APPENDIX ADDITIONAL PASSAGES FROM THE MANUSCRIPT OF, AND LETTERS RELATING TO, "FORS 1. PROFIT AND LOSS IN THE IRON TRADE 2. THE DUTIES OF LANDLORDS. THE SHEPHERD, LORD CLIFFORD 3. COMMON SENSE. CASH DOWN 4. OBSERVATION AND DESCRIPTION 5. THE TRUE MEANING OF "MINE" AND "WORK” 6. THE WORTH OF A VOTE 7. RUSKIN AND SCOTT 8. NOTES ON THE LIFE OF SCOTT 9. STREAMS AND THEIR USE: TRANSLATION FROM PLATO 10. ON THE USE OF MACHINERY: LETTERS TO A MANCHESTER MANUFACTURER 11. THE DEFINITION OF MONEY: LETTERS TO THE REV. J. P. FAUNTHORPE 12. DISCRIMINATION IN ART TEACHING 13. LAWS FOR THE WINE TRADE 14. ECONOMY: GOD'S AND THE DEVIL'S 15. THE EIGHTEENTH PSALM 16. THE RELIGION OF HUMANITY: LETTERS TO MR. 19. "THESE THY CREATURES OF BREAD AND WINE” 20. WHISTLER v. RUSKIN :— (a) REPORT OF THE TRIAL (b) "My own ARTICLE ON WHISTLER" 21. MYTHS AND NOVELS 22. CORRESPONDENCE WITH T. C. HORSFALL 23. PLATO'S "MUSIC" AND LUDWIG RICHTER 24. GOOD AND EVIL 25. NOTES ON THE LAND QUESTION 26. EPILOGUE 1 PROFIT AND LOSS IN THE IRON TRADE A LETTER TO THE AUTHOR OF A PAMPHLET ON "WAGES "1 [See Letter 2, § 10 (Vol. XXVII. pp. 35–37)] HERNE HILL, LONDON, SIR,-I have been much interested by your pamphlet on Wages, which I suppose your publisher sent me by your direction. As I observe you honour me by quoting a sentence of mine in it, you will perhaps pardon my intruding a question on you privately, which otherwise I should only have ventured to state in any notice I may have to take of this important address in public. You limit your estimates and inquiries (as far as I can see) to the profit and loss, prosperity or depression, of the iron trade only. Have you arrived at any conclusions as to the effect of that trade on other businesses? For instance: in consequence of its flourishing condition, I pay twice as much for the fire by which I am writing as I did last year. You examine the effect of that rise of price on the coal owner; and you congratulate him and the country generally on his better remuneration. But you do not examine the effect of the change on me, nor congratulate me. Again. The sum I pay extra for firing is withdrawn from that which I am able to spend on art patronage. The coal owner becomes the art patron, instead of me. Have you examined the effect upon the art of the country which is likely to result from making the coal owner its patron, instead of the persons who are occupied in the study of it? Again. You speak of iron as if it were always useful. Can you give me any estimate of the capital sunk unproductively in the merely ornamental iron railings of London; or perhaps it will be better to say, the iron railings 2 simply;-I suppose it would be difficult to separate the cost of ornamentation with any definiteness from that of general make. But I have long wished to obtain from some competent authority a rough estimate of the total sum thus withdrawn from productive labour. [This letter was first printed in Poet-Lore, July 1891, vol. iii. pp. 361-362; and next in the privately issued Letters upon Subjects of General Interest from John Ruskin to Various Correspondents, 1892, pp. 54-57.] [The "iron railings" problem is a favourite one of Ruskin's: see Vol. XXVII. pp. 35-37, 68; and the other places noted at ibid., p. 36 n.] These three questions are strictly only branches of the main one; the effect of the iron and coal trade on other trades or occupations. But I permit myself one more inquiry in another direction. You point with exultation to the various incapacities of Belgium and Russia for production of iron: do you think, then, that if a little more iron existed in those countries, or in the world generally, and if Belgians and Russians were less stupid than they are, the British Nation would find existence impossible—or even greatly inconvenienced by the increased sagacity and wealth of its neighbours? And might not the sentence in the close of your address concerning the dignity of those who are the least dependent upon the favours of others, be advisably coupled with an assertion of the dignity of those who are least dependent on the stupidity of others? I am, Sir, Your faithful Servant, J. RUSKIN. 2 THE DUTIES OF LANDLORDS [See Letter 12, § 17 (Vol. XXVII. p. 210)] DENMARK HILL, S. E., DEAR MR. WOODD,1—I am getting fast better, but am obliged to economise returning strength,2 and Joan writes for me, which is an excuse to get still a little of the "star-light." Some day she will tell you what need of human comfort I have felt, and the story of my endeavours to get it-in vain. If I had not had the unfailing comfort of Joan herself, I should not even be dictating now. Meantime, I have been more and more drawn away from my own vexations into the plans in which I rejoice to have your sympathy, nor do I doubt ultimately that you will be able one way or another to help me in no small degree. My chief hope is, indeed, to get the proprietors of land, on which there is still an uncorrupted English race of peasants, to look upon these as their greatest possession, and to bring back for good, instead of evil, the organization of the Feudal System. You must wait for the forthcoming numbers of the Fors before you can judge of my purpose-or, at all definitely, see your way to help me. I go slowly, being resolved that nothing shall interfere with the work in Oxford, which is my immediate duty, and knowing also that if I am right, the work will be taken up in due [The late Charles H. Woodd, Esq., Oughtershaw Hall, Langstroth Dale, Skipton. These letters have not before been published. A letter from Mr. Woodd is given in Letter 38, § 18 (Vol. XXVIII. pp. 43-45).] 2 [After his illness at Matlock: see Vol. XXII. p. xviii. "Joan" is Mrs. Arthur Severn.] time by stronger hands than mine; and that if I am wrong, I shall gain nothing by hurry, except the chance of falling into grosser error. I have often heard of the Shepherd, Lord Clifford, but have never seen a full account of him. Where can I find one? My impression from what I remember is, that his life was the very type of what I want to urge on our nobles as evermore their duty, and at this crisis the only chance they have of saving England from revolution, and themselves from contemptible ruin; but they are far lost, I know not how far redeemable. I wish I could come to see you, but cannot at present leave my mother, who was much shaken by my illness, nor can I leave the arrangement of plans for schools at Oxford, which are now entirely under my care. You will write to me as things occur to you when you see the next pamphlet? and believe in the unfailing regard which makes your sympathy to me at once more delightful and more helpful as the years pass on. Ever affectionately yours, J. RUSKIN. Hand not so shaky as that from illness, but it's a hot day. THE SHEPHERD, LORD CLIFFORD DENMARK HILL, S. E. DEAR MR. WOODD,-Will you forgive my writing with a prettier hand, for mine's very tired just now-and here I've had your books since 9th December it seems without so much as acknowledging them. Whitaker's Craven is of great interest to me-in many other matters than this of the Shepherd Lord-and makes me long to come and see your Yorkshire home; but life has been with me nothing but a longing now, except that day by day I get some little bit of old plans accomplished-only they always branch in execution into so many new ones. The Shepherd Lord, however, disappoints me, for he seems to have been made a shepherd against his will, and his accusation of his son, if just in any wise, takes away one's respect for him, as having so little influence, and if unjust, as the book partly hints . . Did not you say that there are still vestiges of pleasant tradition in the hills about him? I forget whether I told you that I have got a little place on Coniston Water with six acres of heather and ten of wood coming down on the house so steeply that the place is called Brantwood—“Brant" being "steep" in old Cumberland. I will send your books back in the course of this week. A good New Year to you. Your affectionate, J. RUSKIN. |