The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1899-01-18
A RUSKIN LECTURE.
ONE THAT WAS HEARD IN A NOTED
LONDON DRAWING ROOM.

ON thnt OccnsiOn. but Who Have,
Since Passed Awny-Why Mrs. Binh-
op. the Hoatcss. WINS Not unppy.
For years Mrs O'Cunuor Morris Bisb.
ops house in Prince of Wales terrace
was u rendezvous Of authors and Jour.
nalists, churchmen and politicians, as
we'll a. of French men and women of
distinction. Ono habitue was Mrs. An.
gustus Craven. u member of the delight
full Do Ia Ferronnays family, whom one
knows 20 intimately through her Re
cit 'Une Sucur, aud after Mrs Cra.
ven's death her Life" was written bv
Mrs. Bishop. In that drawing room in
Prince of Wales terrace great things
were done. There ono heard Coventry
Patmore read aloud his "Odcs" aud
Mr.. Ruskin lecture TO an audience of
guests Oh the occasion of one of his las,
appearances in gene al society
That was in June of tho yeur 1883
The professor. as Mr.. Ruskin was then
commonly called-aDd the name suited
him who was and war proud to be-
teachcr-had had hiA first illness, and
his coming into the world again was
something in the nature 0f rcsurrec-
tiOn; such at least it seemed TO some.
and there was abunt tho whole man "A
spiritual lEesencc belonging only to
those who in One way or other are dead
to this world. During his illness he
had grown his brown beard. aud his
thick brown hair was brushed close to
his hend. which Is abnormally flat ut
the top, go that at o little distance he
looked like the picture of hooded Cap
uchin friar Nor would that descrip-
tiOn have been one he would wish to re-
pudiate. for tho professor had been
dreaming many dreams during his i'll.
ness and before it. aud onco he had
dreamed that he syas g friar of St. Fran.
cis.
After that i'll actual waking life he
was i'll Rome. and each day on the steps
OF tho Pincio, within sight of the win.
dow, which slowly grew "a 2limner-
ing square" to the dying eyes of Keats,
he used to give alius to nn old beggar
man. Tho beggar man once kissed his
hand. whereCpOn the benefactor-aIl
Englishmau and professor though he
was-stooped down OH an impulse and
kissed the beggar OH tho cheek On tho
next day the beggar came to his lodging
with tears Of gratitude and with an
ofering--a shred of the brown robe
which had once been worn by St. Fran
CHS. Then the professor remembered his
old dream. that be, too. was Francis.
can. and he set off to Assist and TO the
convent of st. Francis. where he had
his reward III sight of the frescoes of
Giotto and much more besides
But now he Wns back fer tho moment
in London drawing room face to face
with an audience of friends. 1t IN years
ago, yet what changes, what endiugs.
what tragedies como to mind us one re-
callsthat interesting group! Mr. Lowell
was there, nun of the world. man oi
two continents, and hence duubly mum
dane, yet also man of letters. Alas,
mundane now no morci Matthew Ar
nod was there. mundane. too, by tho
measure Of the man hc had come To
hear Not Of this world any more. Lord
Leighton came late. and came late pur-
poscly, nervous lest his sensitivenesi
should be shattered by some sally of
that lecturer of whom. as l. critic, il
had once been said. "D-n him, why
doesn't he hack his fricnds?" That sen.
sitive presence is ours no more. Nor is
that Of Sir Edward Rurne- -.Joneg. who
summed himself that afternoon in Rus.
kin's favcr. Miss Jean lngeIow. q true
woman and therefore cure of Rcskin.
was there, but she is not here. MIR.
Hutton of The Spectator sat beside MIR.
Knowles OF The Nineteenth Century, q
nCk nAS 90 u
en- and the other left. and others Of the
then young generation are of the elder
now-Miss Gladstone. great then as @
daughter. and Hallam Tennyson, great
then as son. He perhaps was little
bored by talk .=bont ''Ffancesoa' g
Book, and took notes Of thas blue tie
Of tho lecturer OF which he was to tell
us in his fathers future biography.
The lecture was a good deal about
Miss Frances Alexander, that American
woman who had then spent half her
life among tho peasants of Tuscany,
studying their maunera, their songs,
their legends, their religion. Then the
lecturer spoke Of children's books
their needed grace. their imagination,
their sweet mission in dealing with
pCuSSs OOCIuluc66 uuu IuuOCeuCe. hAtG
Greenaway, he said, he adored, and,
catching sight of coy Lord Leighton, he
congratulated him on having go much
Of tho Goth in him that he cared to
show the world the childhood Of god
dess. Lord Leighton was not sure how
to take it, aud the professor went Oh
quickly to say that it was only when
Christianity WIS fully interpreted to
tho nations that the woman and ci.,,d
became the center Of all that was beau
tiful and pure in nature and in art.
Coming to modern authors. Ruekin =
with whom MIR. Henley would be one
for Cnce-paid homage to Dickens es q
benefactor Of the child, but no word
had be for George Eliot. an author he
had scorned And all this was gayly
interspersed with dennnciatioLs Of rail
way bridges. steam printing presses,
moving machines and Tho Times news
paper.
Mrs. Bishop was happy hostess that
afternoon or should have been, but
when you congratulated her she Oulv ra.