New-York tribune., 1911-12-03

parents as well-meaning but mistaken
in the rules of life they laid down not
merely for the boy but for the man.
They debarred him from all exercise but
walking. Ruskin once said. They
wouldn't let me ride lest l should be
might be drowned: and boxing my
mother thought a vulgar form of eXer-
else" The tale Of the disciplinary prac-
tices of the old wine merchant and his
wife, designed only for the good Of the
son they adored but sometimes calcu-
lated TO drive him frantic, might be ex
tended to absurd lengths. And one must
take account Of them with some serious
ness, inasmuch as they affected, of
course, Ruskin's early training, and
his education at oxford. There were
hiatuses in the development of his char
acter. there were habits of discursive-
ness fixed upon him which he might
have escaped-to his lifelong advantage
if only he had not been, at home, so
cribbed, cabined and confined. But the
greatest mistake that the student of
Ruskins history can make is to jump
TO the conclusion that because he was
both ruled too rigidly and spoiled too
generously. he was. in the essentials Of
his character, weakened and warped. We
have alluded TO this question Of early
handicap only to throw into sharper re-
lief that great strength which was his
chief virtue.
IT was strength OF soul. the strength
that spells truth, courage, fidelity and
wonderful fneness. His nature was
framed in gentleness but it was the
nature Of one who was every inch of
him a man. People used to say that he
silly accusation is thus scornfuly re-
PEELED:
Because | have passed my life in aims
giving, not in fOrtune-huntng; because |
| have labOured always for the honour or
others, not my own, and have chosen
rather 10 make men look to Turner and
my own hand; because / have lowered my
rents. and assured the comfortable lives Of
o
them all ] could force for the roofs they
needed; because / love a wood walk better
than London street ana would rather
watch a seagull fly than shoot it, and
rather hear a thrush sing than eat il;
/ finally because | never disObcycd my
mother because ! have honoured all wO-
men with solemn worship, and have been
kind even to the unthankfm and the evil:
therefore the hacks of English art and
ltera ture Wag their heads at mo and the
poor wretch who paWus the dirty linen of
his soul daily for bottle or sour wine and
a cigar talks OF the ''cffeminate sentimen-
| tality of Ruskin."
lie speaks of traits which have. to be
sure, nothing whatever TO do with the
criticism Of art. man is hardly the
better qualified to appreciate a great
painting because he has never dsobeyed
his mother. And yet the passage just
quoted is germane 10 a consideration Of
Ruskin's genius His genius was born
in him but its operations were immense
ly aided by his moral strength, i'm that
il gave them, so TO say. conscience.
The reader Of this biography begins, as
we have said, by kndling to Ruskin's
genuineness, his goodness, his honesty,
and then ne goes ON 10 watch the mag
nifcent working of these elements in the
sphere of the intellect. The same instinct
that moves Ruskn 10 tell the truth and
live clcanly, to honor his parents and be
kind to his fellow men, moves him to do
his duty as an art critic. not 10 trust 10
rhim GRi 10 Jniid upon kHo,clcdgc The
story Of his life is a story Of hard work,
of ceaseless effort to make sure of every
smallest thing that he has to say. II
has been the fashion, following Whis-
tiers foolish observations, to speak of
Ruskin as one who knew nothing about
the technique Of art AS Il matter Of
fact, he knew il not only from theory but