The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-04-27
CRITICAL HOTCH-POTCH.

" 2 Tedu ITtIucHlly tUc III
Frederick w. Robertson, the YER
gifted Church Of England preacher,
who died at the early g of 81. What
a man Of radiant gifts, at once so beau
tiful in the structure of his mind, and
50 richly endowed with the gift OF
saving things with such diamond-bril-
liancy and exquisite taste. His was in
deed a most attractive personality,
and his education was such as gave him
mental furniture equal to all demands
while his equipment Of style furnished
forth the riches Of his rare intellectual
mint. In similar words, he had a
style Of admirable elegance and beau
ty. and a mind of rare fertility and ex-
uberance. What a rich treasury of ex-
preston and Interpretation he has left
for the enchantment and stimulation
of his readers! We never read even 50
much as a page from him without
.pleasurable emotion and edificatiOn. He
arouses, satisfies, elevates, for his
thoughts are both fluent and healthful,
n although suspected and accused OF
heterodox views, he taught the great
underlying doctrines SO far as we know
and held to a Christianity based on
Christ, and that made men truthful and
pure, unselfish and generous, consecra-
ted and self sacrificing, God adoring
and man loving. We repeat, we often
turn to this marvellously endowed
Young preacher for good lessons, in
spring thoughts, high ideas, beautiful
-, -x-;;En h rpo of CtVln
and reflection. The other night wefound
him saying: There are no writings
which, at present, offer such interest
to me as Ruskin's. They give a truth
to repose on which is real, whatever
else is unreal" Again he says: Il re-
ioice that you have taken up Ruskin;
only let me ask you to read it very
slowly, to resolve not to finish more
than a few pages each day" We were
gratified to see this because 1t was
written somewhere about 1850 or 1851,
at which time We were getting our
own first lessons in this great author
were reading THE Seven Lamps OF
Architecture" The Stones Of Venice"
and Modern Painters" 1t so hap
Doncu lldI NHtH We
above (w9had read it before), we " e
at that very time reading daily some
OF Ruskin's later productions. or the
three works named, we may add, that
in them may be found as splendid ana
wonderful descriptive passages as you
can find out of De Quincy, and some
of them even surpass that great rheto-
-;oo, md ctv1ict in the mAgnlflCence
and feIicities of dictiOn, and in the
beauty and perfection of description.
The fact is that there have been put
few writer's of English comparable 10
Ruskin. He is a master. His style al
ter 1860, became less %affluent, less splen-
did. but it never lost it's WondrouS
grace, it's perfection of finish, Its eX-
ouisite enchantment. 1t was ever
purer, finer, less Astounding in lnge-
NOUS collocation of words and rlch
]conceits of fancy. But, as Robertson
must have supposed, is was the thought
and not the garb altogether that drew
him to the splendid essayist. The BODY
of thought in Ruskin is of great value
aside from any decorations OF fancy
and felicities of style. He is an IN
genious, fertile and wise thinker. The
pleasure of is ever present,
but the subtitle and weighty thoughts,
SO much pure gold, give great
substance to his writings. We refer to
him at this moment not to analyZe MS
stvla or discuss his books or to offer
fresh incense of praise to a great an
thor we have admired since early man
hood, and about whom We wrote a
crude little essay more than ~torty-nVe
wears ago. Robertson loved and ap-
preciated him and bears witness to his
extreme worth-fnds no writings OF
contemporaries of such interest TO
him, and even prefers him to the rell-
gious writer's.
Reader, are you familiar at all with
any of Ruskin's essays? We do not
refer to his earlier books We mentioned,
but to his delightful books like his
Sesame and Lilies or THE Crown
of. Wild Olive" or The Ethics OF
Dust" and some others? If not, n
YOU can bear writings other than nov
els. and can become interested IN
~thoughtful books, let us urge you to
read some of these if not all. Take
the first named, Sesame and Lilies
IT is a wise book, full of beauty, and
so deity wrought, so replete with lit
erary excellence, it can hardly fail to
engage to entice you. If you are a
-xoman. and have not read "Of Queens
Gardens" by all means read it. If
there is an essay of equal beauty ad-
dressed to women in u language. we
have yet to read it. 1t is indeed "a gem
of purest ray serene" 1t is as good
and wise at it is rich in outward adorn-
ment. 1t is in our Judgment pure,
sweet. beautiful, matchless.
Tba orsavs of Professor Woodrow