The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-01-28

land they cultivated. The methods OF
cultivation are controlled by the overseer
Of the whole estate. Tenants might build
their own houses. according to their own
needs and wishes. subject to certain re-
strictions as TO materials. Truth, hon
esty, obedience and respect for superiors
yere enforced upon al.
Life is unnecessarily long" says Elmer
son. who himself lived TO be wreck of
his former mental self. Ruskin's life
sadly emphasizes this saying. The last
superfuous years are a blank in litera-
ture, made all the banker by an occas-
ional wratIlful letter to the papers like
a voice crying in the wilderness that all is
lost The sweet bells were tangled, out
OF tune and harsh. Human life assumed
huge and distorted shapes. to his fevered
vision. He lived in an atmosphere Of fear
and distrJ1st At times his melancholia
took on violent forms To the last, how
ever, he was tended by his cousin, Mrs.
Arthur Severns, who had charge of his
home.
It is an accepted fact that John Ruskin
suffered from some congenital Physical
defect which made marriage in the true
sense impossible Nevertheless vain Of
romance, with the contemplation Of mar
riage as its issue. ran through all his
youth and his maturity. and resulted in
three episodes of so painful sort as to
shadow his career at three important
crises.
The first Of these love stories began
shortly after his return with his parents
from European tour. in December, 1873
The family found it hard to accustom
themselves to the commonplaces Of Brit
ish domestic life after the excitements OF
their journey. They therefore eagerly
welcomed the arrival Of a visitor they
had met in Paris. a NJ. Domecq, who
brought with him his four younger
daughters. They were ''the first really
we'll bred and well dressed girls whom
John Ruskin had ever met. so Ruskln
afterward declared. The eldest, Adele
CIotilde. at once bewitched him. He was
seventeen and she only fifteen. She did
not understand the admiration Of her shy
and awkward swain. He had had little
experience Of society, he had no drawing
room graces. His talents were not such
as TO count for much with a girl Of fifteen
who wanted only 10 be amused She
laughed at John.
when the visitors departed he was left
with a broken heart. He sought relief in
poetry. and in study. Even his mother
sympathy failed him. She could but look
with horror upon a contemplated union
with a French woman and Catholic.
His passion. however. only grew In the
absence OF its object In ISIS she went
with her sisters to a school near Chelms-
ford in England. In that August he
saw her again. She had lost some OF her
first eirlish Drettiness. but that made no
difference. And when the Domecqs came
to the Ruskin house. at Herne HILL TO
spend the Christmas holidays, he was as
deeply in love as ever. Still she laughed
al him. Her school days over, she re-
turned 10 France.
In September. 1893. he heard Of her en-
eagement to a French nooienan, Baron
Duduesue. Then he wrote the long poem
entitled Farewell" a fortnight later ne
was taken seriously Ill In May ne was
pronounced consumptive, and had % give
M oxford. For nearly two years he was
dragged about from place 70 place. Then
he freed himself from the spell. returned
to Oxford. took a pass degree. and fifty
years afterward could look hack u9on the
story as 4 pretty comedy OF his youthful
days.
Some five years later. when the first
volume o: Modern Painters had already
made him q famous man. he met one
evening at a dance in London young
girl Of remarkable beauty.
She was Mss Euphemia Chalmers. tho
eldest daughter Of Mr.. George Gray of
Bowe-svyelI Perthshire. TIE hostess
pointing her ont 10 RUskin. told him that
was the girl ne should marry
He shook his head. Hs told the lady
that he had decided never 70 marry. that
art was mis- oulv mistress But IRE
thought 50 put into his mind would not 80
easily be shaken on As his Acquaintance
With Miss Chalmers ripened h IMAGINED
in her all the attributes q the i5eel
woman. In brief re fsu IN love and
formally proposed for her hand
He made no secret of his infFmity. But
Re was famous and wealthy. He had AZ
his command , marvellous e'oaueaee q
language He vas ~ a e3ivslrozs aus
generous nature. Miss Chalmers admired
hin. but sac dengrred 20 she match.
According % III. " G. CoTlingwoo
Ruszia-s hiozrspher. * was the lz5y's
parents Nho forced the match upon her.
According - the Ssaas Authority. ira
mar-isze. which took plaes IN ISIS r.
sulte; in mach unhapplnsss 70 ser she
had n sympathy with us aims or his
work.
Now among Ruskin's friends was
yourz painter nznnei John NITiafrs Re =
described IS At tha, tzms the handsozssgt
nan in England Hls talents were seen
ss 80 promise a Zo.1sz future Bs had
every qualify calculated - win q woman.
L vas thss ysung man Hh1n EasEfn
brought % his house 20 paint q p1-t-ai.
ot ais vite. TIE two ysuns Pzealz wsre
thrown Iaso constant eoEaBz- .he1sslp
Nrs. Raskiz gave The artist May sll-
,Iuzz sfr Raskia's Interest IN Una pro-
S-ess - the Eork ed = nis eecssssuzI
presence zt these zifsfnHs hnt sz -uEe
painter ard En05el we're isfR asqne Tssu
2zs a long toar tarouEh a psrt e rural
S.ox.t-gssss - F'ss!srs azssf = EsZzz