The times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1897-1901, 1899-03-09
THE WORKS OF MIR. RUsKIN.
Grave aud Gay Tones in His Books
and Art Criticisms.


tFrom the London Daily News.)
The address to Mr.. Ruskin. referring TO
his economic and artistic work. recalls to
my mind conversation l once had with
him. 1t was on the occasion of one of
his last visits to London. now some ten
years ago. He talked to me on that Occa-
sion OF his work in both kinds-of his art
criticism. in a light and bantering way;
of his economic criticism, very earnestly
and with some bitterness.
What Mr.. Ruskin says in his books or
elsewhere in disparagement of his art criti-
cism need not, of course. be taken very
seriously. His fame as an interpreter OF
art and nature is secure; his position as a
master of English is unquestioned. He
can well afford to laugh at himself little.
to acknowledge his superficial inconsist-
encies, to deprecate the indiscriminating
enthusiasm of some of his admirers. On
the occasion 10 which | refer Mr. Ruskin
was staying in his familiar quarters at
Morley's Hotel. and had just returned
from visit to the National Gallery when
l called. The Gallery he said. lis now
greatly improved the new rooms are de-
lightful, and the hanging is quite a beau
tiful piece of work. Some of my old favor
tiles | thought more beautiful than ever
before. Botticelli's circle of angels, for
instance, is most lovely and what an
amount of work there is in it. With most
painters you see at once the pains they
were at but here it is not obvious.
But | have come away, must tell you
IN very humble mood. To begin with,
don't like Raphael, but the new picture
(the Anside MadonnaD is perfect. | can
not deny 1.-THE loveliest Raphael in the
world, | think. But indeed, on all sides
| have been impressed today more strongly
than ever with the eXhaustless beauty and
industry of the Italian masters. The con-
I.IV,, how gha Hama M
bad workmanship even OF the best of the
English modern painters struck me most
painfully. Why" he added, with smile,
for / may as well make "A clean breast
of it. l even found myself admiring Cana
letto's pictures of Venice'-Canaletto,
whom the champion of modern painters
had in other days denounced for his mis-
cradle. virtueless, heartless mechanism,
and whose mannerism he had characterized
as the most degraded in the whole range
OF art | suggested, | remember. that
Mr.. Ruskin could not have been to Venice
lately, and that his own sensations OF the
light and color of the place must have be-
come subdued to Canaletto's key. But he
would not accept the suggestion NO,
he said, "it was Canaletto's good work
manship he found himself admiring. After
all, the old painter of Venice was good
craftsman in OIL" and the champion OF
Turner had stood in disgust and grief be-
fore the rack and ruin of the modern paint
erS work.
From pictures we turned to politics. Mr..
Ruskin's tone and manner changed in
moment from gay to grave. For here 1t
was no case of people having believed him
too implicitly. His burden was that no
one had believed him at all. Here. never
| theless, he had nothing to retract or whit
| tie down. Il dislike my books he said.
more than most authors, yet | am con-
/ WINGED that all the central teaching Of
| Unto This Last and 'Munera Pulveris' is
! entirely true. The world will not hear me;
! yet it will live to discover some day that
nations cannot live on gunpowder and iron,
/ but only on corn and that the only way TO
deal with this sort of thing"-and here ne
1 went to the window and looked out upon
| the unemployed demonstrating in the
| square-"is not by mere giving. not by
| charity at so much per cent as ransom,
! but by personal service
| told him, | remember. how many signs
| there were of an echo to his teachings on
| these subjects What | said then is even
more true today. Unto This Last which
! the editor of Fraser interrupted in the
middle of its course through the magazine
| on account of its unpopularity, is now one
| of the most widely read of all Mr.. Rus
! kin's books. His political economy. in
/ stead of being mere object of contemptG-
! Gus ridicule is seriously discussed and
even in the seats of the orthodox-in en-
! cyclopedias and dictionaries-his contribu-
/ lions to the science are seriously appraised.
In many channels Mr.. Ruskin's teaching is
{ now guiding some OF the best social eff
/ forts of the time. did not convince him
/ Of all this ten years ago. and doubt if he
| will be convinced of it now. suppose it
| is always so with the master minds.
With aching hands and bleeding icet