyes, is covered with an irOn-gray beard;
the abundant hair is unconventionally long and
though he was personally neat and trim" his
hair seemed to have had no recent speaking ac-
quaintance with a brush. The forehead is low
and retreating; the eyes gray and sparkling
quizzing and mischievous. The manner is ner-
vOus-I hardly know whether self-conscous or
only characterized by bon homie-by which |
mean Mr.. Ruskin shuffled into the room and up
to the desk, looking here and there and every
where all at once, fumbling his big uneven-edged
MS. and began straightway to read without any
salutatiOn to chairman or audience
Had he not been John Ruskin, nv hero, nv
idol. really should have said, ''What funny
little man." He began to play with his gold
bowed spectacles His pronunciation sounded
like Scotch and cockney made into hash. 1t was
as broad as Dundee Scotch, and as indstnct be-
pronounce an 81" Nine times in ten his ST"
lost itself in ''w" sound. Still his prOnuncia-
ton was scholarly. What is it that makes all
the difference between the speech Of an unacad-
emic and an academic man? There it is. and
often one is at loss to know why it is-al the
same. it is! Mr.. Ruskin was not still minute.
He stood well in the same spot, but his body
and hands were constantly in motion. Very
beautiful and graceful hands they were to boot!
They were as soft. white and expressive as an
lovely hands, felt their furnishing was incom-
plete without fan. His left hand would have
played with folding fan with all the coquetry
of French belle.
But the distinguished speakers makeup
was something wonderful The coat that almost
to wear when / was child-so young can
only instinctively remember it now. Yes, the
very identical coat. / often wondered what had
become of that coat. and now only to think of
the ''glory and the honor and the immortality"
of seeing my hero and my idol arrayed in it!
Yes, that dear Old coat, because of which was
pulled up with vanity whenever on Sundays or
at political barbacues my venerated father would
air this treasure OF his not overstOcked ward
robe. Dear, oh dear how history repeats itself
Yes, after 40 years, here is this dull. faded
blue cloth, high collared, double breasted, long,
tailed, all enveIoping cOat-iust as it was 30
years ago. that first Sunday after my all-serving,
ever-handy, sanity mother had substituted
black buttons for the dingy and demode brass
ones; and had put on velvet collar in place of
the old greasy cloth one, thus somewhat and un-
Willingly ante-dating the fashion. / was glad
to see that ever dear old coat once more. Shall
ever see it again? The trousers and waistcoat
were gray and OF Scotch tweed. The waistcoat
was OF the forthputting temperament, and would
continually obtrude itself over the lapel OF the
coat When did ever l see an old fashioned
''stock" before? OF this one thing am perfect
~ certain-I never did see in all my born days
before sky-blue ''stock." Is it any wonder, if
this had not been John Ruskin, l should have
characterized him as "a funny little MANI"