NOTES AND CORRESPONDENCE 23. (I.) AFFAIRS of the Company. I give below our banker's account to the end of last year, drawn up by my friend Mr. W. Walker, whom I asked to take salary as the Company's accountant, but who, as will be seen by the part of his letter I take leave here to print, gives us his work in true sympathy. 18, YONGE PARK, HOLLOWAY, N., Nov. 11th, 1875. DEAR SIR, I am of the same opinion as your printseller, and agree with him that "it is delightful to do business with you," 2-so you must please let me volunteer to be of any practical service so far as keeping accounts, etc., can be useful to you or the St. George's Company. I readily accept the duties as honorary but not titled accountant, and as the labour is light, entailing very little trouble, my reward shall be the self-satisfaction in thinking I have done very little in the cause wherein you have done and are doing so very much. Nevertheless, your kindly worded offer was gratefully received, and I was really pleased. The enclosed accounts are a mere copy of the ledger items. I would have put all the names of the donors (I found a few), but you have a record, if I may judge from the notices in the December number of Fors. JOHN RUSKIN, Esq., LL.D. With sincere respect, yours faithfully, [The following is an earlier letter to Mr. William Walker (of the Union Bank of London), here reprinted from pp. 82-83 of the privately-issued Letters from John Ruskin to F. J. Furnivall and other Correspondents (1897):-} "BRANTWOOD, CONISTON, LANCASHIRE, "April 6th, 1875. "DEAR MR. WALKER,-I do not know when I have received more pleasure than from your kind letter to-day, and I very sincerely thank you for it, and for the interest you express in Fors, which is especially encouraging to me when I can meet with it in practical men. "I do not feel less ashamed for trespassing on your time because you give it me so willingly, and I must indeed in future be more regular in my business proceedings-both in the facts and the notification of them. I suppose it is a long-established principle in human nature that men accumulating money are careful of it, and men diminishing it, careless; and I do not wonder that my friends begin to inquire of me with grave faces whether I am not ruining myself?' However, it will be some time yet before I come to my last ten thousand; and when I do-I must stop my gift-giving, and live, like the rest of my college fellows, on three hundred a year. At that rate my ten thousand will last me till I'm ninety-five. If my flesh and bones do as much-it's more than I expect of them. "Ever very gratefully yours, "J RUSKIN."] [See above, p. 458.] Dr. 1872. THE UNION BANK OF LONDON (CHANCERY LANE BRANCH) Nov. 27. To Cash " Cr. The £40 here acknowledged was an additional subscription from No. 8 subscriber, whose total subscription is therefore £60, not £20, as in above subscriber's account [p. 530]: in which also the initials of No. 38 should be S. G., and the sum £2, 28. These errors will be corrected in next Fors [see p. 578], in which also I will separate the interest from the subscriptions. THE UNION BANK OF LONDON (CHANCERY LANE BRANCH) IN ACCOUNT WITH ST. GEORGE'S FUND My friends (see a really kind article in the Monetary Gazette 1) much doubt, and very naturally, the wisdom of this exposition. I indeed expected to appear to some better advantage; but that the confession is not wholly pleasant, and appears imprudent, only makes it the better example. Fors would have it so. 6 1 [A review of Letter 62 in the number for February 16, 1876: "We are struck with the frankness with which Mr. Ruskin discloses his own personal wealth and expenses, and also the affairs of the St. George's Company, the members of which he is determined shall have glass pockets.' Society could never have expected so much as this from him; nor are we sure that in the present state of things such frankness is absolutely wise, especially in relation to his private affairs. But the act itself, and the manner of doing it, show a lofty courage that could only be inspired by purity of motive. Were the same spirit of frankness to pervade directors generally, and those who are charged with the responsibility of submitting accounts to the public, the miserable shams that afflict and oppress the community, both commercial and social, would within twelve months dissolve, and there would be some chance for the inauguration of the reign of truth. It is probably this consummation that Mr. Ruskin seeks to influence by his personal example."] 27. F. Crawley (b) 31. Taxes on Armorial Bearings, etc. Feb. 4. Warren and Jones-Tea for Shop 6. Buying a lad off who had enlisted and repented 7. Christmas Gifts in Oxford 14 10 0 (a) Insurance on £15,000 worth of drawings and books in at Oxford. £225 5 6 my rooms (b) Particulars of this account to be afterwards given; 2 my Oxford assistant having just lost his wife, and been subjected to unusual expenses. (c) My present valet, a delightful old German, on temporary service. (d) Present, on my birthday, of a silk frock to one of my pets. It became her very nicely; but I think there was a little too much silk in the flounces.8 (e) My good doctor at Coniston. Had to drive over from Hawkshead every other winter day, because I wouldn't stop drinking too much teaalso my servants were ill. (f) About four times this sum will keep me comfortably-all the year round-here among my Oxford friends-when I have reduced myself to the utmost allowable limit of a St. George's Master's income-366 pounds a year (the odd pound for luck). (g) For Copies of the Book of Kells, bought of a poor artist. Very beautiful, and good for gifts to St. George.4 1 [Hitherto printed "£360 2 0": see the correction made below, p. 585. The balance (hitherto printed £225 5s. 9d.) is here also corrected, as marked by Ruskin in Rawdon Brown's copy in the Library of St. Mark. Ruskin's note of correction is dated "J. R. Venice. 7th Nov., 1876."] 2 [This, however, was not done.] 3 See below, p. 610.] There are no examples of the Book of Kells in the Ruskin Museum at Sheffield, but there are some in his Drawing School at Oxford (see Vol. XXI. p. 50 n.), and others were placed by him at Whitelands College, Chelsea.] (h) My honest host (happily falsifying his name), for friends when I haven't house room, etc. This bill chiefly for hire of carriages. (i) Downs shall give account of himself in next Fors.1 1 [This, however, was not done. But see Letter 66, § 22 (pp. 631-632), for a "typical example of one of Downs's weekly bills."] |