Evening star., 1925-02-24

ing suited to his place and rank in
the creation.
This is precious near the stating a
belief in evolution, and for that rea-
son do not believe William Jennings
Bryan cares for Mr.. Pope's "An Essay
on Man.
Then say not mans imperfect heaven in fault;
Say rather. mans as perfect as he ought;
His knowledge measured TO his state and place;
His time a moment, and a point his space.
IT to be perfect in a certain sphere,
what matters, soon or late, or here or there!
The blest today is as completely so.
AS who began thousand years ago.
So Lucretius, in his DE Rerum Ma
tura," declared Gas translated in
couplets):
The dead today is as completely SO
AS he who died thousand years ago.
Heaven from all creatures hides
the book Of fate" Pope declares, con-
tinuing:
From brutes what men, from men what spirits
know;
Or who could suffer being here below?
There is a question, indeed! Ger
tainly much of the happiness in this
our life does come about because OF
our inability to read the future, and
to know what lies in wait for us OF
suffering and unhappiness. Where
fore 1t has always seemed to me ar
almost wicked thing for any one To
consult a so-called fortune teller
| or in any way to attempt to wrest
from the future what the Creator has
so kindly hid from US.
| The lamb thy riot dooms to bleed today,
Had he thy reason, would he skip and play?
Pleased TO the last, he crops the iowry food
And licks the hand just raised to shed his
blood.
Oh blindness to the future! kindly given.
That each may fill the circle marked by
Heaven,
vbo
hero perish, a sparrow fall,
Atoms of system into ruin hurled.
And now a bubble burst and now a world.
Pope then gets down to some
teaching:
Hope humbly then, with trembling pnion.
Wait the great teacher, Death; and Got
adore.
What future bliss, He gives not thee t.
But gives that hope to be thy blessing now
Hope springs eternal In the human brea ST
Man never is, but always to be blest.
So there you have read one of the
| most famous quotations in all the
royal lineage of English literature
How many thousands upon thousands
of men and women there are who
have at one time OF another quoted
that line about Hope springs eternal
| In the human breast" without having
the slightest idea where it came
| from
Many of them, if asked, would
| reply, "Oh, from Shak espeare,
guess" They would guess wrong
though. for Alexander Pope, Sc
| crippled that he had 10 have some
body dress him, pulled that wise
| crack off for the edification of mil
lions yet unborn.
1t is hard to write about this essay
without quoting it. Here is a picture
of an Indian and his dog that is
beautiful:
Lo, the poor Indian, whose untutored MIND
Sees God In clouds. or hears him in the
His soul, proud science never taught tt
Far as the solar walk. or milky way;
Yet simple nature TO his hope has giv'n.
Behind the cloud-topt hill, an humblel
Some safer world in depth of woods en-
braced.
Some happier island in the watery waste,
Where slaves once more their native lane
No fends torment. no Christians thirst fo
To be contents his natural desire.
He asks no angels wing, no seraph's fire
But thinks, admitted TO that equal sky.
His faithful dog shall bear him company
The bliss of man, Pope says, is not
to act or think beyond mankind
Who finds not Providence all good
and wise, alike in what it gives, and
what denies?
He ends the first epistle with the lines:
All nature is but art, unknown to thee:
Ali chance, direction, what thou csnst moi
see:
All discord, harmony not understood;
All partial evil, universal good;
And, spite Of pride, in erring reasons spite
One truth is clear, whatever is, is right
One may have to null over that
last line long time before its
| meaning becomes clear to him.