The morning call., 1891-05-31
MEETING With
JOHN RUSKIN.'
An Incident On Board a Passenger Train
in 1883.
An Impulsive Man Who Avowed That an Amer
leans Plain Talk Had Done Him Good-The
Country Around Brentwood.
Special TO THE SUNDAY CALL


with the exception of few days visit with
friends in Northern Lancashire, England.
JOurneying from Carnforth to diversion,
entered a railway carriage in which sat a
man, muff1ed to his ears in wraps and rugs.
My presence and especially my having left
open the window of the close compartment
made him uneasy. He snorted and fidgeted
for time, conveying by undeniable token
his intense displeasure. Then, making
deliberate grab at the window-strap, he
hurled the sash back in its place with
crash, and, as he gave his wrappings
temPestuOus swirl TO replace them, snarled
at me.
'Do all Americans live out-of-dOors?'
All" l responded cheerily, save
those living in tepees and tents. We
haven't time to build houses. We like it.
LIS our way"
My companion instantly shot two spare
legs wide apart out of the rugs, leaned a thin
body ana face far forward as if to make his
passionate glare the more effe tive, and.
cutting a swift, large circle in the armament
of the musty compartment with the index
finger of his skinny right hand, piped in
yociferOus treble:
1T is not your way, sir; il is Gods way.
You Americans would assume the credit of
creations cCsmie plan. Even if you lived as
you falsely assert, you would be unaware of
the dignity you unconscio usly, or impu-
IDENTIFY, assumed. Supreme intelligence
welded to. surreme simplicity are alone
competent to the realization of eternal
truth"
l Gcceded to all this so quickly and eagerly
that it seemed in a manner 10 shRtteT my
nervous companion. He slid back upon his
seat in such helpless sort OF way that | at
once, without apology, gathered the man
and his wrappingS together, Sooihlngly adj
Juated the latter, and was relieved Of some
anxiety TO find in little time, as evidenced
by certain rhapS0dical snOriugs, that he had
passed over, if but temporarily, into the
pOrpy-land of dreams.
This gave me an opportunity to crafty an
almost imperative curiosity. | went so far
as TO examine his hand-uggage The plain
roman initials -. r." were all / found
stamped upon an ahtiquated pUrtInanteau
and ruStier handbag. But over in the cor
Ter of his seat was neat brOwn-paper par
Gel, which might have held Il bit OF UNI
touched lunch, aud l saw Oh it the startling
legend:
"For Mr. Ruskin'
When John Ruskin awGke we could both
look out of the compartment window and
see the tide sweeping in from MOrecambe
Bay, across the Leyen Sands. 1t seemed to
please him, and his large gray eyes flashed
brightly under the grizzly brows with
light that transformed his pinched face into
something like kindly radiance. But do
not believe it was the face, despite his m-
perial fame in the realm of art aud letters,
that had ever stood between the world and
a happy heart since that long-agO time
when the mystery of his life left him in
wifelesS and chidiesS isolation.
AN IMPULSE.
Some impulse of companiOnship led him
10 question NE closely and without cere-
mony regarding myself and my then liter
airy work in Ireland. | answered him hon
eStly, addressing him by his name, and eX-
pressing regret that Engishmen like him
would not do Is | had done-visit the loNIy
Of Ireland in every raTt Of Ireland with an
honest purpose of discovering misgoyern-
ment and lis dpplorable results, and pro-
testing against it in high places where it
would tie heard This threw him into
another paTOXy Sm of rage in which he gave
vent TO language / would not care 10 repeat,
the tenor OF which may be shown by his
closing ObjurgatiOn, repeated again and
again.
"Guns, not government, for Ireland!'
MI. Ru>kin, or no Mr.. RuSkin, | would
not sit silent under that. and at all risks,
denounced his barbarous Toryism so
Toundlv, pointed ont his own ncXcusable
and wholly ignorant malignity with such
while famous before the world as prophet
Of lllimitabie tenderness and charity, the
logical 0utsroTth Of his endless battle for
the worship of nature, truth and God, with
such unsparing recklesSneSs, that its very
audacity, or some manner OF kindly intro
spection, Gained him, just as the train
Slackeued its speed at INVERSION. Here
when | hastily lett the carriage with a curt
Good DAY, sir!' he called to ME TO return.
Reaching his thin hand out TO me lie gave
my own a hearty grasp, and said most
graciOuSly and friendly:
Bear away a kinder thought of ME.
You lave been very plain, sir, but you have
done me good. l am not well, sir; not well
al ali. But / like any man who is not
afraid of ne. / will think about Ireland.
Come to my home at Brentwood any time
at your pleasure"
The grizlcd lace had everything human
and good in it as he spoke. | thanked
hiG said | would come, aud hurried away
IN the crowd; but with the then many con-
flcting emotions in NV mind | said to my
welcoming friend at INVERSION, as / men,
toned my ride with the famous English
man: q" If IL had not been John RuSkin |
should have regarded the man insane"
John RuSkin?" he added sententiOusly,
"Oh, everybody mp Lancashire way knows
he's always been crazy"
Before could visit Brentwood il was
known to all that the cloud which is seldom
But little tine ago the cable told Ameri-
can people that he had attempted to take his
own life. Though his own invitation had
been repeated by others who stand for HIM
at the beautiful lakeside home, | could not
justify It's acceptance. Going 10 the shell of
what had held great spirit and holding a
sort OF literary autopsy on its defenseless
remains seemed heaTtlesS thing to do.
Yet being so near him here in the English
lake region, found myself continually
yielding to a subtle fascn alton which i'm
PEELED me to 20 where the man, Ruskin,
had dwelt 1t is but little walk over the
fell from Ambleside Ferry to Brentwood
a longer one, but an ever-winsome foot
journey around by Hawkshead, where
WoTdsworth's early school days were passed,
through the little hamlet of Waterhead,
leaving the town Of ConiSton and Conistcn
Old Man Mou tain to the left. Thence to
the south. along tho eastern shore of COniS-
ton Water, it is hardly three miles to Brant-
wood. The surroundings are of the great
est natural beauty. The COniston Water
stretches to the north and south Immediate
ly in 'front.' with Walnay Scar and COnstOn
Old Man beyond the opposite shore, and
grand but lesser scars and fells breaking
away in billowy reaches to the west and
south. To the north almost beside Brant-
wood ON the eastern shore nestles Tent
Lodge, for a time the home of TennysOn:
and just below are the fine seats OF DndgsOn
Wood, Waterpark AMI the bold hill of High
NibthWaite.
A VIEW OF BRENTWOOD.
Brentwood itself as seen from the high
way, seems like single facade of gray old
stone. set in hanging wood against the
veTdure-covered mountain escarpment. 1t
is long. low, but :wo-stOred, with an al
most fiat slate roof, through which pro-
ieet three tiers of huge double chimneys
On the first floor the entire front is almost
wholly occupied by three low but wide
bOw-windOws; the one to the right fur
nishng light to Mr.. Ruskin's study; aud
the only one in the second story is imme-
diately above the study. This lights his
capacious chamber At the other corner
of the house is an out-jutting. tower-like
structure, surmounted by lookout
window something after the style of the
bartizan of an ancient tower. The entire