New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-11-02
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
A sERy1cEABLE GUIDE TO RUsKIN.

A sERyICEABLE GUIDE TO RUsKlN.
THE WORK OF JOHN RUsKIM Its sv ln TbsIles
upon Modern Thought ana LIE by , 1nar e
Waidstein. l6mo. PIP. 200. New-fork' Harper q
Bros. 1898.
Mr. Waldstein's brief essay on Ruskin Is CAL
cu,ated TO accomplish double purpose. and I'M
less its rather ponderous style repels the reader
n will achieve popularity AS long as Rusklh
Is read he will require a corrective Nhen such
q corrective is not forthcoming out OF the STU
dents own acumen it may be found eXcelieh'ly
crystallized in Mr.. Waldstein's little book. Inc
latter gives judicous estimate OF the POSITIVE
value of Ruskns work. 1t gives also mat I'M
martial exposition of Ruskin's defects, for whlch
II is generally hopeless to ask the devout Rus
kinian. but which Is absolutely necessary 10 a
clear understanding Of the great writer's po-
sition Mr. Waldsten is that pheromenon a
Ruskinian whose devotion Is not blind lie can
appreciate the virtue in his author without ac-
cepting the latters countless puerilites as ema-
nations from an undefiled source OF WISDOM.
The whole trend of his inquiry is to show how
the beneficent marrow of Ruskins teacmhs
needs to be extricated from tangle of idiosyn-
cratic impedimenta.
Rusk,n has discovered new beauties for the
human race in art and in nature. He has
treated social. political and economic questions
with insight and in all these directions ne mas
exercised the gifts Of a remarkable rhetorlcian'
Over any subject he will throw the glamour Oh
his rhythmic iridescent style. But his cflucism
is vitiated by elements of sentimentahty or by
what 1t is impossible to regard as other than
perverted and unhealthy criterion Thus Rus
kins well-known Pre-Raphaelitic bias mas ser-
ous,v impaired the value of his writings on art,
and though we must remember that he owes the
defeat of his own end to nothing less noble than
an exalted ideal of truth 1t is just as PLAIN that
since his object is defeated the beauty OF his
ideal is for all practical purposes OF no account
whatever. A necessary distinction which Ruskin
Is continually ignoring is drawn by Mr.. Wald-
stein as follows: THE ultimate aim of science
Is truth the ultimat, aim of art is the produc-
ton Of aesthetic pleasure by means of what we
must at present call harmony or beauty" Rus
kin who in spite of his extraordinary mystic
sensuous and emotional instincts, is one Of the
most ascetic of thinkers, has sought for beauty
in the midst of perpetual conflict between art
and science, between imagination and truth In
so far as his plea for veracity in details has
stimulated the observation of both ARTIST ana
layman and strengthened the professional recu-
tude Of the former, it has been sane and con-
structve When he has carried its underlying
ideas out of the studio and into the open air.
teaching men the essential character of natural
objects, the Importance of his crusade against
art.ficiality and aesthetic torpor in everyday
life has been too great TO be overstated. Mr.
Waldstein has here no difficulty in proving Rus
kin the most powerful modern preacher of that
worship of nature which is actuated by love
Of nature for her own sake. and not by any In
terest in superadded elements Of human signifi-
canoe. On the other hand. to return to Ruskin S
art criticism, his mania for Photographic ac-
curacy makes him most misleading cicerone,
for 1t logically places him in fiat contradiction to
the incontrovertible fact that veracty has gone
hand In hand with the synthetic faculty in man s
artistic development. 1t may be boldly stated
that modern art has arrived at the truth which
belongs to it's sphere (this latter being an i'm
portant consideration only in proportion as II
has perfected this faculty. How Ruskin has
failed to perceive this; how his spirituaized
nevertheless fitted him to be the author of some
eloquent passages Of criticism; how his didact-
osm, egotism and dogmatsm have counterba-
anced the weight of his sound judgment; how the
natural force of his genius has triumphed over
every one of his unfortunate isms ard left him
an inspiration Ito be imbibed cautiously in the
fields of moral and aesthetic growth Mr. VALID
stein demonstrates ami demonstrates with abil-
ty His book is very small, but it is closely writ
ten and very suggestive. 1t is a sympathetic.
moderate and sagacious monograph, which we
cordially recommend.