itiable to see how some who were
originally his superiors humiliate themselves before him. Like the
sycophant hound and the imploring retriever, they seem to lose all
sense of self-respect.

One can see how easily the picture of Jack in Office could be
converted into a caricature, and it is not surprising to learn that it
has been used in England as a political cartoon. American politics
might also produce many a parallel situation. The party boss in a
municipal government holding petty appointments in his control is a
veritable Jack in Office surrounded by his followers.

The humor of the picture is, as we see, a trifle keener than in
Dignity and Impudence. Arrogance and sycophancy are such despicable
qualities, whether in dog or man, that they are held up not only for
our laughter but for our contempt.

As may be inferred from our previous illustrations, the greater
number of Landseer's dog subjects were drawn from animals of the finer
breeds. Jack in Office is unique in our collection as dealing with the
commoner animals of the street. Even here, however, the painter found
material for his favorite theme of the dog's fidelity to his master.
Jack is, as it were, the butcher's business partner, sharing alike in
his labors and his gains. As we are to see again in our next picture,
the dog which is made the companion of daily labor is even more to his
master than one which is merely a playmate.

It is instructive to examine one by one the details of the
composition, which the painter has rendered with much technical skill.
The vista of the square at the end of the alley is a pleasant feature
of the composition, giving a more spacious background to the group.

XIV

THE HIGHLAND SHEPHERD'S CHIEF MOURNER

While the mountains of the Scottish Highlands are haunted by deer, the
valleys are the pasture ground for large flocks of sheep. Here our
painter, Landseer, made the acquaintance of two unique characters, the
Highland shepherd and his dog. In former times the shepherds of
Scotland were no ordinary men. The loneliness of the life in these
wilds left an impress upon their nature, making it stern and serious.
Not infrequently great readers were found among them, and even poets.
The Ettrick shepherd James Hogg was one of Scotland's first men of
letters.

The poet Wordsworth, whose boyhood was passed in the north of England,
describes in "The Prelude" his admiration for the shepherds of that
region:--

"T