New-York tribune., 1911-12-03

Cook oay .airly claim to have gained
about as thorough an acquaintance win
the contents of Ruskin's mind as belongs
10 any man. He has written a spacious,
tranquil book, practically exhaustive in
its statement Of facts, and very nearly
Ierfect as TO judgment. This author has
no flashes Of extraordinary insight no
moments of clairvoyant and enkindllng
Interpretation, and his style is In no wise
distinguished On the other hand, he
has a quiet, steady way of getting at the
truth Though he is never eloquent he
is always clear, flexible and quite equal
10 the subject in hand. It is perhaps as
well that he should preserve an unim-
passioncd demeanOr. After all, book
peryaded by Ruskin needs no added fer
vors. MI Cook has chosen the right
course IN seeking to be merely adequate
and workmanlike.
This is the sincere course, and SINGER
ity was the keynote to Ruskin's career.
Mr. Cook speaks of the uneventfulness
OF that career, of the private and seclud-
cd life that his friend led. and ne justly
says that "a biography Of him must bc
the story Of a soul How true this is
ouc realizes moro and more as one makes
progress ;u this long absorbing narra-
tive All che time we arc interested i'm
the things that Rusl,;u did i'm the things
that happened to him. but what chiefly
concerns us is what Ruskin was. 10
find that out is no easy task. To this
day ho is enc Of the figures i'm Victorian
annals most frequently misunderstood
The artist, of m. present generation
and the lest have had mudh To do with
this. ignorant of J,uskins writings, they
have cheerfully damned him as the critic
who dill not appreciate Whistler. Cap
ping with a glib misstatement Of his
principles the story Of his defeat in
The famous law suit brought by the
American artist, they have created
Il queer, legendary Ruskin. insensiuve to
the true qualities Of great painting and
lent upon squeezing the artist within
the limits Of a formula determined by
moral rather than aesthetic convictions.
Now, it is true that at the outset Of his
career as an art teacher Ruskin adjured
the PAINTER ito go 10 nature in al single
iess Of heart . rejecting nothing, Sc
lecting nothing, and scorning nothing
But it il also true that this injunction
was addressed specifically to young
artists" and that the passage thus con-
tinucs.
Then. when their memories are stored.
and their imaglnations are fed, and their
hands firm, let them take mp the scarlet
and gold give the rcinS 10 their fancy,
and show uS what their heads are made
or We will follow them wherever they
choose 10 lead. We will check at nothing:
they are then our masters, and are M 10
he So They have placed themselves above
our criticism, and we VIII listen 10 their
words in all faith and humility, but not
unless they themselves have before bowed,
i'm the same submission. TO higher Au-
thority and Master.
The contrast between the Ruskin Of
legend and the Ruslun of fact is surely
.plaiu enough here We would not labor
the lolnt. but there IS one further Illus
tration OF 4 which We cannot omit. Who
among .he young wiseacres holding forth
in the studios on Ruskin's limitations
would hesitate 10 indcrse the saying, put
in print by profcssorial hand not long
ago, that the Englishman practically
ignores Valcsquez?" Well il was Ruskiu
who said of the Spanish master that he
shows ".he highest reach Of technical
perfection yet attained In art, all effort
and labor seeming TO cease in the ra-
0iant peace and simplicity of consum-
mate human power" There Is splen-
did boast OF his, written in 1888, which
NAV htly be cited At this point:
say with pride, which II has become my
me and 10 me alone. first 10 discern, ana
then 10 teach. so far as ia this hurried