The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-07-15
Books and Authors
RusklN IN LOVE.

Familiar as many people are with Rus
Kin as an artscrittc and experimenting So
ciologist,4 they are, no doubt, somewhat
surprised when reading his Letters to
M lIG.ss andsgH. g." recently published.
Il Miss M .G.S9he met at Hawarden, Mr..
Gladstone's residence, and, thereafter, the
correspondence between the two indicates
deep admiration for Ruskin's genius on
the part Of the young lady and an admira-
ton on the part Of Ruskin for the young
lady Which rtpened into something which
bordered closely upon love- Ruskin was
So when he encountered this charmer who
seems to have won him thru her musical
taients: "A man at 90 Is, In nine cases out
of ten, as susceptible to the touch of the
rosy god as youth of 20, and he some
times behaves far more foolishly than the
latter. Writing to the girl, Ruskin says:
you were a perfect little mother to me
last night I didn't feel safe moment
except when was close to YOU" He
addressed her no longer as Miss G.. but
MY dear M" Later he addressed her
as My very dear NJ" when telling her
how much he loved and honored her father
(Mr., Gladstene), while he flercely hated
his politics. and despised his way Of
declaring them to the people, And he
tells her:
II never in my life was In such peril
Of losing my political independence as
| under my little Madonna's power at Ha-
warden. And am and shall be ever her
loving servant Five days after this,
Ruskin, in rapturous mood, addresses M
as MY Darling little Madonna: You are
| really gratia plena (don't be shocked, I'm
writing about saints all day, just now, and
| don't know when I'm talking properly to
| my pets), but 1t is unspeakably sweet of
| your father and you to forgive me so
| soon" etc. In a letter written in 1881,
I hoy Uri foc to
have your letter to-day for have been
| thinking of you quite as often as you OF
| me-to say the least-and wishing, you
| don't know how much-to see you.'' OF
the death Of Carlyle he says: 1T is no
sorrow to me. It is, believe, not an end
but beginning of his real life. Nay,
perhaps, also, of mine. My remorse
every day he lived, for having not enough
loved him in the days gone by, is not
greater now, but less, in the hope that he
knows what I am feeling about him al
| this-and' all other-moments.' Ruskin
had deep admiration for Carlyle, whom
| he regarded as his master, altho it is not
| very clear why such intimate relations
could exist between them. When Ruskir
heard M. G.. was going to marry curate
| he wrote: 5 ---.f''.
"Bless you? Blest if I do; I'll give 70,
absolution, if you come and ask it meek
ly; but don't you know how I hate girls
marrying curates? You must come .di
rectly and play me some lovely tunes
it's the last chance you'll have of doins
anything to please me for I don't lik
married women; I like sibyls and chill
| dren and vestals; and so on In his mex
letter Ruskin admits he was disagreeabl
in his last and says: Il didn't, mean
and never have thought, that girls wer
higher and holier than wives-heaven for
bid. 4 merely said liked them better
which, surely, is extremely proper Of me.
Again, as to the marriage, he says:
Heaven knows I bear no malice, bu
you can't hit your lovers on the hear
like that, when it suits you, and hav
them whenever you like, to look for bit
to hang on your chatelaines again. Leas
Of all can you expect them, when they ar
well nigh on their deathbeds, to hold you
bells at the bridle-rein.'' rs
It is, possible to construct a very inter
esting love affair ut-rof this correspond
ence, for Ruskin under the inspiration c
the young lady renews the fervor of hi
youth and talks like man inextricabl
tangled in the meshes Of thef{rosy god
net and not like an advisory GRANDPA thel
The whole tone Of the correspondence o
Ruskin's part Is SO different from wha
might be expected from a man with Rus
kin's marital experience. It places hir
in a new light. = - = ts4t
.