The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-06-04
THE WORLD OF LETTERS
JOHN RUsKIS IS EYGLAND's POET
LAUREATE.
CoIIIngwood's Life of tho Celebrated
Apthor-The General Press on the
Biogrspher and His Subject.

by Mr. w. u. COllnBWOOu "ho' ~ %
stated. has acted as Mr.. Ruskin's secre-
| tary COR perhaps in more important
capacity) for more than twenty years.
| OF the biographer the Times (New York;
| has this to say:
"If Mr. Cullingwood has not actual
genius as a biographer, he has other
qualities which geniuses sometimes have
not possessed He has admirable dis
erection. untiring industry In searching
for facts. and the manner in which his
material Is put together is marked by
orderliness and clearness. He has aimed
neither TO write book which shall treat
Of Ruskin and his friends nor one devoted
10 the times I'm which Ruskin lived, but
rather one on Ruskin, the man and
worker, and on the work which Ruskin
did. lie conforms strictly TO his title,
therefore, and the volumes must have I'M
rlvaled interest for all students OF the
great writer's life"
II appears that Ruskin has managed TO
get rid OF the considerable fortune which
he inherited, and the Times has these
comments on his conduct.
ION the death Of Ruskin's father a
fortune Of $500, 900 with various other pro-
perties came 10 him, while further sum
Of t1S50O0 and a house remained for the
widow. Eventually Ruskin received from
his parents $1,000, 900, and all this money
several years ago had passed from his
hands-'chiehy in gifts and In attempts
TO do good 1t was only the interest that
Ruskin spent on himself. the capital he
gave away. piece by piece, until all had
gone. except the house he now lives in
and what il holds. The sale Of his books
for some years has yielded him his only
income, and a large part OF this, says
the author, goes 20 an army Of pensioners
to whom I'm the days Of his wealth he
pledged himself; needy relatives and
friends. discharged servants, institutions
in which he took an interest at one time
or another From these books his in
come now is from $4,000 TO $1,000 a year.
zone can realize the shock which this
dissipation Of his fortune would have
given to the father Of Ruskin, and IL is
not easy TO reconcile the loss Of IT with
the finest flial spirit. disinterested and
noble as Ruskin's motives have always
been"
The view which the Tribune CNew
York; takes Of the book ~ as follows:
"These volumes are the result Of an
intelligent and painstaking effort 10 treat
Ruskin's life and writings IN accordance
times that in essential points it is his
OWN, which leaves none OF his work 20
stand alone, but links all together as a
growth. keeping time in its variations
with the changes which years brought 10
the man himself. Such a theory can
easily be overworked, and 1t is just posi-
BILE that it will be found on second
thoughts to have been Oyerworked in his
biography
"The biographical narrative can hardly
be called entertaining as compared with
certain masterpieces which every reader
win rcall; Mr.. Ruskln himself has a
nature too intense to be merely enter
tanning. and he has few Of those eccenth-
cities which make the lives Of many great
literary men amusing"
Much more enthusiasm is displayed by
the Literary World (Boston).
"Not only the admirers and lovers Of
John Ruskin, but those as we'll who have
not counted themselves his disciples will
90 far before they will find a biography
more thoroughly fascinating than this by
MIR. CollingwoOd. Mr.. Ruskin's proetenta
has, indeed. made the public we'll ac-
quainted with the chief passages end
many minor details of his career; but Mr..
Collingworth has been we'll advised to
publish this biography, which needs none
graphies written In the lifetime Of their
subjects. The biographer writes out Of
complete sympathy and dlscipleship, and
his pages contain but few suggestions OF
criticism Of Mr.. Ruskin's doctrine or
deeds. He presents Mr.. Ruslin's teach
ings in such comparatively moderi te lam
guage that they will commend themselves
TO many who have been repealed by the
eXtraYagant form which Mr.. Ruskin gave
them.
MIR. COllingwood has undoubtedly pro-
duced in his two volumes one Of the most
admirable biographies Of recent times"
1t would seem, from these various crit
icisms, tfat little attention Is given in
this work 10 Ruskin's metrical compost
lions. 1t may be that Mr. Coll ngwOod
thought he had done sufficient in that
respect by his publication I'm 1891. '"The
Poems Of John Rushin," in two volumes.
Of which an account was given IN these
columns at the time Of their appearance.
OF the Poems" the Literary Digest said
then:
Some OF the pieces in Volume I are
perhaps better than the general run OF
the productions Of childish yerifers. but
they are childish productions all the same.
The verses contained in Volume III are
certainly better, but all show plentiful
lack Of inspiration. poetic imagination.
passion and mastery Of form. The ear
Hest piece Of verse printed in the volumes
before us is Glen Farg' written in 1877.
the occasion being some autumnal frost
occurring just before the author had left
Scotland, Just after his summer visit
Glen Farg' is little north OF Loeb
Leyen. Thus runs this initial piece:
Papa. how pretty these icicles are.
That are seen eo near that ora eoar 90
far:
Those dropping waters that come from
the rocks.
And many a hole like the haunt of a fox;
That silvery stream that runs babbllng
along,
Making a murmuring. dancing song;
Those trees that stand waving upon the
rocks side,
And men that. like spectres, among them
glide;
And waterfalls that are heard from far.
And come in sight when very near;
And the water-wheel that turns slowly
round.
Grinding the corn that requires to be
ground,
And mountains at distance seen.
And rivers winding through the plain;
And quarries with their craggy stones.
And the wind among them means.
Mr.. Ruskin thought so highly OF this
production Of his childhood that he
printed these lines in 1862, thirty-fve
years after they were written, in his
'Munera Pulveris.' with this remarkable
comment: All that / ever could be, and
all that / cannot be- the weak little
rhyme already shows" For a quarter
of a century thereafter Mr.. Ruskin con-
tinued 10 make rhymes. and the last two
pieces Of verse printed by Mr. Colling-