The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1898-11-26

VI btiIS siiNiifsthN vi
waited by reading Is just as definite and
unmistakable as the sense, to a healthy
body, OF being i'm flesh or foul air; and
no more arrogance is involved i'm forbid
ding the reading OF an unwholesome
| book, than I'm u physicians ordering
the windows To be opened in sick
room. There Is no question whatever
| concerning those matters with any per-
| son who honestly desires TO be in
| formed about them: the real arrogance
is only in expressing Judgments. either
| OF books or anything else. respecting
| which we have taken no trouble To be
| informed"
If 1t were but possible for Ruskin to
| speak To us out OF the science and
| seclusion of these closing days OF his
| life, could that once magnificent in
terest emerge from the cruel cloud
| which envelops lit, how truly his lofty
| soul would echo the spirit of the wo-
| mans club movement as we under
stand IL today, for are we not, after all,
| zen rapport" with much of Ruskins
| thought and teaching? How truly does
| he say:
! Scatter diligently i'm susceptible minds
! The germs of the good and the beauti-
ful. a in-a.r. ~
They will develop there to trees, bud,
| bloom, mo- ''NT fF
| Ana bear the golden fruits OF paradise.
But to descend from Ruskin TO mat
terS among our own home clubs. The
| Monday morning meeting was that of
! the Sorea club, ileld at the home Of DR..
| George Matthews aud in charge OF Mrs.
! Matthews and Miss Alice Sprague. As
| has been mentioned, the Sorea club de-
votes its time almost exclusively TO a
study OF art A fortnight since the
4 E'p1antip CThnpl NJ raining under
| consideration. At the meeting on Mon
! day the theme was THE Naturalists'
| School," represented by Carayaggio,
| Ribera, Salvador Rosa and others, who
! are firmly opposed 10 the maxims Of the
| Eclectics. AS the name implies, they
| contended mat nature, and nature only,
| should be copied, and that the ideal
| held no place in legitimate art. Their
| uncultivated and limited minds were
| attracted only to the vulgar and gloomy
! aspects of nature. But q small num-
| ber among them attained to any emf
| nence. neither have their compositions
| been generally valued by posterlty."
| The Mothers club met as usual. at
| the Manual Training school on Monday
| afternoon, when the interest and en-
| thusiasm was so apparent az TO i'm
\ press the chance visitor with con-
| sciousnsss of the real value to be gained
| by affiliation with this excellent organi-
| zation. which, though not distinctively
| a literary club, yet cannot fail to COM
| mend itself to all who are interested in
| the moral, physical and intellectual de-
| velopment OF the young. "Dietectics in
1 Childhood" was the subject of Valua-
| BILE lecture by Miss a. l.. Marlatt on
| Monday.
| The secretary OF the Travellers study
! club sends the following report: There
| was a very fun meeting of the T. ;. 6.
| on Monday evening. The first topic
| was a talk on "The Part Of Women IN
! the French Revolution" Their political
| influence was both direct and indirect: |:
| through the salons. those centres OF
| wit beauty and letters. Nine. de Stael,
| Nine de Genlis and Mime. Sallien made
| their power felt among the many IA
| nous men who sought their society ana
| their counsel. Nine. Roland's influence
| was more direct. as she was 50 closely
| identified with the Girondists; Chariotte
| Corday the heroine or the trench
| revolution. sacrificed her life TO save
her country. other women. both love-
| ly and unlovely, figured in these trou-
/ blous times.
| The talk was follow ed by most in
! teresting paper. giving the outlines or
| the lives and comparison of characters
| Of Mirabeau. Danton, Marat end Ro-
| heSDlprrp. InlS tOflDt tHtHSiNt ShDJ''b !
| was so treated that all gained an in
! sight into the lives OF these. the great
| Get leaders az the revolution The
| state smanlike qualities Of Mirabeau, the
! leadership OF Danton. the erudition and
cruelty OF Marat and the fanaticism OF
| RobespieTle were we'll depicted.
The third topic. Literature During
| the French Revolution" showed how
| little could be expected during edch ex-
| citement and how little was accom-
| plisned except the immense number OF
| pamphlets which were published.
| TIN. last topic. "Nismes and Aries.
| end TIE Amphitheatfes." took us from
| turbulent Paris to these quiet. out Of
| the way towns which few tourists visit,
| and we Thoroughly enjoyed our visit TO
| !he memorials Of the old Romans.
The Newport Current Topics club
| met pt the Natural History rooms on
| Wednesday November %. with the
president. Miss Ruth y. Franklin. in
| the chair Miss Franklin has also the
! distinguished honor of being president
Of the Rhode Island Federation Of Wo-
| mems clubs. The subject of the
! wednesday meeting was "A Book Re-
view" when popular works Of the day
were considered
The last meeting OF the Woonsocket
| fOflnlgntlN tiuD was III VIAL ~ VI .hlNs
| George G. Knight and the subject, our
! Navy" gave a clear conception Of pres
ent conditions and future possibilities.
The Providence Fortnightly Club
held largely attended meeting in the
! parlors of the Church of the Media
tor on Tuesday of the present week.
when continuing i'm their work I'm
English History and Literature OF the
! 18th Century, Matthew Arnold. The
| Irish Famine. Repeal of the English
| Corn Laws, The Sandermanians and
| Don Pacifico, were topics OF special
| Significance each in charge of some
| member of the club. The chief interest
| OF the afternoon, however. centercd In
| a paper by Mrs. Clarke III. Johnson,
giving an account of the life of Mat
thew Arnold and his place as an educa-
tor. poet and critic. Into the life OF Ar
| mold we may not penetrate deeply.
since he, like Thackeray,left the earnest
request that no formal biography OF
| him should ever be written.