RUSSELL 



5111 



RUSSELL 



The Seven Lamps of Architecture and The 

 Stones of Venice, both intended to instruct his 

 readers in architectural subjects. 



Until 1860 he devoted himself chiefly to the 

 criticism of art, but in that year, with the 

 appearance of Unto This Last, he declared him- 

 self a social reformer. He then actively inter- 

 ested himself in improving the conditions of 

 the English working classes, and spent the 

 greater part of the fortune which his father 

 left him on philanthropic undertakings. He 

 greatly improved the condition of several Lon- 

 don tenement houses, and established a model 

 village called Saint George's Guild, where the 

 inhabitants were to live in true social unity. 

 He also founded and endowed educational in- 

 rions of various kinds, and otherwise 

 proved himself most earnest in his service for 

 humanity. His influence was widespread and 

 always wholesome. 



From 1871 to 1879 and from 1883 to 1884 he 



was Slade professor of fine arts at Oxford. 



inning from this position he lived at 



Brantwood near Coniston Lake until his death. 



Greatest of his works produced after 1860 are 

 Fors Clavigera, letters written for English work- 

 ingmen ; Sesame and Lilies, delightful essays on 

 literary and educational subjects; Ethics of the 

 Dust; The Croum of Wild Olive; The Queen 

 of the Air, a discussion of Greek cloud and 

 storm myths ; Mornings in Florence, and Prae- 

 terita, a rather sketchy review of his life. 

 Ruskin's influence on art was very strong, for in 

 Modern Painters he showed the need, never 

 before clearly recognized, of accurate observa- 

 tion of nature as a basis of painting. But art- 

 iste were not the only people he aided all his 

 readers were helped to a clearer perception of 

 the beauties of the world about them. His 

 prose is unsurpassed in its word painting, and in 

 its melody approaches poetry. Most important 

 of all, he helped men to realize that "free- 

 heartedness and graciousncss, and undisturbed 

 trust, and requited love, and the sight of the 

 peace of others and ministry to their i tin 



< and the blue sky above you, and the 

 sweet waters and flowers of the earth beneath, 

 and mysteries and presences innumerable of 

 living things" are the substance of wealth and 

 the objects of labor. A.MCC. 



Consult Benson's Ruskin: A Study in Person- 

 ality; Harrison's John Ruskin, In English Men 

 of Letters Series. 



RUSSELL, ru*' el, LORD JOHN, First Earl 

 Russell (1792-1878), an English statesman, 

 twice Prime Minister. He was the third son 



of the Duke of Bedford, was born in London 

 and educated at Westminster School and the 

 University of Edinburgh. In 1813 he was elect- 

 ed to Parliament and from the first showed 

 himself an ardent advocate of Parliamentary 

 reform. Catholic emancipation and the repeal 

 of the Test Act also enlisted his efforts, and 

 when, in 1830, Earl Grey became Premier on a 

 platform of Parliamentary reform, Lord John 

 was made paymaster-general. With the pas- 

 sage of the Reform Bill of 1832 he was inti- 

 mately associated. From 1835 to 1839 he was 

 home secretary, and when Peel went out of 

 office, in 1846, Lord John Russell became Pre- 

 mier. 



He remained in this office until 1852, and his 

 most effective work was the quieting of the 

 turmoil in Ireland. His administration saw, 

 too, the agitation known as Chartism and the 

 unsuccessful attempt of the Roman Catholic 

 Church to reestablish itself in England. De- 

 feated in 1852, Lord John served from Decem- 

 ber of that year to 1855 as foreign secretary, 

 and in the latter year represented England at 

 the conference of Vienna. As foreign secre- 

 tary under Lord Palmerston, he showed hearty 

 sympathy for the Italians in their efforts to- 

 ward union, and according to his critics violated 

 British neutrality during the American War of 

 Secession by his attitude on the Alabama ques- 

 tion and the Trent affair. In 1865 he again 

 became Prime Minister, but resigned the next 

 year because of the defeat of a reform bill. 

 The remainder of his life was spent in literary 

 pursuits. He was raised to the earldom seven- 

 teen years before his death. 



RUSSELL, JOHN SCOTT (1808-1882), a Scot- 

 tish engineer, born near Glasgow. His father, 

 a clergyman, had destined his son for the min- 

 istry, but yielded before the decided talent for 

 science which the boy showed. After studying 

 at the universities of Saint Andrews, Edin- 

 burgh, and Glasgow, and doing some practical 

 work in the shops, Russell began to It-nun in 

 Edinburgh on science. In 1832-1833 ho Jill. .1 th.- 

 chair of natural philosophy at tin* I'm \vrsitv 

 of Edinburgh, and the next year began his 

 noteworthy studies of wave motions, whi< ! 

 suited in his proposal of a new system of 

 shaping vessels. He himself built aftn his new 

 system the Great Eastern, with which thr- At- 

 lantic cable was laid, and the Warrior, the first 

 sea going armored frigate. He wrote various 

 papers on naval arch in >< -tnn-, and the Wave of 

 Translation, which was published after his 

 talk 



