The Star. THURSDAY, MAY 13, 1897. RUSKIN AND THE POOR.
THE ART CRITIC'S WEALTH. A NOBLE SACRIFICE. From time to time references are made to the sacrifice of his fortune made by Ruskin for the benefit of the poor. The Home Jtyrnal gives some of the interestingdetails of this sacrifice : — Through his father, Mr Ruskin fell heir to nearly .£200,000, to which must be added the income from his writings. But fhis man counted his treasures as a trust fund, held in the interests of suffering merit or youth's promising talent. * * * Taxing himself first a tenth, then half, he finally gave his entire income. If he needed botanical and art works for his studies, he crippled himself rather than refuse his last spare twenty guineas to the widow of a dead artist. If for health's sake and art's sake he wanted to take a trip to Switzerland, ho would forego it that he might contribute .£IOO to the Cruikshank memorial. If others would not encourage the study of art in schools, ho would buy ten water-colour drawings of William Hunt, paying for each £70, and give them to the public schools of London. In one of his letters to the working men of Great Britain he told them what he had done, and was doing, with his money, in carrying on his St George's Guild and his plans for rent reform. Up to 1877 he had given away all hi% fortune save .£50,000. But, in view of the needs of his working men's clubs, this amount seemed imich too large for his personal wants. He, therefore, determined to distribute all save .£12,000 worth of consols, the interest of which would bring him some .£3OO. Upon this interest he now lives, the income of his books being distributed among his servants, his old pensioners, and his various plans for social reform. He bestowed his art treasures, we are further told, with like generosity, on institntions where the poor would have access to them. He anticipated General Booth by founding a guild to redeem waste lands and regenerate ruined lives. Under his influence the historian Green spent several years in work among the London poor. The best lectures of the great art critic, it is said, have never been given where wealth and social prestige were represented, but before working . girls' clubs and working men's associations. ' • ■ . •,
The Star. THURSDAY, MAY 13, 1897. RUSKIN AND THE POOR.
Star (Christchurch), Issue 5871, 13 May 1897, Page 2
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