A WEEKLY JOURNAL DEVOTED TO THE BEST INTERESTS OF THE NORTH SHORE |(@) 
Vol. V. No. 4 
MANCHESTER, MASS., SATURDAY, JAN. 26, 1907. 
20 Pages. ‘Three Cents. 
HON. WM. H. TAPPAN. 
Honered Manchester Man passes away at the 
age of 85. Had Adventurous Western 
' Career in Early Days, 
Hon. William Henry Tappan, one of 
~ Manchester’s oldest and most honored 
\ 
sons, passed away at his home on North 
street Tuesday evening, after a lingering 
illness, at the age of 85 years, 2 months, 
23 days. His death removes one of the 
Hon. Wiri1am Henry Tappan 
Who passed away at Manchester this week. 
most conspicuous characters in the his- 
tory of the town, and a man who has 
helped to make history, one who can 
justly be classed with the great pioneers 
of the great west. 
For the past decade Mr. ‘Tappan has 
been in failing health, but it has been 
within less than that time that he has re- 
tired from active work in his profession 
as civil engineer. Within the past three 
years he has failed quite rapidly and for 
the past month he has been in the care 
of an attendant. “The end came a few 
minutes before seven Tuesday night. 
William Henry Tappan was born in 
Manchester, Oct. 30, 1821, a son of 
good old New England stock. He has 
been a worthy representative of an old 
and_ substantial Essex County family, 
whose founder was Abraham ‘Toppon, 
Continued on page 33 
=\\ | 
HOURS WITH SOME LESS 
KNOWN WRITERS. 
BY D. F. LAMSON. 
Of the private life of Ben Jonson(for 
thus he signed his name)we know but 
little. He was almost a contemporary 
of Shakespeare and Bacon, having been 
born in 1574, and dying in 1637. His 
father was a clergyman, and he was ed- 
ucated at Westminster and Cambridge; 
but a failure of his resources interrupted 
his studies and he turned for a living to 
the theatre. His dramatic talent made 
way for him, and he finally rose to dis- 
tinction as a playwright. 
The decay of the Drama may be said 
to have begun in Shakespeare’s lifetime, 
if it can be called decay, for it began 
with ‘‘rare Ben Jonson.’”? His genius 
was destitute of passion and sentiment; 
but he had the art of drawing to the life 
the men and women of his own age, 
especially as in his ‘“Every Man in_ his 
own Humor,’’ as they were mastered by 
a special bias of mind or Humor. 
The manners, now called Humors, 
feed the stage,’’ says Jonson himself. 
He was full of obscure learning, and a 
master of satire, which often got him in- 
totrouble. His ‘‘Catiline’’ is one of 
the best known of his works, and shows 
his power in tragedy. Scattered through 
his dramas are many brief lyrical pieces 
of peculiar neatness and beauty, as_ his 
“Hymn to Cynthia,”’ 
‘‘Oueen and huntress, chaste and fair.’” 
Eight years before his death he was 
made Poet Laureate; in his later years 
he wrote the “‘Sad Shepherd,’’? a poem 
which shows that the “‘robust, surly, 
observing dramatist,’’ like Shakespeare 
grew more mellow and kindly as he 
neared his end. Jonson is not so well 
known as he deserves to be; he was a 
great man, the power and copiousness of 
the Elizabethan age belonged to him. 
It is Ben Jonson’s misfortune that he 
is surpassed by Shakespeare who was so 
nearly his contemporary. The lesser light 
pales and is diminished by the side of the 
oreater. Perhaps as just a comparison 
as can be made between the two great 
writers is that quaint Thomas Fuller in 
Continued on page J6 
FAA PST 
i; 
<9, 
GATAL\,/ FUER. 
ROLL=CALL AND SUPPER. 
Annual Rezunion of the Congregational 
Church the social event of the week 
in Manchester. 
Despite the extremely cold weather 
Thursday evening the annual social re- 
union and supper of the Congregational 
church, Manchester, was largely attend- 
The affair was held in the Chapel 
ed. 
Rev. C. ArtrHuR LINCOLN 
Who presided at Annual Gathering. 
as usual and some 135 persons partook 
of the supper. 
A departure was made this year in as 
much as the supper was furnished by a 
caterer, —B. S. Bullock, instead of being 
prepared by the committtee as hereto- 
fore. “The menu consisted of cold tur- 
key, cold ham, side dishes, ice cream, 
coffee, fancy cakes, crackers, etc., very 
nicely prepared. 
Important features of the occasion was 
the adoption of resolutions, presented 
by Dea. Jos. A. Torrey in accordance 
with a vote passed at the annual business 
meeting, first, as to the retiring of Clerk 
George Forster Allen, who was elected 
Continued on page J4 
