The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1898-11-25
JOHN nvsk,n.s CAREER Is CLOSING:
Remarkable Life Devoted To Art and
Humanity-His Sad Domestic Tragedy.

Remarkable Life Devoted 10 ART anu
Humanity-His Sad Domestic Tragedy.
The melancholy news announced in
the London cablegrams that the life
OF John Ruskin is rapidly ebbing away
and that the famous owner OF Brant-
wood will speedily follow the genera
Tor hat felt his force into the LAND
Of shadows, already peopled with the
forms that made his earthly lone,i-
ness so pathetic. brings back to pres
ent day minds the image OF the great
English writer who yielded such an
autocratic sway owe the art world OF
the middle decades of the century and
who as a teacher Of ethics and a fash
Toner of brilliant language has stamp
ed his name indelibly on the history
Of all time.
To the latter day generation Ruskin
the man has been little more than n
name. an elusive personality, dreamily
ending his noble career In the quiet
OF Brentwood; but 20 years age his
voice was loud in the LAND In scorn
of sham and defense of morality. and
so years back II RAM out with the clar-
ion tones OF youths assurance it's mes
sage that the art Of the modern equal
ed the art OF the ancient master and
that England should urn from it's
idol OF clay to worship the image he
offered in its stead. Ruskin was one
Of the mighty forces OF his day. II
venerate him as one of the great teach
ers OF the age" said George Eliot. He
teaches with the inspiration OF a He
brew prophet" ID YOU read Ruskin's
'Fors Clavigera?'" wrote Carlyle in
one of the many letters that travel
ed across the sea to Emerson In Con-
cord. IF you don't. do, ] advise you.
Also whatever else he In now writing.
There In nothing going on among US
as notable to me-"
The story Of the great English char
acter who so early In manhood spoke
aloud his doctrine with the inspiration
Of a Jewish prophet Is a touching sto-
full service. of misguided enthusiasm.
OF autocratIc eRotism, OF determined
courage, OF inspiring words made ef-
fectual by inspiring deeds, of adula-
ton offered by the multitude. and
whose privacy was the pathetic lonli-
ness of a neglected man. made doubly
lonely by the memory of earlier COM
partnership.
Ruskin's father was a London wine
merchant with some appreciation for
art. and his mother was a oma OF
preJudiced, iniexible religious beliefs,
beliefs which h transmitted to her
son. for ! had been educated in the
doctrines OF a narrow sect and had
read history as obliauely as sectari-
dHo III At,
ably due to this malien influence Of
his youth that through all his later
years the great moralist forcibly pro-
tested against women meddIing with
the study Of theology. Ruskin was ed
ucated privately and at oxford. where
he captured the Newdigate prize.
Leaving the university. he turned his
attention to the study Of painting.
working under Copley Fielding and J.
n. Harding. His exaggerated admira-
ton for the works NJ Turner m the
modern school Of English landscape
art. an admiration which he voiced In
q small pamphlet. was h Immediate
cause Of his swathing himself In the
mantle Of critical authority. for IL was
the laudation Of the new school that
developed h insignificant pamphlet
into the FIRST volume of Modern
Painters" that literary and artistic
bible that was like a glove hung down
in defiance Of a popular adversary. n
10 Of the most remarkable books
ever written by a youth of "a. In II
are all the faults and all the virtues
Of the great writer. the egotistical
blindness that saw only what II want
ed to see. with an autocratic belief
that Il was the only course worth see-
ing. coupled with a beautiful rythmical
language a made the landscape de
picted In words greater than the boast
ed landscape painted In oil.
Little did Ruskin imagine when he
wrote those generous letters to the