6 
NORTH SHORE BREEZE 
MASTERS OF ENGLISH LITERATURE 
( Continued from Page 1. ) 
each writer is the product of the 
ages and writers antecedent. In 
one sense there is no true original- 
ity; the past relives in the present; 
the present will re-incarnate itseli 
in the future. And yet each age 
is not the mere repetition or copy 
ot the age or ages preceding, but 
has a character of its own. And 
every great writer, however he may 
enrich his pages with the spoils of 
the past, so marshals and _ trans- 
forms and adorns them that they 
come forth the mintage of his 
own brain, bearing his own 
image and _ superscription. So 
much for Shakespeare’s originality ; 
not inany men, two or three at 
most, have ever had the genius 
to appropriate the fruit of other 
men’s labors as magnificently and 
to such purposes as he. With 
all his indebtedness to his _ prede- 
cessors, there is no poet to whom 
we can more truly attribute cre- 
ative power. Of men like him, we 
may Say, 
“Throned on their thoughts and high im- 
aginings, 
They are the lords, not servitors, of Fame.’’ 
Among the literary sources of 
Shakespeare’s inspiration must be 
reckoned the English Bible. Refer- 
ences to Scripture characters and 
incidents, modes of expression and 
moral or dogmatic teaching, are 
drawn from all parts of the Bible, 
and are such as to show at least 
a general knowledge of it. It has 
been estimated that there are in his 
works more than five hundred Bib- 
lical quotations, references, allu- 
sions and sentiments. He quotes 
from nearly all the books of the 
Bible, and not one of his plays is 
without a Scripture reference 
About forty years ago Bishop 
Wordsworth, nephew of the poet, 
published a book in which he aimed 
to show that Shakespeare was “in a 
more than an ordinary degree a dili- 
gent and devout reader of the Word 
of God.” In support of his conten- 
tion he quotes hundreds of passages 
including hosts of facts, characters, 
figures of speech, and _ notable 
phrases, used by the dramatist, 
which are drawn from the Bible. 
The bishop may be thought by 
some to exaggerate Shakespeare’s 
Biblical learning, but it cannot be 
denied that many of the poet’s most 
striking and beautiful images and 
sentiments are traceable to the 
Bible as their source and inspira- 
tion. And what is true of Shakes- 
peare is true of Milton, Tennyson, 
Longfellow, Browning and other 
great masters of song. The most 
living poets, those whose thoughts 
and words “men will not willingly 
let die,” have drawn their inspira- 
tion not only from the Aonian 
mount, but from “Siloa’s brook 
that flowed fast by the oracle of 
God.” Quotations might be multi- 
plied almost indefinitely, showing 
how much would be lost from the 
writings of the masters of our lit- 
erature, were the lofty sentiment 
and melodious phrase which are 
drawn from the English Bible— 
that monument of the scholarship 
and devotion of at least three hun- 
dred years—eliminated from their 
pages. 
New Civil Service Rule 
Affects Many on North Shore. 
Scores of North Shore people, 
members of fire departments, jani- 
ters of school and other public 
buildings, engineers, foremen, elec- 
tricians, etc., will come under the 
civil service rule as embodied in a 
recent circular sent out to the va- 
rious municipal officials, and the 
holders of these positions will have 
to take the examination under the 
new law which becomes operative 
after July 1. 
The new law as approved by Gov. 
Douglas provides that those hold- 
ing the following positions must 
take the civil service examination: 
“All persons doing police duty in 
the parks or public grounds; draw 
tenders and assistant draw tenders 
employed on any bridges; foremen 
of laborers, inspectors of work and 
all persons, under whatever desig- 
nation doing similar work; all sub- 
foremen of laborers; janitors, en- 
gineers and other persons having 
charge of school or other public 
buildings or of the heating appa- 
ratus thereof; all members of the 
regular or permanent or any call 
member of the fire department; 
electricians and all assistants above 
the grade of linemen.” 
Pomona Sherbet, originated at this 
store is one of our most popular drinks. 
“Frank G. Cheever Co.” es 
NEW CARPETS 
'a| Japanese 
{§} 
Our THIRD 
Shipment of 
Japs have come 
to hand—amongst 
them are the 
high-class florals 
— detached 
floral designs 
on a clear 
white ground — 
without exception 
they are the 
finest thing 
we've ever seen 
in Mattings— 
The patterns are 
mostly private 
to us in Salem, 
which means 
that they will 
be common, 
The prices run 
from 35 to 75 
cents the yard. 
OOZ-AADZ 
H. M, BIXBY & CO, 
242 Essex St., Salem. 
CHARLES HOOPER 
FULL LINE OF 
SPRING AND SUMMER 
SS. ELO Biss 
In Russett and Black. 
TENNIS AND OUTING SHOES. 
11 Central Square, Manchester, 
SPECIAL SALE 
—— oF — 
Ladies’ House Dresses and Wrappers 
and Gentlemen’s Shirts. 
Also a Line of Burnt Leather Souvenir Postal Cards. 
Something New. 
At the “OLD CORNER STORE.” 
GEO. F. ALLEN, - 
MANCHESTER, 
MASS. 
mite Se ap 
tle Maar bkrpir page fi 
i, Pawo A 
