dit of Mr. Whistler to
send them to the Grosvenor Gallery to be exhibited? Some artistic
gentleman from Manchester, Leeds, or Sheffield might perhaps be
induced to buy one of the pictures because it was a Whistler, and what
Mr. Ruskin meant was that he might better have remained in Manchester,
Sheffield, or Leeds, with his money in his pocket. It was said that
the term "ill-educated conceit" ought never to have been applied to
Mr. Whistler, who had devoted the whole of his life to educating
himself in Art;[9] but Mr. Ruskin's views[10] as to his success did
not accord with those of Mr. Whistler. The libel complained of said
also, "I never expected to hear a coxcomb ask two hundred guineas for
flinging a pot of paint in the public's face." What was a coxcomb?
He had looked the word up, and found that it came from the old idea of
the licensed jester who wore a cap and bells with a cock's comb in it,
who went about making jests for the amusement of his master and
family. If that were the true definition, then Mr. Whistler should not
complain, because his pictures had afforded a most amusing jest! _He
did not know when so much amusement had been afforded to the[11]
British Public as by Mr. Whistler's pictures._ He had now finished.
Mr. Ruskin had lived a long life without being attacked, and no one
had attempted to control his pen through the medium of a jury. Mr.
Ruskin said, through him, as his counsel, that he did not retract one
syllable of his criticism, believing it was right. Of course, if they
found a verdict against Mr. Ruskin, he would have to cease
writing,[12] but it would be an evil day for Art, in this country,
when Mr. Ruskin would be prevented from indulging in legitimate and
proper criticism, by pointing out what was beautiful and what was
not.[13]

[Note 7: "Vulgarity, dulness, or impiety will indeed
always express themselves through art, in brown and
gray, as in Rembrandt."--Prof. JOHN RUSKIN: _Modern
Painters_.]

[Note 8: "It is physically impossible, for instance,
rightly to draw certain forms of the upper clouds with a
brush; nothing will do it but the palette knife with
loaded white after the blue ground is prepared."--JOHN
RUSKIN, Prof. of Painting.]

[Note 9: "And thus we are guided, almost forced, by
the laws of nature, to do right in art. Had