New-York tribune., 1906-08-11
RUSKIN IN VENICE.
His Kindness to an Enthusiastic
Venetian.

saying TO him OF Venice that she "a Para
disc not for the artist alone. but for all those
who see Gods inspiration in mans handiwork'
on! my young friend, he once said TO me, re-
his of all the happy and ardent days which, in
my my carrier , life was granted me 10 spend in
@ Inose when used to pass n the bright recess of
times TO the glimmering mosaics in the vaults of
!t tne church; sometimes TO the square. thinking of
us IMMORTAL memories sometimes the palace
iiI in F1 10 Ie sea No such scene existed elsewhere
visiOnary-a temple radiant as the flowers of Nat
NE, We, venerable and enduring her rocks, archei
venetian conquerors had them
In his enthusiastic youth zorzi viewed with
wrath the methods adopted in the restoring or.
rather, rebuilding then going on in St Marks
Inc engineers he had always considered the
chief if not the sole enemies of his beloved
VENICE and he wrote a critical work too severe
10 SUIT the wealthy and conservative relatives
VINO might have contributed toward the expenses
Ol puohcation. He going home one day.
with his bundle of manuscript under his arm
mourning his inability to rescue St Marks from
'ne olIlcla! vandals when he met young friend
VINO told him that Ruskin was in Venice and
wanted to see him and his manuscripts
,a men at o'clock that evening I entered his
or eIuay ana drawing room Ruskn Upright and seri-
Wit %oS H1 seated at large writing table
his haUSA G manuscripts and writing paper. and in
a Hn1a1h an ne heId an immense cork pen as thick as
later ~" ''s"I' ne gave me one like il some time
add ne wore a dark blue frock coat a high cravat
mar ara ana Whiskers and indeed his whole figure
in silver candesGy Gy plumber of candles burning
Ss s'9h en- OF them perhaps because my head was fun
quickly with his slight perseG fn of dgnty
and thanked VIZ a e. me as Carlofortl introduced me-
a en ag SUING down again and signing to to take
fuI1T.d nd M thank my good friend Raffaele having
S SiitILieo tL the mission with which l charged him.
aSSaSSinatng %"
soo hSs tS sIIrLInost unfortunately And
While f6sy fHS9Fsst going dRsy haye been at
that yon have tdt you a are very and
isS 1ask. see you have brought your manuscript
most m y9T DE Kind enough TO read me some of the
l began to read extracts selected here and there
SInpnaslzng' among others, especially the follow
many years before to the north facade of the
cpa facade and on the south s facing Gn the the pT ge
mnere tne laGade before the so-called restoration
capitals; slabs of Greek marble with transverse
Wer so Soy in c60rn 6he d the the mOsaTs & etc
irldescent and so brilliant, that the whole effect
bs d dy9t GUEereG % WIN & &goa and precious % stones
vehemence has been taken away. entirely. The
f9IpgESSy S ruined together with the famous capt
newed, and the slabs of aabaster and other Veined
oriental marbles and the ornamental bass-reliefs
slabs Of marble inserted Byzantine fashion. with
undulating horizontal veins and marks have been
thrown away Is rubbish. along with much other pre-
cious material. and gone God knows where and been
dicularly-a disposition hardly found in Byzan-
tine hard m sharp mod
antique have been cast aside and muddy Western
nifcant modern ones"
duce symmetry into building whose character
the zeno ChapemWhich if not Byzantne Was a' al
ways picturesque-had been renewed, and the beau.
oil bE nnOF al Of
Susa Verde crossed In the centre by a toothed
jealousy restored with the utmost care and judg2
ment the ancient n9s9ics OF the & Zenq Chapel rep
renewed Fortunately many Of the old m8Ssaal
was sacred duty TO put them back exactly as
they were That the inosaios in the BaIPtisteTy Baptist
tempera where the modern workers found them
pavement Of the church had been remade in an
unworthy barbarous syrnmetric2 @ and stupid way
had begun to chip and peel almost as soon as It
made opportune digressons and comments, espe-
cially on the need OF opening the eyes OF the gov
ponting speciai commission for the care of the
basiica-one engineers and another of architects
painters, sculptors and arch%ologists
heart was in the subject. All at once RuslLin in
sT1gpedd a5d me Found D{ mPPse IN his sect
FOR thirty years" he said, with emotion, kissing
patrician-an artistIwho would I1 think and write
doEe' do1e' my Young friend, and happy to have
found vou.'
Drawing from the young man the reasons why
he did not publish the work in which his whole
soul was absorbed. Ruskin in the kindest and
most delicate fashion. offered the money neces-
sary for the publication:
Ruskin went on PERM! to say that you are
Young: and although you have already engaged in
fbe Struggle for the conservation OF the monuments
Of your city with isolated pubcatIons inns is inc inc
war against powerful advcrsariea who enjoy the
enns the bureaucracy 1t is that your artist
colleagues and contemporaries are on your SIDE; put
Won need an old general well known in Europe for
the battle on behalf Of your new ideas | VIII
therefore write you letter addressed to every arr
tifv everything that you have expressed at greater
length so ably and so courageOusly touching these
matters of archaeology. art and history. which in
terest the whole civilized world And You will be
kind enough insert letter as preface to your
2ny thank you again 3d f. from fragd my heart" o
a father AS / have no other way OF expressing
my gratitude PgT9 % see e tho 10 Ish through your
generosity and do something; hope In the future
intended 10 dedicate to my father, but in dedicat
ing it to you sir, I only obey the voice of my
ia!er 4 accept e3'5 With hear{ he anSwsTed shak
ing my hand by the way 9o%eTGr yer ne went ON on
printed in English and italian. Find a translator.
Do you d E1o he a afs the 1u Aeady IN Of e &rts
elected one Of its hogoraIy members 3 "a sS1a E09a
Patria on April % last. almost as soon as 1t was
started, also wanted TO have me among It's
founders? ] am yours! am yours am at last
"srinfortf has told me of the recent loss you have
sustained in tho death of your good father and de-
t6e good ' old stamp He told me also that Your
mother is a Morosini; Pray offer her my respect
her a visit if she will permit me
Inc iaea oI l,5 55anabfer Of The last Procurator
of St Marks and descendant in the direct line OF
buried in Santa Croce and in whose reign the