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MANCHESTER, MASS., FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30, 1908. 
ENGLISH LITFRATURE IN THE 
EIGHTEENTH CENTURY. 
BY D. F. LAMSON. 
[Nore. The allusion in the article 
on Defoe to the testimony of Dr. Adam 
Clarke as to the religious value of Robin- 
son Crusoe, took for granted the fact 
that the story as originally published con- 
tained many moral and religious digres- 
sions, which are now generally omitted 
as rather a handicap upon the literary in- 
terest of the romance. | 
The name of Jonathan Swift cannot 
be omitted in a list of English men of 
letters of the eighteenth century; but it 
- suggests one of the most painful chapters 
in Jiterature. If we were believers in 
astrology, we might suppose that an evil 
star was in the ascendant at his birth. 
His whole life may be said to have been 
lived in the midst of cross seas and temp- 
ests. He suffered more than most of 
his contempuraries from the _ political 
bitterness of his time, which it must be 
admitted he did much to stir up and_ ex- 
asperate. Many of the storms that 
tossed his baik were of his own raising. 
Of an intense and undisciplined temper, 
he was ill fitted for the turbulent scenes’ 
in which hs life was cast. He was 
deeply involved in the political and re- 
ligious strifes of his day, and by his 
many publications on questions which 
were ranging men and parties in hostile 
camps he made both ardent friends and 
bitterenemies. As Dean of St. Patrick’s 
Cathedral, Dublin, he used the oppor- 
tunity of his high position to further his 
ambitious schemes and to add to his po- - 
litical power; but as an ecclesiastic he 
never won favor or religious influence. 
He was a self-willed churchman, in- 
clined to lord it over God's heritage, 
but he was no shepherd of the flock. 
He spent much of his time in England, 
in Ireland was always unpopular, partly 
on account of his violent Whig partisan- 
ship, and part!y as a prominent repre- 
sentative of an alien church. He did 
good service to Ireland by his ‘‘Drapier’s 
Letters’ in which he argued powerfully 
for a sound currency, but he never 
attached to himself the Irish people. At 
Laracor, one of his rural charges, he 
seldom had above half a dozen in his 
congregation, and on one occasion, see- 
ing no one present but his clerk, began 
the service, “‘ Dearly beloved Roger, 
The Scripture moveth us, in sundry 
places,’’ etc. 
Swift’s strange attachments will prob- 
ably always remain a mystery, especially 
Continued on next page 
‘ POLITICS—A RESUME OF PARTY POLICIES.” 
The above was the theme at the Con- 
gregational church last Sunday evening, 
and an unusually large number for an 
evening service were out to listento Rev. 
L. H. Ruge, pastor of the church. 
‘The preacher took for his text the 
words of St. Paul as found in Rom. 
Was ele 
w‘ There is no power but of God; and the 
powers that be are ordained of God.’’ 
‘The following is the sermon in brief: 
** Biblical history shows that the lead- 
ers in religion, in every age, were active 
in political affairs. Absolom election- 
eered for the throne of his father. 
Zadok, the priest, was a staunch politi- 
cal partisan of David. Nathan, the 
prophet, used his influence in the selec- 
tion of David’s successor. Jesus settled 
certain political questions; he associated 
with the politicians of his day, and al- 
though he did not pose as either a_poll- 
tician or a statesman, in him we find the 
true ideal of both. 
““In the above chapter Paul teaches 
ceitain political tenets in harmony with 
the teachings of Christ, and it is signi- 
ficant that these christian teachings are 
today most vital in the evolution of. poli- 
tical life. They are embodied in the 
political policies and platforms of the 
civilized world. It does not matter one 
iota whether men like the idea or. not, 
the fact is absolute that it is impossible to 
eliminate the influence of christianity 
from the political progress of the world. 
‘“ The early church soon became pol- 
itical and far seeing public men of an-. 
cient civilization saw what would be the 
outcome if an emperor of Rome like 
Constantine ever adopted christianity, 
and thus they tried to stamp it out. 
France in recent times tried to destroy 
it, but in vain. 
““Ta the concrete the official, political 
church is no longer recognized as a pol- 
itical power, but in the abstract, in its 
essential part and power, its teachings 
are fundamental in progressive politics. 
‘* Constantines, Gambettas, Bismarks, 
Lincolns come, lift up its standard and 
pass away, but the standard remains and 
is advanced and until some greater creed 
of human happiness and well-being takes 
its place it wiil continue to advance until 
all nations are under its beneficent folds 
““Tn every age preachers of righteous- 
ness like Dr. Washington Gladder raise 
their voice against: the iniquity of the 
state, and politicians like Roosevelt and 
Bryan carry the standard on to political 
success. 
‘‘ The political principles of party 
platforms are an interesting study as 
showing the embodiment of christian 
principles in politics, and in the different 
parties these principles overlap and inter- 
lap and dove-tail so that it is hard to dis- 
tinguish between them.”’’ 
The speaker then began to sum up 
some of the important reforms now em- 
bodied in the parties. He said: 
‘““ The purification of politics and pub- 
lic office is a stern issue. There is a 
demand for uncorruptible men in public 
office and only clean men dare ask for 
the places in the Republic. Men of 
unsavory reputation are being relegated 
to obscurity. —The issue of representa- 
tive assemblies, as to whether the people 
or special interests shall rule, is here to 
stop.—Universal suffrage, the exercise 
of the franchise, without fear or favor, 
not only in Massachusetts but in Dixie 
land. —The essential equality of all men. 
—The question of equal justice, when 
the highest judiciary shall operate as truly 
for the poor and weak as forthe rich and 
strong.—~The raising of the age limit in 
systematic toil to sixteen, thus protecting 
the children against the greed of parents 
and capitalist to give them the full meed 
of youth, its play and ideals.—The pro- 
tection of the home against the great 
social evil. —The demand for thorough 
sanitation so that those who dig in the 
deepest bowels of the earth shall have as 
pure air to breath as that which fans the 
frieze of the office of the millionaire who 
unduly profits by that underground labor. 
—Scientific, expert governmental investi- 
gation into the cause and cure of disease. 
—Government relief for human misery, 
not asa charity but asa stern obligation; 
to mitigate the curse of idleness, of pover- 
tyt of indigent old age, of worry and fear 
‘and despair, and the establishment of the 
office of specialist in sociological pro- 
blems for the cure of human woes; this 
is the crying demand of an enlightened 
‘age. —The elimination of the drinking 
evil and the doping of man with deadly 
drugs.— The prohibition of adulterated 
foods, imitation of food stuffs, of em- 
balmed meats and frozen food.---The 
elimination of corporate greed by prick- 
ing the bloated bubble of commercial 
expansion, in the interest of acommerce 
based first upon the needs of the home 
consumer.— The demand for the slow- 
ing down and cooling of machinery, 
material and physical, one day in seven 
at least; the curbing of the modern 
mad race for money in the interest of the 
