New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-07-18
NEW PUBLICATIONS.
PAPERS BY RUSKIN.

VERONA AND OTHER LEcTT,RnEsi u BY 3 I0hs
Ruskn d. C. h. h. h he AStho M''f Pp xiii 9o4
Macmillan & co.
There are passages In this volume-which Is
practically new contribution TO the mass OF MI
Ruskin's writings-to remind the reader OF al
that is best and worst in the authors style Inc
essay on Verona and Its rivers exempines III
brief form the minute observation wnicn mas
made the author as much Of critic IN social
economics as in art 1t was lecture dehVered
at the Royal Institution when MI RusK'h re-
turned from a visit to Venice and verona 10
accept the slade Professorship of Fine Art at
Oxfe d. The reader should expect and with rea-
son. TO learn much from it about the art ana
architecture of Verona's flourishing period But
tho mart Of the discourse which In the meagre
newspaper reports of the time, awakened most
attention not only In England. but in Italy, mas
nothing TO do with art AS the authoi Co"Si"-
cred the ravages OF the swift-fowing rivers WHICH
made their way from the Alps to the sea- carry
ing away the soil from the mountain Slopes lie
thought of the need OF such system OF lrrlsa-
ton as had once afforded sustenarce Tor miiliohS
in the rainless regions Of Asia. lie pctureu '"e
stones terraced and moistened with the water
which in its unrestrained course only Workeu ue
s,ruction In the plain; and he even went so ldI dr.
., .,,roost that some of England's unemployed
,ild not
ING these Alpine terraces and canals and thus
sa1.,ng from gradual effacement the historic
n,ains hollow Like the eloquent passages IN
.orime and Tide" and one knows not how many
other writings Of Mr.. Ruskin. this DEPRESSION on
Veronese irrigation seemed Quixotc. But 'n's
fancifu aspect OF 1t was due not to any lack oi
feasibility in the scheme. but to the iact 'ha'
nobody in Italy or out OF II, save MI HuSN'"
himself. had felt the need OF what he DEMANDED
Like many other suggestions when ne mas ""u'
this was seized upon as an engaging '"e'ie ioi
discussion Italians wanted TO understand INC
details of his plan and the writers Oh the news
papers in London tossed the SUBJECT ABDUL i0'
some time The question which the editor OF
this volume leaves unanswered refers u tno
amount Of actual work inspired by Mr. Ruskins
words The reader is left 10 imagine that lhose
Alpine slopes are this moment just as bare as
t,ev ever were and that the silt from the noun
tain and the plain is still pouring into the upper
Adriatic TO convert it slowly from sea lh'o
marsh. Yet the Englishman's plan was very
simple and workable. He would furnlsh every
mountain farm with dixie about two leet hs"'
and a ditch and reservoir. and ne "ou'u no'
allow a drop Of water that had fallen on '"e
hillsides 10 reach the lOwands until IL was want
ed there The subsequent discussion eVoKeu d
paragraph in which the style, the learhihe' '"e
moralizing even the prejudice. are 50 hushl"ia"
that the sentences are a JOY TO read. After say
ing that England owes enough to Italy. ou' 'na'
the latter requires no help, he proceedeu'
Good engineers she has. and has had many since
Leonardo designed the canals OF Lomoardy. AZ
riculturists she has had. think among NJ. So
temen little before there were genliene nv Ia -
ers in England: something she has tod US %
agriculture also. pleasantly by the Ieeus Vi
Mincio and the apple blossoms wet WIN AIio,
Her streams have learned ooediehce geiot az ~" ";
do nd ha
Siena still; the rivulets that make green .ns
slopes Of Cosentine may yet sausiy iue IN me- -
th,r,t Where is the money 10 come from
10 italy keep her souls pure, ana she VIII isou
ned 10 alloy her forms. The only quesuoh LOT
her y. whether still the messy rock ana the rlous
aoaae' are lin volts or rather the rasecourse
and the boulevard-the curses OF England anu u
France.
THE Story OF Arachne." a lecture delivered
and 1.-The Tortoise Of Aegina a lecture uhoe-
Nvered show with what discursive fancy MI
Ruskin can treat the old Greek mythology. Inc
or,,ra, theme Is sometimes quite lost sight OF In
the overlap Of contemplation, inference ana III
,erpretation. In fact. the Aeginetan tortoise Is
absolutely forgotten in the study for which II
furnishes starting point and an excuse II was
nerhaps the difficulty Of getting back to the tor
to,se after much wandering among the judges o.
the under world Minos Rhadamanthus and Aea-
cus among the Gorgons, or the Titans that pre-
vented the use Of this paper as a lecture. Ohiy
at the very last you see ghmmer OF Hght OH inc
way back to the main topic. when the tortoise
she'll lyre of Orpheus is held to signify the meas
ured harmony and Sphere order of Life Similar
hit rather more systematic treatment IS given 70
medieval subjects in CANDIDA Casa study OF
Whithorn Abbey and 'Mending the sieve an
exposition of an incident in the legend OF 81
Benedict the founder Of the monasuc oroer
which hears his name. This last is really
strong defence from the social and artistic side OF
the ancient monastic life. particularly at Monte
Casino, Cluny and Citeaux The numerous Illus
trations of the book have personal interest ior
the lovers OF Ruskin aside from their merit