4 
NORTH SHORE BREEZE. 
which appeared full-grown in Words- 
worth and Scott. 
Of Pope’s works, the best known are 
his Satires in which he closely followed 
his master, Horace; his Translation of 
the Iliad, which occupied him twelve 
years, which obtained the high com- 
mendation of Johnson and which is a 
work of great ingenuity and skill, what- 
ever may be thought of its success; his 
Essay on Criticism; Essay on Man; and 
Rape of the Lock. 
The first of these, one of his earliest 
works, is thought by some to be one of 
his greatest. Johnson gives it some- 
what fulsome praise; “‘ it exhibits every 
mode of excellence that can embellish or 
dignify didactic composition.’’ Addi- 
son did.much also to give it vogue. 
And it must be admitted that it is a re- 
markable production; but it has been 
praised above its merits. “There is little 
in it that may not be found in Horace, 
Quintilian, and other writers; but for 
grace of expression, for sparkle and wit, 
of course it distances all rivals. The 
main contention is the perfectly just one, 
that critics should be bound by the rules 
of art in judging as well as poets in writ- 
ing. And the poem may be considered 
as an Essay on the Art of Poetry, as well 
as of Criticism, the one being indeed 
inseparable fon the other. 
The Essay on Man is a much more 
labored performance. It is an attempt, 
like Butler’s Analogy, to place religion 
ona rational basis, “‘to vindicate the 
ways of God to man.’’ But Pope had 
not Butler’s reasoning powers and was 
hardly equal to the task which he im- 
posed upon himself; that the argument 
was not clearly worked out in his own 
mind is evident; in fact, he was given 
the subject by Lord Bolingbroke, a cele- 
brated skeptic of the time, who also 
guided him no doubt in the elaboration 
of the work. The result is that the 
Essay is little more than a brilliant argu- 
ment for Deism, and it is said that Pope 
was surprised and grieved when it was 
Suggested to him that the poem was _ un- 
friendly to revealed religion. But the 
Essay is full of lines and passages of 
great merit, and often of much poetic 
force. It has furnished more familiar 
quotations, probably, than all of Paradise 
Lost. In estimating the poem rightly, 
we are to remember that its aim is not a 
high one, that it was intended only as a 
theistic argument, and that redemption 
at least did not come within its scope. 
Its view of nature is essentially arti- 
ficial and unreal. 
‘The Rape of the Lock, founded on a 
frolic of gallantry, the cutting off by a 
nobleman of a lady’s lock of hair, has re- 
ceived praise as ‘‘the most airy, the 
most ingenious, and the most delightful 
of all his compositions;’’ as vers de 
societe it is perhaps unsurpassed, and itis a 
perfect mirror of the fashionable and friv- 
olous life of the age. Its use of sylphs and 
gnomes in the machinery of the play is a 
novelty, and its general tone of banter 
and often ridicule of the follies of high 
life in the poet’s time, show his powers 
of satire at their best. Asa whole it is 
not a work to make a poet’s_ reputation. 
Of Pope as a man, we know but 
little; Johnson says, ““he hardly drank 
tea without a stratagem;’’ and from his 
letters it appears that he was inordinately 
anxious for fame and not always straight- 
forward in his attempts to obtain it. He 
was a good son, and often kind to those 
in distress; but he was peevish and rrit- 
able; in excuse it may be said that his 
life was one long disease, he was 
shrunken and deformed, and _ needed 
constant attendance, was the victim of 
almost perpetual headache and extremely 
sensitive to cold. Perhaps few literary 
men have worked under the burden of 
greater personal weakness and suffering. 
Taxation Figures. 
According to a statement issued from 
the office of the tax commissioner at the 
State House Saturday, the rate of taxation 
has been increased in 32 cities and 136 
towns and remained unchanged in 44 
towns. 
The highest tax rate of the year is 
$25.60 on $1000 valuation, and was as- 
sessed in the town of Norwood, county 
of Norfolk; the lowest rate assessed was 
$3.72, in the town of Gosnold, Dukes 
county. 
Rates from $4 to $9.80 were assessed 
in 12 towns; rates from $10 to $14.90 
were assessed in 81 towns; rates from 
$15 to $19.80 were assessed in 23 cities 
and 161 towns; rates from $20 to $25 
were assessed in 10 cities and 65 towns. 
Manchester’s rate this year was de- 
creased and is $9.40, thus being one of 
the twelve towns having rates from $4 to 
$9.80. 
Special Town Meeting 
Next Monday Evening. 
A special Town meeting is called at 
Manchester for next Monday evening, 
Dec. 14, at 7.30 o’clock, to take action 
on the following articles in the warrant: 
1. To choose a moderator. 
2. To see if the town will appropriate 
the sum of $2500 for the suppression of 
the gypsv and browntail moths in accord- 
ance with the requirements of Section 5, 
Chapter 381, Acts of 1905. 
3. To see if the town will appropriate 
the sum of $5400 to pay the assessment 
as made by the commissioners of Essex 
County for the construction of the bridge 
in the city of Gloucester as per Chapter 
254, Acts of 1905, asamended by Chap- 
ter 279, Acts of 1906, R. L. 
4. To see if the town will appropriate 
the sum of $3200 for the purpose of 
paying interest due March 1, 1909, on 
water bonds issued Sept. 1, 1908. 
5. To see if the town will authorize 
the Treasurer under the direction of the 
Selectmen to hire such sums of money 
not exceeding $10,000 as may be needed 
to meet the current expenses of the town, 
giving a note or notes of the town, there- 
for, the same to be made payable within 
the next municipal year. 
Mr. Kirkland Resigns. 
Archie H. Kirkland, head of the 
gypsy moth commission, has sent his 
resignation to take effect immediately, to 
Gov. Guild, urging as his principal rea- 
son for resigning the fact of poor health 
due to an attack of typhoid fever over a 
year ago. 
The resignation came as a: surprise to 
Gov. Guild, but he accepted it in a 
communication in which Prof. Kirkland 
was commended for the successful work 
he has performed in suppressing the 
spread of the gypsy and_ brown-tail 
moths. 
Lamson & Hubbard hats, fall and win- 
ter styles, at Bell’s. * 
NOW IS THE TIME 
TO ‘SELEGT -YOUR goer 
. Christmas Gifts ... 
Watches, Rina Bracelets, Brooches, Lockets, Neckchains, etc, 
JOHN B. HILL & SON, JEWELERS 
160 Cabot Street, 
% & & 
Beverly, Mass. 
