The crown of wild olive; four lectures on work, traffic, war, and the future of England

The crown of wild olive – is a collection of lectures by John Ruskin, prominent English writer, art critic and philosopher of the Victorian era. Crown of the Wild Olive brings together some of the finest examples of Ruskin's Carlyle style, in particular the "Traffic" lecture, which invariably draws the attention of the audience to the hypocrisy manifested in their choice of Gothic architecture for their churches and neoclassical design for their homes. The "Work" presented to the Working Man's Institute of Camberwell leads Ruskin to classify the working class as rich and poor. "Traffic" was addressed at the Bradford Town Hall to mark the construction of the new exchange. His lecture on the topic "War" is curious and begins with the statement that "war is the foundation of all arts." Ruskin recognizes three types of war - for play, for dominion, and for defense. The last lecture, “The Future of England”, delivered at the Royal Academy may have the most intriguing title of the four.