Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1895-03-31
NOVELS OF GREAT POWER
The New Life Of John Ruskin Is Full
Of Interest to the Artist.
THE WORRIES OF THE NOVELIST.
They Are Pesterod by People who Write
Them Letters aud Who send
Them Trining Gifts,

fame that promises 10 DE lasting. n,
John Rusl,ln His is name thai
promises to I'LL a shining page In Eng.
nsh literature.
Although now n very old man. his
interest In the worlds affairs, and art
especially, Is unnagglng. He still
writes letters to the newspapers, and
almost every year finds new book
added to the long list from his pen.
His style still possesses the same
charm-the same fire and elegance.
No matter how dry subject may be,
when RuslSin writes upon 1t. he seems
to galvanlze into 1t life and interest
Like most men of genius. Rusltin is
PECULIAR. He has n way when about
10 engage upon a new work. OF writing
10 his friends to ask that they consider
him dead for couple Of months"
And what is more. he expects his re-
uuest to be observed. During these
times he sees nobody.
Lovers of Rusldn are fortunate In
moving more Of their master than
most men Of his fame are known dur
| Ing their lifetime. 1t seems like an abb
mrdlty to write n mans life before he
has passed away. But this Is what
N. G. Colllngsworth has done; and
Heughton, Mlillin & Co. have brought ]
out the work in beautiful style. The |
lsiter press is inviting and the illustra-
inns are like those we find in the old
ZONES before the era of cheap books
cane In.
The author Of this admirable life had
he most desirable material to work
adj he W uggtqfaH l,u Ifa fttf !
rlatyes, besides being a lifelong ac-
duainlence and friend of the man he
has written OF. He had ut his disposal
al Of Mr.. Rusldn's correspondence-a
rey considerable privilege. The au-
thor gives some interesting facts about
Ruskln's mother: she was one Of
those persons too rarely met with. who
st themselves a very high standard In
Guy way, and resolve to drag both |
lAsmselyes and their neighbors up to
l. But as the process is different 50
~ disappointing. People became rath-
lshy Of Mfs, Rusltln, aud she OF Them, Y
that her life was solitary an | her Z
1nsehold quiet 1t was not from any
nnow Purltanism that she made so 1
i M friends; er morality and her piety, /
Nru as they We're within their own n
lnes permitted her the enjoyment and I
i1usements Of life; stlll less was there a
NY eyncism or misanthropy. i
but she devoted herself to her hus- I
'ind and her son; she was too proud h
% court those above her In worldly n
iank, and she was not easily APP s
Preached except by people fully equal n
~ her In strength of character. of h
WON there could never be many. And ~
y NE ordinary acquaintances got an n
laklndiy view Of her, by the young, v
specially she was In her later years M
lAred rather than loved. But to the eI
l,er who made their way to her friend of
nv She was n true and valuable nj
inend' OF Ruskin's childhood the au- la
nor writes: al six he began to imi- 10
We The books he was reading, to write Ia
~QAs himself, He had found out how q,
y print as children do, and II was his III
alolh0n TO make real books with
wv pages and Illustrations; not only of
NoAs, indeed, but series of volumes, a I'm
Vmpiete library Of his whole works. Je
ABOUT these there are two prophetic pr
esunstances, the one pointing to his in
a.vA 81 bringing out work not all at co
.lse' but In successive parts, at inter-
'aA perhaps, OF 'olympiads,' as he S,
W. said; and the other, to his un- lis
..nvunate tendency to find himself un- III
~ % complete his enterprises, to let tt
~ subject be crowded out by others, us
~ 70 drop II In the forlorn hope OF as
.rumlng It at the more convenient Dl
esason which is so long In coming; so sa
~ mere Is hardly n title of his which hi.
'.nus before properly finished work. nc
~ seven Lamps and Stones of SIT
'sHev are indeed complete In them of
INV, put Modern Painters was COM AT
~ IN hurry, quite lnadequately; ma
Nv Is q bundle of letters, and so il col
. .Le and Tide Other works are only ito
s.s.etlons OF lectures or detached Z
1sss Of hardly any can II be said dei
5d,sd Is carried out according to a cor
'%,ed programme. He
az az llrst of these sets was Initiated est
N sg,e rom Miss Edgeworth: Harry tht
Saa Lucy concluded, or Early Lessons -
y ,~ae',c ne was from the beginning. 1t uge
u , IN e IN four volumes. uniform In tri
~ 'sather with proper title, fronts. lsh
,n IN sna 'copperplates'- printed and tril
s' sna ny little boy and also acl
,s,ir, ~ was begun In 1926 and W.
l+siueu az intervals until 1929. II was VIII
M. ny laboriously In Imitation OF ter
Isesa anu TO complete the illusion con- pie
IN page Of errata.-a capital wit
N W. w. lhtentile realism. This great life
aush y, OF course, never completed. froi
sr sqs ne labored through three vol ma
u NJ out when he tired OF IL he would nm,
M pook upside down and begin cen
IA, ,,nef end with other matters; live
~, me red books contain all sorts ton
bss,s on his minerals and travels. cba
l1r,ra y. " sermons ana miscellaneous | o,v,
s,en,.iun besides their professed ond
N lt N this respect also being Ii,s
llo,ris ms later works ... He was 10,
bpaa versatile; one time he would NJ NJ
nI,np or stiff with the buckrnm Al
ha,s OF romance, again gossipy 4,
Mo aha humorous; and then sar- a.
nj ear, mu satirical. sparing no one; n, W
.inen. iea away with frenzy OF ex- w
N ce which struggles to express lsh
.sensSs" uihiNely and dies awny in sue,
Ia i 40 wonder his mother sent ~
4 hi,,p su at nine punctually. and pan
Quie, rom school In vain efforts mig
/ sto,,. 's otain. OF Ruskin's first me
slsta ,ne author writes: ANY OF pef'
IL "a would have charmed him sion
e. ben,itsstst Of the four, Adele Clio a N
eefui as,n,su MIN at once with her b.
lch v,ass. ufe ana that oval face tud'
h va. 80 admired In those times way
edaflnn ar too-another recon- the
Il tha - ne was on the brink OF ever
lately ~ moment: and he fell pas ic II
Il, a,,a io5Ve with her She was II
rifatlnn ulu not understand this the
tpt bp ,vtlspohen ana unexpressed scfil
} a ver,i ,ehslned shyness. For he vivi
ught M sny boy with strangers. pres
/ experispnah ne was without any reg
and roats, OF arawing-room man W
. taught durability. If he had Pott
10 dIsco,, Mite TO dance II was will
1nted b ,s ~. that quadriles Were for
A we,,l1 Stupiuity itself; and now the
y q fhat nave not given for a this
'1'llness ~, uespised man Of the but
t9inpany 1hau assurance OF addrcssg "Trl
ne chance sa' uneasy; when he each