This volume, attractively produced by the Cashbridge Press, is just the kind of book about Ruskin that the present generation needs. It is to feared that— at any rate for some time to come—young people will peruse the whole works of John Ruskin _as infrequently as the whole works of Samuel Johnson. They will want to have examples of Ruskin in his various works, rather than the works themselves, to some of which, however, they will ultimately come,—especially to "Fors," '"Preterita," and "Unto this Last." We do _uot imagine that future generations will ever get excited (as our fathers and grandfathers did) about Modern. Painters" and "The Seven Lamps."
There was a great deal that was both pragmatical and pretentious in Ruski, right to the end; but he was worst (as usual) in youth. The cheerful garrulity of '"Preterita" is often delightful, which Modern Painters" never was. The description of Tintoretto's "Last Judgment," in Vol LI. of the latter, is surely the most completely vicious piece of English prose ever written. When, @fter much searching, I at last got a sight of the actual picture at the excellent church of Madonna: dell' Otto, in a remote part of Venice, I had to live down. my recollection of Ruskin's description in order to. enjoy "what is unquestionably a great Mr. Benson is. an. excellent presenter of Ruskin.' His choice of passages and his introductory remarks are alike good. His aim especially declared, is to illustrate the development of Ruskin's personality and literary style rather than his economical principles or his social theories. But that being so, why does Mr. Benson lead off with passages of "Preterita." the last of all, and mix them up with passages of "Painters." one of the first?" How is it possible to detect development when the curve progress (so ta speak) is broken up. As a book of selections from Ruskin. as a series of passages exhibiting his varied eloquence, the book is admirable; but it hardly fulfils the compiler's own specification.
Mr. Benson should have quoted the successively varied descriptions of Maria's tomb in the cathedral at Lucca, with Rukin's characteristic later remark about the dog at her fect: "Tu 'Modern Painters' TI foolishly used the generic word hound' to make my sentence vretticr. Ho is ai flatnosed bulldog."? IT examined this famous animal a few weeks ago; but though he is certainly rather a dear old flat-nosed thing, he is decidedly not a. buildog—at least not what an Englishman calls a. bulldog. The reader who does' not bother about. "development" and similar abstract nouns (which notoriously "don't exist") will find this.a volume of fascinating little essays upon a diversity of delightful subjects.—"Daily News."
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.