The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-01-21
JOHN RUSKIN is DEAD
APOSTLE OF THE BEAUTIFUL PASS
Es AWAY At LONDON.
His Notable Career in the World of
Art and Letters-The Blfghting
Romance of His Life.

LONDON, Jan. ao-John Ruskin died this
afternoon of Influenza. aged eighty-one
years.
John Ruskin was born in London, in 1919
His father was wealthy merchant of the
city, and afforded his son every facility
for acquiring a thorough education and
that culture which have made his name
familiar throughout the civilized world.
He was educated at Oxford. where in 1899
he distinguished himself by winning the
Newdegate prize for poetry. After leaving
oxford he devoted some time to painting.
and In 1913 published the first Of his works,
Modern Painters" in which he cham
pioned the modern school of landscape
painters as against the ancient, then the
recognized standard of perfection. He
sharply contrasted the works of Claude
Lorraine and those of Turner-then strug
Cling for recognition-giving strong prefer
ence to the latter and in this way bring
ing that artist into a prominence he
might not else have won. Later Mr..
Ruskin added to this work till ii devel-
oped into a philosophical treatise of three
volumes on landscape painting, and is to
be regarded as his chief work. Some years
after he published 1.-The Seven Lamps OF
Architecture and 1.-The Stones Of Vienna"
with other works on the same subject. all
of which have become textbooks among
students of architecture In 1857 he pub
lished a work on Pre- Raphaelism." de-
signed to show that the new school, of
which Holman Hunt and Williams were the
founders, was but the outcome of his earl
Ter writings.
Later in life Mr.. Ruskin published num-
Der Of works on political economy and
kindred topics, in which he boldly attacked
all the established canons and attempted
to show that the principles governing trade
tend to the subversion of all that is worth
preserving in social economy. He had ex-
travagant ideas of establishing, society on
a sort of Utopian plan in which the gold
enrule should be the supreme law. His
sincerity, however, was manifested by Civ
ing fS0OO toward the establishment of
model industrial colony in which the prln-
ciples he advocated should govern all who
composed II. Though In the last degree
impractical. he was Thoroughly sincere
and earnest. His love of the beautiful, the
true and the good was instructive, and MS
life was spent in the endeavor TO lit MS
fellow-men to the high plane In which
he walked with such serene enjoyment. In
addition to the works named above Mr..
Ruskin at different periods pubnshed Lee
lures on Architecture and Painting,
"Giotto and His Works in Padua, Notes
on the Turner Collection, Lectures on
Art" Political Economy Of Art" "Eie-
ments of Perspective" Ethics of the
Dust" Sesame and Lilies" Study OF
Architecture in Our Schools, v,a Ararra
of Sculpture" and many other volumes.
and also expounded his views on art and
other subjects. both in lecture and In tne
reviews and newspapers of the day. In
April 1867, Mr. Ruskin was appointed
Rede lecturer at Cambridge, and May 10
received from the senate the degree OF
LID. He was also elected Siade professor
of fine art at oxford, where in 1872 the
"Aratra Pentelici'' lectures were delivered
In March, 1876, he was reelected TO the
Slade professorship. position wnicn ne
occupied to the time OF his death.
The domestic life Of Mr.. Ruskin was not
without its trials. For causes which to her
seemed sufficient his wife separated from
him and bestowed her affections upon
Millais. the painter. A quiet divorce en-,
| the painter-her former husbands friend
| and companion. Strange as 1t may seem,
Mr. Ruskin admitted the sufficiency of the
causes which had estranged his wife
affections and her union with Millais
seems never to have caused ripple In the
current of their friendship; ana until her
death in 1897 he met his former wife and
her new husband on terms or intimacy.
Whether this argues weakness on Mr.. Rus
kin's part or a clearer sense OF right and
Justice than is accorded to ordinary men,
| it is useless to discuss here.
THE MILLAIS-RUSKIN ROMANCE.
The details of the Millais-Ruskin ro-
| nance touched on lightly above. were lost
| sight Of until the death of Lady Miliais In
| 1897, when they again lived for the public
eye The death of the last member of the
| trinity whose lives were Influenced by 1T,
again makes the story interesting. for 1t is
| one of the most remarkable romances of
modern times. The plaintively piquant-
| almost babyish-face of Lady Millais is
| familiar to all who recall the countenance
| of the woman in her late husbands prize
| winning picture, 1.-The Huguenot Lovers" "
| Lady Millais was never prominent in either
| the social or artistic life of England, ex-
| cept for her association with two of Eng
| lands most noteworthy men, but with her
| passing was taken away the central figure
| in the most remarkable romance of modern
| times-a romance that would have been cell
| ebrated, in less practical age, along with
that of Petrarch and Laura, or of Dante
| and Beatrice, or that even of the good
| monk Abelard and Heloise.
| About the middle of the century John
/ Ruskin already the foremost art critic of
Great Britain, If not OF the world. met
| daughter OF a country curate He was not
| a man to love a woman simply because she
i was a woman, but the beautiful lace OF
| Miss Gray appealed to the artistic sensi-
/ bilities, and. in his way, he fell in love
! with her. Ruskin was wealthy; he had
| already written books that had been lauded
/ on every side, and had become known as
| the leading authority on art matters in all
| England. So 1t may well be believed that
1 his offer of marriage to the unknown
| daughter of a provincial clergyman was a
| Temptation not to re thrust aside. In due
/ time Euphemia Gray became Mrs. John
| Ruskin and then went to live in London,
| where Ruskin forthwith sunk himself In
study, and left his young wife to entertain
| herself as best she might.
| About the time the paintings OF John Mil
lais, young man. whose canvases showed
| excellent promise, began TO attract wide
spread attention, chiefly because of the
Millais was taken up by society, and, being
| a handsome fellow, possessed of a charm
| ing personality, he soon became a pet Ia
| the most exclusive drawing rooms of Lon
| con. But he never allowed his social sue
| cess to interfere with his work. and, day
| by day, he painted himself into greater
| fame-always with the help of John Rus
kin's criticism, given to him privately and
| through the public press. So IL came about
| that ere long John Millais was commits
| stoned by his friend TO paint a portrait
| of Mrs. Ruskin-smd thereby began the
| romance.
| Jack" Millais was normal. red-blooded
young fellow, a man of the world, and a
| fayorite in society. Mrs. Ruskin was a
beautiful woman, also worldly, who. pre-
| sumably, had never felt any genuine af-
| lection for the man she had married, and