The sun., 1910-05-08

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hand he had advantages Of travel. early
and constant appreciation and encourage
mant and abundant means 70 pursue hia
chosen lines Of research and cultivate his
lasts sAah a. few men who have reached
fame have enjoyed. II was HE froqu0ns
excuses for leaving home and the oOn-
soiOusnsss that be Was drifting away from
them which prompted his mother 10 ar
range tho unfortunate marriage which
forms a prominent point in all accounts
Of his career.
Mrs. EArland really has little 90 add 10
what ls already known In regard 70 that
affair. crucial bOcnuse Il sooEns an though
Il must have Affected HE career. nsgligiblo
because az a crude matter Of fact he
sSSms not 20 have beea emharTassed or
upss, IN tho least by his Wifs's divOrcing
him and marrying Millais. Rusktn was
busy with his own interests, and his sparu
time vas claimed hE bis parents; the young
wife naturally found life dull and went
out In sOciSty too much alOns. Tho Rsv.
A. q. L'EstTangS, author Of The Friend
ahips Of Mary Russell Milford told Mrs.
Earland that a friend Of his met Mrs.
Ruskin at a London party. She vas con
voraihg with some gentlemen. one Of
whom asked: -WhsrO IL Mr.. Ruskinl'
-Oh. Mr.. Ruskin.- she rsplied. He IL
with his mOther-hS ought 20 have mar
ried his mOtherl- In lottor 70 Miss
Milford Russin certainly did express q
moderately warm feeling for tho wife
whom he had married without feeling AZ
his mothers behest But the Rev. Mr.
L'EstTange has supplied an AnecdOte
which would 90 10 show that no definite
conclusioas can be drawn from anything
Ruskin wrote or said on this subject. On
the day MillAis married the lady an old
friend Of Mr.. L'Estrange was with Ruskin.
looking At his pictures. Ruakin drew at
tentiOn 70 a portrait Of himself and said
There. what do you think Of thatG' Very
good. replied Mr. HARRISON -Ezosnent!
so IL ought 70 BE- returned Ruskin with
sOlemn emphasis. -it was painted by Mil
lais.' The two anecdotes from Mr.. L "a
iFange constitute in fact the only new ma
tsriAl In the volume. We are quite pre-
pared 20 agree with our author that RuslIin
was not adapted for married life. although
he was forever in the mild thrOes Of a milk
and water frisndnhip c0urtahip Of some
young girl. You cannOt but cOnETahllats
Rose La TOuche on having oppOrtuDSly
died before he succeeded In Dsrsuading
her TO reconsider her refusal ton the
ground Of his religious non-belieD 10
marry him many years later.
It 10 quite true, as the author says that
many Of Ruskin's doctrines arc now being
preached or mildly PHotisod; but thOy
are the doctrines which naturally occur
70 any thoughtful person hArTied with
tho problsms Of dense city population
and the dsad level OF machine work a.
compared with handicrafts. We get a
summary view Of Ruskin's ohicf friends
cut Of the legion who knew and loved him.
and this together with the almost entire
exclusion Of his writing lexcSpt In % far
- an occasional passage throWs light ON
his inconsistent 0hRraCtsF) constitutes
the value Of the prosoRt volume: Il pro-
sants the man 70 us In easy but we'll bal
ancsd fulnsss. showing his lavish gsn0r-
oaity, his universal kindlinoss, his gentle
but not very stable Affections Enough
IL said Of HE work 70 indicate tho con-
DsctiOn with his moods and beliefs and
lApsss Of belief and his mental troubles,
which would probably have taken place
under any Circumstances and we're not
really caused by tho shock OG thwaTting
Mis- gsntlS, plAtOnio affections. Twenty
Illustrations and phOtogravurS portrait
Of Ruskin late in life sbOw " ths man at
various ssagas and his chief friSnds.